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Nature & Outdoor Activities

National parks - protected nature

Bad Wildungen: UNESCO World Natural Heritage Hutewald Halloh in the National Park Kellerwald-Edersee ©DZT (Francesco Carovillano)

Here nature is king – protected from development in the extensive landscapes of the 16 national parks, it puts on a stunning show, unfurling in all its glory, and allowing you to experience unspoilt countryside and an amazing diversity of flora and fauna. This is where you discover the power of the natural world.

National parks can also be reached by bus and train.

Bavarian Forest National Park

The Bavarian Forest National Park, founded in 1970 as the first national park in Germany, joins with the neighbouring Šumava National Park in the Czech Republic to form the largest continuous area of woodland in Central Europe.

Berchtesgaden National Park

Stunning mountain scenery, picturesque lakes and lush green forests are the hallmarks of the Berchtesgaden National Park, one of the oldest conservation areas in the Alps.

Black Forest National Park

The untamed beauty of the vast Black Forest National Park attracts visitors in their swathes. The lush green forests in this nature reserve are just waiting to be explored, showing off the wild side of nature and offering views way into the distance.

Eifel National Park

The Eifel National Park boasts majestic beech forests, gnarled oak woods and babbling brooks. With countless species of flora and fauna to be admired here, there is nowhere better to get close to nature in the whole of western Germany.

Hainich National Park

At the Hainich National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage region, world history comes face to face with the miracle of nature. The former military exclusion zone is now the largest unbroken area of mixed deciduous forest in Europe.

Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park

The Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park in the north of Germany surrounds a small group of islands located in the Elbe estuary just off the coast of Cuxhaven. The nature reserve encompasses around 12,000 hectares of mudflats.

Harz National Park

This national park is located in Germany's most northerly low mountain range. With its mixture of ancient myths and rugged terrain, it is a popular travel destination in Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony all year round.

Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park

Germany's newest national park, set at the heart of the Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park, boasts beech trees, mystical moors and wildcats against a stunning mountainous backdrop.

Jasmund National Park

Natural beauty awaits visitors on the island of Rügen. The chalk cliffs on Rügen's Jasmund peninsula were enough to inspire painter Caspar David Friedrich around 200 years ago.

Kellerwald-Edersee National Park

The Kellerwald-Edersee National Park, home to vast beech forests, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Water babies and nature lovers are sure to be in their element thanks to Lake Edersee and the beautiful mountain scenery.

Lower Oder Valley National Park

The Lower Oder Valley National Park is the only wetland national park in Germany, boasting remarkable riverside meadow scenery that stretches out for 60 kilometres along the German and Polish banks of the River Oder.

Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park

The Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park on the North Sea coast in Lower Saxony covers the mudflat area between the Ems and Elbe Rivers, including the offshore East Frisian islands.

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