Solingen travel guide
Blade museum, trolleybuses and Germany's highest railway bridge over the Wupper
A hill city in the Bergisches Land known worldwide for knives and scissors, with Schloss Burg and the Müngsten bridge in the Wupper valley below. Go from May to September for the valley walks; one day is enough, two with Wuppertal. Prices are high, and Schengen rules apply.
Solingen spreads over wooded hills on the northern edge of the Bergisches Land, about 25 km east of Düsseldorf. For centuries its trade has been steel with an edge. Swordsmiths here were famous in the Middle Ages, and the city still calls itself the Klingenstadt, the City of Blades. Zwilling J. A. Henckels, Wüsthof, Böker and DOVO are only a few of the names that stamp the word Solingen on their blades.
A visit is less about the town centre, rebuilt plainly after the war, than about what lies around it. The Wupper has cut a deep valley on the southern side, where the restored castle of the Counts of Berg rises above the river at Burg and Germany's highest railway bridge strides 107 metres over the gorge at Müngsten. To the north, Gräfrath keeps a market square of slate-hung houses and the national blade museum.
Getting between them is part of the fun, because Solingen is one of the last German cities to run trolleybuses. Plan a full day, or use the city as a cheaper base for Düsseldorf and Cologne, both reachable by S-Bahn or regional train.
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Top things to do in Solingen
Blades, a rebuilt ducal castle and a gorge crossed by a steel railway bridge, linked by trolleybus.
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Best time to visit Solingen
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 17C in May to 22C in July make the hillside trails at Müngsten and Burg pleasant, though June and July are also among the wettest months at about 100 mm.
Highs of 3 to 8C and the year's heaviest rain, over 100 mm in December; spend the time in the Klingenmuseum and the Galileum.
Schloss Burg holds medieval games and other large events in the warmer months; check its calendar before you go, as the hill road and car park fill quickly.
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Getting there
Ohligs Hauptbahnhof, Solingen-Mitte and the S7 over Müngsten
The main station is misleadingly named. Solingen Hauptbahnhof sits on the edge of the Ohligs district, about 5 km from the city centre, and handles regional and S-Bahn trains to Düsseldorf, Cologne and Wuppertal plus the occasional ICE. Trolleybuses and ordinary buses link it with the centre. For the centre itself, the small Solingen-Mitte stop is on the winding branch line to Remscheid and Wuppertal, the route that crosses the Müngsten bridge. Flying in, Düsseldorf Airport is closest; Cologne Bonn, Dortmund and Frankfurt are further but workable by train. Long-distance coaches are rarer here than in Düsseldorf or Cologne, so most visitors connect through one of those cities.
- Düsseldorf Airport (DUS)
- Train to Düsseldorf Hbf, then the S-Bahn or a regional train to Solingen Hbf; or a taxi direct
- Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN)
- Train to Cologne, then a regional train towards Solingen Hbf
- Solingen Hauptbahnhof (Ohligs)
- S-Bahn and regional trains to Düsseldorf, Cologne and Wuppertal, occasional ICE; buses to Haan and Düsseldorf
- Solingen-Mitte
- Local stop near the centre on the line to Remscheid and Wuppertal
- If you are heading for Gräfrath or the old centre, check whether Solingen-Mitte or a trolleybus from the Hauptbahnhof gets you closer before you buy a ticket.
Where to stay
Centre, Ohligs, Gräfrath or Burg an der Wupper
Stay in Ohligs by the Hauptbahnhof for the quickest trains to Düsseldorf and Cologne, or in the centre where every trolleybus line meets. Accommodation is modest, mostly small hotels and guesthouses, which is why some visitors base themselves here when Düsseldorf prices spike. Gräfrath and Burg suit quiet evenings.
