Cycling

On Disused Routes in the Countryside

Some of the most exciting cycle paths in the Ruhr region run through the city of Gelsenkirchen. Old industrial railway lines on the one hand and river and canal banks on the other. Thanks to its central location, Gelsenkirchen is ideally suited for discovering the entire Ruhr region by bike in a variety of ways. And the good thing is that the routes don't have any major ascents and descents, because the heavy ore railway trains used to only be able to cope with very gentle gradients.

Komoot tours Gelsenkirchen
www.radrevier.ruhr

Erzbahntrasse

Cycling on an old railway line: from the Rhine-Herne Canal southwards, the Erzbahntrasse always runs through greenery and over many bridges to the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum. On or in the immediate vicinity are the ZOOM Erlebniswelt, the Bleckkirche church and the Erzbahnbude, where you can take a relaxing break and enjoy a drink. Other cycle paths intersect along the way, and a large network of interconnected cycle paths allows you to cycle not only through Gelsenkirchen, but also the entire region - always on tourist routes away from road traffic.

Kray-Wanner-Bahn

The Kray-Wanner-Bahn crosses the ore railway line in an east-west direction and meets the Zollverein/Nordsternbahn line at the end. Along the way, you can take a detour to Gelsenkirchen's trendy neighbourhood on Bochumer Straße to take a closer look at the Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche church and stop for a bite to eat in one of the restaurants. You can also take the winding road up to the Rheinelbe spoil tip to marvel at the stairway to heaven.
All information

Bike hire

If you don't have your own bike, you can hire a metropolradruhr in Gelsenkirchen for spontaneous tours.

Service stations (german website)

Broken down? There are 50 bike service stations in Gelsenkichen, e.g. at many petrol stations, with tools for minor repairs.

Emscherweg

The route of the Emscherweg alternates between the banks of the Emscher and the Rhine-Herne Canal, with the contrast between the now clean Emscher and the still active and deactivated industry being particularly attractive. Highlights along the route include the Graf Bismarck Marina, the Nordsternpark, the ZOOM Erlebniswelt, the locks in Gelsenkirchen-Hessler and, somewhat hidden away on the Emscher Island, the Monument for a Forgotten Future - Emscher Art Trail. In the west, the route leads to Essen, Bottrop, Oberhausen and on to Duisburg, while in the east it crosses Herne and Castrop-Rauxel before ending in Henrichenburg.

All information

HUGO-Bahn

The shortest of the railway lines in Gelsenkirchen runs from the Sutum bridges to the HUGO colliery or Rungenberg spoil tip - a beautiful 5 kilometre detour from the Rhine-Herne Canal. It is an exciting route, as you are mainly travelling between fields and meadows. Along the way, there are unusual views of the Veltins Arena and the Rungenberg spoil tip with its imposing floodlights, whose cone of light crosses right in the centre between the two hills of the spoil tip. There is also a former railway guard's building along the way, reminiscent of the former HUGO-Bahn.
All information