ZOOM Erlebniswelt, Sportparadies or the impressive Veltins-Arena. Visit the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, the UNESCO World Heritage Site and landmark for the city of Essen, the 2010 European Cultural Capital.
The region's many leisure activities such as amusement parks, indoor ski slope and more promise an exciting trip. When it comes to cultural entertainment, don't miss the wide selection of musical highlights, theatres and museums. And the CentrO, a unique combination of shopping and leisure in Oberhausen, offers a unique of experience.

ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Zoological world of experience)

A natural habitat for animals and an exotic setting for humans: the ZOOM Erlebniswelt is a place where animals and humans can come face-to-face without visible cage boundaries.

The Maritim Hotel Gelsenkirchen actively supports the ZOOM Erlebniswelt and has taken over a one-year sponsorship for a lynx in January 2010.

Opening hours:
March to October from 9 am to 6 or 6.30 pm
November to February daily from 9 am to 5 pm
Entrance fee: Adults 13.50 €, children from 4 to 12 years old 9 €; discounts for students, senior citizens and handicapped individuals

Sportparadies pool and ice arena

The Sportparadies opened its doors in 1984. The pools in the bathing area are divided into three covered pools and six pools. The facility also includes a 10 m-high diving-board complex in the outdoor pool area and a 58 m slide with separate landing pool in the indoor pool. The skating rink, which, as the Emscher Lippe Halle, has since made its name as an events centre, features a standard area of 30 x 60 m. The facility also includes 8 competition bowling alleys, 6 leisure bowling alleys, 12 rifle ranges and 15 pistol ranges.

Veltins Arena (Arena Auf Schalke)

The approximately 75-minute tour through the VELTINS Arena takes you through all the fascinating areas of Europe's most modern stadium, including the promenades, the stands, the playing field, the press room, the chapel, the players' areas and the business area.

Times for individual visitors and families:
Tuesday to Friday from 12 to 4 pm
Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm
Unfortunately, no tours are possible on event days
Appointment required; please call +49 (0) 209 389 2900 (from Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm)
Entrance fee: adults 9 €, youths 21 years and under 5 €, exclusive small groups of up to 17 people 155 € flat rate

Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex

Zeche Zollverein
Tour of the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site (shaft XII and shaft 1/2/8). Experience both the daily workday from times past and a glimpse of the future von Zollverein. The tour takes you through the surface mining plant in Europe's most impressive coal mine: Zollverein shaft XII. The tour starts at the Ehrenhof in front of the winding tower with the famous double winding tower frame and goes through the former factory buildings, boiler house and the former coal mine railway station. The heart of the facility, the coal washing plant that was renovated for several years, is also included in the tour; you will also be able to experience the impressive panoramic view from the plant's structure.

From April to October: Monday to Friday from 2 to 4 pm (as well as 11 am during school holidays), Saturday, Sunday and holidays at 11 am, 12 midday, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm and 4 pm
From November to March: Monday to Friday at 2 pm (as well as 11 am during school holidays), Saturday, Sunday and holidays at 11 am, 12 midday, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm and 4 pm
Fee: 8 €, discounted 5 €
Duration: approximately 2 hours
For information and to register (required), please call +49 (0) 201 8303 60 or send an e-mail to besucherzentrum@zollverein.de.

Movie Park Germany

Movie Park Germany in Bottrop-Kirchhellen is Europe's only entertainment park geared toward the world of film, with 40 attractions and shows. Fast-paced rides in one of the famous roller-coasters like the MP Xpress or the Bandit wooden roller-coaster, SHREK with thrilling SHREK 4-D adventures, live adventures from the world-famous cartoon Ice Age or time travel in Time Riders. Experience the magic of being part of the film at Movie Park Germany!

From April to 1 November almost daily from 10 am to 6, 8 or 10 pm.
Entrance fee: Adults and children older than 12 years 31 €, children from 4 to 11 years old, senior citizens older than 55 years and handicapped people 27 €, children younger than 4 years free.

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre

Some 3,500 sqm full of creativity and fun built out of thousands of LEGO blocks await you at the world's second indoor LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Duisburg's inner harbour. The new indoor park is especially geared toward families with children from 2 to 12 years old and offers a wide range of attractions under one roof.

Opening hours:
Daily from 10 am; final entrance at around 5 pm
The building closes approximately 2 hours after the ticket office closes.
Entrance fee: adults 12.95 €, reduced 11.95 €, children from 3 to 11 years old 9 €

Musical cabaret and theatre

Experience the hit musicals Starlight Express, Dance of the Vampires and the new production Ich will Spass! or visit one of the Ruhr region's diverse cabaret and theatre attractions such as the Starlight Express in Bochum, Dance of the Vampires in Oberhausen, Ich will Spass! in Essen, the Mondpalast in Wanne-Eickel, GOP in Essen, or the Musiktheater in Revier in Gelsenkirchen.

Shopping at CentrO Oberhausen

CentrO is Europe's largest shopping centre for strolling, window-shopping, shopping, or pausing to enjoy a cup of coffee.
Shop daily from 10 am to 8 pm
Midnight shopping every first Friday of the month until 12 midnight.

Rheinelbe Sculpture Park and Himmelstreppe

The sculpture forest in the Rheinelbe Science Park presents its bizarre magic. This is where artist Herman Prigann hung Ruhr region coal mine foundations onto tree trunks, illuminated galleries as the "blaue Grotte" (blue grotto) and grouped together remnants from the Ruhr coal mine in Essen into a "Baumplatz" (tree area). The sculpture forest's highlight is the ascent to the 85 m "Spiralberg" (spiral mountain) in the south, the so-called "Himmelstreppe" (stairway to heaven) where the concrete relics from a Dortmund coal mine extend into the sky reminiscent of an Aztec structure.
For more information, please call +49 (0) 209 147 4844 (contact: Oliver Balke).

Gelsenkirchen Science Park

The Gelsenkirchen Science Park is an important part and symbol of structural change in the Ruhr region. The area's architecture and agenda stand for a change of direction and emergence into a new age. This is a place where young, innovative sectors can develop in place of old industries at a former cast steel factory. The architecturally and technologically dynamic structure not only provides ideal, innovation-promoting working conditions for researchers, developers and service providers in trend-setting growth sectors, but is also used as a centre for conventions, training sessions and various events.
For more information, please call +49 (0) 209 167 1000.