Caves and mines in GermanyThe underground places you can visit

The fortress is renowned for the view from Table Mountain. Beneath the plateau lie casemates, passageways and vaults which can only be accessed as part of the ‘Underground Fortress’ guided tour – areas that are otherwise kept closed to the public. The meeting point is Magdalenenburg, opposite the Brunnenhaus.

Duration

75 min

Adults

€17.00 admission + €6.00 guided tour

The fortress is open daily, with no closing days, from 28 March to 1 November 2026, from 9 am to 6 pm, 2 November 2026–19 March 2027 from 9 am to 5 pm (winter prices €15.00/€11.00). Guided tours run on almost all opening days, with a maximum of 30 participants; start times and availability are only available via the online ticket shop. festung-koenigstein.de/de/festung-unterir…

A 426-metre-long tiled tunnel beneath the River Elbe, built in 1911 for shipyard workers. Following 15 years of renovation, both have been open again since May 2026: the East Tunnel as part of Cycle Route 4 for cyclists and pedestrians, and the West Tunnel for pedestrians and tourists. Free of charge and the only place on this list that doesn’t require a ticket.

Route

426 m

Free access for pedestrians and cyclists; motor vehicles are prohibited. The west tunnel reopened on 4 May 2026 and was officially inaugurated on 21 May 2026. hamburg-tourism.de

Merkers offers the longest mine tour available to tourists in Germany: a 90-second cable ride in a mine cage down to a depth of 500 metres, followed by a round trip of around 21 kilometres in open crew wagons through the disused potash mine. Stops along the route include the ‘Gold Room’, where the US Army discovered the Reichsbank’s gold reserves on 8 April 1945, an underground museum covering 1,500 square metres, the 250-metre-long ‘Großbunker’ housing the world’s largest bucket-wheel excavator ever used underground, and finally the Crystal Grotto at a depth of 800 metres.

Duration

180 min

Depth

800 m

Adults

€31.00 (Interactive tour, adults aged 18 and over)

Guided tours run all year round, Tuesday to Saturday only, at 9.30 am and 1.30 pm – there are no tours on Mondays or Sundays. There are no summer or winter timetables, nor any additional tours during the holidays: these are the only two starting times. erlebnisbergwerk.de/de-de

The Wimsen Cave, situated in the hamlet of Wimsen between Hayingen and Zwiefalten, is the only cave in Germany that you can enter by boat. A ferryman pushes the boat about 70 metres into the mountain, then the ceiling drops down to the water’s surface – beyond that point, the only way to continue is by diving.

Duration

15 min

Route

70 m

Adults

€7.00

Seasonal operation: The operator states that services run from Monday to Sunday, with journeys from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm. On 20 September 2026, the booking system (BookingKit) showed departures between 9.20 am and 6.20 pm, mostly at intervals of 5 to 15 minutes. tressbrueder.de/wimsener-hoehle

The largest of the approximately 1,000 caves in Franconian Switzerland: around 3,000 metres in total length, with just over half of it open to the public. Adjacent to the cave is a therapeutic tunnel which is used on an hourly basis for respiratory therapy – a feature not found in any other Bavarian show cave.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

45 min

Steps

400

Adults

€9.00

Until 20 September 2026, daily from 9.00 am to 4.30 pm (last admission); from 21 September 2026, due to refurbishment work, only on Saturdays and Sundays. pottenstein.de/teufelshoehle

The Atta Cave is situated on the eastern outskirts of Attendorn in the southern Sauerland and was uncovered on 19 July 1907 during a blasting operation in the limestone quarry of the Biggetaler Kalkwerke – the owner welcomed the first visitors that very same year. Visitors are taken on a short, easy tour featuring rust-red veined sinter formations, stalactites, stalagmites and calcite crystals; the guided tour lasts around 40 minutes at a constant temperature of 9 °C. Tickets are available exclusively at the ticket office, with a new group setting off every 15 minutes.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

40 min

Depth

52 m

Route

560 m

Adults

€14.50 (Adults aged 15 and over)

It is open on almost every day of the year, but opening times vary considerably – and in winter, it is mainly open at weekends only. The operator’s 2026 calendar: 1–11 January, daily from 11.00 (last admission 15.30); 12 January – 11 February: Saturdays and Sundays only from 11.00 am; 12–17 February: daily from 11.00 am; 18 February – 22 March: Saturdays and Sundays only from 11.00 am; 23 March – 30 April: daily from 10.30 am (last admission 4.00 pm); 1 May – 31 August: daily from 10.00 am (last admission 4.30 pm); 1 September – 1 November: daily from 10.30 am (last admission 4.00 pm); 2–22 November: Saturdays and Sundays only from 11.00; 23 November – 25 December: completely closed; 26–31 December: daily from 11.00. atta-hoehle.de

The thermal baths were never completed, but their basement is exceptionally well preserved: a network of service corridors and drainage channels beneath the bathing complex that visitors can walk through. A World Heritage Site since 1986.

Adults

€6.00

Open daily all year round; April to September 9 am–6 pm, shorter opening hours in winter; last admission 30 minutes before closing time. Closed on Rose Monday, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. zentrum-der-antike.de/monumente/kaiserthermen

Disguised as two residential buildings, the Bundesbank stored its contingency currency here in the event of a nuclear war: 300 metres of corridors, 1,500 square metres of floor space, vaults and a kitchen capable of catering for 175 people.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

40 min

Route

300 m

Adults

€14.00

In summer, hourly every day (from 1 July, 10.30 am–4 pm); in winter, the service is significantly reduced and mainly runs at weekends. bundesbank-bunker.de

The second show cave in the municipality of Sonnenbühl, eight kilometres from the Bärenhöhle and featuring a much greater abundance of stalactites and stalagmites. Here, too, you can explore the cave without a guide; guided tours for groups last around 40 minutes and incur an additional charge.

Adults

€7.00

April to October: daily 10.00–17.30 (last admission 17.00); November to March inclusive: closed as a winter roost for bats. sonnenbuehl-tourismus.de/sonnenbuehl/hoeh…

According to the operator and Wikipedia, the Barbarossa Cave near Rottleben is one of only two anhydrite show caves in the world – the other being the Kungur Ice Cave in the Urals. Instead of stalactites, ‘gypsum flaps’ up to a metre long hang from the ceiling like hides hung out to dry; between them lie crystal-clear lakes in which the entire vault is reflected.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

60 min

Steps

58

Depth

70 m

Route

800 m

Summer season: 1 April to 31 October: Monday to Sunday, first guided tour at 10.00, last guided tour at 17.00. Winter season: 1 November to 31 March: Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays), first guided tour at 10.00, last guided tour at 15.00. barbarossahoehle.de

Saxony’s only cave open to the public, a karst cave in Devonian limestone featuring sinter curtains and pools of clear water. From late April to early November, every guided tour includes a laser show in one of the chambers.

