Siegen travel guide
Rubens' birthplace, Nassau palaces and seven hills in the Siegerland
Siegen is a hilly university city in southern Westphalia, the birthplace of Rubens, with two Nassau palaces, a mining museum and forests all round. Hiking and riverside evenings call for a summer visit. Two days cover the town and a walk in the hills. Costs are high, and Schengen rules give many visitors 90 days.
Siegen fills a narrow valley at the southern tip of Westphalia. Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate both begin a short drive away, and forested hills ring the city on every side. Iron ore made it wealthy: for centuries the Siegerland mined and smelted, and the oak and birch coppices on the slopes, the Hauberge, were cut in rotation to feed the furnaces. The House of Nassau ruled from two palaces here, and Peter Paul Rubens was born in the town in 1577.
Much of the street life today comes from its students, close to 14,000 of them, and the city is more a working university town than a tourist stop. Still, it repays a visit. The Upper Palace on the Siegberg holds Rubens paintings and a walk-through demonstration mine, the Nikolaikirche wears a golden crown on its tower, and Geisweid has what the Guinness book once listed as the world's smallest Beatles museum. Spend a day in town and another in the hills.
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Top things to do in Siegen
Rubens and the House of Nassau in the old town, forested hills straight behind it.
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Best time to visit Siegen
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Dry trails through the Hauberg woods, open-air seating by the Sieg and scenic runs on the Rothaarbahn.
Damp, often grey and colder than the Rhine valley, with snow on the higher Rothaargebirge; time for the museums and a hot Hirtentopf.
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Getting there
Siegen Hbf, the A45 Sauerlandlinie and Cologne/Bonn
Most visitors arrive by train at Siegen Hauptbahnhof in the lower town. Direct regional services come from Cologne in about 1½ hours along the Sieg valley, from Frankfurt in about 2 hours via the Dill valley, and from Hagen through the Sauerland in about 1½ hours. The nearest big airport is Cologne/Bonn (CGN), about 1½ hours by car; by rail, take the S-Bahn into Cologne and pick up the train up the Sieg valley. Frankfurt (FRA), with far more long-haul flights, is about two hours by road. Siegerland Airport (SGE), on a plateau near Burbach, is the second-highest commercial airport in Germany but handles only business, charter and private flights. Drivers come in on the A45 Sauerlandlinie, about 1½ hours from Frankfurt and an hour from Dortmund, or take the A4 from Cologne in roughly an hour.
- Cologne
- Train via the Sieg valley, about 1½ hours
- Frankfurt
- Train about 2 hours; car via the A45 about 1½ hours
- Hagen
- Train through the Sauerland, about 1½ hours
- The main station sits in the Unterstadt; the Oberes Schloss is a steep ten-minute climb above it, so travel light or take a bus up.
Where to stay
Oberstadt, around the Hauptbahnhof or university Weidenau
Stay in the Unterstadt by the Hauptbahnhof for the flattest, most practical base, next to the trains, the City-Galerie and the Sieg. Siegen's hotels serve business travellers and university visitors more than tourists, and the Oberstadt on the Siegberg is more atmospheric, though every return trip is uphill.
- Unterstadt and Hauptbahnhof
- Next to the trains, the City-Galerie mall and the Sieg riverside; the flattest and most practical base
- Oberstadt on the Siegberg
- Close to the Nikolaikirche and the Upper Palace; atmospheric, but every return trip is uphill
- Weidenau
- North along the Sieg near the university, with its own station; good for campus visits, less to do at night
- Southern arterial roads
- Hotels on Koblenzer and Frankfurter Straße with parking for drivers; a bus ride from the centre
Getting around
VWS buses up the Siegberg and the Rothaarbahn
The Unterstadt and the Oberstadt are close on the map but separated by a steep hill, and much of the city climbs up side valleys. City buses run by VWS (Verkehrsbetriebe Westfalen-Süd) do the hard work, connecting the Hauptbahnhof with the upper town, the university campus and outlying districts such as Weidenau and Geisweid. Tickets follow the Westfalentarif, sold at machines, by drivers and in the regional apps. Local trains also stop at Weidenau and Geisweid, quicker than the bus for the Beatles museum. For the hills, the Rothaarbahn runs north-east from Siegen through Kreuztal and the Rothaar mountains to Bad Berleburg, one of the most scenic rail lines in the region. Cycling is hard work in town; e-bikes make the forest roads feasible. Walking in the centre is fine as long as you accept a climb.
