Rieste: Alfsee, cycling routes and pilgrimage

Rieste offers several distinct themes for a stay: activities around Alfsee, cycling routes, water sports and the pilgrimage tradition of Lage Monastery. Nature and educational activities, exercise and religious history each provide their own focus.

Alfsee: nature and active pursuits

The Alfsee Nature Conservation and Education Centre (nbz) in Rieste is an interactive centre exploring the history, birdlife and landscape dynamics of Alfsee. The nbz also offers seminars, walks, guided tours and courses. The centre’s topics and range of activities give you several ways to explore the landscape and birdlife of Alfsee.

At the Alfsee StrandArena in Rieste, there are water-skiing facilities with different levels of difficulty, as well as water-skiing and wakeboarding courses. The AbenteuerWelt Germanenland is one of the attractions at the Alfsee Holiday and Adventure Park. It features climbing trunks, water games, an oracle and a maze. There is also an 18-hole mini-golf course at the StrandArena. In Rieste, you can choose between distinct activities including water sports, mini golf and the various features of Germanenland.

Comparing Rieste’s two cycling routes

Both Rieste circular cycling routes, “Ort” and “Land”, start and finish at the Alfsee-Center. “Ort” is 15.36 kilometres long and takes about one hour; “Land” covers 26.55 kilometres and takes about two hours. This lets you compare the stated distances and approximate durations directly: the shorter route is estimated at about one hour, and the longer one at about two hours. Both journey times are estimates.

Lage Monastery and the Rosary Garden

For centuries, Lage Monastery in Rieste has been a destination for pilgrims visiting the Holy Cross of Lage, which dates from the 14th century. The Rosary Garden at the monastery was created in 1994 and 1995. It is divided into two areas with a cross-shaped layout of paths; 20 wayside shrines commemorate the lives of Jesus and Mary. There is also a specific landmark to help visitors find their way: the pilgrimage site of Lage is entered from the west through the Lager Tor. The pilgrimage tradition and the garden’s design offer two distinct ways to experience this place.

Getting here and more attractions in the Osnabrück travel region

If travelling to Rieste by train, you can use Rieste railway station. If you plan to travel this way, check the connections for your travel date. When planning your trip, you can also consider its main focus—such as the cycling routes, activities at Alfsee or the pilgrimage tradition.

There are more attractions in the wider Osnabrück travel region. The signposted dinosaur trail near the Bad Essen-Barkhausen dinosaur tracks is a 16-kilometre circular hiking route. At the experience area, fossilised dinosaur tracks can be seen on a steep rock face; there are also two dinosaur replicas, detailed information boards and a circular path. At the Kalkriese Museum and Park, exhibits about the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest are presented in multimedia format and can be viewed. At the Bramsche Cloth Makers’ Museum, fluffy woollen blankets are made on working machines that are over 100 years old. These examples are quite different: they take you to a hiking trail and dinosaur tracks, a multimedia exhibition, or live production at a museum.

Discover more destinations: Gehrde, Bohmte, Bad Rothenfelde, Glandorf, Belm, Merzen, Bersenbrück, Bad Iburg

For the wider travel overview: Osnabrück.