Discover Wacken

Wacken offers several different reasons to visit: cycling and walking routes, a prehistoric burial mound on the outskirts of town, and the Wacken Open Air. Deciding first whether outdoor activities, history or a festival visit is your main priority can also help you focus your search for accommodation.

Cycling, walking and skating

Wacken has cycling routes of varying lengths. Routes lead towards the Lowest Point in Germany and the Kiel Canal. Another option follows the historic King’s Road from Itzehoe through Wacken to Dithmarschen. This gives you different ways to choose: route length and destination shape some tours, while the historic route shapes others. Before setting off, check current trail conditions and signage, as both can change.

Walking paths lead through forests and meadows, past small lakes and hills. The local network of paths is also suitable for inline skating. This lets you make your choice of activity the starting point for planning your day: cycling, walking and skating are different ways to explore the routes described here. For a trip with varied interests, this comparison offers practical guidance without everyone needing to have the same focus.

A prehistoric site on the outskirts of Wacken

A prehistoric megalithic burial mound dating from the Germanic period stands on the outskirts of Wacken. It offers a different historical point of interest from the routes and paths. If you want to visit the mound, be aware that access and interpretation on site may vary.

Wacken Open Air and when to visit

Wacken Open Air takes place every year at the festival site in Wacken and is one of the largest heavy metal festivals in the world. If you are planning your stay around the event, the dates and ticket details for that year are important; both change annually. Check the details for your chosen festival year before finalising your trip. This makes it possible to plan a festival visit around different dates than a stay focused on cycling and walking routes.

Landscape and culture in Steinburg district

In Steinburg district, a varied landscape stretches from the Elbe to the Holstein marshlands. In the Wilstermarsch, one of Schleswig-Holstein’s oldest landscapes, the Lowest Point in Germany lies 3.54 metres below sea level. The Elbe Cycle Route is one of five long-distance cycling routes that pass through the Steinburg district region. These details broaden the picture of Wacken with regional landscape and route connections.

The museums in the district also offer a range of perspectives. The Detlefsen Museum in Glückstadt provides a comprehensive picture of Glückstadt and the Holstein Elbe marshes, past and present. In Itzehoe, the district’s Prinzeßhof Museum is housed in the city’s oldest secular building; it presents the history and cultural history of Steinburg district in the 19th and 20th centuries. Also in Itzehoe, the Wenzel Hablik Museum displays the estate of Wenzel Hablik, including paintings, drawings, designs for utopian space settlements, furniture, textiles, and collections of shell and metal figures. The subjects range from the history of a town and its landscape to the district’s history and the artistic estate of an individual artist.

The Steinburg Game Weeks, running from mid-September to the end of October, offer a seasonal reason to visit. Steinburg chefs prepare traditional and unusual dishes featuring hare, roe deer, wild boar or wild duck. If you would like to plan your trip around them, check the current dates and participating venues in advance.

When looking for accommodation in Wacken, it helps to decide first what brings you there: for the festival, plan your trip around the annual event date; for cycling and walking routes, base it on your preferred activity and route.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Dägeling, Engelbrechtsche Wildnis, Neuendorf-Sachsenbande, Hohenlockstedt, Wrist, Rethwisch, Hohenaspe, Brokdorf

Back to the main travel overview: Steinburg.