- VWS city buses
- Westfalentarif tickets from machines, drivers or apps
- Rothaarbahn
- Scenic regional line from Siegen to Bad Berleburg
Know before you go
Rubens was born near here, and the town has two castles.
Why travelers love it
- The demonstration mine inside the Oberes Schloss, a tunnel that recreates the Siegerland's ore workings beneath the Rubens galleries.
- The gilded Krönchen on the Nikolaikirche tower, the crown that has become the emblem of the city.
- The Beatles-Museum in Geisweid, 27 square metres crammed with more than 17,000 records, posters and autographs.
Good to know
- Siegen is built on slopes; comfortable shoes matter more than a map.
- Long-distance trains are rare; most routes involve a regional train, so check connections in Cologne, Hagen or Frankfurt.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Siegen, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Siegen are being researched.
Rubens on the Siegberg, the Dicker Turm and the Sieg riverbank
Siegen fills two days. On the first, climb to the Oberes Schloss for the Siegerlandmuseum's Rubens paintings and demonstration mine, walk down past the crowned Nikolaikirche to the Unteres Schloss and the Dicker Turm, then visit the tiny Beatles-Museum in Geisweid. On the second, walk one of the seven hills or ride the Rothaarbahn.
Morning. Climb from the station to the Oberes Schloss on the Siegberg, first recorded in 1259 and the old seat of the counts of Nassau. Since 1905 it has housed the Siegerlandmuseum: Rubens paintings and portraits of the Nassau and Orange families on one floor, rooms on the Busch musical family and the writer Jung-Stilling, and underneath it all a demonstration mine that shows how ore was dug from these hills. The palace garden looks out over the roofs to the surrounding hills.
Late morning. Walk down through the Oberstadt to the Nikolaikirche and its crowned tower, then on to the Unteres Schloss, the three-winged palace that the Protestant line of Nassau-Siegen built from the late 17th century. Look for the squat Dicker Turm and the princely crypt.
Afternoon. Take a local train or bus to Geisweid for the tiny Beatles-Museum, then return to the Unterstadt and sit on the steps by the Sieg, opened up to the town again after decades under a concrete deck.
Day two. Choose one of the seven hills, such as the Giersberg or the Wellersberg, and walk the forest paths, or ride the Rothaarbahn towards Bad Berleburg for a longer hike on the Rothaar ridges.
Riewekooche, Siegerländer Krüstchen and a Krombacher on tap
Siegerland cooking grew out of potatoes. Try Riewekooche, a loaf of grated raw potato, festive Siegerländer Debbekooche baked in an iron pot, and the Siegerländer Krüstchen, breaded pork on toast with a fried egg. Drink Krombacher, brewed in nearby Kreuztal, and look for regional inns in the Oberstadt and side valleys.
Siegerland cooking grew out of poverty and potatoes, and it has dishes found nowhere else. Riewekooche is a dense loaf made from grated raw potato, baked in a tin and sliced, quite different from the crisp potato pancakes of the Rhineland. Its festive cousin, Siegerländer Debbekooche, layers grated potato with onions, eggs, bacon and sausage and bakes it slowly in an iron pot; poorer families once served it on holidays in place of a roast.
The pub classic is the Siegerländer Krüstchen, a breaded pork escalope laid on toast and topped with a fried egg. Cold days call for Hirtentopf, a shepherd's stew with beans, or Duffelnsobbe, a thick potato soup. Bakeries sell Schanzenbrot and dark Groffbroat, both sourdough rye loaves, and Krebbelchen, small doughnuts made with curd cheese.
