From Sennesand to the North Sea beach

The Ems Cycle Route runs approximately 385 km from the source of the Ems in the Senne River to the North Sea through vast landscapes, inland dunes, and tranquil forests. Numerous nature and landscape conservation areas lie along the route, many of which are part of the European Natura 2000 network and are habitats for endangered species – from kingfishers to orchids.

Information boards, walkways, and observation towers along the way invite you to pause and consciously experience nature. Those who travel with open eyes will be rewarded with wonderful views.

In the headwaters near Hövelhof, you'll encounter heathland, sand dunes—and, with a little luck, the Senner wild horses, whose grazing helps preserve the nature reserve. In the Paderborn and Münsterland regions, the cycle path often runs away from the river to protect the sensitive floodplain landscapes. The Ems is visible here primarily at bridges and observation towers—but the path leads through diverse natural scenery with inland dunes, renaturalized sections of the Ems, flowering meadows, and forests.

Near the North Sea, dikes and the foreland dominate the landscape. Thousands of migratory birds rest here on their journey between the Arctic and Africa. Numerous viewpoints along the way invite you to pause and marvel.

The Ems Cycle Path combines exercise with mindfulness: cycling, observing, breathing deeply – and giving nature its space. Precisely because the path doesn't always run directly along the water, it showcases the diversity of the landscape along the Ems in a very special way.