Discover Westerstede

Westerstede is a state-recognised health resort and has an extensive network of cycling and hiking trails. Notable attractions include gardens, buildings in the town centre and town park, and the rail-bike route. If you are looking for a hotel in Westerstede, you can plan your stay around nature, local history or a rail-bike ride.

Parks and trails

Hobbie Rhododendron Park covers 70 hectares and is Germany’s largest rhododendron park by area. Its network of paths is more than ten kilometres long. The area and path length offer different ways to gauge the size of the site: the park combines extensive grounds with a sizeable network of trails.

The Park of Rarities features 212 special woody plants and more than 2,000 accompanying perennials. The figures highlight two different groups of plants. While the emphasis at Hobbie Rhododendron Park is on its area and paths, the woody plants and perennials give the Park of Rarities a different focus. Guided tours there are available by arrangement.

Church, town park and theatre

St. Peter’s Church is in the centre of Westerstede. It is the town’s oldest building and a landmark; its distinctive tower is 48 metres high. It offers a point of reference in the town centre and a concrete glimpse into Westerstede’s architectural history.

Every two years, the Freilichttheater Gemeinschaft Westerstede transforms the Alter Markt at the foot of St. Peter’s Church into an open-air theatre. The programme features two plays for audiences of all ages. If you would like to combine your stay with a theatre visit, check before you travel whether performances fall within your dates: the event takes place every two years.

The town park, Thalenweide, in the centre of Westerstede is home to a 350-year-old oak, among other things. The water tower, built in 1933 to supply the town with water, is also in the park. The oak and tower point to different aspects of the park: an old tree and a structure that once served a water-supply function.

Rail-bike route and other trail options

Draisinenspaß Ammerland follows a disused railway line between Westerstede and the district of Ocholt. Since 2006, twelve four-person rail bikes and three club rail bikes, each carrying 16 people, have run on the route. The seven-kilometre route has three stations where you can take a break. The Draisinenspaß Ammerland station is located on the grounds of the G. D. Boehlje tree nursery in Westerstede.

The season runs from 1 April to 15 October. Check the current dates before you travel. For planning purposes, the rail-bike ride and the network of paths in the rhododendron park offer different options: the seven-kilometre route with three rest stops can be compared with more than ten kilometres of paths in the park. This helps you distinguish between the two ways of getting around without treating them as equivalent.

For another trail-planning reference, the Linsweger Eschweg starts and ends at the Westerstede district administration office or the Hotel Sonnenhof. Together with the extensive cycling and hiking network, this gives you another point of reference when exploring the trails in Westerstede.

Discover more destinations: Rastede, Wiefelstede, Apen, Edewecht, Bad Zwischenahn.

For the overarching travel guide: Ammerland.