Adults

€11.00

Daily from the end of January to 30 November; May–October 9.30 am–5 pm, winter 10 am–4 pm; closed 1–26 December. Guided tours available at any time for groups of one or more people; waiting times may apply. syrau.de/drachenhoehle

The largest accessible cave in the Western Harz, with a total length of around 700 metres, of which just under 300 metres is a guided trail. For centuries, people dug here in search of ‘unicorn bones’; today it is best known as a site where Neanderthal remains have been found.

Route

300 m

Adults

€12.00

During the summer months, Fri–Sun 11 am–4 pm with guided tours every hour, the last one at 3 pm; also open on public holidays and long weekends. einhornhoehle.de

A preserved section of the alternative headquarters for the federal constitutional bodies – the bunker in which the government and parliament were intended to survive a nuclear war. The rest of the complex was dismantled after 1997.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€15.00

April to October: Wed, Sat, Sun and public holidays, 10.00–16.30; March and November: Sat/Sun at 11.00, 13.00 and 15.00; December to February: Sat/Sun at 12.00 and 14.00. Groups: all year round, Tue–Sun. regbu.de

Discovered in 1971 whilst quarrying and open to the public since 1973. The most famous formation is the ‘Wedding Cake’. There are no steps from the car park to the cave – it is one of the few caves in Germany that can be accessed by wheelchair or pushchair.

Temperature

11 °C

Route

600 m

Adults

€8.00

May to August: daily, 10 am–4 pm; March, April, September and October: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am–4 pm; November to February: Saturdays, Sundays and on many public holidays, 1 pm–4 pm. Guided tours start on the hour, with the last one at 4 pm. buchen.de/tourismus/eberstadter-tropfstei…

The Iberg is a fossilised coral reef dating from the Devonian period, and the cave lies right at its heart. It forms part of the Cave Experience Centre, which also features a replica of the Bronze Age cave grave from Lichtenstein on the surface.

Temperature

8 °C

Steps

100

Adults

€12.00

Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am–5 pm; closed on Mondays; individual visitors do not need to book in advance. hoehlen-erlebnis-zentrum.de

Ore was mined at the Rammelsberg for over a thousand years with almost no interruption – until Preussag ceased operations on 30 June 1988. Four years later, the mine, together with Goslar’s old town, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming Germany’s first industrial monument to be included.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

75 min

Steps

101

Adults

€10.00 (Adults, day ticket for above-ground museum buildings (without a guided tour))

Open daily, closed only on 24 and 31 December. April to October: 9.00 am to 6.00 pm; the last guided tour starts at 4.30 pm. rammelsberg.de

Beneath the arena lies a basement containing the remains of stage machinery and cages for humans and animals; it was uncovered around 1908. During the interactive tour, a gladiator leads the way through the cellars and tunnels.

Adults

€6.00

Open daily all year round; April to September 9 am–6 pm, shorter opening hours in winter; last admission 30 minutes before closing time. Closed on Rose Monday, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. zentrum-der-antike.de/monumente/amphitheater

Germany’s oldest tourist cave, offering guided tours since 1646. The Goethe Hall, the largest chamber, features a permanent open-air stage: it hosts cave theatre performances, concerts and wedding ceremonies – on such days, the guided tours finish earlier.

Duration

50 min

Steps

300

Adults

€10.50

Daily from 9.30 am, guided tours run every 20 minutes as scheduled; reduced opening hours from November, closed on Mondays and for periods of several days. harzer-hoehlen.de

On a sandstone ridge stand the remains of a medieval rock-cut castle and a Prussian fortress dating from 1671. Living quarters, cellars and casemates are hewn directly into the rock; however, the majority of the complex is above ground.

Adults

€4.00

April to October: daily 10 am–6 pm, last admission 5.30 pm; November to March: Tuesday to Sunday 10 am–4 pm. Closed on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and in the event of a storm warning. blankenburg.de/tourismus/kultur/burg-und-…

With 532 metres of accessible passageways, it is the longest show cave in the Swabian Alb. It forms part of the HöhlenErlebnisWelt Giengen; admission to the HöhlenHaus, with its exhibition next door, is free.

Route

532 m

Adults

€7.00

1 April to 31 October; closed from November to March to protect the bats. Tickets go on sale 30 minutes before the first guided tour. hoehlenerlebniswelt.de

At 419 metres long, it is Bremen’s longest building: an unfinished submarine dockyard, on which thousands of forced labourers were made to toil. The circular walk, with 26 stops, covers 1.5 kilometres outdoors, whilst the guided tour also takes visitors inside. A massive above-ground structure, not an underground bunker.

Adults

free; guided tour €7.00

The outdoor area and circular walk are open all year round; guided tours are available as per the programme. denkort-bunker-valentin.de

Not a tourist cave, but a hall carved out of rock: 90 metres deep, up to 18 metres wide, with an entrance 11 metres high – Europe’s largest cave chamber used as an event venue. A venue for fairy-tale weeks, shooting festivals and rock festivals; outside of events, it can only be visited by prior arrangement.

No regular public access. Access is available during events (Balver Höhle Festival, Schützenfest) or by prior arrangement with the St. Sebastian Balve Shooting Club. balver-hoehle.de

The combat tower at Heiligengeistfeld, measuring 75 by 75 metres, was built in 1942 by 1,000 forced labourers in 300 days. The guided tour takes in the stairwell, the backup control room and the ammunition depots, and ends at the roof garden. Everything remains above ground – it is an above-ground bunker, not an underground one.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€20.00

Public guided tours take place on the first Sunday of the month from 11.00 am to 12.30 pm; minimum group size 8; group tours by arrangement. Tickets are available online only via the Hilldegarden Association. hilldegarden.org/bunker-fuehrungen

Discovered in 1868 by railway workers and has been open to the public as a tourist cave ever since. The path is mostly flat; the German Cave Museum is housed in the same building, and you should allow an extra half an hour to visit it.

Temperature

10 °C

Duration

40 min

Steps

64

Route

550 m

Adults

€10.00

All year round; from April to October, five fixed guided tours on weekdays from 10.30 am, and every 40–50 minutes at weekends and during the holidays. In January, February and December, tours are only available at weekends and on public holidays. dechenhoehle.info

Not a tourist attraction, but a memorial site: from 1943 onwards, concentration camp prisoners were forced to assemble rockets in the tunnels at Kohnstein under deadly conditions. The guided tour of the camp grounds takes visitors into the preserved tunnel complex.