- City centre (Neumarkt and Graf-Wilhelm-Platz)
- Where every trolleybus line meets, with restaurants and plain hotels; not much to look at
- Ohligs
- Next to the Hauptbahnhof, so the quickest base for trains to Düsseldorf and Cologne; a bus ride from the sights
- Gräfrath
- Slate-clad houses, cobbles and the Klingenmuseum on the doorstep; few rooms and quiet evenings
- Burg an der Wupper
- Sleep under the castle by the river, best for walkers; you will depend on the 683 bus or a car
Getting around
Trolleybus 683 and the Graf-Wilhelm-Platz hub
Solingen is one of only three German cities still running buses powered from overhead wires, alongside Eberswalde and Esslingen. Nine lines now run under the wires, most of them through Graf-Wilhelm-Platz in the centre, and all stay inside the city except line 683, which links Wuppertal-Vohwinkel with the centre and ends down at Burg, covering its last stretch on an auxiliary engine. Fares are on the VRR tariff, so the same tickets work as in Düsseldorf and the Ruhr; buy them from machines, the driver or the VRR and DB apps. Regular diesel buses fill the gaps, including routes to Wuppertal, Leverkusen and express runs to Cologne from Graf-Wilhelm-Platz. The hills make cycling hard work, with one exception.
- Trolleybus 695
- Starts in Gräfrath, a short walk from the Klingenmuseum
- Trolleybus 683
- Down to Unterburg by the river; walk up or take the chairlift, which runs Tuesday to Sunday in summer and only at weekends from November
- Korkenziehertrasse
- A cycle path on a former railway towards Wuppertal, with gentle gradients
- Parking at Schloss Burg is limited; on fine weekends the bus is quicker.
Know before you go
Blades, Schloss Burg and the Müngsten railway bridge.
Why travelers love it
- The Müngstener Brücke, a steel arch 107 metres above the Wupper, best seen from the Brückenpark below.
- The hand-pulled overhead ferry in the Brückenpark, which you work yourself across the river.
- Gräfrath's market square, all black slate, white window frames and green shutters.
Good to know
- The Hauptbahnhof is not central; it is in Ohligs, about 5 km out.
- Schloss Burg and its chairlift close on Mondays outside the NRW summer holidays, so do not plan the valley for the start of the week.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Solingen, month by month
Solingen sits in the hilly Bergisches Land, one of the wetter parts of Germany, and May to September is best for valley walks. Rainfall is high here; check each month's averages below.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Solingen (DWD Open Data, via Wikipedia).
Blades, a castle and the Müngsten arch along the Wupper
One day covers Solingen's highlights. Start at the Deutsches Klingenmuseum in Gräfrath, take trolleybus 683 to Schloss Burg, the rebuilt seat of the Counts of Berg, then walk about an hour and a half down the Wupper valley to the Müngstener Brücke, Germany's highest railway bridge, and its hand-operated ferry.
Start the morning in Gräfrath at the Deutsches Klingenmuseum, housed in a former convent on Klosterhof. Trolleybus 695 starts in Gräfrath, a short walk away. The collection runs from early weapons and medieval swords to guild pieces and modern cutlery design, and makes sense of why a whole city ended up grinding steel. Give it 90 minutes, then wander the slate houses around the market square for coffee.
Around midday, ride into the centre and change at Graf-Wilhelm-Platz for the 683 towards Burg. Schloss Burg, the 12th-century seat of the Counts and later Dukes of Berg, was rebuilt from ruins from the late 19th century and is now the largest reconstructed castle in North Rhine-Westphalia. Take the chairlift up if your legs are tired, see the museum rooms and the ramparts, and eat lunch in the castle restaurant or down in the village.
In the afternoon, follow the Wupper downstream on the valley paths to Müngsten; allow about an hour and a half on foot. The Müngstener Brücke appears suddenly overhead. In the Brückenpark beneath it, haul yourself across the river on the hand-operated ferry. If you still have time, ride back over the top on the S7 towards Solingen-Mitte, or finish at the Galileum near the Hauptbahnhof, a planetarium built inside an old gas holder.
Bergische Kaffeetafel and Burger Brezel below Schloss Burg
Solingen's food ritual is the Bergische Kaffeetafel, an afternoon spread of waffles with hot cherries, rice pudding, raisin bread and coffee from a Dröppelminna pot, served in Burg and the valley villages for two or more, usually at weekends. Buy a crunchy Burger Brezel near the castle, and eat dinner around the Neumarkt.
