SURROUNDINGS

Our Hotel-Restaurant is located at the foot of the Elten Hill with its romantic walking paths, a beautiful view of the Rhine Valley and the famous St. Vitus Church. The village is an ideal place for a relaxing stay at the Dutch-German border in the typical landscape of the Lower Rhine.

Whether you like cycling, playing golf, hiking, ready for a short break or want to visit for some art and culture; around the Hotel-Restaurant Wanders there is always a lot to discover. Here our personal highlights:

ELTEN

With 4800 inhabitants, Elten is the largest suburb of Emmerich. From a distance clearly visible from the flat landscape is St. Vitus church, located on the 82 meter high Elten Hill; a recognized recreational area with hiking and biking trails, Nordic walking trails, work out trail and even a 'barefoot trail'. Elten is not only a popular destination for day trippers, but many of our guests spend a short vacation here. The cross border Montferland area offers bridleways and excellent trails for walking, cycling or Nordic walking.

NIEDERELTEN

Diagonally opposite the hotel Wanders is the Catholic parish church of St. Martin, which dominates the townscape of Elten since 1450. At 750 meters away is the Gerrtizen mill, a notable Dutch mill from the year 1846. After extensive restoration, the mill and reopened in 1990 and may be visited during the season every Sunday from 1.00 to 4.00 pm. The millers who work here as a volunteer look forward to your visit and explain how everything works. With some luck, the wind blows hard enough to set the whole machinery in motion.

HOCHELTEN

Directly behind the hotel Wanders you can walk up the road to the St. Vitus Church which is seen from afar as it always stands out from the flat landscape of the Lower Rhine. Originally owned by a noble nunnery from the year 973, the Roman church was built in the mid 17th century on the ruins of a larger basilica with two towers and an octagonal cupola. Outside the church, in the former abbey you find the Freedom of the Cross, the Drusus well and also the only one of the preserved abbey buildings. Behind the St. Vitus Church are two sculptures: the Stuhl der Fürstäbtissinnen and the Stein Gate from where you have a beautiful view over the sprawling Rhine Valley and the 350 year old baroque gardens in Kleve (Cleves).

EMMERICH (9,2 km)

The Rhine river walk in Emmerich - one of the finest in Germany - is a great place to visit. You can go walking, relax at one of the many street terraces or in one of the many cafes and restaurants or even  grab a beach chair and watch the ships as they pass under the longest suspension bridge of Germany. The modern and medieval churches with their rich treasures and the Rhine Museum of the PAN Kunstforum Niederrhein also make Emmerich well worth a visit.

Kleve (Cleves)  (19,7 km)

As the center of the former duchy and a spa town Kleve has for centuries been a city of national importance. To date, many monuments such as the Collegiate Church and the Schwanenburg Castle bear witness to the city’s past. As the former home of Anne of Cleves, Henry the VIII fourth wife and Queen of England, the Schwanenburg Castle attracts may visitors from the UK. The Klever Berg with its 99 meters is the highest point of the whole Lower Rhine and offers a magnificent views of the gardens and sight lines that were constructed in the 17th century. There is also a zoo, an ancient amphitheater and the Reichsforest that provide plenty of variety in the scenery. Take a stroll around the city and discover the many small shops and boutiques. Visiting confectioner Wanders in the city center is a must. You can sit on the comfortable terrace and enjoy the delights of the café and just take in the atmosphere of this bustling city.

Museum Schloss Moyland

 (21,7 km)

The castle Moyland is one of the most important neo-Gothic castles in North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 1997 it serves as a museum and manages major works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries. The main component of the collection is the collection of the brothers Van der Grinten of more than 60,000 works of art, including the largest collection of works by the artist Joseph Beuys. In the sprawling gardens are a sculpture park and an herb garden. There are also temporary exhibitions of renowned artists, numerous concerts and lectures that allowed the Museum Schloss Moyland to become an important cultural center in the region.

Schloss Anholt (27,2 km)

A versatile destination is the Anholt castle, built on two islands in the Dutch baroque style and surrounded by vast parks that have been built in the British style. The castle houses an excellent museum with precious objects from the life of the noble family Anholt. Especially worthwhile are the old library, the collection of paintings and the well preserved interior. A guided tour around the premises is not to be missed.