Temperature

8 °C

Adults

€7.00 (guided tour including the adit; free access to the grounds and museum)

Grounds and museum: April to October, Tue–Sun 10 am–6 pm; November to March, Tue–Sun 10 am–4 pm; closed on Mondays. Guided tours of the tunnels: April to October, Tue–Sun and on public holidays at 11 am and 2 pm; November to March, Tue–Fri at 11 am, Sat/Sun and on public holidays at 11 am and 2 pm. Advance booking recommended. dora.de

A fossilised coral reef with over 300 passages, designated a National Natural Monument since 2019; since July 2025, it has been connected to the Bismarck Cave and, at around 8.7 kilometres, is the longest cave in North Rhine-Westphalia. No stalactite displays here, but fossils and a labyrinth – alongside a recognised therapeutic tunnel. In addition to the standard tour, there are crawling and dark tours.

Temperature

10 °C

Duration

45 min

Route

1,000 m

Adults

€10.00

Open all year round. Ticket office: Monday 12 noon–4 pm, Tuesday to Sunday 10 am–4 pm. Booking is required for all guided tours; book online. kluterthoehle.de

Not a natural cave, but an 18th-century gypsum mine that stumbled upon a crystal grotto: gypsum crystals up to 90 centimetres long, with a cave lake beneath them. The adit is 110 metres long, and guided tours run every hour.

Route

110 m

Adults

€12.00

1 April to 31 October: daily 10 am–5 pm; 1 November to 31 March: Tue–Sun 10 am–4 pm; guided tours every hour on the hour, with the last tour taking place one hour before closing time. marienglashoehle-friedrichroda.de

A stalactite cave in the Weserbergland region, discovered in 1992 during blasting work at the Riesenberg quarry and not opened to the public until 2004. Visitors descend 45 metres into the depths in a lift with a glass-panelled interior, passing through the rock strata of the Jurassic period.

Temperature

8 °C

Depth

45 m

Route

160 m

Adults

€10.00

Peak season: Easter to October – Sat, Sun and public holidays 10 am–6 pm, and Wed 2 pm–6 pm; during Lower Saxony school holidays also Tue–Thu; November and February/March: Sat and Sun only; December and January: winter break. schillathoehle.de

It is not a historic mine, but the former training facility for the Ruhr mining industry – the tunnels run at ground level into a spoil tip, with the deepest point a good 17 metres below its surface. However, the full range of mining equipment is on display here, some of which is in working order.

Temperature

20 °C

Duration

120 min

Depth

17 m

Adults

from €17.00

All year round, exclusively via the online booking calendar; a guided tour may be cancelled if there are fewer than five bookings. trainingsbergwerk.de

The most famous cave in the Altmühl Valley, and also a Neanderthal site. The guided tour ends with a video projection in the main hall. Dogs are allowed – via a dedicated ‘dog ramp’ next to the stairs.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

30 min

Adults

€8.50

1 April–8 November 2026; 1–30 April and 14 September–8 November, 10.00–16.00, 1 May–13 September, 10 am–4.30 pm. Closed on Mondays outside the Bavarian school holidays; winter closure from 9 November 2026. schulerloch.de

An iron ore tunnel beneath the spa town of Berggießhübel, extending some 400 metres into the mountain and, in places, just 65 centimetres wide. At the end of the tour lies an underground lake, where mulled wine tours take place during Advent.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

90 min

Route

400 m

Adults

€12.00

Tuesday to Sunday, guided tours at scheduled times; booking required, maximum 20 people per tour. marie-louise-stolln.de

A gallery cave: a single, almost level passage that follows the course of a fossilised river. For several years now, visitors have been exploring it on their own as part of a ‘discovery tour’ – following a briefing from the staff, rather than in a group behind a guide.

Temperature

9 °C

Adults

€7.50

Tuesday to Sunday 10 am–5 pm (last admission 4.30 pm), closed on Mondays; 2–8 November 2026 daily, winter closure from 9 November 2026. binghoehle.de

A coastal fortress built between 1869 and 1879, pentagonal in shape, measuring 250 by 150 metres, with a 12-metre-wide moat. The casemates are buried within the rampart – according to the operator, it is the only surviving naval fortress in Germany.

Duration

120 min

Adults

€8.00

No free admission; only a limited number of guided tours are available throughout the year. Bookings must be made via the Kugelbake-Halle ticket office; maximum of 30 participants. nordseeheilbad-cuxhaven.de/entdecken/poi/…

Shortly after the outbreak of the war, an art repository was built in old rock-hewn vaults up to 24 metres below the Kaiserburg. There, Nuremberg’s most significant art treasures survived the bombing raids unscathed – today, the bunker itself is the exhibit.

Duration

60 min

Depth

24 m

Adults

€12.00

Open all year round; admission is by guided tour only; several tours take place daily, with additional evening tours on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are available from the ticket machine at Obere Schmiedgasse 52, at the Tourist Information office on the Hauptmarkt, or online. museen.nuernberg.de/kunstbunker

Coal instead of ore: the ‘Rabenstein-Express’ mine railway travels into the mountain as far as the underground station on the first level; from there, the journey continues on foot through 18th-century mining areas, some of which are cramped and noisy, with compressed-air machinery still in operation.

Temperature

8 °C

Adults

from €17.00

Several tour options (History Tour, Family Adventure Tour, candlelit mine tour, photo tour); dates and prices are available via the online ticket shop; advance booking is recommended. rabensteiner-stollen.de

These are Europe’s largest red sandstone caves, and they were created by human hands: for centuries, moulding sand for foundries was extracted here. What remains are twelve levels of glowing red passages and domed chambers beneath the ruins of Hohenburg Castle.

Temperature

10 °C

Duration

45 min

Steps

130

Route

800 m

Adults

€7.00

Summer 9 am–5 pm, winter 10 am–4 pm; last admission one hour before closing; closed in December and January. Cash only. homburger-schlossberghoehlen.de

One of the few iron ore mines where the descent by rope still takes place in the original machine shaft: down in a cage to the 150-metre level, then onwards by mine railway.

Duration

60 min

Depth

150 m

Adults

€15.00

Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am–4 pm; mine tours are available only at the fixed times listed in the tour schedule; advance booking is recommended. grube-fortuna.de

A stream cave that is still active: water continues to flow through the lower levels to this day, steadily eroding the rock. Around 400 of the approximately 1,850 metres are accessible to visitors. The Bilsteintal Wildlife Park surrounds the cave; it is free to enter and open round the clock.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

30 min

Route

400 m

Adults

€8.50

Every day except 25 December; April to October 9 am–5 pm (last guided tour at 4.30 pm), November to March 10 am–4 pm (last guided tour at 3.30 pm). bilsteintal.de/bilsteinhoehle

A 3,600-square-metre intelligence and command bunker belonging to the East German Stasi, concealed beneath a forest hotel on the Rennsteig. Visits are by guided tour only, lasting around 70 minutes; tickets are available from the hotel reception.

