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The approximately 80 by 30 kilometer area, stretching from the German Düren over Heerlen in Dutch Limburg to Beringen in Belgium, once belonged to one of the largest hard coal mining regions in Europe. The relics of mining – heaps, shafts, and workers' residential districts – are still visible in many places.
More than 70 sights – water castles and national parks, natural and industrial monuments – can be found along the winding Green Route. In the Indeland between Düren and Jülich, for example, a “landscape in motion” can be observed: the valleys of the local lignite open-pit mines are to be flooded gradually to create a lake landscape. The panorama plateau on the Carl Alexander heap is accessible via a suspension bridge. The reward for the effort is a wide view over the region.
You follow this landscape across the border – and enter the Dutch stage of the Green Route. Here settlements of miners, old castles, and museums alternate in quick succession – and again and again you come across former mines, which today are relaxing park landscapes. Near Belgian Genk, one of the oldest and most important hard coal mines in the country can be found with its impressive, restored winding towers. The end of the tour in Belgium is again dominated by flora and fauna: the Japanese Garden in Hasselt, a 1,000-pond landscape, or hikes over former mining heaps on the way to Beringen offer natural tranquility.
Highlights along the route
- Leopold-Hoesch Museum Düren,
- Brückenkopf Park Jülich,
- Inden Open Cast Mine,
- Blausteinsee in Eschweiler,
- Zinkhütter Hof Museum,
- Old town and castle in Stolberg,
- Cathedral, Carolus Thermen and old town in Aachen,
- Horse Country Park, Rode Castle in Herzogenrath,
- Carl Alexander Park heap in Baesweiler,
- Millicher heap in Hückelhoven,
- Selfkantbahn Geilenkirchen,
- Explorion Science Center,
- Dutch Mining Museum in Heerlen,
- Kasteel Hoensbroek,
- SnowWorld in Landgraaf,
- GaiaPark zoo in Kerkrade,
- Hoge Kempen National Park near Genk and Maasmechelen,
- National Jenever Museum in Hasselt,
- Water landscape De Weijers,
- Hiking area De Weijers near Hasselt and Genk
Author’s recommendation
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
Track types
Show elevation profileSafety information
Stay on marked paths and please be considerate of other path users.Tips and suggestions
Grünmetropole e.V.
Zollernstraße 10
D-52070 Aachen
Tel. +49-(0)241-5198-2548
Email: info@gruenmetropole.eu
www.gruenmetropole.de
Roadbook
Path Quality & Traffic
Especially on the eastern, i.e. the German section, you often travel on gravel field and forest paths, which are mostly well maintained. There are also some such unpaved sections in Dutch Limburg, especially in the Brunssumer Heide.
In contrast, the bike route in the northern Wurmtal, in the German Selfkant, and in Belgian Limburg is almost entirely asphalted or smoothly paved. The bike route rarely runs directly on busier roads, but occasionally alongside them on bike paths. Especially on the German section of the route, such problems occur occasionally, mostly in towns. But in the Netherlands there are also occasional dangers from intersections with busier roads, which only become apparent late as such. In contrast, the Flemish in Belgium are exemplary, where practically all crossings are secured with timely warning signs and if necessary with a kind of zebra crossing. Inclines Only from Eschweiler to Stolberg do you have to overcome a longer steep ascent up to Donnerberg, at 260m the highest point of the route. This can, if necessary, be bypassed on a signposted, but less idyllic side route in the valley. It becomes hilly when crossing stream valleys and sometimes steeper hills between Stolberg, Aachen and Herzogenrath as well as in southern Dutch Limburg. The rest runs flat in river valleys and over plains.
Route course:
The route is marked with a theme logo. Simply follow the signage.
Leopold-Hoesch-Museum und Papiermuseum
Zitadelle Jülich
Blaustein Lake
Indemann
Historic Stolberg Old Town
Zinkhütter Hof Museum
Historic Aachen old town
CarlAlexanderPark viewing platform
Gaia Park (Kerkrade Zoo)
Bergaumuseum Heerlen
Freizeitpark Steinerbos
C-mine
Vlaams Natuurreservaat Tenhaagdoornheide
Freilichtmuseum/Openluchtmuseum Bokrijk
Parkplatz Hasselt Bahnhof
Public transport
The starting point of the Green Route is "Düren Hbf." Unfortunately, there is no really usable train connection for the return journey between Belgian Limburg and Germany! The only possible one leads inconveniently via Hasselt to Liège, from where regional trains run to Aachen only every 2 hours, which can each carry only a maximum of 4-5 bikes. From the last Dutch station at Sittard-Geleen, however, you can still get back hourly with just one transfer in Heerlen conveniently via Aachen to Düren. You can also use the railway line Mönchengladbach – Aachen in the Wurmtal, as well as the Rurtalbahn between Linnich, Jülich, and Düren, which both run almost parallel with the partner route Nordtor. Please note that in most buses you are not allowed to take bicycles. Your personal connection information with tariff details and exact bike carriage conditions for travel by public transport can be found at: www.avv.de. Further information for train travel can be found at www.bahn.de.
Get Timetable to destination
Directions
Arrival and departure by car
If you plan a circular route on part of the Green Route, arriving by car is not a problem anywhere. Particularly convenient are the cyclist service stations in Belgian Limburg (nl.: “fietsinrijpunt”, i.e. “bike arrival points”), which are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the season and really offer everything a cyclist could need – including rental bikes! Directly on the Green Route are “De Wissen” (near Stokkem at the Meuse), “Bokrijk” (northeast of Hasselt), and the western terminus De Paalse Plas near Beringen. But elsewhere, you can park your car safely almost anywhere outside urban areas.
Between Düren and Sittard-Geleen, several railway lines run via Heerlen and Herzogenrath to Aachen, Eschweiler, and Düren, so you can comfortably return by train to your own car here. From Düren, the Rurtalbahn runs over Jülich to Linnich on the partner route Nordtor, which also runs continuously alongside the Wurm railway. Thus, returning to the vehicle is uncomplicated here as well.
It is considerably more difficult if you want to cycle the entire route of the Green Route from Düren to Hasselt, as you can only get back to the starting point from the destination with or without bike transport in an inconvenient way. The only connection leads inconveniently via Hasselt to Liège, from where regional trains run to Aachen only every 2 hours, which can each carry a maximum of 4-5 bikes. This makes a personal drop-off or pick-up service more advisable.
Parking
Parking spaces can be found at the start and end points of each stage.Coordinates
Book recommendation by the author
Author’s map recommendations
Recommended maps for this region:
Equipment
With weather-appropriate clothing, enough water, and some provisions, you are well equipped for the route.Localization
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
Weather at the starting point
Statistics
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