Haren / Ems offers a variety of highlights for your trip: At the Tinner Loh nature reserve, ancient beech forest and habitats for birds and wood-dwelling insects take centre stage. Elsewhere, options range from a historic windmill to water sports and boat trips. This lets you plan your days around the things that interest you most.
Nature and Water in Haren
The Tinner Loh nature reserve covers 13 hectares. Ancient beech forest grows there, with trees between 200 and 500 years old. Birds and wood-dwelling insects find a habitat here. To protect the area, please stay on the paths and keep dogs on a leash.
At Dankernsee, you can water-ski, use a pedal boat, try stand-up paddleboarding or swim. Haren also offers passenger boat trips on the MS Amisia and self-guided motorboat trips. If you are planning a boat trip, check dates and availability in advance.
The Haren-Rütenbrock Canal offers a different perspective: It runs through Haren and connects to the Dutch canal network. It is the only navigable connection between Germany and the Netherlands north of the Rhine. For a cycling trip, the Dörfer Tour starts in Haren; this route is rated easy and covers 38 kilometres. Check the latest route details before setting off.
MersmĂĽhle and St. Martinus
The Haren Mill Museum is home to the restored Mersmühle, a cap windmill dating from 1825 that has been made operational again. The museum’s themes range from sowing and harvesting through milling to baking; “From Grain to Bread” is also part of the exhibition. Visits currently require a guided tour, which you can book in advance through the Haren Tourist Information Office.
St. Martinus also shapes Haren’s cultural character. The church was inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and is often called the “Emsland Cathedral.” It can be viewed from the outside at any time; check locally if this option is important to your plans.
More Leisure Activities
Schloss Dankern is home to the Motorik-Fun Park, the medieval Drago fortress with more than 60 obstacles, and a fire-station-themed playground. These attractions add a distinct leisure focus to the nature and cultural destinations. When choosing what to do, you can weigh up a tour through the countryside, activities on the water and the attractions around Schloss Dankern.
The Wider Emsland Destination
The Hümmling Nature Park, part of the wider Emsland destination, covers around 580 square kilometres in the northeastern part of the district. Cycling and hiking trails pass historic sites, megalithic tombs and the Baroque Schloss Clemenswerth; information stations are located along the routes. The Theikenmeer loop is one of the nature park’s trails that meets the quality criteria of the German Hiking Association.
The 395-kilometre Emsland Route offers another way to explore the region. Its circular route passes through five landscapes: Northern Ems Valley, HĂĽmmling, Bourtanger Moor, Hasetal and Southern Emsland. These Emsland destinations broaden the picture beyond Haren; the local attractions in Haren remain the basis for deciding what you would like to do during your stay.
Discover more destinations: Lahn, Geeste, Emsbüren, Twist, Dörpen, Meppen, Bawinkel, Dohren.
Back to the main travel guide: Emsland.