Duration

70 min

Adults

€15.00

April to November: daily 9.30 am–5.30 pm; winter: 9.30 am–4.30 pm; reduced opening hours in the off-season; guided tours on the hour; booking recommended. bunkermuseum-frauenwald.de

A pentagonal Renaissance fortress on the River Elbe, built between 1559 and 1565. All five bastions have casemates; with the exception of the Held bastion, they are once again accessible, whilst the Greif bastion has housed the Biosphere Reserve’s ‘Im Grunde’ exhibition since 2015.

Adults

€5.50

Fortress Courtyard: Wed–Sun and public holidays 10.30 am–3.30 pm; exhibitions: May to September Wed–Sun and public holidays 11 am–3 pm; October to April Wed–Fri 12 noon–3 pm and Sat/Sun/public holidays 11 am–3 pm. Entry to the fortress itself is free; the admission fee covers the exhibitions; guided tours are available by arrangement. doemitz.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/festung-doemitz

A river cave just a five-minute walk from the Baumannshöhle, featuring caverns up to 50 metres high and a sparkling crystal chamber. Germany’s only cave salamanders live in Lake Olmensee – they are most likely to be spotted early in the morning.

Duration

50 min

Adults

€10.50

Daily from 9.30 am, guided tours every 20 minutes; closed from 14 November 2026 until spring 2027. harzer-hoehlen.de

Lead, zinc and silver were mined on the Schauinsland for over 800 years. There are three guided tours to choose from: a 45-minute tour in street clothes, or 1.5-hour and 2.5-hour tours involving descents down ladders to a depth of up to six metres – for which the operator recommends a minimum age of 12.

Temperature

10 °C

Duration

45 min

Adults

€8.00 (45-minute tour), €16.00 (1.5 hours), €24.00 (2.5 hours)

From Easter until early November. 45-minute tour on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; from 1 July to 13 September, daily except Mondays, starting between 11.30 am and 3.30 pm; the longer tours start at 11 am and 2 pm. schauinsland.de/museums-bergwerk

A horizontal cave rich in stalactites and stalagmites, with two passages, managed by the Westerheim Caving Club. The natural entrance is a 24-metre-deep shaft – nowadays, visitors enter via an artificial tunnel. 200 metres further on lies the Steinernes Haus cave, which is open to the public.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

25 min

Route

160 m

1 April to October, daily except Mondays, 9 am–5 pm. schertelshoehle.de

An active stalactite cave below Rabenstein Castle, discovered in 1833 by the castle gardener. The mountain still contains the remains of Ice Age animals, including the skeleton of a cave bear. In the evenings, concerts are held there, along with the light show ‘Sophie at Night’.

Adults

€8.00

Season: 17 April – 8 November 2026, Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays; Guided tours at 10.30 am, 11.30 am, 12.30 pm, 1.30 pm, 3.00 pm, 4.00 pm and 5.00 pm, maximum 20 people. burg-rabenstein.de

An active stream cave in the Schwarzenberg, through which you descend via 180 steps into a narrow, high crevice. Unlike the stalactite and stalagmite caves of Franconian Switzerland, it is an alpine chasm without any calcite formations – but with water that continues to erode the mountain to this day.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

40 min

Steps

180

Route

300 m

Adults

€8.00

Summer season: 14 May to 8 November 2026, daily, with guided tours every hour from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm; in winter: Thursday to Sunday (daily during the Bavarian school holidays) from 11 am to 4 pm. hoernerdoerfer.de/sturmannshoehle-obermai…

Germany’s highest show cave, just a few minutes’ walk from the top station of the rack railway at 1,711 metres. You enter without a guide, put two euros into the ticket machine and climb 82 steps down into a cave where snow lingers even in summer.

Temperature

3 °C

Duration

45 min

Steps

82

Route

170 m

Adults

€2.00

Roughly from May to November, weather permitting; access is only via the Wendelstein rack railway or cable car. wendelsteinbahn.de/wendelstein-hoehle

A former iron ore adit on the Braunenberg, into which a mine railway takes visitors. At the same adit is a therapeutic adit with its own scheduled times for respiratory therapy. The 40th season will run in 2026.

Temperature

11 °C

Adults

€13.00

Season opens 14 March 2026; the visitor mine is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9.30 am to 4 pm. Therapeutic tunnel: Wednesdays to Saturdays 8.10 am–10.10 am and 5 pm–7 pm; Sundays 8.10 am–10.10 am. bergwerk-aalen.de

Beneath the town hall on the market square lies one of Germany’s oldest wine cellars. The short ‘Keller Kieken’ guided tour takes you through the vaults for an hour; the more expensive options are more like wine tastings with a view of the cellar than actual cellar tours.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€15.00 (“Keller Kieken”)

All year round, with ‘Keller Kieken’ several times a day. The meeting point is the municipal wine shop at the rear of the town hall, Schoppensteel 1; please book in advance, particularly at weekends and during Advent. ratskeller.de/kellerfuehrungen-buchen/ueb…

One of the oldest stalactite caves in Germany. The largest stalagmite is listed in the Guinness Book of Records: over four metres high, over two metres thick at the base, and estimated to be 135,000 years old. The cave has been surveyed to a length of 2,185 metres, of which 360 metres are open to visitors. Since 2022, the cave has been open to visitors without a guide.

Route

360 m

Adults

€7.00

29 March to 1 November 2026, every Saturday, Sunday and public holiday, 10.00–16.00 (last admission 15.30); also on weekdays during school holidays. gemeinde-hasel.de/startseite/freizeit+_+t…

One of the six World Heritage caves in the ‘Caves and Ice Age Art of the Swabian Alb’ site, and the only one of them that visitors will actually be able to enter in 2026. The Venus of Hohle Fels and a bone flute were discovered in the 500-square-metre chamber in 2008. Visitors enter on their own; guided tours are also available.

Temperature

8 °C

Adults

€4.50

1 May to 31 October: Fridays 2 pm–5 pm, Saturdays and Sundays 11 am–5 pm; during the summer holidays, also Wednesdays and Thursdays. Public guided tour on Saturdays at 11.45 am; additional charge of €7.00. museum-schelklingen.de/hohle-fels/oeffnun…

The oldest coal mine in the Ruhr region, located in the Muttental valley. Wearing a hard hat, you’ll make your way through the low-ceilinged passages of the 130-metre-long Nachtigallstollen to a real coal seam – a maximum of ten people per tour, so be sure to arrive early.

