Holidays in Essen as a couple

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE ZOLLVEREIN – EXPERIENCE HISTORY AND THE PRESENT DAY
In Essen, visiting the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex , a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is also considered by people from Essen to be the “most beautiful mine in the world” or the “Eiffel Tower of the Ruhr area”, is definitely a must for your trip. In the same location at which arduous mining work was carried out in the past, you can now discover what is probably the most fascinating industrial history location: mining, design, architecture, culture and nature.

Our tip for if you have a bit of time left over or the weather isn’t great one day is to visit the Red Dot Design Museum at the Zollverein World Heritage Site. Surrounded by historic industrial architecture, the museum displays the world’s largest exhibition of contemporary design across five floors. The museum, with its innovative exhibits from around 45 countries, is on the list of the top 8 design museums in the world.

TRENDY NEIGHBOURHOOD OF RÜTTENSCHEID – SHOPPING, BROWSING, ENJOYING
The trendy area of Rüttenscheid is only 20 minutes away on the tram. Spending time here is an absolute must. This part of the city lives and breathes individuality: hip cafés, loads of bars, trendy restaurants and small shops and boutiques. You can enjoy shopping, browsing, good food and the unique flair of this young part of the city here. Rüttenscheider Straße, also known as “Rü”, is the perfect place to take a stroll in any season. Tip: Make sure you don’t forget about the side streets. It’s worth having a good look around!

From “Rü”, you can reach Grugapark on foot, which is the green lung of the city: comprising around 60 hectares, it is one of the most spacious and beautiful city parks in Europe and draws in over 1 million visitors a year. Taking a walk through the numerous themed gardens really is a must-do activity for your Essen trip.

ON THE WATER – TOTAL RELAXATION AT BALDENEYSEE
Baldeneysee , which is located in the southern part of the city, is the perfect spot for a canoe trip. Simply hire a canoe – the hire station in Essen-Kupferdreh opens at 10 am. Whether you are on the water or in the water, you will be surrounded by a varied and beautiful natural and industrial cultural landscape at Baldeneysee. A bird sanctuary with cormorants and kingfishers, the historic Hespertalbahn, the Haus Scheppen biker meeting place or the former Carl Funke mine... the Baldeneysee has so many different things to offer, with the distance around it comprising almost 14 km. On the hills you can also see and visit Villa Hügel. Villa Hügel is the former residence of the industrialist family of Alfred Krupp and, with 269 rooms, it is the largest single-family residence in Germany.

SEASIDE BEACH BALDENEY – ENJOYING THE SUNSHINE ON THE BEACH
After the trip around the lake, a great place to relax is Seaside Beach Baldeney with a refreshing cocktail in your hand and sand between your toes. The paradise beach, which is 250 metres long and 35 metres wide, offers a magical view of Baldeneysee and creates a real summer vibe at any time of the year with over 100 real palm trees. You can chill out on the sun loungers or at one of the many bars. If you feel like being more active, that’s no problem either! You can hire surfboards there, play volleyball or try out high rope climbing parkour.

RUHR AREA HIKING PARADISE – REALLY CLOSE TO NATURE
Long hikes in a city like Essen? Absolutely! As the third-greenest city in Germany, Essen is pretty much paradise for people who love nature. Our tip: The BaldeneySteig, a circular route around Baldeneysee which is 26.7 km long. Thanks to the well-marked hiking trails, this trail offers a unique nature experience. The landscape along the trail is wonderfully 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? Thanks to the Weiße Flotte Baldeney GmbH ships, the Hespertalbahn and public transport, you can also hike just part of the BaldeneySteig. You can also choose wherever you wish to start.

Important: Even though we’re not in the Alps, having good hiking shoes is an advantage.

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

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

SIGHTSEEING ON OPEN-TOP BUSES – ALL ABOARD, PLEASE
The best way of exploring the history of the city of Essen and the most important sights is on the double-decker open-top bus provided as part of the Ruhr area city tours. The tour takes two hours and takes you past, for example, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein , the garden town of Margarethenhöhe and Villa Hügel.

You can book tickets here (only in German)

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.

CYCLING IN ESSEN – 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

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.

Do you like things that are a little more unusual? Then why not visit Autokino in Essen – retro charm is guaranteed!

HIKING HOLIDAY FOR ENTHUSIASTS – KETTWIGER PANORAMASTEIG
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, fields and small rustic settlements. You will find lots of places to get refreshments along the hiking trail, such as beer gardens and restaurants.

You should definitely plan an entire day for the trail and wear hiking boots to ensure you don’t slip.

Our tip: The Kettwiger Panoramasteig can be connected to the BaldeneySteig , meaning that you can explore the beautiful southern part of Essen on foot, covering around 60 kilometres in total.

Download the hiking maps: Kettwiger Panoramasteig (pdf, 17 MB) and BaldeneySteig (pdf, 8 MB)

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

CULINARY ESSEN – A GREAT WAY TO FINISH YOUR DAY
When you’ve been hiking for the whole day, you’ve more than earned some really good food. The multiculturalism of the city (people of more than 100 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.

MARGARETHENHÖHE GARDEN TOWN – A WINDOW TO ANOTHER WORLD
On the final 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.

Overnight accommodation in a double room with breakfast from EUR 69.00

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