In Börßum, a gentle circular cycling tour starting and ending at the train station and a canoe trip on the Oker that passes through the town offer two different ways to explore the surrounding area. When planning a trip, you can therefore first decide whether to focus on a cycling loop or the river landscape.

Cycling around Börßum

The “Hornburg and the Great Bruch” route is an easy, 43.42-kilometer circular tour. It starts and ends at Börßum train station. This makes the route easy to follow: the tour returns to its starting point, unlike a route that ends somewhere else. At the station, the Bike and Ride Box offers dry, theft-protected bicycle storage.

Another cycling route from Börßum train station reaches the Iron Curtain Trail and the Green Belt Germany at the Mattierzoll border monument. The Ilse Cycle Route has a different connection to the station: it ends there. Along the Ilse Cycle Route, narrow, tree-lined paths follow the river. It can be extended by about 14 kilometers to Wolfenbüttel on the Weser-Harz-Heide long-distance cycle route. This brings together several different route features: an easy loop with a known start and end point, a route to the border monument, and a cycle route shaped by the river and tree-lined paths.

Canoe trip on the Oker

The Schladen–Wolfenbüttel canoe trip on the Oker passes through Börßum and covers around 20 kilometers. Along the way, river landscapes with tranquil floodplains, small rapids, and numerous bends shape the route. The experience differs from cycling not only in the mode of transport, but also in the succession of river sections and landscape types.

The entire Oker route is suitable for beginners and experienced paddlers. More specifically, the section near Börßum is easy for inexperienced paddlers. This assessment applies to the Börßum section and should not be confused with the description of the entire tour. In addition, a decommissioned weir in Börßum can create easy whitewater, depending on water levels and current. Conditions on the river therefore also influence what this section is like.

The distance from the train stations is also relevant for getting oriented along the river: the stations in Schladen, Börßum, and Wolfenbüttel are each a 10- to 15-minute walk from the Oker. This time refers to the walk between the station and the river. Together with the route from Schladen to Wolfenbüttel, it helps put the Oker canoe trip in context as a river route and Börßum as one of its sections.

A further look at the wider destination of Wolfenbüttel

The wider destination of Wolfenbüttel offers additional nature and cultural themes. Elm-Lappwald Nature Park lies in the districts of Wolfenbüttel and Helmstedt and covers 470 square kilometers. Its landscape includes extensive forests, valleys, protected wetlands, heathland, spring-fed streams, and small lakes. Hiking and cycling away from major roads are also highlights there, adding a different landscape perspective to the cycling and water tours.

Wolfenbüttel itself offers a different focus: its historic half-timbered old town has around 1,000 half-timbered houses. Wolfenbüttel Castle originated as a medieval moated castle, and the 1572-founded Herzog August Library is considered the “eighth wonder of the world.” These cultural attractions are part of the wider destination of Wolfenbüttel and offer a distinct focus alongside the cycling and canoe tours described in Börßum.

Discover more destinations: Hornburg, Schladen, Baddeckenstedt, Dorstadt, Lucklum, Haverlah, Schöppenstedt, Denkte

Back to the wider travel overview: Wolfenbüttel.