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10 reasons why you really should visit North Rhine-Westphalia

NRW has Germany's most popular beer and a little-known Japanese community that adds panache to its cuisine. Need more? Read on...

Published: 1 February 2018 16:50 CET
Updated: 11 September 2018 13:30 CEST
10 reasons why you really should visit North Rhine-Westphalia
Düsseldorf. Photo: DPA

Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), is often associated with the decline of heavy industry and the area’s resulting socio-economic difficulties, so it’s not necessarily an obvious holiday destination. But, of Germany’s 16 Bundesländer it is definitely one of the most diverse in what it has to offer tourists, and probably the most accessible transport-wise. 

There are direct high-speed ICE trains from Berlin and Munich to its largest city Cologne. Meanwhile three of Germany’s major airports – Düsseldorf, Köln/Bonn and Dortmund – are located in the state, so it’s definitely worth hopping over for a weekend trip or longer.

1. Cities

Münster: DPA

NRW has the highest urban density and the largest number of cities of any of the German states. So, not only are there plenty of city break destinations to choose from, but seeing as they are also typically well connected by train, you can easily visit several over the course of one long weekend.

Definite highlights are the Rhine cities of Düsseldorf, Bonn and Cologne, Germany’s bicycle capital Münster and the home of Germany’s best known Christmas Market outside of Bavaria, Aachen. Other less mainstream choices include: the former European capital of culture Essen, the home of the famous Schwebebahn Wuppertal or the historic Bielefeld, which contrary to popular myth does actually exist (google “Bielefeld conspiracy” if you’re confused).

2. Nature

The Eifel National Park. Photo: DPA

Despite common mis-perceptions NRW isn’t just one big sprawling urban mass, there’s also plenty of nature to be explored, making it the perfect place to combine city break with walking holiday. In the furthest northwest corner lies the Eifel National park, which is easily accessible from Cologne, Bonn and Aachen.

There’s plenty on offer for tourists who want to experience the park’s unique biodiversity, from informative wildlife trails to bird watching. As of 2014, because of the reduced intensity of light pollution, the Eifel is a designated Dark Sky Park, and one of the few places in Germany where the Milky Way can be seen without a telescope. Other green areas in NRW that are worth checking out are: the Siebengebirge just south of Bonn and the Bergischesland east of Cologne.

3. History

Photo: DPA

North Rhine-Westphalia in its current form came into existence in 1946, however you will still find the landscape to be steeped in history, taking you from the Stone Age to modern day. From the Neanderthal – who was discovered in the eponymous valley just outside Düsseldorf – to the archaeological park in Xanten where the former Roman settlement has been brought back to life, to Charlemagne’s throne in Aachen, to the city hall in Münster – site of the signing of the Peace of Westphalia which marked the end of the 30 Years War – there’s plenty to discover.

The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn deserves a special mention; the museum covers German history post-1945 and is an essential stop for anyone who wants to understand how modern Germany came to be.

4. Industrial history

Zeche Zollverein: Photo: DPA

The Ruhr region at the centre of NRW used to be the industrial heart of Germany. Its decline had a profound effect on the region and can be seen as the root of NRW’s problems today. Far from it becoming a barren wasteland, however, the remnants of the Ruhr’s industrial history have found new life as tourist attractions. 

The Industrial Heritage trail (Route der Industriekultur) encompasses museums and landmarks reflecting on the region's history. One of the highlights of the trail is Essen’s old coal mine complex, the Zeche Zollverein. The mine was shut down in 1986 and since then has been transformed into a cultural landmark and museum with many renowned architects participating in the process. In 2001 Zeche Zollverein became a UNESCO World Heritage site.

5. Art

Photo: DPA

For art lovers NRW boasts several art galleries and museums that can definitely match up to the standards of their more famous European counterparts. The Bundeskunsthalle Bonn in particular often puts on one of a kind exhibitions which are definitely worth travelling for.

Cologne hosts an annual art fair, Art Cologne, whose organizers are known rivals of the more famous Art Basel. There are also many smaller art gems to be discovered such as Liverpudlian artist Tony Cragg’s sculpture park in Wuppertal or the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl.

6. Shopping

When you think of famous shopping destinations, Paris, Milan and New York come to mind, but not Dortmund. The Westenhellweg in Dortmund is one of the most frequented shopping streets in Germany and even attracts foreign visitors, mostly from neighbouring Belgium and Netherlands, and surprisingly due to budget airlines offering cheap flights, a fair few Brits too.

It doesn’t stop there though – less than an hour from Dortmund, Oberhausen boasts the Centro, Europe’s biggest indoor shopping mall. If your tastes are more upmarket, you should look no further than the Königsallee in Germany’s fashion capital Düsseldorf, where well known luxury brands sit next to smaller exclusive boutiques.

7. Architecture

Düsseldorf harbour. Photo: DPA

North Rhine-Westphalia boasts plenty of historic monuments, with the Cologne Cathedral naturally being the most well known. However it also has plenty to offer in terms of more modern architecture.

Some prominent examples are the eccentric looking office buildings in Düsseldorf’s harbour district designed by Frank Gehry and Neviges’ church, which was designed in the brutalist style by the famous German architect Gottfried Böhm. Finally the Haus Esters and Haus Lange in Krefeld, villas in the Bauhaus style created by prominent architect of the movement, Mies van der Rohe, are certainly worth a visit.

8. Karneval 

Photo: DPA

Karneval or Fasching is celebrated to some extent in most parts of Germany, but no one can quite beat the enthusiasm of NRW’s Rhine cities, with the Karneval capital being without a doubt Cologne. Known as the “fünfte Jahreszeit” (the fifth season) Karneval officially begins on either the 11th of November or 6th of January, depending on the custom of the area and reaches its climax in the week before Ash Wednesday, with most cities holding big parades on the Monday (Rosenmontag).

