Cultural Highlights
Cultural North Rhine-Westphalia brings you to majestic parks, gardens and great art. Discover our world-class museums and our industrial heritage.
Cultural North Rhine-Westphalia brings you to majestic parks, gardens and great art. Discover our world-class museums and our industrial heritage.
In North Rhine-Westphalia's museums lots of different exhibitions open their doors throughout the year.
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North Rhine-Westpahlia is a real paradise for fans of architecture and photographers alike. Well-known architects such as Frank Gehry, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe or Balthasar Neumann have all left their traces here, and enriched the cities in the federal state with their sometimes extravagant, sometimes minimalistic, sometimes lavish buildings. Come and admire the Baroque master buildings, classical spa architecture and futuristic contemporary structures!
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Joseph Beuys set the art world in motion. On his 100th birthday, a new cycle route is following in his footsteps through the far west of Germany.
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Discover the imposing palaces and castles in the Kulturland, which tell exciting stories from a wide range of epochs.
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Over 1.000 museums in North Rhine-Westphalia await curious visitors. Discover the most popular and impressive establishments with their unique, high-quality exhibitions.
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There are six UNESCO World Heritage Sites in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Lower Germanic Limes has also been allowed to bear the title since 2021.
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Backdrops for art, culture and the creative sector
The industrial heritage of North Rhine-Westphalia is huge: no other federal state has such an abundance and variety of industrial monuments. Themed routes lead across the country to mines, gasometers, coking plants, blast furnaces, production facilities and lifts.
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Green, greener, North Rhine-Westphalia: More than half of the land is made up of forests, rivers, meadows and fields. Come and discover our natural beauty that will truly surprise you!
In NRW, ancient woodland is making a comeback, rivers are again shaping their own natural courses, and rare animals like the European bison and the wildcat are returning to their former habitats. Visitors usually do not need to travel too far to find themselves in the middle of the wilderness. North Rhine-Westphalia’s nature reserves provide a relaxing, verdant contrast to the non-stop action of city life. A total of 12 nature parks and the state’s only national park provide a variety of landscapes to enjoy nature at its unspoilt best.
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New life on old disused sites
Plants and animals have reconquered former colliery sites and other disused industrial areas in the Ruhr region. Rare species, colourful flowers and strange growth habits are waiting to be discovered - from the exotic to the long-established.
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Flowering heath landscapes, dense forests and wild floodplains
Pack your bags and explore the animals and landscapes of NRW on four nature tours. Discover flamingos and highland cattle in the Münsterland region, look for beavers on the Lower Rhine, be amazed at the sight of wisents by moonlight in the Teutoburger Wald forest, or follow the tracks of wildcats in the Eifel region. Ready to go?
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On foot, by bike, in a cable-car or by donkey-ride – choose your way to discover the delights of the Rhine.
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The landscape of NRW is bursting with colour. Dotted among the extensive swathes of green, visitors will spot splashes of vibrant colour in places like Zwillbrocker Venn in Münsterland, the home of Europe’s most northerly pink flamingo breeding colony. A sea of yellow awaits in the Eifel, meanwhile, both in early spring when the wild daffodils start to appear and a little later when the broom shrubs begin to flower. Mysterious caves in Sauerland, legend-steeped rock formations in the Teutoburg Forest, a wild herd of European bison in Siegerland-Wittgenstein and the discovery site of Neanderthal man provide further colourful attractions.
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Immerse in our urban jungle and start your city adventure in narrow, winding streets. We invite you to discover and linger.
In the historic local and town centres in NRW, visitors can immerse themselves in the past and experience the particular charm of these places in cosy cafés or on romantic squares.
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The major cities of North Rhine-Westphalia have much to discover: trendy neighbourhoods, art galleries and great shopping opportunities.
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Discover the urban jungle of Western Germany
The banana-shaped urban jungle that extends from the Ruhr Area and Düsseldorf to Cologne is so strange and at the same time multi-faceted that you should urgently consider paying a visit to this western region of Germany
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New faces every morning, new ideas every day, chats and scraps of conversation. Brief contacts become friends, friends turn into business partners. This is what it’s like in a coworking space.
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North Rhine-Westphalia is a true shopper’s paradise, with everything from luxury shopping miles to busy pedestrian zones and modern arcades, and from trendy districts with small boutiques to shopping centres with everything under one roof.
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Relax along rivers and lakes or start peddling trails up and down: North Rhine-Westphalia is perfectly suited for your bicycles.
