Goodbye Boredom – The 40 Best & Coolest Things to Do and Places to Visit in Essen

Since I used to live near Essen and still visit the area from time to time, I regularly try out all kinds of things to do in Essen. What I find amazing about Essen is that, despite its industrial past, the city is very green and offers plenty of great outdoor activities. And true to its name, Essen also has quite a few culinary experiences to offer :)

What’s more, Essen was the European Capital of Culture in 2010 and the European Green Capital in 2017. Who would have thought?

Here you’ll find ideas for leisure activities in Essen that are perfect for…

• for bachelor and bachelorette parties
• for couples
• for dates
• for families with children
• for company outings and team-building events with coworkers
• for outings with friends
• as group activities, but also on your own

If you’d like to explore beyond the city limits of Essen, you’ll find plenty of options here:

31 Great Day Trips & Weekend Getaways in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life

But enough with the introductions. Let’s get started with the best food-related activities.

Explore the Zollverein Coal Mine

The Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex is a vast site where you can experience industrial history up close. The complex was once the largest and most productive coal mine in the world and the largest central coking plant in Europe. Today, it is one of the most impressive industrial monuments in the world and has therefore been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The entire Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex is huge—there are about 100 hectares to explore. The grounds are open to the public free of charge at all times. You only need to pay admission to the museums. These include:

• Red Dot Design Museum – An exhibition of products that have won the Red Dot Award
• Phänomania Experience Center – A natural history museum with over 120 interactive exhibits (great for kids)
• Ruhr Museum – The Regional Museum of the Ruhr Area

You can also book guided tours on site.

The Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex also regularly hosts a wide variety of concerts and events. You can find the full program in the Zollverein calendar.

If you’d like to take more time to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 4-star Hotel friends, located right next to the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, is an excellent choice. It’s just 800 meters from the Ruhr Museum and features a bar, a terrace, and a restaurant.

Take a guided tour of the city

To discover the main highlights of downtown Essen, you can also take a guided tour. Not only will you see the main sights, but a knowledgeable guide will also share lots of facts and information about Essen’s history and culture.

There are various tours offered by different providers:

• Self-guided tour with a smartphone: Essen Tour: Highlights of the City Center
• A quick 60-minute walk with a local

Check out a cool major event

Since Essen is centrally located in the Ruhr region and throughout North Rhine-Westphalia in general, here are a few of the best events in all of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Here you’ll find an overview of all events in Essen. And here you can check specifically what concerts are coming up.

Here are the events at a few select venues in Essen:

• All events at the Grugahalle – Many comedians, among others, perform here
• Events at the Westparkhalle in Essen – A wide variety of events and music
• Events at the Lichtburg – concerts, ballet, musicals, etc.

Relax at Lake Baldeney

At approximately 8 kilometers long and with a maximum width of 350 meters, Lake Baldeney is the largest of the six Ruhr reservoirs. Consequently, there are plenty of ways to stave off boredom here, especially in the summer when the weather is nice. Above all, the lake is ideal for long walks or leisurely bike rides around its shores.

There’s a kiosk at the Regatta House, and there’s always something going on there. From Korteklippe, you have a great view of the lake. But there are plenty of such views all along the Baldeneysteig, an idyllic hiking trail.

Another great spot is the Hardenberger Ufer next to Haus Scheppen. There’s a fantastic photo spot there with trees whose branches arch so low over the bank that it looks like a natural tunnel.

At Seaside Beach, you don’t just get an outdoor pool where you can go for a swim—there are also plenty of recreational activities on offer, ranging from beach volleyball and a climbing park to raft building and bumper ball. Plus, there are always cool events happening here.

Explore Lake Baldeney or the Ruhr by boat

The Baldeney White Fleet offers a scheduled service between the railway bridge in Kupferdreh and the weir in Werden. On Sundays and holidays, there are also routes on the Ruhr between Kettwig and Bredeney.

You can purchase various tour tickets right here online.

Take a stroll through Grugapark

For many decades, Grugapark has been considered the green heart of Essen, a city in the Ruhr region. Spanning about 60 hectares, it offers not only a wide variety of plants to enjoy but also the chance to encounter all sorts of animals. It also features one of Germany’s largest sculpture exhibitions.

