Holidays in Essen for people who love nature and culture

SIGHTSEEING ON OPEN-TOP BUSES – ALL ABOARD, PLEASE
A perfect starting point for the first day is a tour of Essen on the double-decker open-top bus with the Ruhr area’s city tour providers. The two-hour tour provides you with a good insight into how Essen has changed from a centre of the mining industry to a modern economic, retail and service metropolis in the heart of the Ruhr area. The tour takes you past, for example, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein , the listed garden town of Margarethenhöhe and Villa Hügel .

You can book tickets here (only german)

CURTAIN UP – CINEMA DOESN’T GET MORE VARIED THAN THIS
Essen has some outstanding cinema culture. This includes art house cinemas, such as Astra Theater , Filmstudio Glückauf , Eulenspiegel, Galerie Cinema and the legendary Lichtburg Essen . With 1,250 seats, this is Germany’s largest film theatre and a popular location for premieres with international stars. In addition to the cinema shows, concerts, readings, cabaret and theatre are also hosted in the listed film palace, which dates from the 1920s and is one of Germany’s most popular cinemas. So it’s the perfect place to spend a lovely evening in Essen. For everyone who loves cult films: the Galerie Cinema, which is both the smallest and oldest art house cinema in the Ruhr area with just 45 seats, has been showing the classic film “Harold and Maude” every Sunday for over 40 years now.

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE ZOLLVEREIN – EXPERIENCE HISTORY AND THE PRESENT DAY
A visit to the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex , a UNESCO World Heritage Site and landmark of the Ruhr area, is definitely an absolute must. In the same location at which arduous mining work was carried out in the past, discover what is probably the most fascinating industrial history location nowadays: mining, design, architecture, culture and nature. You can explore the site on foot, by bicycle or on an electric bus with a small tour.

In the centre of this historic industrial architecture you will also find the Ruhr Museum and the Red Dot Design Museum . The Ruhr Museum, which opened in 2010 in the RUHR.2010 cultural capital year, has dedicated its permanent exhibition to the entire natural and cultural history of the Ruhr area. The Red Dot Design Museum displays the world’s largest exhibition of contemporary design across five floors. The museum, with its innovative exhibits from around 45 countries, is one of the top 8 design museums in the world. So if you have a bit of time left over or the weather isn’t great one day: it’s worth a visit!

RESTAURANTS, BARS, KIOSKS – A GREAT WAY TO FINISH YOUR DAY
What better way is there to finish off your day than by visiting a lovely restaurant? The multiculturalism of the city (people of more than 170 nationalities have found their home in Essen) is also reflected in the city’s restaurant industry. This means that the range of food on offer spans from local to oriental dishes, from chips and Currywurst to caviar and from little snacks for on the go to a menu with multiple courses in one of the three Michelin-starred restaurants. You can find a large variety of individual bars in the trendy district of Rüttenscheid , for example. There really is the right place for everyone’s taste on “RÜ” or Rüttenscheider Straße. Tip: kiosks are an important part of urban life in the Ruhr area. Whether you are going for a bag of fruit gums or a beer after work, you should definitely stop by if you are visiting Essen!

MUSEUM FOLKWANG, MUSEUM OF THE YEAR – VAN GOGH, MONET & PICASSO
Four pieces of art by Van Gogh plus free entry: you only get that at Museum Folkwang , which is one of the most important art museums in Germany and definitely needs to be on your must-see list for your time in Essen. The outstanding collection, which includes works by Van Gogh, as well as works by Monet, Cézanne, Picasso, Klee, Rodin and Rothko, is a cultural highlight. As well as art from the 19th century to classical modernism, the museum regularly hosts large public and temporary exhibitions.

Do you fancy some refreshments? If you wish, you can visit the museum’s restaurant after the museum.

MARGARETHENHÖHE GARDEN TOWN – A WINDOW TO ANOTHER WORLD
On the third day of your trip, we recommend that you take a stroll through the listed Margarethenhöhe garden town . This idyllic part of the city, which was created between 1909 and 1938, is considered to be the most beautiful example of the German concept of a garden town. Although the settlement has an image of unity, the houses are all different and there is something new to discover on every corner. You’ll love it!

Our tip: why not visit an apartment fitted out according to historical standards. You can only visit this apartment on tours (only in German) .

By the way: from Maggihöhe, which is what this city district is known as by locals, it takes just 10 to 15 minutes to walk to Grugapark . We would therefore strongly recommend the combination of Margarethenhöhe and Gruga for people who love gardens. We’ll come back to that later, though.

CYCLING TOURISM IN ESSEN AND THE RUHR AREA – I WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE
Ride around 260 km through Essen... with an extensive cycle path network, that’s no problem at all. The ideal way to discover industrial culture, parks, forests and fields, as well as vibrant city life, is on a bike. The majority of the cycle paths have been constructed on disused railway lines, which were being used to transport coal and steel until a couple of decades ago. By the way, this is the perfect way to explore the Ruhr area surrounding Essen too because the cycle paths don’t stop at the city boundaries!

