Urban hiking – new city views on the go

Dusty paths, stony trails, mountains, forests and meadows: attributes that people like to associate with hiking. But hiking can also look different! City parks, old industrial sites, idyllic suburban streets – urban hiking unlocks it all. This relatively new form of hiking not only gets your pulse racing, but also provides moments of surprise. Especially if you follow your own instincts instead of crowds of visitors and large signposts – or even better, well thought-out routes. These usually lead for miles through suburbia and ideally through green, traffic-calmed areas and sometimes past often overlooked sights such as old churches or artists' houses. The fact is, thanks to unconventional perspectives, you can get to know a city in a completely different way.

The best thing is that even if hiking through a city doesn't get your body moving quite like climbing a mountain does, it's still packed with cultural highlights!

Into the delights of the Rhine-Main

Wiesbaden: Schloss Biebrich ©gettyimages (Westend61)

One of the pioneers of urban hiking is the RheinMain Regional Park. Its specially-created Urban Hiking guide shows eight tours between 11 and 15 kilometres long through Frankfurt's rural-urban surroundings – each with its own very different character. For example, the route from Gronau to Frankfurt offers multiple impressive views of Germany's tallest skyscrapers. The 'Wiesbadener Weltreise!', on the other hand, combines Rhenish village life with the sophisticated places of this spa town. On a practical note – in addition to detailed descriptions of routes, each tour also includes maps, links to GPX tracks for mobile phones and tips on where to stop for refreshments.

North Rhine-Westphalia? New, charming hiking routes!

Essen: Woman on the grounds of the Zeche Zollverein, UNESCO World Heritage ©DZT (Julia Nimke)

The profound transformation of the Ruhr region, which has long been characterised by coal and steel, also includes a new focus on renaturation – and hiking. Some of these new urban hiking routes run through former factory areas, such as the spectacular tour in the north of Duisburg, which is characterised by its unique industrial heritage backdrop. The 'harbour circuit' meanders along the Ruhr and Rhine. Wuppertal and Gelsenkirchen also boast a variety of city trails. Paderborn stands out with a 12-kilometre trail that has been certified as the first 'Premium City Hiking Trail'. The route leads past a number of sights to the mouth of the Pader river at Schloss Neuhaus and back to the city centre via the fish ponds.

Berlin is always on the move

Memorial at the Berlin Wall ©visitBerlin (Dagmar Schwelle)

"The Wall must go!" chanted millions in 1989. Nowadays, the motto goes, "Off to the Wall Trail!" Spanning 160 kilometres and across 14 stages, all easily accessible by public transport, you can retrace the course of the former border. Stroll through the countryside and past tower blocks as you marvel at the artistically decorated remnants of the Wall. History on the move! The 20 'Green Main Routes' are also largely off the main roads. There is something for every level, as they vary in length, with the shortest at 7 km and the longest at 63 km.

Hamburg – built close to water

Hamburg: Binnenalster mit Rathaus und St. Nikolaus ©DZT (Francesco Carovillano)

Berlin's Green Routes may as well be called Blue Routes in Hamburg , at least if they lead along the water. Considering the many waterways and over 2,500 bridges, there are quite a few, especially the Alsterwanderweg. The route takes you past Wilhelminian-style villas and allotments, meadows and parks from the harbour to the far north of this Hanseatic city – always hugging the Alster along the way.

If you want to continue hiking after your city walk, you'll find a variety of routes.