To enter the park, you have to pay a €5 admission fee. In winter, however, it’s cheaper.

Get active with water sports and sailing

Since Essen is located near the Ruhr River and Lake Baldeney, there are plenty of opportunities here for you to spend your free time on all kinds of watercraft.

Canoeing/Kayaking/SUP:

• You can go stand-up paddleboarding with the Pottpaddlern at Seaside Beach.
• You can book a full-day canoe tour, as well as rafting and raft tours, and SUP tours, with Kanu-Tour-Ruhr.
• Paddelsurf offers SUP lessons and tours.
• Near the Papiermühlenschleuse lock on the Ruhr River, you’ll find the Heiuki SUP rental shop.
• “Original sein” offers SUP courses on the lawn of the Essen-Ost Gymnastics Club.
• Ruhr Abenteuer offers stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Baldeney and in Essen-Steele on the Ruhr.

Sailing and surfing:

• Moby Dick Sailing School
• Baldeneysee Sailing Club, Inc.
• Windsurfing and sailing lessons at Sportgemeinschaft Ruhr 1929 e.V.

Visit Villa Hügel and Hügelpark

Villa Hügel is the former residence of the Krupp family—a dynasty of industrialists. Among them was Alfred Krupp, who expanded the company in the 19th century into one of the most prominent industrial enterprises. Today, Villa Hügel is a museum with a beautiful park.

At the museum, you’ll learn a lot about the family’s history and the company itself. There are also some critical reflections on the period of Nazi rule.

Take a stroll through the park at Borbeck Castle

Essen also has its own moated castle, Borbeck Castle, complete with an idyllic castle park. While it was once the residence of princes and princesses, today it serves as a venue for a wide variety of events.

Explore the historic district of Essen-Kettwig

Kettwig is located on the southwestern edge of Essen and is the city’s largest district in terms of area. Nevertheless, life here is rather tranquil. Kettwig was not incorporated into the city until 1975, which is why it feels like a small town of its own, with its many historic buildings and half-timbered houses.

The best way to explore Kettwig’s old town is on your own. You can discover all the sights—as well as the hidden spots tucked away among the half-timbered houses—using a smartphone app, such as this one:

• Essen: Kettwig Old Town – Self-guided walking tour

Kettwig is also a great starting point for a bike ride along the Ruhr. Whether you head in one direction or the other, there’s plenty to discover along the Ruhr Valley Bike Path:

• Route 1: Follow the Ruhr Valley Bike Path to Lake Baldeney and Villa Hügel
• Route 2: Along the Ruhr Valley Bike Path to Mühlheim an der Ruhr

Take a walk through the forest to Landsberg Castle

This beautiful castle complex is located in the Ruhr Valley, right on the outskirts of Essen. Although you can’t tour the interior, taking a walk through the woods up to the castle and around it is a wonderful activity.

You can easily reach the castle from the two free parking lots on the main street. Just walk through the gate at the smaller of the two parking lots and follow the trail through the woods uphill.

Stay overnight like a princess (or prince) in a castle

You can’t stay overnight at Borbeck Castle or Landsberg Castle. But you can stay at the beautiful Schlosshotel Hugenpoet, which is located right next to Landsberg Castle.

This is a 5-star superior hotel located in a beautiful 17th-century castle. You’ll be thoroughly pampered here and stay in spacious, luxuriously furnished rooms. While a stay at this castle isn’t cheap, it’s a truly special experience.

Take a ride on a steam locomotive with the Hespertalbahn

The Hespertalbahn is a living monument to industrial history. It is a museum railway where, for €4 per person (one-way), you can ride in an old steam locomotive from the historic Essen-Kupferdreh station along the shore of Lake Baldeney to Haus Scheppen.

Go karting

The Daytona Kart Track is located right in Essen. The spacious facility covers 12,900 square meters and features two race tracks, each approximately 630 meters long.

