Johannes Höhn, Tourismus NRW e.V., The Geleucht on the Rheinpreußen spoil tip in Moers

Tourismus NRW e.V., Foto: Johannes Höhn, Auf der Heinrich Hildebrand Höhe im Duisburger Süden erhebt sich das begehbare Kunstwerk Tiger & Turtle

For young and old

Free excursion tips

Art and industrial culture, petting zoos and animal parks, exhibitions and adventure playgrounds: in North Rhine-Westphalia, you can create a packed excursion programme that promises an enjoyable and varied time for all ages, even on an empty wallet.

Various museums, for example, offer indoor and outdoor culture free of charge and regularly invite visitors to enjoy an admission-free visit. The themes range from archaeology, industrial culture, art and monastery history to natural history. Various industrial heritage sites, including the Unesco World Heritage Site Zeche Zollverein, which can be explored with a game of soccer golf, for example, present themselves like gigantic adventure playgrounds, even for adults. Gardens and parks around castles and monasteries are even older, but still just as worth a visit, inviting you to linger and explore free of charge. If you fancy a few cuddles with rabbits or goats, you can pet and feed four-legged friends in one of the free animal parks and wildlife enclosures.

A beastly good time

Petting zoo and animal park

Olderdissen Wildlife Park
Bielefeld
Open today
You will look in vain for elephants, tigers and giraffes in Bielefeld's only zoo. Instead, you will come across chamois and marmots, lynxes and wolves. The animal inhabitants of the Olderdissen Zoo are all from Germany. Or as they say in East Westphalia: "are from here". Nevertheless, some of the birds may seem strange to you.
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Weeze Zoo
Weeze
Over 50 different animal species live in the Weeze Zoo on the Lower Rhine. The petting zoo is particularly popular with children: dwarf goats and sheep are happy to be stroked and given food, which can be bought for little money from the feeding machines. Donkeys, ponies, llamas and alpacas also like to eat the treats.
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Animal enclosure Kaisergarten Oberhausen
Oberhausen
Open today
Discover native animals free of charge in the Kaisergarten Oberhausen animal enclosure. Other interesting places to visit on the site include Oberhausen Palace with its Ludwigs Galerie and the special pedestrian bridge "Slinky springs to Fame", which crosses the Rhine-Herne Canal.
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Alsdorf Zoo
Alsdorf
The Alsdorfer Weiher animal park in the Eifel region is home to over 20 animal species and is an ideal excursion destination for families: there's lots to see and experience with free admission, for example cozy rest areas and varied play areas.
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Art and exciting stories

Museum fun free of charge

Museums of the Landschaftsverband Rhineland
Xanten
Open today
The Rhineland Regional Association regularly organises one admission-free day a month at all of its 15 museums. These include, for example, the Xanten Archaeological Park and its Roman Museum, where there is plenty of antiquity to touch.
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Museums of the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe
Münster
Open today
The Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe also invites you to visit selected museums free of charge. The themes range from archaeology, industrial culture, art and monastery history to natural history. The LWL Museum of Art and Culture in Münster, for example, has turned every second Friday of the month into an XXL day with free admission from 6 pm to midnight.
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Museum Folkwang
Essen
Open today
There is no entrance fee to see works by Cézanne, van Gogh and other treasures from the collection; only tickets for special exhibitions cost money.
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Kunstsammlung NRW
Düsseldorf
Open today
The Kunstsammlung NRW, which exhibits 20th and 21st century art, invites you to the admission-free KPMG Art Evening on the first Wednesday of every month. From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., admission to the two buildings K20 and K21 is not only free. There are also regular themed tours and other programmes.
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Dortmund City Museums
Dortmund
Open today
In Dortmund, the permanent exhibitions of all municipal museums can be visited free of charge, including the Museum Ostwall in the Dortmunder U, which displays art from the 20th and 21st centuries. Children can get creative here: They can paint, play games, take photographs, do handicrafts, programme and, above all, try things out and experiment.
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Digital sculpture routes
Herford
Open today
700 works by well-known and lesser-known artists can be seen in many cities and regions of North Rhine-Westphalia. The NRW Sculpture app acts as a digital guide with specific route suggestions to the sculptures in public spaces. In Herford, for example, the Marta Museum not only attracts everyone's attention, but also forms the starting point for various routes.
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Day and night

Explore industrial culture

Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site
Essen
Open today
The sites of some of the most remarkable industrial monuments in NRW can be visited free of charge, including the Unesco World Heritage Site Zeche Zollverein, a masterpiece of mining architecture and one of the most beautiful collieries in the world. Free soccer golf, a mixture of football and golf, allows visitors to explore the large area in a sporty way. In summer, the works swimming pool is another sporting attraction and an opportunity to cool off.
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Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park
Duisburg
Open today
The Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park is a gigantic adventure playground with special lighting that makes it a worthwhile destination even after dark - on foot, by bike or on a giant tube slide that leads into a former storage bunker at the climbing garden.
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Tiger & Turtle
Duisburg
Open today
This walk-in rollercoaster is something very special: the "Tiger & Turtle" slag heap artwork in Duisburg is a huge sculpture that invites you to interact with it in various ways. You can climb it, enjoy the view over the Ruhr region from the top and take great photos.
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Tetraeder
Bottrop
Open today
Ascent to a special excursion destination with panoramic views
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Rheinpreußen Schacht IV
Moers
If you are curious about the oldest scaffolding of industrial architecture in the Ruhr region, you should make your way to Moers. Here you will find the 48 metre high pithead frame from Shaft IV. Volunteers from the Grafschafter Museums- und Geschichtsverein (County Museum and History Association) will guide you through the collection and explain the machines.
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Experience nature

Water and forest

On tour with rangers
Schleiden
Open today
Rangers take hikers through the Eifel National Park almost daily, free of charge and without registration. Every day of the week, the trained guides impart first-hand knowledge on a variety of topics and provide interesting facts about the flora and fauna of the protected area.
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Water march in the Ems adventure world
Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock
In the interactive Ems Adventure World in Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock, children and adults learn about animals, people and regions along the Ems - with free admission.
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Walk among the redwoods
History meets nature on the Lower Rhine: the Sequoia Farm in Kaldenkirchen-Nettetal was the first place to grow sequoia trees in Europe. Today, it is home to 63-year-old sequoia trees, a unique grove of coastal sequoias, primeval sequoias and more than 400 other rare tree species.
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Sublime excursion destinations

Castle parks and baroque gardens

Castle parks in Brühl
Brühl
The Rhine-Erft district has a particularly high density of stately homes. The grounds of Augustusburg Palace and Falkenlust Palace in Brühl are among the absolute highlights.
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Paffendorf Castle
Bergheim
Open today
Old sequoia trees, gingkos and giant arborvitae grow in the castle park of Schloss Paffendorf, and the landscape is also characterised by water features and moorland plants, which also invite you to take a stroll every day.
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Türnich Castle
Kerpen
Open today
Not far away is Türnich Castle, where the passing Erft fills moats and ponds. A highlight is the 300 metre long lime tree avenue with its 111 lime trees, which provide pleasant shade in summer.
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Terraced garden Kloster Kamp
Kamp-Lintfort
Open today
The terraced garden is known as the Sanssouci of the Lower Rhine. The park with its steps, terraces, flowerbeds and fountains is accessible free of charge all year round. Extra tip for families: there is a climbing playground at the foot of the monastery.
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