Erkelenz sits on the route: 5 minutes from Rath-Anhoven, 49km from Hoge Kempen National Park.
Erkelenz is in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with about 45,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Rath-Anhoven, about 4 km away.
Erkelenz (German pronunciation: [ˈɛʁkəlɛnts] , Limburgish: Erkelens [ˈæʀ(ə)kəlæns]) is a town in the Rhineland in western Germany that lies 15 kilometres (9 miles) southwest of Mönchengladbach on the northern edge of the Cologne Lowland, halfway between the Lower Rhine region and the Lower Meuse. It is a medium-sizedRead more town (over 44,000) and the largest in the district of Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Despite the town having more than 1,000 years of history and tradition, in 2006 the eastern part of the borough was cleared to make way for the Garzweiler II brown coal pit operated by RWE Power. This is planned to be in operation until 2045. Over five thousand people from ten villages have had to be resettled as a result. Since 2010, the inhabitants of the easternmost village of Pesch have left and most have moved to the new villages of Immerath and Borschemich in the areas of Kückhoven and Erkelenz-Nord.
The 'white village' of Limburg: an entire former abbey-principality of whitewashed brick lanes and cobbles beside the Maas, painted white in the Napoleonic era to dodge a window tax and kept that way ever since.
34 km · about 40 min drive
cathedral
Aachen Cathedral (Aachener Dom)
The first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Germany, built by Charlemagne as his palatine chapel in the 9th century.
38 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Classic Remise Düsseldorf
A magnificent classic car centre in a restored locomotive roundhouse filled with rare vehicles, workshops, and automotive lifestyle shops.
38 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Toverland
Dutch indoor-outdoor theme park in Limburg offering a mix of thrill rides and family attractions in themed areas.
42 km · about 50 min drive
landmark
Valkenburg Marl Caves
Hill-country Valkenburg hides Roman-era marl tunnels, a ruined castle and the Netherlands' only true hilltop drives.
42 km · about 50 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Vaalserberg Drielandenpunt
The Netherlands' highest mainland point at 322.4 metres, where the Dutch, Belgian and German borders meet near Vaals.
42 km · about 50 min drive
cathedral
Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom)
This twin-spired Gothic giant towers over the Rhine, its 533 steps rewarding climbers with a sweeping city panorama.
48 km · about 55 min drive
national park
Hoge Kempen National Park
Belgium's first national park, a heath and pine landscape in Limburg with six gateway entrances and visitor car parks.
49 km · about 55 min drive
Driving roads near Erkelenz
42 kmVaalserberg DrielandenpuntThe Netherlands' highest mainland point at 322.4 metres, where the Dutch, Belgian and German borders meet near Vaals.
60 kmGileppe DamA 19th-century dam near Spa crowned by a 13-ton stone lion, with a 78 m panorama tower and forested Ardennes reservoir views a short detour off the Verviers road.
66 kmSignal de BotrangeAt 694m this is the highest point in Belgium, marked by a stone tower on the Hautes Fagnes plateau.
78 kmDrachenfelsA dragon-legend hilltop ruin in the Siebengebirge offers Rhine panoramas that inspired Byron and generations of romantics.