ParksandGardens, Leeuwarden

In the middle of the oldest oldest city park in the Netherlands, "Het Worpplantsoen", from 1852 until about 1955 a beautiful music dome stood. When it was demolished, the park also lost its soul. A park restoration followed in 2004 and to give the park its deserved icing on the cake, a group of motivated city dwellers replaced an almost faithful copy of the octogonal music dome. http://www.deventer.info/nl/zien-en-doen/zien/participant_id,10073/category_id,39/muziekkoepel-neringbgel

This environmental and leisure park is located in Wilhelmshavens Norden and was financed in 1996 by various projects of the employment office Wilhelmshaven. http://www.ostfriesland.de/mein-ostfriesland/ferienorte/wilhelmshaven/interessantes/stoertebeker-park.html

Plaswijck Park has been a small-scale recreational park for over ninety years. It is located on the Bergse Achterplas in Hillegersberg-Schiebroek on the northern edge of Rotterdam. The park used to be known in the 1930s as the earthly paradise. The park currently consists of a Speelwijck (play area), Dierenwijck (animal area) and Wandelwijck (walking area). Speelwijck includes a Port Playground, Monkey Playground and Traffic Playground. And in the event of bad weather, guests can enjoy the House on the Hill, a giant playhouse where kids can jump on a trampoline on beds in the bedroom, squirt bubble bath in the bathroom and crawl and climb through the secret tunnels and passageways. Animals from around the globe live in Dierenwijck, including monkeys, owls, lynxes and goats. Wandelwijck offers various places to relax, including the English Garden and the Picnic Meadow. https://en.rotterdam.info/locations/plaswijckpark/

The climbing park in Rotterdam has 7 different courses in living trees ranging in various heights and levels of difficulty. Climbing may take up to 3 hours max (including instruction), but you can choose to shorten this time. The climbing park is interesting for young and old people, between ages of 7 (length 1.20m) and 80 years old. For the smallest monkeys there’s a free playwood. https://en.rotterdam.info/locations/klimpark-fun-forest-rotterdam/

Correctly it would have to be called the "Botanical Garden", but "The Botanical" sounds much more personal.1912 it was created on the northeastern edge of the city park, in 2012 he celebrated his 100th birthday. http://www.guetersloh.de/Z3VldGVyc2xvaGQ0Y21zOjUxMTc=.x4s

Nature experience without fences between humans and animals. https://www.wildwald.de/

The Antwerp ZOO is one of the oldest and best-known zoos in Europe. It will take you and your parents at least half a day to see and do it all! The penguins live in Vriesland with their own arctic enclosure, elephants and giraffes are as tall as the Egyptian temple they stay in and hippopotamuses goof around in a pink villa. 950 different species and 5000 animals live at the zoo, that’s more than all the sweets you’ll ever eat all in one place! Walk among the chimpanzees and the gorillas in the Valley of the Great Apes. It’s a great place to observe the apes’ antics, as they enjoy the grass under their feet and the wind on their skin. From there you can stroll to the Buffalo Savannah, where Cape Buffalo and birds live in harmony. And as you look out over the new savannah where the giraffes and the zebras live, you really will feel as if you are on an African safari. Don’t forget to check out the Skywalk where you can enjoy a stunning panoramic view over the historical garden and where you can get up close to the red pandas. https://www.visitantwerpen.be/en/sightseeing/antwerp-zoo

The Botanical Garden along Leopoldstraat is a unique green haven in the city centre. It is a world in one garden, exceptional trees and shrubs, 2000 herbs, cactuses and foreign plants will inspire the plant fundi. Built almost 200 years ago, it grew only medicinal plants to supply the St Elisabeth’s hospital next door. The city has managed the garden since 1926 and in 1950 the Botanical Garden was listed as a valuable landscape for the city of Antwerp and its inhabitants. Indeed it is not to be missed! https://www.visitantwerpen.be/en/parken-en/botanical-garden

Though there are plenty of exotic animals to admire in its 40 hectares, Planckendael is much more than 'just' an animal park. Planckendael is synonymous with adventure! For example, you can follow a trail that leads across suspension bridges and through the treetops. There is more than enough space for children to play, for animals to frolic and visitors to stroll. This outing is a guaranteed hit!The Zoo was a prize-winner too. It was crowned the ‘Child-friendliest Zoo’ by the Diamond Theme Park Awards, the Oscars for the best theme parks and attractions in Europe! https://toerisme.mechelen.be/en/zoo-planckendael

