Essen in 2 days
A ready route for 2 days in Essen: the main sights grouped by area, so you don't walk back and forth. Each day opens on the map with all its stops.
Zollverein — Industrial Heritage
3 places · about 6 h of sightseeing · 0,2 km between them
Morning
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Zeche Zollverein (Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex)UNESCO World Heritage industrial site — the 'most beautiful coal mine in the world,' its Bauhaus-style Shaft XII winding towers now house museums, galleries and (in winter) an outdoor ice rink.
Afternoon
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Ruhr Museum
The Ruhr region's central historical and natural-history museum, inside the dramatically repurposed former coal-washing plant.
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Red Dot Design Museum
The world's largest exhibition of contemporary design, inside the raw industrial shell of the former coking-plant boiler house.
Route of the day: Google Maps Apple Maps
Old Town & Cathedral · Museums & Culture
6 places · about 7 h of sightseeing · 1,5 km between them
Morning
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Essener Dom (Essen Cathedral / Essen Minster)Essen's cathedral church, built around the women's abbey that founded the city — home to the Golden Madonna, the oldest fully sculpted image of Mary in the world.
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Essener Domschatz (Essen Cathedral Treasury)One of Europe's richest troves of medieval goldsmith work, displayed in the cathedral's treasury rooms.
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Alte Synagoge (Old Synagogue / Haus jüdischer Kultur)
One of Germany's largest and most architecturally significant surviving pre-war synagogue buildings, now a free house of Jewish culture and history.
Afternoon
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Rathaus Essen Aussichtsplattform (City Hall Viewing Platform)A free public viewing floor near the top of Essen's 106-meter city hall tower, with sweeping views over the city and the wider Ruhr region.
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Museum Folkwang
One of Germany's most important art museums — Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, German Expressionism and a serious photography collection, with free permanent-collection admission.
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Philharmonie Essen (Saalbau)
Essen's main concert hall, home to the Essen Philharmonic — an 1904 building rebuilt after WWII and modernized into a three-hall complex with excellent acoustics.
Route of the day: Google Maps Apple Maps
Good to know
When to go
Spring to autumn is best for exploring the Zollverein complex outdoors. In December and January there's an ice rink there and the site looks completely different.
Book ahead
Zeche Zollverein (Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex), Ruhr Museum, Red Dot Design Museum, Essener Dom (Essen Cathedral / Essen Minster), Essener Domschatz (Essen Cathedral Treasury), Alte Synagoge (Old Synagogue / Haus jüdischer Kultur), Rathaus Essen Aussichtsplattform (City Hall Viewing Platform), Museum Folkwang
Closed days
- Red Dot Design Museum — closed: Monday
- Essener Domschatz (Essen Cathedral Treasury) — closed: Monday
- Alte Synagoge (Old Synagogue / Haus jüdischer Kultur) — closed: Monday
- Rathaus Essen Aussichtsplattform (City Hall Viewing Platform) — closed: Saturday, Sunday
- Museum Folkwang — closed: Monday
Want times, places to eat and a plan for your own dates?
In your own plan:
- exact times for each day, checked against the opening hours on your dates
- places to eat near every stop, in three budgets
- your flights, hotel, kids and pace taken into account