Explore Willich during your stay through two specific interests: the historic Neersen Castle Park and the Willich Cycle Route. The park combines landscape, gardens and sculptures; the signposted cycle route is rated easy and is 40.9 kilometres long. These different highlights give you a starting point for planning your trip and searching for a hotel in Willich.
Neersen Castle Park: landscape, roses and art
The listed historic Neersen Castle Park features old trees, extensive meadows, natural woodland areas and numerous drainage ditches fed by the Cloer. Meadows, trees and ditches together shape the character of the park. So it is not just a single feature that stands out: the grounds bring together a variety of landscape elements in one place.
The rose garden adds a horticultural touch, while the sculpture park provides another focal point. If you want to take different interests into account when planning your visit, you will find both garden and art here. In summer, the orangery is used as an ice cream café. This is a seasonal use; if you would like to plan your visit around it, check the current opening hours in advance.
Environmental education in Willich
The Eva Lorenz Environmental Education Centre is located in a green area southeast of Neersen Castle and is a centre for environmental education outside the school system. This adds an educational theme to the park landscape and artistic features of the castle park. The centre is a separate point of interest for anyone who would like to include environmental education among their interests in Willich.
Willich Cycle Route
The signposted Willich Cycle Route is 40.9 kilometres long and rated easy. Its length and difficulty rating give you a concrete basis for choosing a cycling tour. The route is therefore a highlight in its own right, alongside the castle park. Before setting off, it is advisable to check the current route conditions, as they can change.
A regional perspective on Viersen
In the broader destination of Viersen, the district of Viersen, with its towns and municipalities and Schwalm-Nette Nature Park, is an important part of the Lower Rhine tourism destination. This wider regional context brings other cycle routes into the picture, varying in length and route characteristics.
The Viersen District Railway Cycle Route is 122.8 kilometres long. It runs on or alongside disused railway lines through wide-open fields and quiet forests, and leads to the lake district of the Krickenbecker Lakes. By comparison, the Willich Cycle Route is considerably shorter at 40.9 kilometres. The two route lengths illustrate different scales for cycling plans: a shorter circuit in Willich and a longer route in the wider destination of Viersen.
The Viersen Circuit also offers specific waypoints. A good starting point is the landing stage on the Niers near Viersen-Süchteln. The route first follows the Niers for several kilometres through the Saalbruch nature reserve. A detour leads to the Clörather Mühle viewpoint; another takes you to Dülken’s historic town centre at cycle junction 40. The History Mile and the Fools’ Mill are among the sights mentioned there. The old post mill houses a carnival museum. The circuit also passes St. Mary Help of Christians parish church in Dornbusch. Check the current route conditions before setting off.
Discover more destinations: Nettetal, Brüggen, Tönisvorst, Kempen, Grefrath, Schwalmtal, Viersen, Niederkrüchten.
Go to the broader travel overview: Viersen.