Cologne Zoo was founded in 1860 and is one of the oldest - yet also one of the most modern - zoological gardens. In no other zoo the development of the zoological gardens over the years can be seen so clearly: the buildings starting from the menagerie of the 19th century to the wildlife reserve of the 21st century, from the Moorish-style elephant house and the former birdhouse in the style of a Russian basilica dating back to the 19th century, to the ape island created in a Hagenbeck style and modern natural worlds such as the rain forest. Since the big cat enclosure opened, designed as a biotope habitat, visitors to Cologne Zoo have been able to view the animals in glass-fronted enclosures without bars. The conversion of the old birdhouse into the South America house for primates shows that tradition and progress must by no means be mutually exclusive. The modern elephant park provides the zoo's elephants with the most space north of the Alps. Cologne Zoo is also famous for its primate collection. The zoo has around 500 different species of animal from all the world's continents and oceans, including predators as well as the magnificent aquarium with a terrarium and insectarium. http://www.cologne.de/what-to-do/zoo.html

The Zwin: a unique combination of a visitor park and a nature reserve, originally founded by Count Léon Lippens. There is a constant coming and going of birds in the Zwin Nature Park; in spring many return from their wintering area in the deep south to land at their brooding areas in the north; in autumn they set out on their journey in the opposite direction. Numerous species of birds follow coastlines and use estuaries and other nature areas to rest for a while or to find food. You can compare it with aircraft that must make as stop during a long-haul flight to refuel at an airport. For very many migratory birds that follow the coastline, the Zwin is an important layover point on their long journey. The Zwin area is an airport, but one reserved exclusively for birds, the 'International Airport for Birds'! The Zwin also famous with its rare landscape: a natural transition from one biotope to another is visible here, from beach to dunes on the one hand and from beach to mudflats and salt marshes on the other. Mudflats are flooded by the sea twice a day, at high tide, and feature no or hardly any vegetation. The salt marshes on the other hand feature a rich flora which has adapted to its surroundings. Salty mudflats and salt marshes are rare along the coasts and river mouths of Western Europe and they are under European protection. https://www.zwin.be/en

The Zwin Nature Park is an interactive nature experience park for the entire family. Discover the different elements! Check in at the entrance to the exhibition with your boarding card and ... fly alongside your Zwin migratory bird. Besides experiencing an exciting journey full of adventure and surprise, you will learn a great deal about the fascinating world of birds. Among other things you will find out how they fly accurately and how they prepare for their long migratory journey. And why every year thousands of birds land in the Zwin, plus lots more besides. You will never get closer to nature as you will do in the Zwin Nature Park. The park’s cabin trail will guide you through numerous exciting points or huts: A feeding hut from where you can admire the birds from a very short distance or the story hut, where our birds are ringed and several presentations are given. Fly alongside your Zwin migratory bird. Besides experiencing an exciting journey full of adventure and surprise, you will learn a great deal about the fascinating world of birds. Aslo be sure to make time go up to panorama tower. From here you have a wonderful vantage point to embrace the beauty of the Zwin Plain, the Zwin dunes and polders and even the sea! http://www.zwin.be/en/discover-park

The Great Garden is one of the most important baroque gardens in Europe, captivating tourists from all over the world. The main attraction here is the recently rebuilt Herrenhausen Palace, home to the new Herrenhausen Palace Museum. The Garden itself presents a dazzling array of romantic fountains, exotic plants and striking sculptures. Events such as the international fireworks competition and the Small Festival in the Great Garden regularly attract large numbers of visitors. The Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen are Hannover's most famous attraction, a reflection of aristocratic savoir-vivre for more than 300 years. The centrepiece is the 17th-century Great Garden, one of the best-preserved baroque gardens in Europe. Be sure to visit Herrenhausen Palace there. Rebuilt to its original splendour and boasting cutting-edge, multimedia facilities, the palace now hosts more than 160 events every year as a scientific venue and innovation hotspot for the whole of Lower Saxony – very much in the tradition of a famous former resident: the universal scholar Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. The Great Garden is a place to lose oneself in, to marvel at the magnificent Great Fountain, which is 82m high (the largest of its type in Europe) and the Grand Cascade, to be enchanted by artist Niki de Saint Phalle's magically decorated grotto. And during the annual international firework competition, to watch transfixed as world-class pyrotechnics transform the sky above into a dazzling sea of trailing sparks. https://www.visit-hannover.com/en/Press/Press-Information-sorted-by-topic/Royal-Gardens-of-Herrenhausen

