Where is the meeting point?

The tour meets at Die Bürgerschaft; please arrive about 15 minutes early to check in.

Is the tour suitable for children?

Children up to 9 years old can join free, but the tour is on foot—consider bringing a stroller or other transport for very young children.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

The tour is not fully wheelchair accessible; the operator can arrange an alternative if contacted in advance.

Will we enter any indoor sites?

Some stops are outdoor only; access to the museumswohnung may be possible for an extra fee and when available.

What languages are offered?

The guide can sometimes provide tours in multiple languages; contact the operator ahead of booking to confirm language availability.

What if I need to cancel?

A written cancellation is required; check the operator’s cancellation policy when booking.

Walking Margarethenhöhe: Guided Garden-City Tour & Grugapark Walk in Essen

On the southern edge of Essen, the Führung Margarethenhöhe & Umgebung Essen guides you through Germany’s first garden city and its intriguing outskirts. Over a three-hour walking loop beginning at the meeting point Die Bürgerschaft, this tour stitches together early-20th-century planned housing, industrial heritage sites, and generous urban green spaces. Designed for all ages, the route moves at a relaxed pace, stopping at key features such as the Margarethenhöhe housing ensemble, the Halbachhammer industrial site, the Hundertwasserhaus, Grugapark, and the Hülsmannshof. Margarethenhöhe itself is built around human-scale streets, red-tiled roofs, and gardens that were radical in their time: a deliberate response to industrial density, promoting light, air, and community. The neighborhood’s architecture spans roughly 30 years of design, with Craftsman-inspired brickwork, arched entryways, and ornamental ironwork that make each residential block feel like a small village. The tour highlights these stylistic threads and explains how the garden city movement reshaped urban life in Essen. The Halbachhammer introduces a different texture: a preserved hammer mill and water-driven forge that speak to the Ruhr’s metallurgical past. Nearby, the Hundertwasserhaus—an eccentric, colorful, building—disrupts the grid with irregular forms and glazed surfaces, offering a photographic counterpoint to the regularity of the garden city. Grugapark supplies the natural contrast: mature beeches, meadowlands, and designed ponds that attract urban wildlife and provide seasonal color. A central theme is the Emscherumbau, the river restoration transforming old sewage channels into daylighted streams and riparian habitat. Guides connect these environmental upgrades to local biodiversity improvements and explain how reclaimed waterways now intersect with green corridors throughout the area. Along the way you’ll hear social history—how planners and workers negotiated living standards—and small anecdotes about notable residents and community life. Practical details are straightforward: the tour lasts roughly three hours, covers mostly paved paths and some compacted dirt, and requires comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. The group size is limited for intimacy, and multilingual options are sometimes available. This guided walk makes the margins of a heavy industrial region feel unexpectedly domestic and green; it’s a compact lesson in how urban design, industry, and ecology can be stitched together. For anyone curious about architecture, working-class urban history, or urban ecology, the Führung Margarethenhöhe & Umgebung Essen is an accessible, tightly curated way to read the landscape of Essen. Expect a mix of conversation, archival photographs, and on-site anecdotes that reveal hidden details the carved names above doorways, the original layout of allotment gardens, and the surviving boundary stones that mark former property lines. Children often gravitate toward the small playgrounds and guide-tailored storytelling; photographers will find compositional variety from tight architectural details to wide park vistas. Bring a notebook if you like to sketch or jot down addresses for exploration.

About Simply Out Tours GmbH

Simply Out Tours GmbH is a Bochum-based tour operator in Nordrhein-Westfalen that offers guided bicycle tours and a guided kneipentour. The company runs a range of themed cycling experiences across the Ruhrgebiet, including routes focused on industrial heritage, UNESCO sites, landscape parks, and city highlights.

Tours include Radtour "Kohle, Stahl & Siedlung" Bochum, a route through Bochum’s industrial past visiting sites such as Jahrhunderthalle and Zeche Hannover on peaceful trails. The Radtour rund um Zollverein explores the historic Zollverein coal mine and nearby Siedlungen with rail trail sections and views from Schurenbachhalde. The Radtour durch den Central-Park des Ruhrgebiets navigates the Emscher Landscape Park with canal scenery and sculptures while minimizing street crossings. The Radtour durch Essen inkl. Margarethenhöhe covers approximately 20 km of safe, car-free paths through parks and historic neighborhoods. The Radtour durch Duisburg highlights the harbor, industrial landmarks, parks, rivers, and can finish at Landschaftspark Nord with easy bike rental options mentioned for that route. Longer options include the 36 km Radtour-Emscher & Halden powerd by Nobbi with 550 meters of climbing, the Ruhrtalradweg "Königsetappe" along the Ruhr from Hattingen to Mülheim, and two 55 km E‑Bike journeys titled VOLLE KANNE RUHRGEBIET Nord and Süd that pass UNESCO sites and Krupp landmarks. For nightlife, the Kneipentour Bochum is a lively three-hour guided pub tour. Simply Out Tours GmbH focuses on active, eco-friendly sightseeing across the Ruhr region. Bookings are available online and trips operate in and around Bochum, Essen, Duisburg and other Ruhr-area locations throughout the year.