Route

130 m

Adults

€6.00 for the museum + €3.00 for the mine tour

Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays, 10 am–6 pm. Guided tours of the tunnels: April to October, weekdays at 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm and 4.30 pm; at weekends, every hour from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm; less frequently in winter. zeche-nachtigall.lwl.org

Discovered in 1860, this 1,500-metre network of passages lies in the Bergisches Land. A flight of 26 steps leads down some seven metres into the entrance hall; the colours of the sinter range from white to bright red. Wedding ceremonies are held at a depth of 30 metres.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

45 min

Steps

26

Adults

€6.50

1 March to mid-November, daily 10 am–5 pm; last guided tour at 4.15 pm. Closed from mid-November to the end of February. wiehl.de/tourismus/sehenswuerdigkeiten/tr…

A 160-metre-long mining tunnel in the Bochum Fault, wide enough for lorries, now serves as an exhibition space showcasing 400 million years of Earth’s history. Unlike most underground sites, you can walk through it here without a guided tour.

Temperature

16 °C

Route

160 m

Adults

€7.00

Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am–6 pm; closed on Mondays; closed for the winter from late October to early April. zeittunnel.com

A four-tube air-raid shelter dating from 1940/41, situated around five metres below ground and refurbished with reconstructed furnishings to show how 200 people used to spend their nights here. Small, run by volunteers and open only on Thursdays.

Depth

5 m

Adults

€3.00

Thursdays only, 10 am–12 noon and 3 pm–6 pm; last admission at 5.15 pm; closed on public holidays. Guided tours lasting over an hour are available by arrangement, including in English. hh-hamm.de/home/bunkermuseum

This was first the headquarters of the Army High Command, and later the Soviet High Command in Germany. The standard tour takes visitors to the ‘Zeppelin’ communications bunker and to the blown-up remains of the Maybach I bunker complex.

Temperature

10 °C

Duration

90 min

Adults

€14.00

Tour 1: all year round: Tue–Fri 2 pm, Sat/Sun and public holidays 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm (May to September) or 12 noon and 2 pm (October to April). Meeting point: Haus Oskar, Zehrensdorfer Straße 12. buecherstadt.com/de/bunker

The Renaissance casemates beneath the Brühlsche Terrasse are the only major underground site in Dresden that is regularly open to the public. Today, a show featuring 360-degree projections is taking place there; visitors explore the site with an audio guide, rather than in a group.

Duration

70 min

Adults

€12.00

Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am–6 pm, last admission at 4.30 pm; Mondays only during the Saxon school holidays. festung-xperience.de

Part of the Perick cave system, which stretches for over three kilometres; around 300 metres of it has been made accessible. The cave is famous for its Ice Age bone finds – a complete, 2.35-metre-long cave bear skeleton stands in the passage. Guided tours are led by volunteer speleologists.

Duration

40 min

Route

300 m

Adults

€6.00

From the end of March to 31 October: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 11.00–17.00 (last guided tour); additionally on selected weekdays during the NRW school holidays; in November: Sundays, 12.00–16.00; from December to March: groups of 12 or more only, by arrangement. hiz-hemer.de

Caves carved into the sandstone, in which families lived right up until the 20th century. Open to the public; guided tours are available on Thursdays.

Adults

free; guided tour €5.00

April to September: daily 10 am–6 pm; October to March: 10 am–4 pm; guided tour on Thursdays at 2 pm – no booking required. halberstadt.de/de/hoehlen-wohnungen-lange…

One of the few caves in North Rhine-Westphalia that can be entered without a guided tour and without paying an entrance fee: two large chambers in the Kartstein tufa, which have been used since the Palaeolithic period. Access is restricted to before dusk due to the bats.

Adults

free

Open to the public all year round, but entry is only permitted until dusk. The café by the car park is open from April to September, Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am–6 pm, and from October to March, Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am–5 pm. mechernich.de/tourismus-und-freizeit/die-…

A natural monument on the southern edge of the Alb, looked after by the Kolbingen branch of the Albverein. Of the 330-metre total length, 88 metres have been developed; the walk takes about a quarter of an hour longer than the route suggests.

Duration

25 min

Route

88 m

Adults

€3.50 (aged 16 and over)

From Good Friday until the last Sunday in October, at weekends and on public holidays: Saturdays 1.00 pm–5.00 pm, Sundays and public holidays 10.00 am–5.00 pm. On weekdays, by appointment only, to be made at least one week in advance. albverein-kolbingen.de

Germany’s only crystal cave: instead of stalactites, calcite crystals cover the walls of a dome over 30 metres high. 456 steps lead down to a depth of 70 metres – no walk in the park, but the deepest tourist cave in Hesse.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

45 min

Steps

456

Depth

70 m

Adults

€12.00

28 March to 29 November 2026; Tue–Fri 3 pm–5 pm, Sat/Sun and Hessian public holidays 10 am–5 pm, during Hessian school holidays Mon–Fri 1 pm–5 pm; Guided tours every 30 to 45 minutes. kubacherkristallhoehle.de

You don’t walk in here: the mine railway takes visitors 1.5 kilometres into the mountain in eight minutes, where lead and zinc were mined until 1974. The underground tour lasts around an hour, with temperatures of 8 to 10 degrees and high humidity.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€11.00

Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays, 9 am–5 pm; closed on Mondays. Mine train departs at 10.00 am, 11.30 am, 1.00 pm, 2.30 pm and 4.00 pm; booking recommended. sauerlaender-besucherbergwerk.de

Beneath the salt works building lie the historic brine springs: vaulted tunnels with huge water wheels and the Karl-Theodor pump. 270 steps over a distance of around 400 metres, at a constant temperature of 12 °C all year round – pushchairs and baby carriers must be left at the top.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

60 min

Steps

270

Route

400 m

Adults

€15.00

All year round: 30 March–31 October, daily 10 am–4 pm; 2 November–29 March, Tuesday to Sunday 10 am–3 pm (closed on Mondays). Closed on 1 January, Shrove Tuesday, Good Friday, 1 November, 9–21 November, and 24, 25 and 31 December. alte-saline.de

Thuringia’s oldest show cave, developed from 1802 onwards in the Romantic style as an underground landscape garden, featuring a cave dome, a stream and a cave lake. Of its total length of around two kilometres, 280 metres are open to the public.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

90 min

Route

280 m

Adults

€15.00

Guided tours take place from Tuesday to Sunday at 12.30, 14 and 15.30; tickets are available online only or from the Bad Liebenstein Tourist Information Centre; late entry is not permitted. bad-liebenstein.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/al…

Two-storey command post of the 41st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, built between 1982 and 1986: 1,600 square metres, over 60 rooms. The association is gradually restoring the facility. The admission fee is donated to the animal welfare society, on whose grounds the entrance is located.

Temperature

12–14 °C

Duration

120 min

Adults

€10.00 (unit price only shown)

There are roughly two sessions a month at 1 pm and 4 pm; the sessions up to early December 2026 are fully booked, but 26 December 2026 is still available. bunker-ladeburg.de

Agate, amethyst, rock crystal and smoky quartz are found here in the exposed rock – according to the operator, this is the only gemstone mine in Europe open to the public. Mining ceased from 1875 onwards, when Brazilian raw materials became cheaper.

