Essen

Zollverein, the Minster and Rüttenscheid on an Essen visit

Start an Essen visit at the Zollverein colliery, reached by tram 107, for the Shaft XII winding tower, the Ruhr Museum in the coal-washing plant and the Red Dot Design Museum. Then see the Golden Madonna in Essen Minster and spend the evening on Rüttenscheider Straße, known locally as the Rü.

Day one, morning. Ride tram 107 north to Zollverein and start at the Shaft XII winding tower, the twin-legged steel frame built in 1932. Take the long orange escalator up the side of the coal-washing plant into the Ruhr Museum, where the story of the region is told among the old hoppers and conveyors. Leave an hour for the Red Dot Design Museum in the former boiler house next door.

Afternoon. Walk the rail tracks across the site to the coking plant, whose long row of ovens is the best photo on the campus. Return to the centre and visit the Minster, a compact church with an Ottonian westwork, to see the Golden Madonna and the seven-branched candlestick.

Evening. Take the U11 to Rüttenscheid for dinner on the Rü and a drink on the Isenbergplatz.

Day two, morning. Go to Museum Folkwang on the edge of the Südviertel; the permanent collection, strong on Van Gogh, Gauguin and German Expressionism, is free. Then ride the U17 to Margarethenhöhe and wander its market square and arched gateways.

Afternoon. Take the S6 to Essen-Hügel and climb through the park to Villa Hügel, the Krupp mansion of 1873. From there it is a short walk down to the Baldeneysee for a boat or a lakeside coffee.

Evening. Continue by S6 to Werden for dinner in the old town below the abbey church.

Alfred Krupp drew up Villa Hügel's floor plan himself, and the family moved in on 10 January 1873. The house has 399 rooms and about 11,000 m² of floor space. It belongs to the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation; the historic rooms are open to visitors, the Kleines Haus holds an exhibition on the Krupp firm, and the Kulturstiftung Ruhr, founded by Berthold Beitz in 1984, stages large exhibitions here.

Currywurst, Pfefferpotthast and Stauder at the Büdchen

Essen eats Ruhr food, quick and filling. Order Currywurst with Pommes Schranke, fries striped with ketchup and mayonnaise, or both together as a Mantaplatte. Older pubs serve Pfefferpotthast beef stew and Panhas with apple sauce, and the local beer is Stauder Pils, best drunk at a Büdchen kiosk.

Essen eats like the Ruhr: hearty, quick and with no fuss. The snack-bar classic is Currywurst, sliced and drowned in curry ketchup, usually beside Pommes Schranke, fries striped with both ketchup and mayonnaise like a railway barrier. Both on one paper plate make the Mantaplatte, named with a wink after the Opel Manta drivers of the 1980s. For a sit-down meal in an old pub, look for Pfefferpotthast, a peppery beef and onion stew, or Panhas, a fried slice of buckwheat and blood sausage served with apple sauce and potatoes.

The local brewery is Stauder, family-run in Altenessen since the 19th century, and its crisp Pils is on tap in many pubs. Drink it at a Büdchen, the neighbourhood kiosk, where people buy a bottle and stand outside to talk on warm evenings.

For restaurants, Rüttenscheider Straße is the place to browse: Italian, Vietnamese, Turkish and German kitchens line the street between Rüttenscheider Stern and the Messe. Werden's old town has traditional inns with river views. Many locals also rate the north-side home cooking places, simple dining rooms where portions are large and the menu changes little from year to year.

If you are in town in December, the Christmas market adds Reibekuchen, fried potato pancakes with apple sauce, and mulled wine in collectors' mugs.

The green south of Essen around the Baldeneysee and Werden

The Baldeneysee is where Essen goes at weekends. This 8 km reservoir on the Ruhr has a 14 km path around it, summer boats of the Weisse Flotte and, since 2017, a marked swimming area at Seaside Beach Baldeney. At its western end, Werden has an old town that grew around its abbey.

Most visitors only see Zollverein, but the south of Essen is where locals spend their weekends. The Ruhr was dammed in 1933 to form the Baldeneysee, a reservoir about 8 km long below the wooded slopes of Bredeney and Heisingen. A paved path of roughly 14 km circles it, flat enough for a relaxed bike ride, and the white passenger boats of the Weisse Flotte link the main piers in summer.

Swimming in the lake was banned for decades because of water quality, and only returned in 2017 at a marked bathing area, Seaside Beach Baldeney, on the north shore. Swim only inside the buoys, and stay out after heavy rain, when bathing can be suspended.

At the western end of the lake, Werden grew around an abbey founded around 800 by Saint Ludger. The abbey church of St Ludgerus is a Romanesque church, and the former abbey now houses the Folkwang University of the Arts, whose students give concerts in term time. The old lanes leading uphill from the river hold cafés and cosy inns.

Further downstream, Kettwig is quieter still, with half-timbered houses and a weir. Back up the hill, Villa Hügel sits in a large landscaped park above the north shore. The Krupps entertained emperors there, and the park is pleasant even when the house is closed.

Summer brings the best weather, with highs around 23C, but the valley is just as good on a clear October day.