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Mühlheim on the Ruhr

Ruhr Valley Cycle Path

From the Sauerland to the Rhine

8 Days / 7 Nights
Medium
Mühlheim on the Ruhr

Probably the most varied river in Germany forms the basis for this wonderful cycle tour, which combines culture and nature in a very small space. The unspoiled nature of the Sauerland, paired with the dynamic energy of the Ruhr area, shows off the most beautiful sides of the Ruhr all the way to its confluence with the Rhine in this cycle tour. Look forward to untouched natural landscapes and historical industrial monuments!

On the eight-day cycle tour along the Ruhr, you can expect well-marked cycle paths, roads with little traffic and well-paved cycle paths. Cycle, always along the course of the beautiful Ruhr, slightly downhill towards Duisburg. Short climbs are only to be expected during the first two stages. Cycling fun that can be mastered by the whole family and becomes a highlight for everyone thanks to the varied landscape and interesting stage locations.

  • Source of the Ruhr: The Ruhr, an eastern tributary of the Rhine, rises about three kilometres northeast of Winterberg and winds its way through Germany’s largest and most interesting industrial area for about 220km.

  • Historical Mustard Mill: The last historical mustard mill in Westphalia awaits you in the Hanseatic city of Schwerte. Mustard has been produced here according to tradition since 1845. Let yourself be persuaded to taste it – it’s delicious!
  • Industrial Museum Zeche Nachtigall: Find out about the beginnings of the Ruhr mining industry and the history of the Ruhr area in this interesting industrial museum.
  • Harbour tour in Duisburg: Did you know that Duisburg has the largest inland port in the world? Let yourself be driven through the aforementioned harbour and then enjoy a cosy evening with these impressions in one of the numerous, typical harbour pubs.

The well-known holiday resort of Winterberg an der Ruhr will put you in the perfect mood for the upcoming days of cycling and invites you to take a first walk to put your body into relaxation mode. The daily stages of between 30 and 50 km lead you, mostly directly along the Ruhr, through wild nature and past pretty half-timbered locations to your destination in Duisburg!

Get to know this extremely interesting area of Germany with Eurobike and discover a piece of German history first hand!

Itinerary at a glance

Join us in cycling through the Sauerland and the Ruhr area! You'll pass the source of the Ruhr River in Winterberg, sample mustard at Westphalia's last mustard mill, and immerse yourself in the history of mining at the Zeche Nachtigall Industrial Museum.

Look forward to Winterberg, the well-known holiday resort in the Hochsauerland near the source of the Ruhr, because Winterberg is not only beautiful in winter! If you have a little time, you shouldn't miss a trip to the observation tower and the fascinating Hochheide on the Kahler Asten. Winterberg can be easily reached by train. If you want to arrive by car, you can park directly at the hotel for the duration of the entire bike tour.

At the source of the Ruhr near Winterberg, at an altitude of 654 m, you start your varied journey along the Ruhr. From there it’s mostly cycling downhill through light forests with wonderful views to the award-winning rose village of Assinghausen. This place has been a officially recognized rose village since 2007 and on a worthwhile tour you will discover beautiful gardens and houses that are decorated with over 150 different types of roses.

At lunchtime, you can take a delightful break in the freshly selected Kneipp spa in Olsberg with its charming cafes and historic restaurants. Also worth seeing is the herb garden and orchard garden in the renatured Ruhr meadows. Finally, via Bestwig, it goes to Meschede with the striking “Sauerland Cathedral” and the pretty pedestrian zone. Here you can take a nice excursion to the Hennesee. The park-like Henne-Boulevard leads directly to the "Himmelstreppe", which leads up to the dam with 333 steps.

Today the Ruhr runs deeply cut and is framed by the Arnsberg Forest Nature Park. As soon as you are in the saddle, the beautiful park of the moated castle Laer offers a first photo stop. Later in the morning you can take a detour to the Hünenburg before you come to the towering old town of Arnsberg, which is almost completely surrounded by the deeply cut Ruhr. Counts, electors, Hesse and Prussia have left their mark on this historic city with the imposing castle ruins, the Landsberger Hof with the Sauerland Museum and the classicism quarter in the well-preserved medieval timber-framed town. In the afternoon you continue cycling along the Ruhr to Neheim with its neat half-timbered houses and the typical Burgmannshöfen. Here you can end the day in the spacious pedestrian zone or have a sporty tour around the Möhnesee.

