Our top five sights

Münster’s Old Town

Münster’s centre is pleasant to stroll. Highlights include the arcaded Prinzipalmarkt (Main Market), 14th-century town hall, plus St Paul's Cathedral with its astronomical clock, dating from 1542, whose carillon chimes at noon (12.30pm on Sundays).
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Picasso Museum

The Picasso Museum in Münster houses a collection of more than 800 of Pablo Picasso’s works, including all lithographs, and hosts temporary exhibitions of other artists’ work. Picassoplatz 1, 0251 414 470
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Osnabrück’s Old Town

A slow walk through Osnabrück’s Old Town offers a chance to take a look at the half-timbered guild houses and mansions plus the twin towers of St Peter’s Cathedral; historic buildings with significant charm.
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Osnabrück’s Town Hall

The Peace of Westphalia was proclaimed on the steps of Osnabrück’s Gothic Rathaus (town hall) and a visit inside, to view the grand Friedensaal (Peace Hall), is possible seven days a week.  Markt, 0541 323 2152
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Felix-Nussbaum-Haus

Osnabrück residents are quick to recommend a visit to Felix-Nussbaum-Haus, a striking contemporary building designed by Daniel Libeskind, hosting works by the artist Felix Nussbaum. Lotter Strasse 2, 0541 323 2207
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Our top five activities

Cycling

Münster is renowned for having more bicycles than residents. Cycling around the Promenade, an easy to follow tree-shaded route, along the erstwhile site of the city’s walls, offers a chance to get a feel for the city’s spirit while exercising. 

Walking/jogging

Walking or jogging along the five-kilometre Promenade in Münster is also very relaxing and enjoyable.

Golfing

The region is home to a number of golf courses, including the excellent golf club Münster-Wikinghege (Steinfurter Strasse 448, 0251 214 090) and the Osnabrücker Golf Club (Am Golfplatz 3, 05402 5636).
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Spas

The region has a rich selection of wellness and quality spa facilities, offering opportunities to relax and rejuvenate, including Saunapark Fasenhof (Achmerstrasse 2, 05404 918 100) in Osnabrück’s Wersen district and Eymann Sauna (Gropiusstrasse 4, 02501 5777) in Münster’s Amelsbueren quarter.
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Canoeing

Explore the landscape around Osnabrück by canoe during organised tours along the slow flowing Hase River.OS-Wald Erlebnispaedagogik, 0541 62687
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Our top five events

February: Karneval

Throughout this region of Germany, Karneval (Carnival) is widely celebrated ahead of Lent. The streets of Münster draw huge crowds for the colourful Rosenmontag parade, on the day before Shrove Tuesday.
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March-June-October: Send

Ash Wednesday sees the start of Münster’s first Send city festival of the year, a popular funfair held in spring, summer and autumn around the Promenade area.

May: May Week Festival

Osnabrück has established a much-visited May Week Festival, held during the second week of the month. The city centre hosts live entertainment, including comedy and music, much of which is performed outdoors.
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August: Osnabrück Wine Days

In recent years the Osnabrück Wine Days have attracted wine aficionados into the Old Town for tastings.

November-December: Christmas markets

Both cities are renowned for their attractive, traditional Advent markets, held close to the respective town halls from late November until shortly before Christmas. The atmosphere around the wooden huts and stalls is especially seasonal as dusk falls.
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Munster’s harbour has changed dramatically during recent years. Where once there were industrial vistas and warehouses, there are now artists’ studios, clubs, pubs, restaurants, cinemas and a theatre. This innovative and creative part of the city will be celebrating with a three-day party for everybody from 31st May-2nd June.

Shopping

Münster’s bustling Wochenmarkt (weekly market), held on the cathedral square until 2.30pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays, provides opportunities to browse 150 stalls selling items including organic produce, cheeses and Dutch goods. The Münster Arkaden (Ludgeristrasse 100), a mall that opened in 2006, is home to 40 shops. The city centre is highly regarded for its shopping thanks to the variety supplied by independent shops and high-street chains. Osnabrück also offers a range of choice, including upmarket shopping on Krahnstrasse. The modern architecture of the Kamp Promenade contrasts with shops along the alleys of the Old Town, close to Heger Tor.  

Food & Drink

Westphalian cuisine is based around hearty fare such as Sauerbraten (marinaded beef) served with Riebekuechen (potato pancakes) or simple, filling dishes such as Himmel und Erde (meaning ‘heaven and earth’) consisting of sausages served with apple purée and mashed potatoes. Many Osnabrück locals rate the Rampendahl Hausbrauerei bar-restaurant (Hasestrasse 35, 0541 24535) for regional specialities and beer brewed on the premises. Tatort-Engels (Adolfstrasse 40, 0541 434 455), serving contemporary German cuisine, is suited to business dinners. Within Münster, Pinkus Mueller (Kreuzstrasse 4, 0251 55567) is a popular, centrally located brewery restaurant. The lakeside Restaurant am Aasee (Annette-Allee 1, 0251 4144 1550) offers business lunches and fine dining.