Once, Berggarten was a mulberry tree plantation for the Elector's silkworm farms. Today it is a treasure house of botanic diversity. Here, taking a close look at details pays rich rewards, whether enjoying the beauties of nature or following the botanist’s researches into the intricacies of the plant world. Over the centuries, plants from the four corners of the earth have found their way to Berggarten and some of them, like the African Violet or the Flamingo Flower (Anthurium), were the first of their kind to be seen in Europe. Berggarten is well worth a visit at any season, and over the years its appearance is constantly changing and astonishing visitors with new worlds of colour and atmosphere. https://www.hannover.de/en/Tourism-Culture/Sightseeing-City-Tours/Tourist-Highlights/Royal-Gardens-of-Herrenhausen/The-Herrenhausen-Gardens/Berggarten

This 20-hectare park, which is Schaerbeek’s green lung, is a place for relaxation which is steeped in history and culture. It is arranged into three sections: the historical park, the great lawns and the playground area. A spot praised by writers and artists, a refuge for botanists and ornithologists, the park also has a collection of sculptures, as well as areas set aside for sporting activities and young people. In July and August, free concerts are organised. https://visit.brussels/en/place/Josaphat-Park_236207

Gentbrugse Meersen is a park and nature reserve that is still being created. You can come here for sports, play, gardening and picnics. Take a walk in the woods and discover stretches of open water populated by water birds. A piece of wild nature close to the city. The barefoot path is a 1-km long footpath that has not been laid artificially. It is a natural path which changes along with the weather and the seasons. A real treat for your feet! https://visit.gent.be/en/see-do/gentbrugse-meersen

The over 10,000 different varieties of plants in the tropical and subtropical greenhouses of the University's Botanical Garden are both flourishing and fascinating. The unique collection of Mediterranean plants alone is well worth a visit. Guided visits can be arranged. https://visit.gent.be/en/see-do/ghent-university-botanical-garden

The Cinquantenaire park is comprised of a vast set of gardens dotted with monuments and museums. It is dominated by a triumphal arch with three arches. The park hosts numerous activities throughout the year: events, celebrations, firework displays, sporting events, concerts, etc. This place of interest was built in 1880 for the 50th anniversary of the independence of Belgium. The broad pathways lead to the Pavilion of Human Passions designed by Victor Horta, the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces & Military History, the Royal Museums of Art and History and to Autoworld. At the top of the three triumphal arches there’s a bronze quadriga and an unbeatable sweeping view over the whole of Brussels. https://visit.brussels/en/place/Cinquantenaire-Park

Maschsee is a maritime paradise right in the city centre! 190 acres of recreational area! Relaxation, walks, restaurants, jogging, parties – the Maschsee Lake means going on holiday right next door. Many people enjoy pursuing a variety of water sports here on sunny days. The favourite meeting place is by the Torchbearer on the North Shore. The Maschsee Lake offers the people of Hannover a recreational area in the heart of the city, both on the water and all around it: for yachting, canoeing and pedal-boating, for joggers, skaters and strollers. On the banks of the lake you will find the celebrated Sprengel Museum Hannover. Right opposite, you can stroll through the idyllic Maschpark to reach the magnificent New Town Hall. Travelling up to the 97-metre high Town Hall dome in the unique curving lift is an experience in itself: from the top, you can see as far as the Deister Hills. And every visitor who is not already convinced of the fact can clearly see from here that Hannover is Germany’s greenest city! https://www.visit-hannover.com/en/Sightseeing-City-Tours/Sightseeing/Tourist-Highlights/Maschsee