Anholter Schweiz (25,4 km)

Not far from the castle Anholt is the biotope nature park Anholter Schweiz, also a popular destination for cyclists. The wildlife park is an artificial landscape, modeled on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Six kilometers of easily accessible trails give access to the natural habitat of more than 40 species of native animals. One of the highlights of the park are the bears in the famous Bärenwald.

XANTEN (39,1 km)

Xanten has a more than 2,000-year history and is one of the most famous cities of the Lower Rhine. Besides Park Xanten the impressive St. Viktor Dom is known far beyond the region. Gastronomically, historically and culturally, the city has much to offer:

Archaeological Park Xanten (38,5 km)

At the site of the former Roman city of Colonia Ulpia Traiana is Germany's largest archaeological museum that offers an exciting excursion into roman history: the amphitheater, the temple, the city walls and other reconstructions give a vivid picture of Roman life in Germania. The new museum, craft demonstrations, the Summer Festival in the arena and the Roman Weekends offer various incentives to relive the Roman era.

Cycling on the Via Romana

The cultural tourist cycling route Via Romana, which can easily be reached from the Hotel-Restaurant Wanders takes you through the region between Xanten and Nijmegen in The Netherlands.

KALKAR (24,8 km)

Kalkar is distinguished by its impressive medieval architecture. Especially worthwhile are the town hall and the municipal museum. St. Nicholas Church is one of the most important treasures of late medieval art in Europe. The mill called Burg Boetzelaer and the houses on the market, built with typical clay stone from the Rhine, offer a unique atmosphere. Take a look at the old town and admire the gables and beautifully decorated houses and the late-Gothic town hall with belfry and battlements.

KEVELAER (47,1 km)

The town has existed since the Iron Age and is one of the most important pilgrimage centers in Germany. Kevelaer attracts thousands of pilgrims to the Lower Rhine every year. The city also has many beautiful churches, such as the Grace Chapel, the Basilica and the Candle Chapel. Besides the picturesque old town there is a medicinal spring and a concert - and theater hall which make a visit to the city worthwhile.

NETHERLANDS

Castle Huis Bergh (8,7 km)

On the edge of 's-Heerenberg is the imposing castle Huis Bergh. The building also houses a late medieval art collection and is surrounded by a moat and ancient fortifications, whose architectural history can be traced back to the 13th century. The final wall turns into the historical park called De Plantage.  The park invites to a relaxing walk and has two main axes intersect. From one axis one looks at Collegiate Church of Hoch Elten, from the other at the Martini Church in Emmerich.

Burgers’ Zoo (28,5 km)

Burgers' Zoo is always a great experience for our large and small guests. The founder Johan Burgers (1870-1943) was one of the first with the idea that animals are not to be held in iron cages, but to house in a freer environment that resembles the natural environment of the animals as closely as possible. In the zoo you will find a safari park, a tropical coral reef, a jungle and an indoor desert.

Netherlands Open Air Museum (28,1 km)

Dutch Open Air Museum (Openlucht Museum) is located in Arnhem and next to Burger’s Zoo, offering an overview of life in the Netherlands over the last 350 years. In the magnificent park are about 80 typical Dutch buildings recreated from across the country.

Kröller-Müller Museum in the Hoge Veluwe (44,7 km)

The National Parc ‘De Hoge Veluwe’ is a nature reserve with a total of about 5,500 hectares, which is privately owned. The park houses the art collection of the Kröller-Müller family, which is now run by a foundation. In the museum you will find works of world-famous artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Mondrian, Picasso and many more. The famous art collection and the nature park Hoge Veluwe offer a unique combination of nature and culture.

Velorama (41,9 km)

The Velorama, or the National Bicycle Museum Velorama, is the only bicycle museum in The Netherlands and is located on the Waalkade (river walk) in Nijmegen. The museum was founded in 1981 and still exists to a large extent from the private collection of the Dutch collector Gertjan Moed. Arranged over three floors around 250 two-, three- and four-wheelers can be admired from nearly two centuries of cycling history. There is an extensive collection of bicycle literature, as well as the historical archives of the manufacturer Gazelle. Not only active cyclists can admire the entire historical development of the bicycle; from the initial balance bike to the city bikes of today.