Art and industrial culture, petting zoos and the wild, exhibitions and adventure playgrounds: in North Rhine-Westphalia, you can create a packed excursion programme that promises a fun and varied time for all ages, even on an empty wallet.

Various museums, for example, offer indoor and outdoor culture free of charge and regularly invite visitors to enjoy an admission-free visit. The themes range from archaeology, industrial culture, art and monastery history to natural history. Various industrial heritage sites, including the Unesco World Heritage Site Zeche Zollverein, which can be explored with a game of soccer golf, for example, present themselves like gigantic adventure playgrounds, even for adults. Gardens and parks around castles and monasteries are even older, but still just as worth a visit, inviting you to linger and explore free of charge. If you fancy a few cuddles with rabbits or goats, you can pet and feed four-legged friends in one of the free animal parks and wildlife enclosures.

There are many free zoos and wildlife enclosures in NRW where the four-legged inhabitants can not only be visited, but also petted and fed. The petting zoos at Alsdorf Zoo near Aachen and Weeze Zoo on the Lower Rhine are fun for the whole family. The Olderdissen Wildlife Park in Bielefeld is also a worthwhile destination for night owls: the site, which is home to bison, tarpans, wolves, lynx, wild cats and eagle owls, is open daily until 10 pm.
www.tierpark-alsdorf.de| www.tierparkweeze.de |www.heimat-tierpark-olderdissen.de

Petting zoo in the Kaisergarten
There is even more to discover in and around the animal enclosure in Oberhausen's Kaisergarten with its native animals: In addition to various play and picnic areas, the pedestrian bridge "Slinky springs to Fame" is a lovely destination within walking distance. Its colourful arches are just as eye-catching in daylight and in the dark as the nearby gasometer.
www.oberhausen-tourismus.de

Exotic birds
Free-living peacocks are the stars of Recklinghausen Zoo and the park is home to many birds in general: more than 25 different bird species live in a walk-in bird hall. It's hard to believe, but it's true and definitely worth seeing: the Münsterland region is home to flamingos can be seen in the wild. The exotic birds are real eye-catchers from March to September.
www.tierpark-recklinghausen.de

Stars of classical modernism
Works by Cézanne, van Gogh and Manet are part of the Folkwang Museum's collection in Essen. There is no admission charge to see these and other treasures from the collection; only tickets for special exhibitions cost money.

The Kunstsammlung NRW, which exhibits 20th and 21st century art, invites visitors to the KPMG Art Evening on the first Wednesday of every month. From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., admission to the two buildings K20 and K21 is not only free. There are also regular themed tours and other programmes.

In Dortmund, the permanent exhibitions of all municipal museums can be visited free of charge, including the Museum Ostwall in the Dortmunder U, which shows art from the 20th and 21st centuries. In Aachen, families have free admission to one of the city's museums, including the Couven Museum, on the first Sunday of every month.

Sculpture tours
The Städtische Galerie im Park in Viersen in the Lower Rhine region invites visitors indoors and outdoors: both a classicist villa and a neighbouring sculpture park exhibit art for all ages. A thematic focus is on art in public spaces and works by renowned contemporary sculptors such as Cragg, Heerich and Matta can be admired as well as temporary projects.

A total of 700 works by well-known and lesser-known artists can also be seen in public spaces in other corners of North Rhine-Westphalia. The NRW Sculpture app serves as a digital guide with specific route suggestions to the various works throughout the state.
www.viersen.de | www.nrw-skulptur.net

The industrial heritage in North Rhine-Westphalia is impressive: no other federal state has such an abundance and variety of industrial monuments. And the best thing is that the sites of some particularly worthwhile spots can be visited free of charge, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zeche Zollverein, a masterpiece of mining architecture and one of the most beautiful collieries in the world. Free soccer golf, a mixture of football and golf, is a sporty way to explore the large area. In summer, the works swimming pool is another sporting attraction and an opportunity to cool off. The Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park, which is open around the clock and, with its special lighting, is also a worthwhile excursion destination after dark - on foot, by bike or on a giant tube slide that leads into a former storage bunker at the climbing garden.

Slag heaps and a historic shaft
If you are curious to see the oldest scaffolding of industrial architecture in the Ruhr region, you should make your way to Moers. Here you will find the 48 metre high headframe of Shaft IV. Volunteers from the Grafschafter Museums- und Geschichtsverein (County Museum and History Association) guide you through the collection and explain the machines.

Far-reaching views and often even art for climbing await at the top of the mountains of the Ruhr region. Over 20 accessible spoil tips offer a mixture of industrial culture and nature. The Tiger & Turtle landmark in Duisburg, for example, resembles a walk-in rollercoaster and a tetrahedron seems to float on the Beckstraße spoil tip in Bottrop. Both works of art are not just for looking at, but can also be climbed.

On tour with rangers
Rangers take hikers through the Eifel National Park almost every day free of charge and without registration. Every day of the week, the trained guides impart first-hand knowledge on a variety of topics and share curious facts about the flora and fauna of the protected area.

Water marches in the Ems Adventure World
In the interactive Ems Adventure World in Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock, children and adults learn about animals, people and regions along the Ems. Young visitors can really let off steam in the adventure garden - so a change of clothes wouldn't be a bad idea, because it gets pretty wet.
www.ems-erlebniswelt.de

Walking among the sequoia trees
History meets nature on the Lower Rhine: the sequoia farm in Kaldenkirchen-Nettetal was the first place to grow sequoia trees in Europe. Today, it is home to 63-year-old sequoia trees, a unique grove of coastal sequoias, primeval sequoias and more than 400 other rare species. The oldest tree among the giants, however, is a winter lime tree that is around 220 years old.
www.sequoiafarm.de

Baroque gardens, noble castle parks and monastery gardens invite you to linger and explore free of charge. In the Rhine-Erft district, for example, the density of stately homes is particularly high. The absolute highlight among the many beautiful gems are the grounds of Augustusburg Palace and Falkenlust Palace in Brühl, which are Unesco World Heritage Sites. The baroque gardens and the surrounding woodland areas, designed in the style of an English landscape garden, are accessible free of charge every day.

Old sequoia trees, gingkos and giant arborvitae grow in the castle park of Schloss Paffendorf, and the landscape is also characterised by water features and moorland plants, which also invite visitors to take a stroll every day. Not far away is Türnich Castle, where the passing Erft fills moats and ponds. A highlight is the 300 metre long avenue of lime trees with its 111 lime trees, which provide pleasant shade in summer. If you still want to invest a euro or two, you should treat yourself to a delicious slice of cake in the castle café. Incidentally, the lord of the castle here is Severin von Hoensbroech, who still has big plans for the little castle.

Klostergarten and Kurpark
Since the 17th century, terraces, ponds, sculptures and fountains have formed the park landscape of the Kleve Gardens in Kleve in the Lower Rhine region. Exotic trees such as trumpet and tulip trees grow in the neighbouring forest garden. The former Kleve Kurhaus, now an art museum, is home to the first studio of Joseph Beuys, who grew up just around the corner. Not far away, on a former vineyard in Kamp-Lintfort, is the Kamp Monastery with its terraced garden, which is also known as the Sanssouci of the Lower Rhine. With its steps, terraces, flowerbeds and fountains, the impressive park is designed with symmetry in mind and is accessible free of charge all year round. Extra tip for families: there is a climbing playground at the foot of the monastery.