In Cologne, where a particular attachment to the celebrations stems back to a ban under French occupation in 1795, there is practically a week-long nonstop street party, so this is the best place to travel to if you want the authentic Karneval experience.

9. Food

Like any region in Germany, when it comes to food NRW has several different regional specialities, one of the more unusual being the Rhenish Himmel und Äd (“Heaven and Earth”- dish consisting of fried black pudding, potato mash, fried onion and applesauce). However it’s not just the local dishes that are worth the trip.

NRW is the most ethnically diverse of the Bundesländer, which is also reflected in the food on offer. A real insider tip here is, for probably the most authentic Japanese food in Germany, to look no further than Düsseldorf. The city has been the centre of Japanese business in Germany for years, and has a small but culturally influential Japanese minority.

10. Beer

Photo: DPA

This might come somewhat as a surprise to Bavarians, but beer from NRW is the most popular in Germany (determined by consumed amount). In NRW the beer you drink is often strongly tied to your sense of local identity. Düsseldorf and Cologne’s infamous rivalry also extends to a dislike of each other’s beers (Alt and Kölsch, respectively). In recent years, the craft beer trend has taken hold, so as well as imports you will also be able to find locally brewed concoctions.

As you would expect there are multiple opportunities to consume your beverage of choice, whether this be at the “längste Theke der Welt” in Düsseldorf (translated: the longest bar in the world, colloquially refers to Bolkerstraße, the street with the most bars in Düsseldorf’s old town), the Cranger Kirmes in Herne, one of the largest Volksfeste in Germany or after a tour of one of the many breweries.

This article was originally published on February 1st, 2018.

READ ALSO: The German beer industry is failing to live up to its potential

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Why are fewer British tourists visiting Spain this year?

Almost 800,000 fewer UK holidaymakers have visited Spain in 2023 when compared to 2019. What’s behind this big drop?

Published: 23 August 2023 11:36 CEST
Updated: 26 August 2023 18:32 CEST
Why are fewer British tourists visiting Spain this year?

Spain welcomed 12.2 million UK tourists between January and July 2023, 6 percent less when compared to the same period in 2019, according to data released on Monday by Spanish tourism association Turespaña.

This represents a decrease of 793,260 British holidaymakers for Spain so far this year.

Conversely, the number of Italian (+8 percent), Irish (+15.3 percent), Portuguese (+24.8 percent), Dutch (+4 percent) and French tourists (+5 percent) visiting España in 2023 are all above the rates in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. 

German holidaymakers are together with their British counterparts the two main nationalities showing less interest in coming to Spanish shores.

Britons still represent the biggest tourist group that comes to Spain, but it’s undergoing a slump, with another recent study by Caixabank Research suggesting numbers fell particularly in June 2023 (-12.5 percent of the usual rate). 

READ ALSO: Spain fully booked for summer despite most expensive holiday prices ever

So are some Britons falling out of love with Spain? Are there clear reasons why a holiday on the Spanish coast is on fewer British holiday itineraries?

According to Caixabank Research’s report, the main reasons are “the poor macroeconomic performance of the United Kingdom, the sharp rise in rates and the weakness of the pound”.

This is evidenced in the results of a survey by British market research company Savanta, which found that one in six Britons are not going on a summer holiday this year due to the UK’s cost-of-living crisis.

Practically everything, everywhere has become more expensive, and that includes holidays in Spain: hotel stays are up 44 percent, eating out is 13 percent pricier, and flights are 40 percent more on average. 

READ ALSO: How much more expensive is it to holiday in Spain this summer?

Caixabank stressed that another reason for the drop in British holidaymakers heading to Spain is that those who can afford a holiday abroad are choosing “more competitive markets” such as Turkey, Greece and Portugal. 

And there’s no doubt that the insufferably hot summer that Spain is having, with four heatwaves so far, has also dissuaded many holidaymakers from Blighty from overcooking in the Spanish sun. 

With headlines such as “This area of Spain could become too hot for tourists” or “tourists say it’s too hot to see any sights” featuring in the UK press, budding British holidaymakers are all too aware of the suffocating weather conditions Spain and other Mediterranean countries are enduring. 

Other UK outlets have urged travellers to try out the cooler Spanish north rather than the usual piping hot Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol destinations.

Another UK poll by InsureandGo found that 71 percent of the 2,000+ British respondents thought that parts of Europe such as Spain, Greece and Turkey will be too hot to visit over summer by 2027.

There’s further concern that the introduction in 2024 of the new (and delayed) ETIAS visa for non-EU visitors, which of course now also applies to UK nationals, could further compel British tourists to choose countries to holiday in rather than Spain.

READ MORE: Will British tourists need to pay for a visa waiver to enter Spain?

However, a drop in the number of British holidaymakers may not be all that bad for Spain, even though they did spend over €17 billion on their Spanish vacations in 2022. 

Towns, cities and islands across the country have been grappling with the problem of overtourism and the consequences it has on everything from quality of life for locals to rent prices. 

READ ALSO: ‘Beach closed’ – Fake signs put up in Spain’s Mallorca to dissuade tourists

The overcrowded nature of Spain’s beaches and most beautiful holiday hotspots appears to be one of the reasons why Germans are visiting Spain in far fewer numbers. A recent report in the country’s most read magazine Stern asked “if the dream is over” in their beloved Mallorca.

Spanish authorities are also seeking to overhaul the cheaper holiday package-driven model that dominates many resorts, which includes moving away from the boozy antics of young British and other European revellers.

Fewer tourists who spend more are what Spain is theoretically now looking for, and the rise in American, Japanese and European tourists other than Brits signify less of a dependence on the British market, one which tends to maintain the country’s tourism status quo for better or for worse.

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