Route

400 m

Adults

€9.00

15 March to 15 November, daily 10 am–5 pm, last guided tour at 4 pm; booking required. Closed in winter. weiherschleife-steinkaulenbergwerk.de

A naval bunker dating from 1943/44, three storeys high, with walls over two metres thick and a ceiling nearly four metres high. The shell of the building, with its efflorescence and rust stains, has been deliberately left in its original state; a steel staircase leads through the ceiling to a platform overlooking the fjord.

Adults

€4.00

Open daily all year round from 10 am to 5 pm; guided tour at 11.30 am on Sundays. mahnmalkilian.de

Discovered in 1895, when a shepherd followed a fox into the mountain. Recently, visitors have been able to explore it at their own pace, guided by an audio guide available in eight languages; parts of the cave are also accessible to wheelchair users by prior arrangement. Dogs are allowed.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

45 min

Route

270 m

Adults

€8.00

Season 1 April–31 October 2026: Wednesday to Friday 11 am–4 pm (last admission 3 pm), Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10 am–5 pm (last admission 4 pm). Closed on Mondays, and also on Tuesdays outside the Bavarian school holidays. erlebniswelt-velburg.de

An ancient tuff quarry dating from the time of Constantine, now completely covered: you walk through original Roman tunnels and can see the marks left by quarrying on the walls. There is also a workshop area featuring replicas of Roman machinery.

Adults

€7.00

15 March to 31 October, Tue–Sun and public holidays 10 am–5 pm, closed on Mondays; groups welcome all year round by arrangement. roemerbergwerk.de

The operator describes it as Germany’s oldest show cave. Visits are by group only; guided tours start on the hour; the tour lasts around half an hour.

Duration

30 min

Adults

€5.00

1 May to 1 November; Saturdays 2 pm–5 pm, Sundays and public holidays 10 am–5 pm; from 25 July to 30 August, also Tuesdays to Fridays 1 pm–4 pm. Closed in winter to protect the bats. sontheimer-hoehle.de

The only coal visitor mine in the Saarland, housed in the original Velsen training mine. A special feature of the guided tour is the ride on the conveyor belt underground.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€15.00

Public guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm; a night-time tour (for visitors aged 10 and over) every third Sunday of the month at 10 am; groups by arrangement daily from 9 am to 5 pm. erlebnisbergwerkvelsen.de

Not a eroded karst cave, but a fissure: the Dietrichsberg is slowly sliding down towards the Werra, creating chasms up to 50 metres high in the process. The path winds its way through four parallel crevices across three levels.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

50 min

Route

420 m

Adults

€9.00

Guided tours: Thursday and Friday at 4 pm and 5 pm; Saturday and Sunday at 11 am, 12.30 pm, 2 pm and 3.30 pm; tickets available only at the venue, no advance sales; other times available on request. goetzhoehle.com

A silver mine since 1521 and, at times, the deepest mine in the world. The winding machine from 1837, which the miners used to transport goods in and out, has been preserved; it is still in operation today and powers a hydroelectric station.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

60 min

Adults

€12.00

17 March to 31 October: open daily, guided tours at 11.00 and 14.30; 1 November to 7 December: closed for the annual break, then open with restricted hours. grube-samson.de

The Barbarastollen tunnel runs for over 600 metres into the Silberberg mountain to the ‘Großer Barbaraverhau’, a huge mining chamber. At 5 °C, it is the coldest destination on this list – a jacket isn’t just recommended, it’s essential.

Temperature

5 °C

Duration

45 min

Route

600 m

Adults

€10.50

From 28 March 2026, daily from 10.00 to 16.00 (last guided tour at 16.00); closed from 9 November to 21 December 2026, except for special events, followed by reduced winter opening hours. silberberg-online.de

A gypsum karst cave with underground lakes, 2 kilometres long, of which 700 metres are open to the public; the guided tour route crosses the border into Thuringia. In 1944–45, the cave was used as an armaments factory employing concentration camp prisoners – the memorial in the ‘Kleiner Dom’ is included in the guided tour.

Temperature

8 °C

Route

700 m

Adults

€9.00

Information Centre: Tue–Sun 10 am–5 pm, closed on Mondays, open on public holidays; guided tours at 10 am, 12 noon, 2 pm and 4 pm, the last one by appointment only. gemeinde-suedharz.de/schauhoehle-heimkehle

Not a horizontal cave, but a shaft: you descend 55 metres down a flight of iron steps and then climb back up again. The operator describes it as Germany’s only accessible shaft cave. Five audio points provide information along the way, and there is also a speleological museum.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

45 min

Depth

55 m

Route

330 m

Adults

€6.00

From Palm Sunday until the beginning of November, daily from 10 am to 6 pm (last admission at 5.30 pm). tiefenhoehle.de

Over 1,200 metres of cave passages, including the ‘Eisberg’ – Germany’s largest stalagmite. The cave is run by the neighbouring inn, so guided tours are few and far between: essentially only at weekends.

Adults

€6.00

1 April to 31 October, Saturdays (guided tours at 11 am, 12 noon, 2 pm, 3 pm and 4 pm) and on Sundays and public holidays hourly from 10 am to 5 pm; in August, also Wednesday to Friday. Closed in winter as a bat roost. maxi.grottenhof.de

A passage cave over 60 metres long in the ‘Hohlen Berg’ above Muggendorf – you enter at one end and come out at the other. Not a tourist cave: no lighting, no staff; please bring your own torch and sturdy footwear.

Route

60 m

Open to the public all year round; between October and April, you should avoid caves due to hibernating bats. die-fraenkische-schweiz.com/GESUNDWANDERN…

Despite its name, this is not a natural cave, but a medieval mining tunnel some 18 metres long in the Poppenwald forest above the Zwickauer Mulde. It is said that Prince Ernst of Saxony was held captive here in 1455 during the ‘Altenburg Prince Abduction’; the tunnel is open to the public but is unlit.

Route

18 m

Open to the public all year round and unlit; access is via a stony, secured path from the ‘Zur Prinzenhöhle’ forest lodge or via a 4.5 km hiking trail from the Hartenstein castle ruins. stadt-hartenstein.de/tourismus-freizeit/a…

Discovered in 1888 during barite mining; a tourist cave since 1896. The entrance is via the old adit; there are 188 steps between the entrance and the stalactites.