Our tips for a day trip: North beer garden route : 43 km, Railway route : 40 km, Mining route : 38 km, Krupp route : 31 km

You can also find more shorter trips here

You can hire bikes here

IN THE SOUTH OF THE CITY – BALDENEYSEE AND VILLA HÜGEL
Baldeneysee in the southern part of Essen, which was dammed up in 1931 as a water reservoir and for water purification in the Ruhr area, is now a recreational area for people from the entire region. At a distance of 14.7 km, walking around the lake, cycling around it or skating around it on inline skates makes a great trip and the area offers a varied and beautiful natural and industrial cultural landscape. A bird sanctuary with cormorants and kingfishers, the historic Hespertalbahn , the former Carl Funke mine and Villa Hügel in the hills are just some of the highlights you can enjoy whilst moving around the lake. Numerous cafés and restaurants provide inviting places to stop off for a break. If you like being on the water, you can take to the water in a boat from Weiße Flotte Baldeney . People who enjoy sailing, canoeing, surfing and stand up paddleboarding will also find the best water sports conditions here.

Villa Hügel , the former residence of the Krupp entrepreneur family and the largest single-family residence in the world with 269 rooms, attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world every year. You should definitely plan in a visit to the Villa and Hügelpark, which is designed in the style of an English landscape garden. Tours are also available. It is the best spot from which to look out over Baldeneysee .

In the southern part of Essen you will find the historic city districts of Kettwig and Werden . Kettwig is Essen’s youngest city district, as it was only incorporated into the city late on, and is an absolute gem with its many half-timbered houses and delightful narrow streets. You can find out more about the district and its history as a centre of weaving culture, which has been brought to life as part of city tours, night watchman tours and sculpture park tours.

The historic centre of Werden is right by the Ruhr Valley on the northern boundary of the mountainous area and is a great place for a short walk. The renowned Folkwang University of the Arts is based here. Lots of musical and dance talents trained here and became top international artists.

HIKING HOLIDAY IN ESSEN – REALLY CLOSE TO NATURE
On the penultimate day of your trip we recommend that you enjoy a long hike. A long hike in a big city like Essen? Yes, that’s possible here! You can hike on two trails in Essen.

The BaldeneySteig , a circular route around Baldeneysee which is 26.7 km long, offers a unique experience of nature with its well-marked hiking trails. The landscape along the trail is pleasantly varied. Whilst steep forests, narrow paths and magnificent views dominate the landscape to the north of the lake, the south side is characterised by large fields and traces of mining history.

Is 26.7 km too far for you? The ships by Weiße Flotte Baldeney GmbH , the Hespertalbahn and public transport make it possible to hike just part of the trail. You can also choose wherever you wish to start.

Download the hiking map: BaldeneySteig (pdf, 8 MB)

The Kettwiger Panoramasteig to the north and south of the Ruhr is a little longer than the BaldeneySteig at around 35 kilometres and requires a bit more fitness too. The stunning landscape along the trail is characterised by hilly, sometimes steep, forest areas, rural areas and settlements. There are numerous places to stop for a break along the way.

You should plan an entire day for the trail.

Download the hiking map: Kettwiger Panoramasteig (pdf, 17 MB)

We recommend you wear good hiking boots for both trails. Our tip: Kettwiger Panoramasteig can be connected to BaldeneySteig: you can explore what are probably the most beautiful parts of Essen on foot, covering around 60 kilometres in total.

You can also find more shorter walks in Essen here (pdf, 1 MB)

GRUGAPARK ESSEN – THE GREEN LUNG OF THE CITY
Grugapark , which is in the city district of Rüttenscheid , is one of the most spacious and beautiful city parks in Europe, comprising around 60 hectares, and draws in over 1 million visitors a year. Young people and older people and fans of culture, nature and sport use the park for relaxation and recreation. Huge grass areas surrounded by old trees, palm houses, numerous sculptures and pieces of plastic art, themed gardens and a graduation house are just some of the highlights that make the park really unique. You should definitely plan in a visit to the park.

Tip: If you love parks and gardens, we recommend that you visit Borbecker Schlosspark in the northern part of the city and the 150-year-old Hügelpark at Villa Hügel .

ESSEN’S CATHEDRAL TREASURE – CHURCH TREASURE WITH A EUROPEAN DIMENSION
In the centre of the city, you can find the Essener Dom with its Domschatzkammer , which is home to pieces of art of inestimable value, including valuable reliquaries, Ottonian processional crosses, the oldest fleur-de-lis crown in Europe and a magnificent sword that is even connected to Emperor Otto the Great. The highlight of the cathedral is the Golden Madonna , the oldest three-dimensional madonna figure in the world and the most important piece of art in the Ruhr area. As well as the madonna, you can view the oldest preserved seven-branched candelabrum in Christianity, which is dated to around the year 1000, in the cathedral.

Essen’s cathedral treasure is the most significant legacy of Essen Abbey. Its abbesses ruled the abbey and city of Essen from the 9th century until around 1800.

Overnight accommodation in a double room with breakfast from EUR 69.00

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