Nightlife

Finding a decent bar in Münster and Osnabrück is easy and it’s common for larger German pubs to serve food until late. Within Münster, the Kreativkai – revamped red-brick former warehouses by the port – is a good area to head to for food, drinks or to enjoy live music at the Hot Jazz Club (Hafenweg 26b, 0251 6866 7908), Pier House (Hafenweg 22, 0251 899 7999) or Grosse Freiheit 26 (Hafenweg 26, 0251 747 4919). For an evening of arts and culture, the nearby Wolfgang Borchert Theater (Hafenweg 6, 0251 40019) is an option. Osnabrück also has a number of venues for live music, such as Kleine Freiheit (Hamburger Strasse 22, 0541 760 7780) and Glanz und Gloria (Neuer Graben 40), plus clubs such as Alando Palais (Pottgraben 60, 0541 350 2700) and the lively Altstadthütte (Hasestrasse 55).

Accommodation in Münster/Osnabrück

Both cities offer a broad selection of accommodation in and close to their centres, ranging from inexpensive pensions and family-run hotels to international chains. Within Osnabrück, the Schlossresidenz (Schlossstrasse 15, 0541 338 330) offers comfortable four-star accommodation a short walk from the Osnabrückhalle. The four-star Hotel Westerkamp (Bremer Strasse 120, 0541 99770), 3km from the centre, is geared to business travellers. Münster has a significantly larger selection of hotels, including reasonably priced, centrally situated four-star hotels such as Hotel Kaiserhof (Bahnhofstrasse 14, 0251 41780) and Treff Hotel Münster City Centre (Stubengasse 33, 251 490 990).

Our favourites

Treff Hotel Münster City Centre Tel: +49 (0) 251 490 990 This modern 4 star hotel is located in the heart of Münster's old quarter. The main railway station and historic cathedral are only 500 meters away. The Münster Arkaden Shopping Centre is also just 300 metres away.

Mauritzhof Hotel Münster Tel: +49 (0) 251 417 20, Eisenbahnstrabe 17, 48143 Münster Tranquilly situated on the promenade surrounding Münster's City Centre, this stylish 4 star design hotel is within comfortable walking distance of the railway station, theatre, cathedral and shopping streets. The Mauritzhof Hotel offers individually and elegantly furnished rooms.

Best Western Premier Hotel Krautkrümer Tel: +49 (0) 250 180 50, Zum Hiltruper See 173, 48165 Münster Located in the peaceful Hiltrup district, this hotel offers excellent spa facilities and rooms with a balcony overlooking the beautiful Hilruper Lake. Münster City Centre is a 10 minute drive away and Münster Hiltrup train station is 2.5km away. The surrounding North Rhine-Westphalia countryside is ideal for hiking, golfing and cycling.

Flights from London City LCY to Münster Osnabrück FMO with CityJet.

The airport lies between Münster and Osnabrück, both of which have good rail links to other German cities. Shuttle buses connect the airport with Münster Central Station, the S50 takes 34 minutes, the R51 46 minutes. The Osnabrück airport shuttle, the X150, takes 40 minutes. A significant number of taxi companies also operate services in the region.
Avis, Europa Car, Hertz and Sixt operate rental car services from the airport’s Carpark A. Both cities have a reliable public transport network and are pedestrian and cycle friendly. In fact, more people travel by bicycle than motorised vehicle within Münster, and cycles can easily be hired.

Münster/Osnabrück International Airport Information

Website www.fmo.de Tourism Information Heinrich-Bruning-Strasse 9 Tel: +49 (0) 25 14 92 27 10 Getting to Münster/Osnabrück The fastest and most convenient way to Münster/Osnabrück is with CityJet. With our daily flights, travel to Münster in 1 hour and 40 minutes.   Check-in Check-in generally closes 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. Distance The airport is located 25 minutes from the City Center and 30 minutes from Osnabrück.  Search For Flights

Car Rental For exclusive discounts of up to 15% and up to 800 Flying Blue Miles, rent from our exclusive car rental partner Hertz at Münster Osnabrück International Airport.   Hertz Car Hire Public transport Three different bus lines will take you to Münster's main railway station; taxis are also available from the airport terminal. Magellan Global offer premium quality transport to and from the airport with a free 'meet and greet' service included in the price. You can book anything from a standard saloon to an S class Mercedes. Find out more »