Discover Willich

When planning a trip to Willich, two different themes stand out: the historic parkland around Neersen Palace and a signposted cycling loop. The park combines features such as old trees, meadows, woodland and water channels with a rose garden and sculpture park. The cycling loop, on the other hand, has a specific distance to help you plan your ride.

Neersen Palace Park: Landscapes, Roses and Sculptures

The listed historic Neersen Palace Park in Willich includes extensive meadows, old trees, natural woodland and numerous water channels fed by the Cloer. These varied landscape features shape the character of the grounds. If you are focusing on green spaces and nature when planning your trip, this is a distinct attraction alongside the city’s cycling routes.

Neersen Palace Park also includes a rose garden and a sculpture park. In addition to its landscape features, the park offers roses and outdoor art. The orangery in the palace park operates as an ice cream café in summer. As this is a seasonal offering, check in advance whether the café will be open during your visit.

Environmental Education and Cycling in Willich

Southeast of Neersen Palace, amid green surroundings, is the Eva-Lorenz Environmental Education Centre. It is a centre for environmental education outside the school setting. Its location offers another point of reference in the area around the palace; in terms of subject matter, the centre complements the nature theme with environmental education.

For a bike ride in Willich, consider the signposted Willich cycling loop. It is an easy route, 40.9 kilometres long. The difficulty and distance provide specific points of reference if you are considering making cycling a focus of your stay. Check trail conditions before setting off.

The wider travel destination of Viersen

Willich is located in the wider travel destination of Viersen. With its towns and municipalities and the Schwalm-Nette Nature Park, Viersen district is an important part of the Lower Rhine tourism destination. The following cycling routes and attractions belong to the wider travel destination of Viersen; they are not features of the palace park or the town of Willich.

The Viersen District Railway Cycle Route is 122.8 kilometres long. It runs on or alongside disused railway lines, passes through open fields and quiet forests, and leads to the Krickenbecker Seen lake district. Compared with the 40.9-kilometre Willich cycling loop, it is the longer of the two cycling routes described. Their different lengths help you gauge the scope of each cycling plan.

The Viersen circular route also offers several named points of interest for a trip around the district. A good starting point is the boat landing on the Niers near Viersen-Süchteln. From there, the route initially 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 cycling junction 40. The historic Geschichtsmeile and the Narrenmühle, an old post mill with a fools’ museum, are among the named attractions there. In Dornbusch, the circular route passes the parish church of St. Maria Hilfe der Christen. Check current trail conditions before setting off.

Discover more destinations: Kempen, Brüggen, Tönisvorst, Niederkrüchten, Schwalmtal, Nettetal, Viersen, Grefrath

Back to the main travel overview: Viersen.