With around 1.5 million square metres, Stadtpark (lit. city park) in Winterhude is the third largest park in Hamburg. For the centennial anniversary in 2014, around 1.6 million euros were invested in flower beds, paths, playgrounds and the renovation of the Planetarium. Especially in summer, life is easy around the luscious green meadows. Hundreds of locals and visitors alike come to Winterhude, where the park serves them as a popular meeting point and recreational site. However, the park is not only the right place for meeting people and sunbathing. In summer, music enthusiasts will also get their money’s worth. Thousands head to the open-air stage to experience performances in a unique setting. Art lovers will find more than 20 different sculptures and installations. http://www.hamburg.com/explore/outdoors/city-park/

Animal park visitors can not only drive environmentally friendly with SWN buses ( line 16 from the central bus station directly to the zoo) but also save money by purchasing a combined ticket when entering Tierpark Neumünster. https://www.tierparkneumuenster.de/index.php/tierpark/eintrittspreise

Visitors of Arche Warder will not find lions or elephants, but rare breeds like the White Parc cattle and saddleback pigs, many of them are as rare as the Siberian tiger! Diving Turopolje pigs, the Poitou- giant donkey are some examples of the nearly 86 different breeds of livestock in Europe’s largest center for rare and endangered domestic animals. http://www.arche-warder.de/english/

Woods, water, wilderness - the only National Park in North Rhine-Westfalia is worth exploring with a ranger. The Eifel National Park extends over an area of approx. 110 square kilometres in the middle of the Hohes Venn Eifel nature park. The large protected area offers almost entirely undisturbed living space for wild cats and black storks, among other animals. In the early summer, the yellow broom flowers turn the Eifel National Park golden. https://www.eifel.info/en/nature/the-eifel-national-park

The Einfelder See is located in the north of Neumünster between the district Einfeld and the village Mühbrook. It was formed during the Vistula Ice Age as a subglacial outflow valley. Since there are no noteworthy tributaries to the lake, it is fed by the groundwater, as well as by the precipitation. https://www.seen.de/einfelder-see/

THE WADDEN SEA CENTRE 1000 m2 exhibition is a journey through the landscape of the Wadden Sea, as seen through the millions of migratory birds. You get to see at close quarters the world of birds which normally is only seen at a distance. You enter into the large swarms of birds, feel them and travel on with them. http://www.visitribe.com/ln-int/wadden-sea-centre-gate-unesco-world-heritage-gdk610542

The High Fens-Eifel Nature Park in eastern Belgium is doubtless one of the most beautiful regions in the country. At 72,000 hectares it is also one of the largest and most emblematic nature parks in Wallonia. With its moorlands and peat bogs, forests and streams, man-made reservoirs, and picturesque villages, the High Fens-Eifel Nature Park offers an amazing palette of landscapes worthy of the most beautiful picture postcards less than an hour from Liège. http://www.parcsnaturelsdewallonie.be/en/parcs/hautes-fagnes-eifel/

Nestled at the heart of the forests near Spa, by the Fagne de Malchamps, this estate opens its spaces to the public: a panoramic tower, a tree planted park with a pond and picnic area. It is also home to the Musée de la Forêt et des Eaux and to the CRIE. Le Domaine de Bérinzenne, with its tree-shaded alleys and exceptional views of the region, is a pure invite to relax and dream. From the top of the tower, visitors can see the Fagne, sometimes all the way to the horizon, bathed in sunshine or quite mysterious partly wrapped in mist. The pleasant Maison de la Nature et de la Forêt (open weekdays) provides information on the region, documentation on the local hikes and features: a nature shop, temporary exhibitions and cafeteria. http://walloniabelgiumtourism.co.uk/en-gb/content/domaine-de-berinzenne-maison-de-la-nature-ardennes-belges

A popular place for many years and still a favourite, attracting visitors yearly is the Bishop’s garden. A four acre walled garden dating back to the 12th century in the grounds of the Bishop’s House. https://www.visitnorwich.co.uk/explore-and-experience/sights-and-attractions/listing/the-bishops-garden/