Today you leave the Hochsauerland, the surrounding hills become gentler and the valley floodplain becomes wider and forms a scenic new section of the Ruhr valley cycle path. Small towns like Wickede or Fröndenberg beckon for a break from the saddle. The route leads leisurely through wide meadows and fields to the old Hanseatic city of Schwerte, with lovingly tended half-timbered houses and the last historic mustard mill in Westphalia (tastings possible). In the afternoon, the Ruhr valley becomes narrower again and a sporty detour up to the viewpoint of the Hohensyburg ruins is possible. However, the bike path leads flat directly along the banks of the Hengsteysee, a popular local recreation area, and on to the idyllic Herdecke with its new promenade on the Ruhr bank.

In the morning, the cycle path leads to the “cradle of Ruhr mining” and to the first foothills of the classic Ruhr area. But the Ruhr Valley Cycle Path mostly runs in the countryside and leads over long distances through popular local recreation areas directly on the old towpath on the river bank. First you cycle next to the Harkortsee, one of a total of six Ruhr reservoirs. Later you get via Wengern with the historic town center to Muttental, the cradle of Ruhr mining. The first chunks of black gold were brought to light here almost 200 years ago. In the “Zeche Nachtigall” industrial museum, which is well worth seeing, it goes back to the time when horizontal tunnels were driven into the slopes for coal mining and the first shafts were later dug into the depths. Then you reach the Kemnader reservoir and from there it is not far to Hattingen, where a stroll through the historic old town is worthwhile. An ascent to the beautiful hotel in Burgaltendorf awaits you at the end of the stage.

In the morning you can first plan a tour of the disused Henrichshütte in Hattingen and follow the varied circular route vividly on the trail of iron up to the top of the blast furnace. Today, the cycle path leads again in an idyllic rural setting right along the river bank. In the morning there its the possibility for a detour to the Bochum-Dahlhausen Railway Museum with its more than 180 old steam locomotives, wagons and rail buses. You can then comfortably cycle along the Baldeneysee with its many refreshment stops. Here you can visit the Villa Hügel, founded in 1873 by the industrialist Alfred Krupp. With so much culture along the way, today's stage to the half-timbered old town of Kettwig is deliberately kept short!

The last day of cycling is also packed with highlights. In the morning, the bike path offers an idyllic alternative right on the riverbank to Mülheim. It leads along Broich Castle to the award-winning Aquarius water tower with its multimedia museum on 14 levels. At the end of the trip the route continues on separate cycle paths to where the Ruhr flows into the Rhine. Here, at the end of the Ruhr Valley Cycle Path, symbolically stands the fascinating Rhine Orange, a luminous 25 m high landmark in the middle of the impressive panorama of the Duisburg harbor.

Hopefully you will have enough time in the afternoon to take part in a harbor tour through the largest inland port in the world. You can end the beautiful journey in the renovated inner port in one of the numerous restaurants, pubs or bars.

The impressive tour on the Ruhr Valley Cycle Path with its diverse scenic and cultural impressions will certainly remain in your memory for a long time!

Route information

Medium

The Ruhr cycle path is predominantly on traffic-free, paved cycle paths and fortifier freight paths as well as low-traffic roads. The cycle path is signposted from the Sauerland to the Rhine. On the first two stages short climbs are to be overcome.

Prices & Dates

Category: comfortable middle class hotels

Prices per person in EUR

Services & Information

Further details about this tour

Included

  • Accommodation as already mentioned
  • Breakfast
  • Luggage transfer
  • Carefully elaborated route description
  • Detailed travel documents 1x per room (German, English)
  • App for navigation and GPS-data
  • Service hotline

Optional extras

  • Return transfer by minibus to Winterberg every Sunday morning approx. 9am, costs EUR 119 per person, for your own bike additionally EUR 40, minimum of 2 participants, reservation is necessary, to be paid for in advance

Arrival / Parking / Departure

  • Winterberg train station
  • Düsseldorf airport
  • Free of charge public parking next to the hotels, no reservation possible
  • Good train connections from Duisburg to Winterberg

Things to note

  • Tourist tax, if due, is not included in the price!
  • Further important information according to the package travel law can be found here!
  • This tour is a partner tour.

Join us in achieving greater sustainability by choosing our digital route book, rather than the printed version. As a small thank you we will give you a discount of EUR 20 per room.

Stefanie Rudinger

"I look forward to making your vacation dreams come true."

Stefanie Rudinger
Travel specialist
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