The great food ritual of the Bergisches Land is the Bergische Kaffeetafel, an afternoon spread that keeps coming: crisp waffles with hot cherries and whipped cream, rice pudding, raisin bread, butter, cheese and sometimes black pudding, with coffee poured from a pewter pot on legs called a Dröppelminna. It is meant for sharing over a long afternoon, and cafés in Burg and the valley villages serve it for two or more people, usually at weekends.
Burg also has its own bake. The Burger Brezel is a dry, crunchy pretzel, closer to a rusk than to the soft Bavarian kind, sold in bakeries near the castle and good for dipping in coffee. Take a bag home; it keeps for days.
For a proper meal, the centre is more practical. Around the Neumarkt you will find Turkish and Mediterranean grills that stay open late at weekends, a long-running fish restaurant at Breidbacher Tor and cafés serving breakfast and cake on Küstergasse. Plates here are hearty and plain, and the region pairs well with the Rhineland beers poured in Düsseldorf and Cologne.
Plan the Kaffeetafel for the afternoon after the castle visit and skip lunch; the portions are generous enough to replace dinner too.
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How we research our Solingen travel guide
Solingen still runs trolleybuses, so route changes are checked on solingen.de together with museum hours and the Schloss Burg chairlift season. Hauptbahnhof and S7 times come from Deutsche Bahn; the German National Tourist Board adds context.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Solingen questions, answered without fuss.
General
It sits in the Ohligs district on the main Cologne to Düsseldorf corridor, about 5 km from the centre. Trolleybuses and buses connect the two.
Only line 683, which runs from Wuppertal-Vohwinkel station through the centre and down to Burg. The other trolleybus lines stay inside Solingen.
In the former Augustinian convent on Klosterhof, just off the old market square. Trolleybus 695 starts in Gräfrath a short walk away; check the museum's website for current hours.
Yes. The trail follows an old railway line from the Südpark to Gräfrath, where a link continues to Wuppertal's Nordbahntrasse, so the gradients stay gentle despite the hills.
A planetarium and observatory built inside a disused gas storage tank, close to the Hauptbahnhof.
Among many others Zwilling J. A. Henckels, Wüsthof, Böker, DOVO, Güde and Eickhorn, covering kitchen knives, razors, scissors and pocket knives.
In the bakeries of Burg an der Wupper below the castle. It is a hard, crunchy pretzel made for dunking in coffee and keeps for days.
Solingen is one of only three German cities still running buses powered from overhead wires, alongside Eberswalde and Esslingen. Nine lines now run under the wires, most of them through Graf-Wilhelm-Platz in the centre, and all stay inside the city except line 683, which links Wuppertal-Vohwinkel with the centre and ends down at Burg, covering its last stretch on an auxiliary engine. Fares are on the VRR tariff, so the same tickets work as in Düsseldorf and the Ruhr; buy them from machines, the driver or the VRR and DB apps.
Getting there
Take a train into Düsseldorf Hbf and change for an S-Bahn or regional train to Solingen Hbf, or take a taxi straight there.
Take trolleybus 683 down to Unterburg by the river, then walk up or ride the chairlift, which only runs at weekends from November.
It carries the railway 107 metres above the Wupper, the highest rail bridge in Germany. The S7 between Solingen and Remscheid crosses it.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Solingen is May to Sep. Highs of 17 to 22C for walking the Wupper valley between Burg and Müngsten.
- Valley season: May - September (Highs of 17C in May to 22C in July make the hillside trails at Müngsten and Burg pleasant, though June and July are also among the wettest months at about 100 mm)
- Grey months: November - February (Highs of 3 to 8C and the year's heaviest rain, over 100 mm in December; spend the time in the Klingenmuseum and the Galileum)
July is the warmest month in Solingen, with average highs of 22°C, and January the coolest, with lows of -1°C. December is the wettest month, at about 108 mm of rain; February is the driest. Solingen sits in the hilly Bergisches Land, one of the wetter parts of Germany, and May to September is best for valley walks.
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.
