7 reasons for spending a brief holiday in North Rhine-Westphalia

A mixed-reality guided tour through the city of Essen back in 1887, a dedicated museum for the Wuppertal suspension railway, which is unique in the world, or multi-day tours on outstanding hiking trails – you are going to find the following seven highlights to be some unique reasons for a brief holiday in NRW, no matter if you are a culture enthusiast or a lover of nature. Make sure to put them on your 2024 bucket list. By the way, did you know that the North Rhine-Westphalia is located in the west of Germany, right on the border with the Netherlands? Hop in the car or on the train and let NRW captivate you.

Tip 1: Bergische hiking weeks

Do you love hiking? Set out into the Bergisches Land a rural region near cologne. Two weeks will be hosted in 2024 to celebrate the hiking region’s 10^th anniversary: one from 27 April to 5 May in spring, and another one in autumn. They afford an opportunity to experience the rich landscape, history, and culture of the Bergisches Land in a diverse programme. No matter if you are looking for brief guided tours or day-long hikes: experienced hiking guides will take you on mushroom excursions, pilgrimages, or even canoe rides. The “Bergische 50” kick-off event has the goal of hiking 50 kilometres in no more than 12 hours. Lace up your hiking boots and come visit the Bergisches Land region!

Tip 2: The Schwebodrom – a suspension railway museum

Paris has its Eiffel tower, New York has the Statue of Liberty, and Wuppertal is world-renowned for its suspension railway. The Schwebodrom is a new museum dedicated to the suspended monorail that opened in late 2023. The VR tour in the original suspension railway car from 1900 forms the highlight here. Anyone who has never been on a suspension railway ride before should supplement their virtual trip to 1929 Wuppertal by an analogue ride through the city as it is today.

Tip 3: Travelling back through time to 1887 in Essen

Visitors to Essen’s inner city at the heart of the Ruhr area can immerse themselves in a mixed-reality city tour of 1887. Carriages, animals, buildings, and people are represented so well that they seem to be real enough to touch. This experience mixing the here and now with virtual reality is unique in the world

Tip 4: Extraordinary hiking experiences

Diverse hiking trails with great views in natural environments, reliable marking, and good infrastructure allow hikers to hike extraordinarily well in the Kreis Lippe in the Teutoburg Forest, an area in the east of North-Rhine Westpahlia. The region has been certified as a “Wanderbares Deutschland” quality region. Anyone who prefers longer tours for their short holiday can pick out one of the multi-day trails. The Hansaweg, for example, leads past the three Hanseatic cities of Herford, Lemgo, and Hamlin in a total of six sections and stands out with the beauty of its landscape and medieval half-timbered towns.

Tip 5: “Planet Ozean” – the fascinating beauty of the world’s oceans

The new “Planet Ozean” exhibition will take visitors to barely known depths of the complex ecosystem of the ocean in the Gasometer Oberhausen from 15 March 2024 onwards. Guests can immerse themselves in a vibrant marine world here with the help of cutting-edge technology. Large photographs and films, an “ocean sound room”, and the immersive presentation called “Die Welle”, installed in the Gasometer’s impressively high air space, make for a spectacular exhibition with a revolutionary large-scale installation.

Tip 6: Fun fair on the Liboriberg

Nine days of church, culture, and fun fair – the Libori festival is a Paderborn tradition referred to as the “fifth season” in this region. Many stands form a brightly coloured fair on a fairground 400 metres in length on the Liboriberg from 27 July to 4 August 2024. A traditional market is also held outside of the Paderborn cathedral. A diverse cultural offering with concerts and cabaret completes the traditional festival, which numbers among the largest and oldest fairs Germany has to offer.

Tip 7: A piece of art dedicated to the arts

The Musiktheater im Revier likely is the most beautiful opera house in the Ruhr area, standing out not only with its diverse programme but also forming a gem of architecture in itself. It is deemed one of the most important theatre buildings of Post-War Germany. Yves Klein, who started his world-wide career here, already euphorically prophesied that “this will be the foyer of the century.” Visitors can see for themselves that he was proven right.

Find more inspiration and highlights for the year ahead here: https://www.nrw-tourism.com/highlights-2024