Not in Essen anymore, but not too far away either, you’ll find other go-kart tracks as well:

• BattleKart Bochum combines electric go-karts, video games, and augmented reality.
• Spanning a total area of nearly 20,000 square meters, Kartarena Dinslaken features a 2.5-kilometer track, making it Europe’s longest indoor and outdoor karting track.
• At the MS Kartcenter Hattingen, you can race indoors on a 450-meter track that is reconfigured at regular intervals.
• Jumbo Kart in Oberhausen has two tracks with a total length of 980 meters

Escape from an indoor escape room

Escape rooms are a perennial favorite, especially for corporate events and team-building activities. The goal is to work together as a team to escape from a room by solving a variety of puzzles that are part of a story. There are many different providers, each offering a variety of rooms:

• Ruhr Escape
• Escape Arena
• World of Escape
• Exit Zone
• Classified

Enjoy local beer on a brewery tour or at a beer tasting

Even in tranquil Essen, beer brewing has a long tradition:

• The Rüttenscheid Home Brewery serves Rüttenscheid Alt and also offers tours (but unfortunately had to close its doors after 30 years).
• The Stauder Brewery is also a renowned brewery. Be sure to try the Stauder Premium Pils here.
• In Borbeck, you can visit the Dampfe Brewery. They offer a selection of drinks and food that changes with the seasons, which you can also enjoy in the beer garden during the summer. The classic choice is the bottom-fermented light Dampfe beer.

Bottom line: Food and beer go well together.

Discover Essen’s fine wines at a wine tasting or a wine seminar

Do you hear “wine”? Do you hear “Essen”? They go pretty well together, don’t they? No wonder there are plenty of wine shops in Essen that also offer wine seminars. Here’s a small selection:

• Wine & Glass: A variety of seminars, ranging from after-work tastings to international red and white wines
• Marion Klein – Wine and More: Discover full-bodied dark red wines, light and fruity white wines, and sparkling wines in a relaxed setting. Enjoy them with tapas, cheese, and other delicacies.
• Essen Wine School: A wide variety of events featuring tastings at the cooking school in Schellenberg Castle.
• Feinherb Wine Shop: Wine seminars titled “Wine Journeys” through Franconia, the Palatinate, and Italy, as well as a sparkling wine seminar at Chat Noir Restaurant.

Breathe in the aroma of fresh coffee at a coffee roastery

While we’re on the subject of culinary activities, good coffee is, of course, a must. And the best coffee can be found at coffee roasters who really know their craft. Fortunately, there are quite a few of them in Essen. Some even offer coffee workshops.

• Coffee Pirates
• Hania Coffee Roastery
• Rubens Coffee Roastery
• Bohnenkartell
• Kettwig Roastery
• Leon’s Roast House
• R-steray Coffee Studio

Enjoy an ice cream at an ice cream shop

Especially in the summer, enjoying ice cream is simply one of the best things to do in Essen. The best ice cream shops in Essen were even recognized in a survey. Long lines always form in front of Eis Casal – Die Eismacher in Essen during the summer. The shop has been around since 1950, and you can expect freshly made, authentic Italian ice cream here every day.

Visit a museum

Even on rainy days, Essen has plenty to offer. A visit to one of the many museums is a great option:

• Soul of Africa Museum
• Ruhr Museum
• Museum Folkwang
• German Poster Museum
• Museum of Art
• Ret Dot Design Museum
• Mineral Museum

Go swimming

For water activities, Essen offers plenty of outdoor pools and indoor swimming pools. You can find a great overview of all public indoor swimming pools, outdoor pools, and combined pools on the City of Essen’s website here.

Another unique swimming spot is the factory pool at the old coking plant in Zollverein. Here, you can swim in a small pool surrounded by the remnants of the old industrial heritage.

Wellness in Essen: Spa, Sauna & Wellness

Relaxing and unwinding is another activity in Essen that simply can’t be left off this list. You can enjoy the perfect wellness experience in Essen at the following oases of relaxation:

• Wellness Suite Essen: Private suite for couples near Lake Baldeney with a private in-room hot tub
• wellnest: Hot tub, sauna, sensory shower, food & drinks, chill lounge
• My Wellness Essen: Private wellness suite with customizable lighting and music, a whirlpool, and a sauna.
• Grugapark Therme: saltwater pools, indoor pools, sauna area, massages, and beauty treatments
• Pure Spa in Oberhausen: hot tub, sauna, sensory shower, fireplace, and delicious food

In addition to these wellness centers, staying at a hotel with a wellness area is always a great option if you’re looking for a special wellness experience. For example, try the 4-star Atlantic Congress Hotel, which features a 250-square-meter wellness area with saunas, a steam room, and a fitness center. Or relax at the Hotel Bredeney, which offers a pool and a sauna area.

