Get out your bucket list and join in: Here are our ultimate quick tips for short trips to places you absolutely have to visit. Whether it's a magical festival, architecturally unique art venues or an overnight stay in the trees - these places are definitely worth seeing and unique highlights in your NRW.
Tip 1Dancing between blast furnaces
Steel constructions, chimneys and light installations - the Traumzeit Festival in Duisburg's Landschaftspark, a former steelworks, offers a unique location with an enchanted atmosphere for all music and festival fans. For three days, bands from the fields of indie rock, post-punk, singer/songwriter, folk, hip hop and electro will be performing.
www.traumzeit-festival.de
Tip 2Floating tent by the lake
Spend the night floating in the middle of nature: Right on the lakeshore in the Dingden Heath, you can dream as if floating in a hammock between the trees. You can reach your tent via a tree-trunk staircase or a rope ladder. There is also a richly filled breakfast basket with welcome sparkling wine and a sweet goodnight greeting - the ideal weekend trip into nature. You can find this and other unique accommodation tips here.
Tip 3Rollercoaster at sunrise
The Tiger & Turtle walk-through rollercoaster is a real eye-catcher as it is. But what should definitely be on your bucket list: a visit at sunrise or sunset. The golden hour transforms the steel structure in Duisburg into a unique photo spot.
www.duisburg.de/tiger-and-turtle
Tip 4The last wild horses
Germany's only herd of wild horses has its home in the Merfelder Bruch in Münsterland. They live here all year round. And even if it is not always easy to see the herd of around 400 horses, a trip to the nature reserve is always worthwhile.
Tip 5Unique architecture
One of the most unusual museum buildings in the world is the "Marta Herford" Museum of Contemporary Art - with its tilting and flowing walls, dark red brick and light-coloured stainless steel roof. It was built by the American star architect Frank Gehry. The roof reflects the neighbouring course of the River Aa, which visitors can catch a glimpse of from the idyllic garden.
Tip 6A legendary castle
Drachenburg Castle is majestically enthroned on the Drachenfels in the centre of the Siebengebirge. From up here, visitors have a breathtaking view of the Rhine. According to legend, Siegfried, the hero from the medieval epic poem "The Song of the Nibelungs", killed the dragon Fafnir here in order to bathe in his blood and become invulnerable. If you want to avoid the strenuous climb, you can simply take the Drachenfelsbahn railway to the summit.
Tip 7Walk across the sea of rocks
A sea of rocks formed by the influence of water, wind and people. A path, an undulating bridge and a viewing platform wind their way across it. The Hemer Felsenmeer is a national geotope. One of the oldest iron ore mining areas in Westphalia is located here. A very special place that is a real eye-catcher, especially in autumn.
www.sauerland.com/felsenmeer-hemer
