Hello!
At the end of my RS tour I'm going to spend a few days in Essen with my former college roommate. As she is working, I'm looking for a couple interesting day trips from Essen. (I've been to Cologne so not that.) Especially interested in good places to hike or "wander," as the Germans say. As long as the weather is good, I'd love to be outdoors. I'll be there in early October. Thanks for your suggestions!
Edit: I'll be using public transportation.
The absolute must-see in the immediate area of Essen is the Zeche Zollverein coal mine complex - a spectacular bauhaus-style mine that is now redeveloped with various museums and art galleries.
I'm sorry, I'm not much into country walking. I have other recommendations but they're more in the industrial history area.
I'm assuming you will be using public transportation?
Regardless, Münster is a lovely city to visit and is only about 50 minutes from Essen by train. It's a very pretty city and has lots of history. For example, Saint Lambert Church was built in 1450 and has a number of beautiful parts to it. But the most intriguing part of this church are the three cages that are up on the steeple. These were used to house the bodies of Anabaptist Jan van Leiden and 2 of his followers after their torture and execution in 1534. The bodies were placed in the three iron baskets hung from the steeple of Saint Lambert’s Church and stayed there for 50 years. The cages have remained ever sing.
There is also the Rathaus, which was the site of the peace treaty signing in the 1600s, after the 30 years war had decimated Europe. The peace treaty was signed in Münster and nearby Osnabrück. Osnabrock was very Protestant and Münster was very Catholic, so both sides were happy and felt that they could maintain some control over the process. And there is the beautiful Münster cathedral, which has an astronomical clock, and on certain times/days will play a little Carillon show. At the very top, there is a little circle of figures that come out of a little room and then go into another. The door shuts, and then they come back out, and so on.
Really that whole area is gorgeous and very different from most of Germany. I spent some time there a few years ago as my great-great-grandfather came from Ostbevern, and I just loved it. If you like biking, I would suggest that you rent a bike and tour some of the towns outside Münster (you can also hike them). It's a very popular place for riding bicycles and there are lots of paths available. I have a link somewhere that I will find and give to you. ETA: Found it - https://www.muensterland.com/en/tourism/topics/cycling/
If you do want to bike, there are loads of places to rent them, although possibly your friend might have one as well. A lot of people who live there bike all over. The woman who owned the apartment I stayed at in Ostbevern commuted to Münster and back every day (about a 30 minute ride).
Southern part of Essen ->Baldeney See and Villa Hügel
10min with S Bahn from Central station
Or hiking in the "Bergisches Land"
1-2 hrs from Essen Central station by public transport
check link
