NOVEMBER 2021, UPDATED OCTOBER 2022
If you are looking for one of the best autumn destinations in Europe, look no further than Münster. Münster is located near the Dutch border and perfect for a weekend getaway. I originally wrote this blogpost last year, when we stayed in nearby Tecklenburg. Tecklenburg is a super charming little town, surrounded by forests perfect for hiking. This year we revisited Münster as I could not pass up on the opportunity to see this hidden gem again. This region in Germany has some of the most colorful leaves I have ever seen and I highly recommend visiting!
Practical information
Münster is of historical significance because of the Peace of Münster, a treaty that ended the war between the Dutch Republic and Spain in 1648. If you are a history buff, it is definitely interesting to visit the Friedenssaal which you will find in the middle of the old town. For a large part Münster has a car free city center and it is very easy to park your car affordable just outside the historical center. We parked our car at Schlossplatz Süd near the Botanical garden for about € 1 per hour. We found Münster really lovely for walking and walked everywhere and didn’t use public transport.
Best autumn spots in Münster
Botanical garden: The university of Münster has a lovely botanical garden that is famous for its colorful leaves. In the middle of the botanical garden you will find a pond that looks breathtaking in fall. We even spotted a beaver that was swimming in the pond, it seems like he lived in the botanical garden! The park surrounding the botanical garden was really lovely as well, the park is surrounded by little canals with beautiful reflections of the colorful trees. This park was the reason I wanted to revist Münster. I recommend spending about 2 hours in this area.
Entrance to the park 
Promenade: The old town is surrounded by the Promenade, a walking path and bicycle lane, which looks like a forest. I found Münster such a well developed city because of features like this. It has everything a city needs and if you want a break from the hustle and bustle you can quickly go to a park or the Promenade.
Das Blaue Haus: The area near restaurant Das Blaue Haus features deepred Virginia creeper. Besides, this is a nice area for having drinks as it features many breweries and restaurants. It is the most colorful area in Münster. You will also find the Uberwasserkirche in this area, which is surrounded by beautiful trees and canals.
Stadthafen: Surprisingly, the city harbor was also a good location to spot fall-like leaves. The city harbor is one of the up and coming boroughs in Münster. I am sure it is particularly cozy in summertime as it was pretty quiet even on a lovely autumn day. Not all restaurants were open on a Saturday, which I found a bit strange. However, the warehouses were super cool and some of them covered in leaves.
Culture and restaurants
We particularly went to Münster for the autumn vibes, but it is great for culture as well. There is a Pablo Picasso museum, a museum with modern art and a Natural History museum. The diversity of restaurants is great. We love Korean food and had a lovely lunch at Royals & Rice and had some Italian food at L’Osteria. L’Osteria is a very popular restaurant and I can see why, the food was very affordable and the interior was super classy. If you are into Flammkuchen I recommend bringing a visit to Le Feu, this is a restaurant dedicated to the German version of pizza… they serve very original Flammkuchen recipes that tasted absolutely delicious!
Tecklenburg
In 2021 we stayed in the little town Tecklenburg, which is about 30 minutes of driving to Münster. Tecklenburg was a true fairytale, it is located on a hill and is surrounded by forests. The buildings are almost all white fachwerk houses, the streets consist of cobblestones and you will spot ivy and Virginia creeper everywhere. We stayed in a little apartment in a traditional fachwerk house for € 70 per night. Germany is really affordable when it comes to hotels and restaurants. Tecklenburg is quite touristy, though it wasn’t crowded in October at all and the stores were actually quite original and nice. We found a pumpkin patch just outside of Tecklenburg, adding some extra atmosphere to the fall vibes!
Our apartment! 
Hiking in Tecklenburg
Tecklenburg is located in the Tecklenburger Land which is known for its hiking trails. You will find many trails on Komoot and there really is something for everyone. As this was our first time hiking with Hugo we just did two short trails: The Hexenpfad surrounding Tecklenburg and the hike to the Längerich Canyon.
Hexenpfad: The Hexenpfad starts in the middle of Tecklenburg and is well indicated with signs. You can do a short and a longer route. We completed the Hexenpfad in about 1,5 hours and did a small detour in a rapeseed field, during their second bloom in October. When you do the Hexenpfad you will even spot a cave, it was a very diverse little hike which wasn’t too strenuous.
Länglich Canyon: Komoot also indicates several hikes to the Längerich Canyon. This canyon is called the Canadian canyon of Germany 😉 I found it a bit difficult to understand where you could park, but we ended up parking near the Hortensia park (Hortensienpark). You can start the hike to the canyon when you pass through this park and you will quickly arrive at the first viewpoint of the canyon, which is well indicated. However, we discovered that you couldn’t come very close to the canyon as some paths were closed off. If you want to take a good picture of the canyon you have to take an illegal route, I usually wouldn’t advice this, but I found the official viewpoints a bit disappointing. When you see the first viewpoint we followed the path on our left side. This path will take you away from the canyon, but you can enter a different path to your right which will bring you close to the canyon and give a much better view. Make sure to behave responsibly though and don’t sit too close to the ledge!
This is where you enter the Hortensienpark 
Logically there weren’t in bloom 
Illegal view 
View from the official viewpoint