Hit the trails at bike parks

Do you often ride a bike and are looking for some routes with more action than typical bike paths offer? Then you should check out the Center of Mountainbike Essen (COME). It’s the largest urban bike park in Germany (covering 15,000 m²).

Hole in one at mini-golf

This popular activity for families and couples is also available at various locations in Essen—both indoors and outdoors, and even with black light:

• 3D Black Light Mini Golf
• Mini-golf at Hallo
• Mini-golf on the Ruhr
• Mini-golf at Stadtwald

Fire lasers at Laser Tag

Lasertag combines fun, teamwork, and an adrenaline rush—perfect for an action-packed recreational activity. There are several options for laser tag:

• Laserzone: 2 locations in Essen-Kray and Essen-Borbeck
• Lasertag at Alma Park in Gelsenkirchen

Play cool arcade games at arcade centers

Do you love old NeoGeo consoles with retro games, colorful flashing pinball machines, intense basketball hoop machines, or similar games? Then arcades are right up your alley.

One of them is Fun Island Arcade Gaming in Essen. Not in Essen, but not far away, are YouPlay and Gamestate in Oberhausen.

Immerse yourself in virtual reality with a VR experience

Do you love VR action, but find that playing alone at home with your own VR headset gets boring after a while? Then come experience a real VR adventure with your friends or family at VR Park Germany. There are 13 VR machines here offering countless VR activities.

The marketing department of the City of Essen was kind enough to bring two new VR experiences to my attention. In “Aufwind,” you immerse yourself in the story of the world’s first female aviation pioneer—Thea Rasche from Essen—with a small museum, a short film, and a VR experience on a motion seat.

In addition, the “Essen 1887” mixed-reality experience lets you take a journey back in time through downtown Essen. There, you’ll encounter exciting stories and characters (including the rappers from the 257ers and TV host Harry Wijnvoord).

Just a short drive outside of Essen, you’ll find even more VR experiences:

• 7th Space in Oberhausen
• YesVR in Mühlheim an der Ruhr

Experience amazing moments at an amusement park

Amusement parks are great fun for the whole family. Ride a roller coaster, catch one of the shows, or relax on a leisurely carousel. There are several well-known amusement parks near Essen where you can do all of that:

• Moviepark Germany near Bottrop-Kirchhellen
• Beck Castle Amusement Park
• Eloria Adventure Factory – a nostalgic adventure factory offering plenty of adventures and experiences across more than 6,000 square meters

Bowling

Let the ball roll during a fun game of bowling—or skittles, if you prefer the classic version:

• Joe’s Super Bowling: 28 Brunswick lanes
• Bowling at Laola Sportcenter, featuring a modern 4-lane bowling alley
• Light in Bowling: Bowling alley with black lights, disco style, or standard

Play billiards, darts, and foosball

Pool, darts, and foosball often go hand in hand, as they offer a fun way to socialize and also help improve your skills. Get together with your friends in a relaxed atmosphere for a few games:

• Walkabout Billiards – 20 new Clash Steel Pro billiard tables, several foosball tables, XXL Jenga, soccer pool, steel darts, and much more
• Joe’s Superbowling: Also features several Brunswick pool tables and dart machines, as well as air hockey tables, pinball machines, foosball tables, internet kiosks, and driving simulators

Zoos and wildlife parks

In addition to zoos, wildlife enclosures and smaller animal parks are also great places to visit. You can often combine a visit with a walk, and if you’re traveling with children, there’s always something special to see. The following animal and wildlife enclosures in Essen are great options for a fun outing:

• Wildgatter Essen – A game reserve featuring black deer, red deer, mouflon, and fallow deer, as well as a forest nature trail
• Witthausbusch Animal Enclosure – A petting zoo with aviaries and enclosures covering approximately 2,000 square meters
• Owl Enclosure at Grugapark
• Weitmarer Holz Wildlife Reserve – 80 hectares of forest on the southern outskirts of Bochum

Experience cinematic art at an art house cinema

Essen is home to plenty of great small theaters dedicated to art house cinema that also screen more sophisticated films. One of the highlights of Essen’s cinema scene, however, is the Lichtburg—with 1,250 seats, it is Germany’s largest movie theater.

