A short holiday, a long dream: Cycling on the 100 Castles Route in Münsterland

MUNSTERLAND. Summer is in the starting blocks and the Münsterland is ready for its guests. Very special moments can be experienced on a bike tour on the famous 100 castles route - the "queen of bike routes". Whether it's a short and crisp one-day trip, a long weekend or a grand tour: the 100 Castles Route offers many opportunities to escape from everyday life for a short while, experience a lot and dream about it for a long time to come. Münsterland e.V. has therefore put together the right saddle bag for everyone and presents the most beautiful day and weekend tours at www.muensterland.com/kurz-urlaub.

"Over 960 kilometres, the 100 Castles Route offers a successful combination of knightly romance, beautiful nature and Münsterland hospitality," summarises Michael Kösters, general manager and tourism expert at Münsterland e.V. "It thus perfectly embodies the region's motto: MÜNSTERLAND. THE GOOD LIFE." Away from busy roads, the route leads through the picturesque park landscape of Münsterland. This is where the region's treasures are to be found: the more than one hundred moated castles, fortresses and manor houses from numerous architectural style periods.

Probably the best-known example of the baroque style of architect Johann Conrad Schlaun is the imposing Nordkirchen Castle, also known as the "Westphalian Versailles". If you have a day off and fancy a short trip, take the 60-kilometre "Genuss im Schlösserdreieck" day tour, for example: it connects Nordkirchen Castle with two other popular buildings in the region, Westerwinkel Castle in Ascheberg and Vischering Castle in Lüdinghausen.

No less famous is Hülshoff Castle in Havixbeck, also a typical moated castle. For more than 500 years it has been marked by the family tradition of the Droste zu Hülshoffs with their most famous daughter, Annette von Droste zu Hülshoff. For those who have a little more time and want to visit the castle as part of a larger cycle tour, the new weekend tour "A firework of castles and palaces" is suitable, for example. The programme includes 160 kilometres and three days full of highlights. Package tour offers are also available for this and the other multi-day tours.

On the website www.muensterland.com/kurz-urlaub you will find a description of the cycle tours and many pictures for inspiration as well as insider tips, for example for picnic spots or gastronomic offers. The GPS data can also be downloaded. All tours can also be found in the app of the leisure provider komoot.

More information on the 100 Castles Route
The 100 Castles Route is divided into four circular routes between 210 and 310 kilometres in length, which can be easily completed as multi-day tours. Castles, manor houses and monasteries line the cycle paths like a string of pearls. In between are lush green landscapes, interspersed with historic market squares, inviting farm cafés and idyllic picnic areas. There is an attractive package deal for each circuit, highlighting the special features of the sub-region.

www.100-schloesser-route.de