Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis: Nature, Trails and Culture

Rail-based local public transport is available in Leichlingen, Bergisch Gladbach, Rösrath and Overath, with connections towards Cologne. If this connection is important for your arrival or excursion plans, you can include these four places in your search. In the Dhünn plateau area, the WanderBus on route 267 runs in Wermelskirchen and Odenthal. For a trip by bicycle, there is also the Bergischer Fahrradbus, with a bicycle trailer, along the Balkantrasse. Since 2019, it has also provided a connection to Bergisch Gladbach via Odenthal.

Trails for Different Excursion Ideas

There are several hiking routes in the district, each with its own character. The Bergbauweg, themed trail #15, is a moderately difficult regional circular route. It is 12.06 kilometres long, with the start and finish at Hoffnungsthal station in Rösrath. Its mining theme gives the circular trail a historical focus. If you are looking for a specific route to plan your day, you can use its length and stated start and finish points as a guide.

For a longer tour, there is the Bergischer Panoramasteig: this circular trail is 244 kilometres long and divided into twelve stages. It runs through the Bergisches Land Nature Park. Stages 3 and 4 pass through Biesfeld in Kürten and Dhünn in Wermelskirchen, respectively. The Bergischer Weg, meanwhile, runs through Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, is certified as a Quality Trail Wanderbares Deutschland, and is continuously signposted in both directions. This gives you a choice of circular trails with clearly stated starting points, as well as multi-stage and continuous hiking routes.

The:aqualon-Runde also helps with planning your tour: it is continuously signposted. The recommended direction runs from Wermelskirchen via Hückeswagen and Odenthal-Altenberg to Burscheid and back to Wermelskirchen. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can consider which route or stage matters most to your travel plans, rather than making all your excursions revolve around a single focus.

Museums, Hands-on Activities and Regional History

At the LVR Industrial Museum, Alte Dombach Paper Mill, you can explore the history of papermaking through historic machinery. Visitors can make a sheet of paper themselves and watch a laboratory paper machine in operation. A paper festival is held there every year in May or June. The Villa Zanders Art Museum offers a different focus: it has around 1,000 square metres of exhibition space across three floors. Its collection includes around 500 works of paper art by approximately 150 international artists.

The Bergisch Gladbach School Museum also offers history to see and experience. Old school materials, historic classrooms and teaching practices bring the historic school world to life. During a demonstration in the historic classroom, stories and anecdotes from lessons in the Kaiser's era are combined with activities for guests. These include writing in Kurrent script with a stylus on a slate and doing arithmetic with an abacus. If you enjoy getting hands-on, the Bergisches Museum for Mining, Crafts and Trade also focuses on historic craft techniques and the history of regional ore mining. It hosts events, workshops and guided tours throughout the year; from April to November, craft demonstrations take place on Sundays.

Altenberg Cathedral is a sight listed by the Bergisches Land Nature Park; it attracts visitors from all over the world every year. The Expedition Heimat event series also offers insights into unexpected things on your doorstep at locations throughout the district. Each year, Expedition Heimat 2.0 focuses on a specific theme in one municipality. The Wahner Heide, an important nature reserve in Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, is another of the region's natural attractions.

Explore the District's Towns

For further guidance, you can also visit the pages for Bergisch Gladbach, Wermelskirchen, Overath, Burscheid, Rösrath, Kürten, Odenthal and Leichlingen. Which holiday apartment is right for your stay depends on whether you want to focus primarily on hiking trails, cultural offerings, nature or connections towards Cologne.

For the overarching travel overview: North Rhine-Westphalia.