You can find the schedule for all art house theaters in Essen on the Filmspiegel website.

Enjoy a show at the theater, a cabaret, or the opera

Essen also has plenty to offer for those who enjoy refined, cultural entertainment. Here, you can choose from a variety of theaters featuring events across a range of genres:

• Theater and Philharmonic (TUP) – See what events are coming up at the TUP and order tickets directly
• GOP Varieté Theater – See what events are coming up at the GOP and order tickets directly
• Strathmanns – Comedians and Cabaret Artists
• Theater at City Hall
• Kleines Theater Essen
• Theater Essen Süd
• GREND Theater (Brothel)
• Theater Courage

You’ll have a wonderful evening for two here at the GOP Varieté Theater.

Jump your way to happiness at the trampoline park

Jumphouse Essen (formerly AirHop) is the perfect place to burn off your excess energy—and especially your kids’—with plenty of action-packed attractions spread across 3,400 square meters, such as:

• Bagjump
• Battlebox
• Freejump
• Ninja Pod Arena
• Soccer Arena
• Game Jump
• Reaction Jump
• and much more

Zoom down the slopes on skis or a snowboard

Who would have thought? You can even go skiing and snowboarding in the Ruhr region. You can’t do it right in Essen, but you can at the Alpincenter in neighboring Bottrop.

Here, you can zoom down a 640-meter-long slope in this indoor ski hall built on a slag heap—which, by the way, makes the Bottrop Indoor Ski Hall the longest indoor ski hall in the world. There’s a “beginner’s slope” with a rope tow, as well as a run with a gradient of up to 24%.

Skis, snowboards, and other equipment are also available for rent on-site.

Enjoy the thrill of water skiing or wakeboarding

If you’re in the mood for water skiing or wakeboarding this summer, you’ll unfortunately have to travel a bit further. The nearest facilities are Wakepark Wedau and the water skiing and wakeboarding facility at Toeppersee in Duisburg.

Discover new worlds at the planetarium and observatory

While there isn’t a planetarium in Essen itself, there is one in neighboring Bochum: the Zeiss Planetarium Bochum. It projects all kinds of fascinating worlds using eleven video projectors developed specifically for the planetarium.

If you’re interested in the planets and the universe, a visit to the Walter Hohmann Observatory is also a great idea. They regularly host lectures and events, including some for children.

Go climbing at an indoor climbing gym or an outdoor climbing park

Whether you’re rope climbing or bouldering, climbing is a great recreational activity that not only improves physical fitness but also builds mental strength. You can try it out at the following gyms and parks in Essen:

• Neolit Easy Climb
• Element Boulders
• “Kletterpütt” Climbing Gym of the German Alpine Club
• Recklinghausen Bouldering Gym
• Wald Abenteuer near Velbert

Winter Activities in Essen: Zollverein Ice Rink and Curling

At the Zollverein Industrial Heritage Site, you can glide along a 150-meter-long ice rink past furnaces and chimneys while wearing your skates, even when the weather is cold.

There is also a separate area for curling-style ice stock, which is a popular activity for team events and company parties. You should sign up for this in advance, and you can then stay on the rink for up to 90 minutes.

Go to a soccer game

Even though its glory days are a few years behind it, Essen still has a storied club in RWE (founded in 1907) that’s worth cheering on. And with its stadium on Hafenstraße, the red-and-white club has a home that’s sure to make an impression in a higher league before long.

Here you can find tickets for home games.

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As you can see, Essen has plenty of cool things to do, so you’re guaranteed not to get bored. What other activities in Essen or the surrounding area do you think should be added to this list? Let us know in the comments!