The district of Emsland is an area in the federal state of Lower Saxony. It stretches from the North Rhine-Westphalian state border near Rheine to East Frisia. A vacation in Emsland offers a charming and varied vacation region.
For many vacationers, the beautiful landscape, which is crisscrossed by about 3000 kilometers of bike paths and numerous hiking trails, is certainly a reason to plan a vacation in Emsland. 70 nature reserves offer a fantastically beautiful landscape to discover.
The district was named after the river Ems, which crosses the district. The district is characterized by extensive moorland (Bourtanger Moor) and geest areas. Larger cities in the district are Haren (Ems), Haselünne, Freren, Lingen (Ems), Meppen, Papenburg and Werlte.
Another attractive aspect is the proximity to the Netherlands. The common state border is a good 60 kilometers long and it is often only a small step into the neighboring country.
Emsland vacation
To be completely honest, the thought of visiting Papenburg hadn’t crossed my mind at all. But I really wanted to see the Meyer Shipyard which is in Papenburg.
The Meyer Shipyard in Papenburg is probably the most popular tourist destination in the city. We had a visit to the shipyard on our bucket list for quite some time. And when that great package deal that included a hotel and a guided tour came along, we went for it.
Emsland travel information
Arrival
By plane
The nearest international airports in Germany are Münster/Osnabrück, Düsseldorf and Bremen. In the Netherlands, Groningen Airport is about an hour away from the district of Emsland.
By train
The main railroad line Emden-Meppen-Münster-Ruhrgebiet runs through the Emsland region.
By bus
Long-distance bus providers travel to the cities of Papenburg, Meppen and Lingen in Emsland.
By car
The A 31, A 30 and A 28 freeways and the B 70, B 123 and B 214/18 federal roads lead to Emsland from Germany. Those traveling from the Netherlands reach the region via the E 232.
By ship
The Dortmund-Ems Canal runs through the district.
On the way in …
By car
Large areas of the county are best explored by car.
By bike
The bicycle routes in the county are well signposted. The routes are mostly quite flat, as there are hardly any elevations.
Language
Low German (Plattdeutsch) is actively spoken in the villages.
Due to the proximity to the Netherlands, information is also offered in Dutch in many places.