This year I was lucky to spend my birthday exploring the Ruhr area, a German industrial region, with Germany Tourism and one of my closest girlfriends, Janelle. While visiting, we uncovered so many gems β some already well known, some not β and I am excited to share that info to help you plan your visit, too!
I have loved it since I first visited in for a family reunion, my first international trip, and have continued to visit as often as possible since. I also proudly and constantly, some might say tell anyone who will listen that I am German - on both sides of my family! Because my grandfather is from Augsburg, Bavaria is where I have to date spent most of my time in Germany. So when the opportunity to work with the German National Tourist Office and explore a totally new-to-me area of the country was presented to me, I was ecstatic, to say the least.
Not at all surprisingly, it did not disappoint. The Ruhr region has something for everyone, and I highly recommend visiting. It is most widely known for being a major industrial region, famous for its large-scale coal and steel production. But, as I found out, there is much more to it than that!
The Ruhr region is easy to get to, as it is located a quick drive from Dusseldorf airport. Janelle and I flew from San Francisco and Austin to Dusseldorf, both with quick Europe-side layovers, and it was painless. Click here for more information on traveling to the Ruhr region. Our home base for the trip was Essen, and I recommend the same for you, especially if you plan to follow my suggestions below. Depending on your needs, there are two different hotel options I recommend.
The Niu Cobbles is where we stayed. The location is great, and I found the food there, especially the salad, to be shockingly good! If you are looking for something casual, this is a good choice. Click here to check availability and book your stay. I did not personally stay here, but it has great reviews across the board on all hotel booking sites I checked, and it would be my top choice for next time.
