Discover Leverkusen: Parks, Museums and the Rhine

If you are looking for a hotel in Leverkusen, your planned visits can help shape your itinerary: parks along the Rhine, museums, gardens and individual leisure activities offer different themes for planning your trip. The locations range from a site that is freely accessible year-round to seasonal activities, changing exhibitions and events. For offerings tied to a season or programme, it is worth checking the latest information before your visit.

Parks, Gardens and Nature

Neuland Park lies directly on the Rhine and is a local recreation area and destination for visitors from across the region. Its themed gardens include an Eifel garden, a rose garden, the “Seasons of Life” garden, a Feng Shui garden and a witch’s garden. Open-air events are held regularly in the park; the programme may vary. The park also has a 16-hole mini-golf course, whose operation may change. If you are planning to visit the facility, check in advance whether it is currently open.

The roughly two-hectare Carl Duisberg Park lies on the outskirts of Leverkusen and is landscaped in the style of an English garden. Broad paths and spacious green areas lined with trees define the park. The Japanese Garden was created in 1912 and covers around 15,000 square metres. It features colourful plants, sculptures and lanterns from many parts of East Asia. Wuppermann Park adds three historic 19th-century landscaped gardens, a playground, outdoor fitness equipment and a pétanque court to the selection of parks.

NaturGut Ophoven covers a six-hectare site with meadows, ponds and pools, a climate experience park and a sensory trail. The site is freely accessible year-round. NaturGut is one of Germany’s largest environmental education centres. The five-kilometre Leverkusen Orchard Trail also begins at NaturGut.

Museums and Cultural Venues

The Freudenthaler Sensenhammer was once an early industrial forge and is now a museum. Its original, preserved factory rooms and working machines offer insights into its former operations; blacksmithing demonstrations are also held. The programme may vary. Sensenhammer also hosts concerts, readings and exhibitions, and offers a wide range of educational activities. Museum Morsbroich regularly exhibits works of contemporary art; the exhibition programme changes over time.

The Kolonie Museum regularly presents changing exhibitions on topics from Leverkusen’s history. During the annual Leverkusen Art Night, galleries, studios and museums open their doors; readings, music and cabaret performances are also on offer. Another distinctive landmark is the Bayer Cross: it is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest illuminated sign.

Activities, Views and Landmarks

The climbing garden on Birkenberg in Leverkusen-Opladen offers four courses, including one with a 13-metre free fall. It operates seasonally, so take this into account when planning your visit. For a different perspective, visit the 73-metre-high water tower of Energieversorgung Leverkusen in the Bürrig district. It serves as a viewing platform, offering panoramic views of Leverkusen and the Neuland Park grounds.

The Wupper estuary ship bridge consists of three ships connected by a gangway where the Wupper flows into the Rhine. It is easy to reach on foot or by bicycle and was added to the City of Leverkusen’s list of historic monuments in 1983. Leverkusen and the surrounding area have more than 150 kilometres of signposted cycling routes. The “Around Leverkusen” hiking route is 62 kilometres long in total and divided into ten sections. Another destination amid greenery is Bürgerbusch: this contiguous woodland, covering around 275 hectares, has an extensive network of paths for walking, running and hiking.

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