Autumn is hiking season. In September and October, when the temperatures are still mild and the sky is clearing, a day or weekend trip is a good way to give your body some exercise and fresh air. Especially when the leaves are starting to change color – do you want to be in the city? Sure, you can stretch your legs in the city forest. But how about one of these excursion destinations, all of which are easy to reach by car or train?
Drachenfels
It gets mythical: Siegfried fought the battle with the dragon on Drachenfels. The hill and castle ruins are located in the Siebengebirge, near Königswinter on the Rhine. If you don’t want to hike to the top, you can take the Drachenfelsbahn and enjoy the view of the Rhine and the surrounding area (read: as far as the horizon) on the way.
Heisterbach monastery ruins
If you’re already in the Siebengebirge, you might want to include the Heisterbach monastery ruins in your plans. The Gothic-looking choir ruin is the last piece of masonry that remained of the monastery after Heisterbach Abbey was abolished in 1803. Admission is free and the woods surrounding the ruins are not bad either. We recommend the 5-stream hike. The abbey ruins are easy to reach by streetcar (Niederdollendorf stop).
Paffendorf Castle
Not a ruin this time: Paffendorf Castle is ideal for a clear fall weekend excursion. The complex near Bergheim dates back to the 16th century and is surrounded by moats as well as a park. Old sequoia trees, ginkgos and giant arborvitae line the paths here. The neo-Gothic complex is also ideal for a photo session.
Royal forest
This popular forest to the east of Cologne, together with Dellbrücker Heide and Wahner Heide, is part of the southern Bergische Heideterrasse. The forest is a bird sanctuary and partly a nature reserve and offers you plenty of space to run around on 2,519 hectares. Perfect for an autumn walk in a sea of color or for a hike up Monte Troodelöh, the highest elevation in Cologne at 118 meters.
Wahner Heide
With over 130 km of marked hiking trails , the Wahner Heide is worth a visit at any time of year. As the area was used as a military training area for many years, nature was able to develop freely here without external influences. Foxes, deer, wild boar and snakes can all find a home here. Over 700 endangered animal and plant species have been recorded in the Wahner Heide. In the fall, the nature reserve is also a feast for the eyes when the broom heather blooms.