No matter if viewing them only from a distance, taking the time for an extended stop to visit museums and enjoy a lunchtime snack, or using the castle park as the perfect stop to relax for a little, these routes will take you to some of the most beautiful palaces and castles in your NRW.
Discover more cycling paths!
Let yourself be inspired by our cycle paths on old railway lines in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Discover more cycling paths!
Some cyclists find the flat countryside boring and would rather forego it for action and great athletic performance. This is no problem at all on the following hilly routes. The best part of it is that anyone who climbs up high is typically going to be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the valley.
Discover more cycling paths!
Routes full of highlights, but mostly flat
With the Ruhr, Rhine, Lippe, Lenne, or Sieg, rivers of all sizes shape the landscape along their banks in NRW in different ways. Those following them by bike from source to mouth will experience nature, history, and plenty of cycling fun with little gradient.
Discover more cycling paths!
Quite a few cycle paths in North Rhine-Westphalia provide surprising experiences and new impressions with often less well-known sights along the way.
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Looking for your next short trip, for special accommodations or for the best photo spot in North Rhine-Westphalia? Then you've come to the right place.
We’ve compiled a list of the most unusual gastronomic experiences in Your NRW - in spectacular locations and with very special gastronomic concepts and culinary offers.
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NRW is definitely worth a visit, if you’re looking for amazing and instagrammable photo spots. We collected a few of them, that are offering more than just a nice view!
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Whether it’s a stay in a treehouse on the Sorpesee lake, camping in the middle of nature or sleeping in a trailer directly on the Ruhr river that you’re looking for - our list contains 37 unusual accommodation options in Your NRW.
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Pilsener, Altbier, Kölsch and other regional speciality beers
The beers of NRW are as diverse as the region itself. Traditional recipes and interesting new creations guarantee the perfect glass for every taste. Whether they are fruity, lively, dry, sweet or full-flavoured – every beer brewed in North Rhine-Westphalia is a true original!
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Get to know the special stories of exceptional people from North Rhine-Westphalia. Because they are what makes #DeinNRW so unique.
More Stories from NRW
From amusement parks to dark caves, and from hands-on museums to child-friendly walking trails –we’ve got you covered for your next family getaway!
Naturally Clever
From kingfishers to fire salamanders, from wild strawberries to cuckooflowers and from reservoirs to stalactite caves – North Rhine-Westphalia is abounding with nature in all its variety. Admiring the beautiful views is rewarding in itself, but it is even better to get a more up-close and personal experience of nature. This is possible on a ranger tour or in a “wilderness workshop”, where you can learn more about local flora and fauna and benefit from the in-depth knowledge of experts. You are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to discovering the wonders of nature in your North Rhine-Westphalia!
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Daytrips to flamingos, wild horses and tors
North Rhine-Westphalia is not only notably green, but also very wild and colourful. Whoever is out and about to explore nature, will come across some surprise.
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Family Trips by region
Already chose your preferential destination, but haven't found the right attraction? Let us inspire you with our Family Tips - because any of the 12 regions offers heaps of fun for the whole family.
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In North Rhine-Westphalia, you can see lions and tigers up close on a safari, shake hands with movie stars and cartoon characters, take some crazy rollercoaster rides and indulge in a skiing or snowboarding trip any time of the year. A wide variety of amusement parks and two indoor ski centres provide plenty of action and adventure for young and old.
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On more than 50.000 kilometres of hiking trails you get to know North Rhine-Westphalia from its most profound side. Be sure to pack your backpack, provisions and hiking boots.
Premium hiking trails and quality hiking trails
With a hiking trail network covering over 50,000 kilometres, it’s not easy to choose. Help comes in the form of certified quality hiking trails, which are tested according to different criteria and awarded with a seal.
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Hiking can be so wonderful!
Discover new places away from the well-trodden paths with our insider hiking tips. There are many hidden gems that are still relatively unknown among the many hiking routes in North Rhine-Westphalia. We’d like to introduce them to you!
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Three of Germany’s most exciting long-distance hiking trails run through North Rhine-Westphalia
Three of Germany’s 13 most beautiful and exciting long-distance hiking trails, the ‘Top Trails of Germany’, run through NRW. This initiative brings together Germany’s most beautiful and exciting long-distance trails. All four trails in North Rhine-Westphalia offer particularly natural, attractive and varied hiking routes.
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NRW is a paradise for walkers
Hiking offers a slower but no less rewarding way to discover the delights of North Rhine-Westphalia. A well-developed network of trails criss-crosses the state from east to west and north to south, taking in a wide variety of natural landscapes and distinctive regions.
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