The Doornpanne, together with De Hoge Blekker and De Schipgatduinen, forms a 240-hectare dune massif. The area comprises various types of dune, from drift dunes and dune grasslands to densely grown pans and fixed inner dunes. A belt of drifting dunes is situated around it, including the highest dune top on the Flemish coast (Hoge Blekker 33 m). The Doornpanne has been a protected landscape since 1975 and was therefore included in the list of nature areas with European protection The central walking and cycling path connects the Witte Burg with the Hoge Blekker. Part of this path is part of the signposted Kustfietsroute and was laid out in shell clay. Following on from this path, the IWVA constructed a hiking trail in chopping wood, to allow the southeastern part of the nature reserve to be explored. A nature trail (3 km) was also laid out along which the walker is invited to appeal to all the senses and in this way discover the Doornpanne. There is also the Doornpannewandelpad (8 km) from the province of West Flanders. https://www.natuurpunt.be/natuurgebied/doornpanne-en-hoge-blekker

The former home of BBC Springwatch, Pensthorpe Natural Park is a modern-day nature reserve with a focus on inspiring the next generation to enjoy wildlife and the great outdoors. With its diverse attractions and activities, it offers a fully immersive day out for families, bird watchers, wildlife enthusiasts and garden lovers. Explore 700 acres of woodland walks, nature trails, lakes and a variety of habitats teeming with wildlife including wetlands, woodlands, farmland and grassland. Enjoy the tranquillity of five stunning gardens, encounter Pensthorpe’s hugely popular Flamingo flock and cute ducks that will feed out of the palm of your hand and hop on the behind-the-scenes Pensthorpe Explorer* to discover the secret side of the Wensum Valley. Adventurous families can take a walk on the wild side and join Hootz the owl on a journey around his magical outdoor adventure play area, WildRootz and the award winning indoor play area, Hootz House, which is perfect even on rainy days and comes complete with soft play for the under 5s. During the school holidays hands-on activities such as wildlife spotting, pond dipping, den building and nature-inspired crafts enable visitors to get closer to nature. https://www.visitnorwich.co.uk/service/pensthorpe-natural-park/

The nature area around the Baldersbæk pleasure castle tells the story of the Copenhagen plantations, their owners and nature views in the early 1900s. Here are original sandstone statues from the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, lush carp dams and a smaller castle - which contrasts sharply with the once heathen pauperous landscape. The area around Villa Baldersbæk was renovated in 2013-14, so it is possible to experience the many details of the place on the nearest team. There is a marked path that leads around the area to the Treherreds stone, the stone nozzle, the ice cellars, the carp ponds and the fountain "The insidious boy". (The boy can't hold tight and you start the beam by stepping on the step. The fountain is in operation in the summer). The "castle", which is called the villa at Baldersbæk, is modelled with Frederiksdal Castle. There is no public access to the villa, but you can get close. The private area is clearly marked. The villa is still used for residential purposes. https://www.visitbillund.dk/billund/service-information/baldersbaek-plantage-og-villa-baldersbaek-gdk622699

Grene Sande and Gyttegård Plantation are unique natural areas and cultural history! Gyttegård Plantation is a so-called "Copenhagen plantation", which has only existed for well over 100 years. In the past, it was an area of ​​hard-working heathen peasants who struggled with sand escape. Today, you can see traces of both the "Copenhagen plantation" and the sand escape, as the area consists of woodland, dry heathland with cranberries and heather, as well as many larger and less humid meadows and marsh areas. There are large dunes, of the finest light sand, which you can run and play in as much as you like. https://www.visitbillund.dk/billund/service-information/grene-sande-gdk611741

Randbøl Hede, southwest of Randbøl, is one of the few remaining heathland landscapes and with its 750 hectares one of Denmark's largest inland units. Randbøl Hede was already protected in 1932. At that time it was the largest landscape peace in Denmark. The conservation area covers 750 hectares, of which the state currently owns approx. 650 hectares. The purpose was to preserve the open heather-covered plains and ensure the heat against cultivation and planting. It has since been found that heatherness is an unstable natural state. There will be forest if man's influences on the heath cease. Randbøl State Forest District has therefore been allowed to care for the heath so that it is preserved for posterity. Randbøl Hede used to be much bigger than it is today. It was inconvenient, deserted and feared by everyone, especially travelers, because robbers housed here. The trail from Vorbasse stud road, where cattle have been brought to market in Vorbasse or even further south for centuries, continues to meander across the moor. https://www.visitbillund.dk/billund/service-information/randboel-hede-og-frederikshaab-plantage-gdk607894