Temperature

11 °C

Duration

45 min

Steps

188

Adults

€9.00

1 April to 31 October, Thu–Sun 10.45 am–5 pm, guided tours every hour on the hour, last tour at 4 pm; closed in winter as bats hibernate there. ruhla.de/tourismus/tropfsteinhoehle.html

Old iron ore mine at the Ochsenkopf, 8 to 9 °C all year round. You cannot explore this on your own: entry is by guided tour only; a helmet is provided, and sturdy footwear is essential.

Adults

€10.00

Daily from the Easter holidays until the end of the autumn holidays, with guided tours at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm; Winter closures: 7 January–13 February, 23 February–29 March and 9 November–26 December 2026; open during the Christmas holidays in between. besucherbergwerk-fichtelberg.de

A historic tin mine at Schneckenstein, the most famous topaz site in Central Europe. Guided tours run every two hours; individual visitors do not need to book in advance.

Adults

€4.50

Guided tours take place from Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays at 10.00, 11.30, 13.00 and 14.30; closed on Mondays. schneckenstein.de

The silver and fluorspar mine in the Münster Valley, now an underground museum. As well as the standard guided tour, there is a treasure hunt for children.

Adults

€8.00

1 April to 31 October. besuchsbergwerk-teufelsgrund.de

An elevated bunker dating from 1941–42, with reinforced concrete walls 1.40 metres thick, six storeys and a basement. Its 26 rooms explore the themes of persecution, the air war, forced labour and reconstruction. Above ground, but windowless inside.

Adults

€6.00

1 May to 1 November 2026, Tue–Fri 11 am–1 pm and 2 pm–5 pm, Sat/Sun 2 pm–5 pm, closed on Mondays. bunkermuseum.de

The original shelters of the ‘Knappenbunker’ beneath the Alte Heid Community Centre, alongside an exhibition on the air war over Oberhausen. The event is organised by the city’s Memorial Hall; admission and guided tours are free of charge.

Adults

free

Wednesdays and Sundays, 11 am–6 pm; closed on public holidays; additional public guided tours on 21 October, 11 November and 9 December 2026 at 6 pm – booking required. bunkermuseum-oberhausen.de

An old slate mine, where mining took place from 1866 to 1927 and where, today, you can simply sit and breathe: 8 degrees, almost 100 per cent humidity, no guided tour, no mining programme. You go in on your own and stay as long as you like.

Temperature

8 °C

Adults

€7.50

Open daily all year round from 8 am to 6 pm; last admission at 5.30 pm. stollen-nordenau.de

Discovered in 1584 when a cow fell into a sinkhole; it has only been accessible since Polish miners drove a 54-metre-long access tunnel between 1905 and 1908. On Friday evenings, sensory tours are held using only torches and UV lights.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

60 min

Depth

34 m

Adults

€5.00

20 April to 30 September; Fridays 11am–5pm, Saturdays 11am–6pm, Sundays and public holidays 10am–6pm. Closed from October to April due to hibernating bats. gvv-steinau.de/tourismus/tropfsteinhoehle…

At 6 to 8 degrees, it is the coldest of the Bergisch show caves – a warm jacket is essential. Guided tours are held in small groups of no more than 20 people; on Sundays, the tour ends with a musical performance in the cave chamber.

Duration

45 min

Adults

€6.00

1 April to 1 November, Thursday to Sunday and on public holidays; guided tours at 10.00, 11.15, 12.30, 13.45, 15.00 and 16.15, minimum of two participants. aggertalhoehle.de

Two original floor sections dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, with oak timberwork, and above ground a wheel house housing a 9.50-metre-wide waterwheel. The guided tour lasts up to two hours, making it one of the longest in the Harz Mountains.

Adults

€12.00

1 February to 31 October: Wed–Sun 9.30 am–4 pm, guided tours at 10 am, 12 noon and 2 pm; November to January: closed for the winter. No card payments accepted. grube-glasebach.de

The former Wohlverwahrt iron ore mine in the Weser Mountains, open to visitors since 1988. The mine railway takes visitors to the main attractions, including the underground lake known as the ‘Blue Lagoon’. The museum building is closed for renovation, but the mine tours continue as normal.

Adults

€11.00

March to October: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and on public holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia; entry at 11.30 am, 1.00 pm and 2.30 pm. November to February: Saturdays and Sundays only. The museum building is closed for renovation; 60 places per session; advance booking recommended. bergwerk-kleinenbremen.de

Two slate quarries, one above the other, connected by a 100-metre-long stairwell. Roofing slate was quarried here right up until the 20th century; at the top, the quarry trail passes ten further quarries.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

60 min

Adults

€10.00

1 April to 31 October, Tue–Sun and public holidays, 10 am–6 pm; guided tours run approximately every 45 minutes without prior booking, with the first tours between 10.30 am and 11 am and the last at 4.50 pm. bergwerk-fell.de

A combat tower dating from 1943, measuring 57 by 57 metres; left in ruins for sixty years following the British demolition of its interior in 1947; today a thermal storage facility and power station. The guided tour takes you through the exhibition, the energy centre and up to the terrace at a height of 30 metres – it’s a high-rise bunker, so you go up, not down.

Adults

free

Public guided tours every Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm; meet in front of the coffee roastery on the 8th floor; no booking required; on 24 October 2026, tours will take place at 1 pm and 2 pm only. Exclusive guided tours on weekdays for groups of 5 or more, by booking. hamburger-energiewerke.de/ueber-uns/unser…

The museum is housed in the Haseschacht building at the Piesberg coal mine. A lift takes visitors 30 metres down into the Hasestollen tunnel, which was first excavated in 1853; around 300 metres of it are accessible to the public, and bats hibernate there at a temperature of 11 degrees.

Temperature

11 °C

Depth

30 m

Route

300 m

Adults

€7.50

Tuesday 10am–2pm, Wednesday to Friday 10am–5pm, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10am–6pm; closed on Mondays. There are also ‘Helmet and Lamp’ guided tours of the tunnels on selected Sundays. mik-osnabrueck.de

Not a karst cave, but a tuff cave – formed because calcareous spring water built up the rock from the outside rather than dissolving it from within. Managed by the Schwäbischer Albverein Honau, open on selected days.

Duration

25 min

Route

120 m

Adults

€3.50

April to October: usually on the first Sunday of the month and on selected public holidays, 11.00–17.00, last guided tour at 16.30; special guided tours by arrangement. olgahoehle.de

Discovered as recently as 1993, it is one of Germany’s newest show caves. At its heart lies the Knöpfchenhalle: around 120 metres long, 22 metres wide and 32 metres high, with walkways made of GRP rather than concrete.

Steps

124

Adults

€11.00

April to October: Saturdays, Sundays and on public holidays in Hesse, 11 am–6 pm; guided tours start on the hour, with the last tour at 5 pm; different opening times in November and December. schauhoehle-breitscheid.de

A natural, unsealed cave 200 metres from the Schertelshöhle: through a vaulted entrance into a chamber 35 metres long and 8 metres high. Because the cave slopes uphill, cold air settles at the bottom – in winter, hundreds of icicles hang here. No lighting, no staff; you’ll need your own torch.

