Hikes in North Rhine-Westphalia

Some of the most beautiful hiking tours in NRW can be found in the Eifel and the national park of the same name.

The low mountain range has been shaped by fire and water over the course of time. The most famous long-distance hiking trail through the region is all about these elements: the Eifelsteig trail leads from Aachen through Rhineland-Palatinate to Trier on the Moselle.

Along the way and on other routes there are mountains, waters, villages and small towns like Monschau to see. On theme trails, the Eifel trails, you can explore the culture and nature of the region. One of the highlights is the Hohes Venn Nature Park.

The Struffeltroute leads through the moor on boardwalks. You will find a variety of plants in the Lampertstal valley near Blankenheim. Hikes at the Urft dam, at Lake Obersee and Lake Rursee are popular, for example on the Wasserland route. If you like, you can also hike with alpacas.

You will also find plenty of greenery in the Köln-Bonn area, both in the city and in the surrounding countryside. The Rhineland Nature Park has a number of lakes where you can enjoy yourself. The Königsforst is also popular as a recreational area and for hiking. The Kölnpfad is over 170 kilometres long, around the cathedral city, often with a beautiful view of the Rhine.

Bonn is also located on the great water vein, from where you can embark on themed hikes or on the Natursteig Sieg. A classic is the Rheinsteig: it runs all the way to Wiesbaden, past wine villages.

One of NRW's best-known visitor magnets is the Drachenfels with its castle. Many hiking trails lead around the legendary mountain and require a bit of fitness. An alternative is the historic cogwheel railway to the top. There you can look out over the beautiful Rhine valley and the whole of NRW.

The Ruhr region has changed a lot, from industry to nature. Among the special features are traces of mining history. If you climb high up in a slag heap landscape, the view is particularly beautiful, far üacross the valley. Renaturalised areas are also linked by the Route of Industrial Heritage.

There are quiet hiking trails along the Ruhr. Parks and gardens of Schlüssern are among the larger oases, also in the cities. Thanks to numerous train connections, you can travel comfortably by train to go hiking in this area or then back again by train. Hikes to idyllic lakes such as the Baldeneysee in Essen's south offer relaxation. Here you can hike along the Baldeney Trail. In the Neandertal valley, you can take a trip back in time to prehistoric times on a family excursion.

You can explore the picturesque Bergisches Land with the nature park of the same name on a well-developed network of hiking trails. In the region, you can take the Bergische Weg or the Bergische Panoramasteig; other tours lead along the Wupper and other rivers or streams.

In addition, you can go on „Streifzüge“: These are themed routes such as the Stonecutter's Trail, the Clothmaker's Trail, the Fruit Trail or the Mill Trail. Towns like Wuppertal or Lindlar can be good base stations for exploring the Rhenish Slate Mountains with their hills, valleys and forests. Other beautiful destinations in NRW where you can relax are lakes and reservoirs, which are plentiful here.

Do you know what the „Water Quintet“ is? That is the name given to the region around the Wupper, Bever, Brucher, Neye and Lingese dams.

The Rot­haar­steig is considered one of the most beautiful long-distance hiking trails in Europe. You can hike stages of this trail if you are in the Siegen-Wittgenstein region and in the Sauerland. There are additional Rothaarsteig trails that offer a beautiful panorama or are dedicated to topics such as bison or literature. Near Bad Berleburg there is the eventful Forest Sculpture Trail: there you will encounter works of art embedded in nature. The area is known as the "Land of 1000 Mountains", which you can also discover on the "Sauerland-Highway Flight".

The Sauerland Forest Route with the Sauerland Trails and other tours also lead through the charming landscape with deep forests, wide valleys and pretty villages. Popular destinations are Bruchhauser Steine, Biggesee, Felsenmeer or Kahler Asten, which is called the King of the Sauerland Mountains. There are more than 40 soothing „soul places“ at mountain tops, springs or lakes.

As a link between the Sauerland and the Teutoburg Forest, the Egge Trail leads through the Egge Mountains. The Externsteine, a rock formation near Paderborn, the city with over 200 springs, have a mystical effect. Near Altenbeken you can explore railway history on the viaduct hiking trail. Gütersloh or Minden are further starting points in the East Westphalia-Lippe region. Keyword Lippe: The area around the river is also known as the "Land of Hermann", with the large Hermann Monument and the Hermann Trail.

Other premium hiking trails in the Teutoburg Forest are the „Teutoschleifen“, with names like Waldauenweg, Heiliges Meer or Holperdorper. You can also get to know the Dörenther Klippen with rock formations. Teutoschleifchen" trails such as the Canyon Tour, "Schachselwiesen" or the Kullbach Valley are suitable for both young and old hikers. Families enjoy walking along the „Brilon Forest Fairy Trail“. The Kneipp trail promises to cool you down; the themed trail „Geological Leap“ offers lots of information. In the nature reserve, you can hike along the Jakobsberg Steinhagen, and the heath landscape of the Senne is a bird sanctuary.

In Münsterland you often encounter a gentle landscape with meadows, fields and forests. In Münster itself, the Aasee lake is a popular destination, and there are park landscapes with castles and lakes all around. Billerbeck is a good base for exploring. There are even wild horses in the Meerfelder Bruch. Stages of the „Hohe Mark Steig“ from Wesel to Olfen, with shorter „countryside stretches“, lead through a nature park with forests, moors, floodplains and lakes.

You want to choose Mühlen? Then let's go to the Lower Rhine. The idyllic landscape also has plenty of water, whether in the form of a stream, river, lake or wet meadow. The landscape between the Rhine and the Meuse is considered a natural paradise. A larger town is Xanten with its archaeological park and Bislicher Insel nature reserve. The premium trail „Schwalmbruch“ runs üover the border.