Holiday in North Rhine-Westphalia

What makes North Rhine-Westphalia special as a destination?

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state in Germany with around 18 million inhabitants and surprises with an enormous diversity beyond its industrial past. The Rhineland with Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Bonn offers Rhineland cheerfulness, Romanesque churches, carnival, and world culture. Westphalia counters with the historic Münster, the Teutoburg Forest, and the half-timbered romance of the Münsterland. The Ruhr area has transformed from an industrial site to a cultural metropolis: The UNESCO World Heritage Site Zeche Zollverein in Essen, the Gasometer Oberhausen, and the German Mining Museum Bochum tell the story of structural change. The Ruhr universities and the vibrant art scene make the region a creative hotspot. Nature lovers will find green mid-mountain landscapes with hiking trails, reservoirs, and winter sports opportunities in the Sauerland, Eifel, and Bergisches Land. The Eifel National Park offers wild romantic beech forests and one of the few star parks in Germany for nighttime sky observations. Cologne with its Gothic cathedral — the most visited landmark in Germany — and the lively carnival, Aachen with the imperial cathedral of Charlemagne, and Bonn as the former federal capital with the Beethoven House set cultural accents. The Rhineland cuisine with Himmel un Ääd, Halver Hahn, and Kölsch from the tap rounds off the experience.