Leverkusen: Parks, Trails and Culture

Leverkusen offers different ways to experience greenery, outdoor activities, water and culture. Local attractions include landscaped parks, hiking trails of varying lengths, a lake where stand-up paddleboarding is permitted, as well as museums and cultural activities. You can tailor your stay to suit your interests, whether you’re looking for nature, outdoor activities, art or history.

Green Spaces and Outdoor Activities

The Carl Duisberg Park covers around two hectares and is laid out in the style of an English landscape garden. Wide paths and open green spaces lined with trees define the park. Wuppermann Park offers a different combination: it comprises three historic landscape gardens dating from the 19th century, as well as a playground, outdoor fitness equipment and a boules court.

Neuland Park also offers opportunities to exercise: its “Neuland Gym” training area has eight fitness machines that can be used to work all muscle groups. The parks each have a different focus—from gardens and green spaces to sports and leisure facilities.

The Japanese Garden was created in 1912 and covers around 15,000 square metres. Its design features colourful plants, sculptures and lanterns from many parts of East Asia. If you’re looking for extensive woodland, Bürgerbusch has a contiguous forest area covering around 275 hectares. An extensive network of paths is available for walking, running and hiking.

Hiking Trails and Water

The “Around Leverkusen” hiking route is 62 kilometres long in total and divided into ten sections. Much shorter is the five-kilometre “Leverkusen Orchard Trail”, which starts at NaturGut Ophoven. The route length and sections provide useful points of reference for gauging the scope of a planned hike.

Hitdorf Lake is a former gravel pit covering around 9.5 hectares and reaching depths of up to 18 metres. Stand-up paddleboarding is permitted there. Check the local rules before your trip, as they may change. Another waterside destination is the Wupper Estuary Ship Bridge: three ships are connected by a walkway, and the bridge is easily accessible on foot and by bicycle. It was added to the City of Leverkusen’s list of historic monuments in 1983.

Museums and Culture

The Freudenthal Scythe Hammer was once an early industrial forge and is now a museum with original factory rooms, working machinery and demonstrations. It also hosts concerts, readings and exhibitions, and offers a varied educational programme. Museum Morsbroich regularly displays works of contemporary art. Exhibitions at the Colony Museum change regularly and focus on the history of Leverkusen.

The Leverkusen Art Night is an annual event in the city’s cultural calendar. Galleries, studios and museums open their doors, and the programme also includes readings, music and cabaret. Together with the museum exhibitions, the Art Night offers different ways to experience art and local history—through an annual event or individual museum visits.

Planning Your Visit

The MutReiferei Children’s and Youth Museum is currently at its temporary location at Stauffenbergstraße 17 in Leverkusen. It is open from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays; visits from Monday to Friday are possible for groups only. Courses and events can be attended by arrangement and with advance booking. Check the opening hours before travelling, as they may change.

When planning your visit, you can choose between longer hiking stages, individual visits to parks and museums, and recurring cultural events.

Discover more destinations: Leverkusen, Warendorf, Bielefeld, Mettmann, Münster, Olpe, Coesfeld, Gütersloh.

For the broader travel overview: North Rhine-Westphalia.