The beer is local too. The region's soft, clean water supports several breweries, the biggest being Krombacher in Kreuztal, just north of the city and one of Germany's best-selling brands. Smaller family breweries in the area make specialities for those who find it too mainstream. Look for traditional inns in the Oberstadt and the side valleys for regional cooking; the Unterstadt around the station and the City-Galerie has the quick, international options.
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How we research our Siegen travel guide
Siegerlandmuseum hours and VWS bus routes are checked on siegen.de. Deutsche Bahn covers the Sieg, Dill and Sauerland lines and Rothaarbahn services, and the German National Tourist Board gives wider context.
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Checked against trusted sources:
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Siegen questions about Rubens, castles and trains.
General
Yes. Peter Paul Rubens was born here in 1577, while his family lived in exile from Antwerp. Several of his works hang in the Siegerlandmuseum in the Oberes Schloss.
A gilded crown fixed to the church tower in the 17th century under the Nassau princes. It is now the symbol of Siegen and appears on city logos and souvenirs.
Locals liken the city to Rome for its seven hills: Häusling, Rosterberg, Giersberg, Wellersberg, Siegberg, Fischbacherberg and Heidenberg, most of them wooded and laced with paths.
Just 27 square metres. The Guinness Book of Records of 2000 named it the smallest public museum devoted to the Beatles, yet it holds over 17,000 records and other items.
A Siegerland potato bread made from grated raw potatoes and baked in a tin, eaten in slices with butter, syrup or cold cuts.
In Krombach, part of Kreuztal, just north of Siegen. The brewery credits the soft water of the Siegerland hills for its beer.
A communally owned coppice of oak and birch, cut in rotation for charcoal and tanning bark; the system shaped the forests around Siegen and survives in places today.
North-east through Kreuztal and the Rothaargebirge to Bad Berleburg in Wittgenstein, a scenic ride and a handy start for hikes.
The Unterstadt and the Oberstadt are close on the map but separated by a steep hill, and much of the city climbs up side valleys. City buses run by VWS (Verkehrsbetriebe Westfalen-Süd) do the hard work, connecting the Hauptbahnhof with the upper town, the university campus and outlying districts such as Weidenau and Geisweid. Tickets follow the Westfalentarif, sold at machines, by drivers and in the regional apps.
Getting there
No. Siegerland Airport near Burbach has had no scheduled flights since 2003 and handles business, charter and private flying; for scheduled services fly to Cologne/Bonn or Frankfurt.
Most visitors arrive by train at Siegen Hauptbahnhof in the lower town. Direct regional services come from Cologne in about 1½ hours along the Sieg valley, from Frankfurt in about 2 hours via the Dill valley, and from Hagen through the Sauerland in about 1½ hours. The nearest big airport is Cologne/Bonn (CGN), about 1½ hours by car; by rail, take the S-Bahn into Cologne and pick up the train up the Sieg valley.
Families & accessibility
The Protestant Nassau-Siegen line, who rebuilt it from the late 17th century; Prince Johann Moritz was laid in its princely crypt in 1680. Since 2016 the university's economics faculty and library have used much of the building.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Siegen is May to Sep. Green, walkable forest trails on the seven hills and the Rothaar ridges, and long evenings on the Sieg riverbank.
- Forest season: May - September (Dry trails through the Hauberg woods, open-air seating by the Sieg and scenic runs on the Rothaarbahn)
- Upland winter: November - March (Damp, often grey and colder than the Rhine valley, with snow on the higher Rothaargebirge; time for the museums and a hot Hirtentopf)
Visa & documents
As a Schengen member, Germany shares one set of entry rules with most of the EU. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Pickpocketing at large stations, Christmas markets and on big-city public transport is the main risk in a very safe country. Carry ID and validate paper tickets where required. Call 110 for police and 112 for fire or ambulance.