Route

55 m

Unlocked all year round, but: From 1 October to 31 March, access by vehicle is strictly prohibited as bats hibernate here (Section 39 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act). westerheim.de/freizeit-tourismus/sehenswu…

An active stream cave on the Upper Rhine with a waterfall inside that is up to five metres high. A helmet is compulsory, as are sturdy shoes; the cave remains closed during periods of high water. Of the approximately 1,600 metres that have been explored, over 500 are open to visitors.

Temperature

10 °C

Duration

40 min

Route

500 m

Adults

€6.00

Sundays and public holidays 10 am–2 pm, last admission at 1.15 pm; guided tours at 10 am, 11 am, 12 noon and 1 pm. Booking recommended; cash only. tourismus-rheinfelden.de/tschamberhoehle

Beneath the Baroque city fortress overlooking the Cathedral Square lie the listening galleries: narrow passages where the garrison would listen out for any attackers tunnelling their way up from below. The temperature remains between 10 and 15 °C all year round; there are many steps and the ground is uneven – access is by guided tour only.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€9.00

‘Mysterious Paths’ guided tour, including audio walks: daily at 11.00 and 14.00 from April to December; daily at 14.00 from January to March; with an additional 11.00 tour on Saturdays, Sundays and during the Thuringian school holidays. In the evenings, there is also a torch-lit tour at 5.30 pm (€14.00/€9.00, approx. 1.5 hours); from January to March, this is available only on Fridays, Saturdays and during the holidays. petersberg-erfurt.de/fuehrungen/geheimnis…

A former fluorspar mine in the southern Black Forest, run by the Miners’ Association. Visitors travel into the tunnels on the mine railway – the ‘Zügli’ – and admission includes entry to the Mining and Geology Information Centre.

Adults

€12.00

May to October: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, guided tours at 10 am, 12 noon, 2 pm and 4 pm; July to September: also on Wednesdays. finstergrund.de

The original mine railway travels some 800 metres into the depths of the Bindweider Tunnel – the very same route that the miners used to take to get to their shifts. The main mineral mined here was iron pyrite.

Temperature

10 °C

Duration

75 min

Adults

€15.00

April to October: Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 1 pm–4 pm; closed from November to March. Advance booking is recommended, otherwise a seat on the mine railway cannot be guaranteed. bindweide.de

A silver mine in the Wolftal valley, where the vein minerals are still largely as the miners left them. The discovery tour takes you about one kilometre into the mine; the company provides boots, a jacket, a helmet and a lamp.

Duration

90 min

Route

1,000 m

Adults

€11.00

29 March to 1 November 2026, Tuesdays to Sundays; discovery tours at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. During school holidays in Baden-Württemberg and on public holidays, open daily from Monday to Sunday. grube-wenzel.de

The only mercury mine in Western Europe to have been converted into a visitor attraction. In Lemberg, above the River Nahe, around 700 metres of a medieval tunnel system – which is 15 kilometres long in total – are open to the public.

Route

700 m

Adults

€8.00

28 March to 1 November 2026, Wed–Sun and by appointment; first guided tour at 10.30 am, followed by tours approximately every 1–1.5 hours for groups of three or more. Closed in winter. naheland.net/de/erleben/erlebnisse/edelst…

A silver mine with around 800 years of mining history. The guided tour takes you down three levels, through narrow tunnels and up and down stairs; a miner’s helmet, lamp and protective clothing are provided. Groups are limited to a maximum of 15 people.

Duration

90 min

1 April to 1 November: daily except Mondays and Tuesdays at 11.30 am and 1.30 pm; from November to March, guided tours are available on request, including for very small groups. info.haslach.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/besuc…

A cave complex comprising grottos, sinkholes and side chambers surrounding a large doline, named after the Reverend Esper, one of the founders of Franconian speleology. Important: The cave is closed to visitors from 1 October to 1 April; only the outdoor area remains open.

No access from 1 October to 1 April; the outdoor area is open all year round. fraenkische-schweiz.com/detail/id=5f57736…

Beer cellars hewn four storeys deep into the Burgberg – the largest labyrinth of rock cellars in southern Germany, with a temperature of 8 to 10 °C all year round. During the war, these same passageways served as air-raid shelters. Stairs and uneven floors: not suitable for people with walking difficulties.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€13.00

All year round; Monday to Friday every hour from 11.00 to 17.00, Saturday and Sunday from 11.00 to 17.30. Maximum of 20 people per guided tour. historische-felsengaenge.de

Not a World War bunker, but a Cold War one: a civil defence bunker completed in 1969 beneath the main railway station, with 2,702 shelter places spread over more than 2,700 square metres – the city’s largest refurbished post-war underground bunker.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

100 min

Adults

€12.00

Guided tours at 11.30 and 14.30; meet on the forecourt of the main railway station on the Steintorwall/Spitalerstraße side; please arrive about 10 minutes beforehand. hamburgerunterwelten.de/tiefbunker-hauptb…

Three surviving Westwall bunkers in the Otterbach section, several storeys deep. The temperature remains at ten degrees even in the height of summer.

Temperature

10 °C

Adults

€4.00 (aged 14 and over)

Every second and fourth Sunday from Good Friday, as well as on public holidays, 11 am–5 pm; the last day open in 2026 is 25 October, after which there will be a winter break. otterbachabschnitt.de

Limestone and silver mining in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the history of the forced-labour camp that the Organisation Todt established here in 1944 to house an underground petrol factory. The powder chamber, 60 metres underground, is available to hire for concerts.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

80 min

Adults

€10.00

April to December: Sundays and public holidays at 1.30 pm; groups of 8 or more all year round by arrangement; no guided tours on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December; admission from 6 years of age. klipphausen.de/freizeit-tourismus/kalkber…

A beer cellar hewn into the rock beneath the castle church, into which the last German experimental reactor was moved in 1945. Today, it houses a faithful reconstruction of the reactor, along with Heisenberg’s and Hahn’s equipment and documents. Not a tourist mine, but a site dedicated to technology and contemporary history.

Adults

€4.00

May to September, and during the Easter and autumn holidays: Monday to Saturday 10 am–12 noon and 2 pm–5 pm; Sundays and public holidays 10 am–5 pm; In March, April, October and November, Saturdays 10 am–12 noon and 2 pm–5 pm; Sundays and public holidays 10 am–5 pm; closed from 1 December to 28 February. haigerloch.de/Atomkeller

An iron and manganese ore mine around 1900. Under UV light, the minerals in the tunnels glow – which is why the short guided tour is well worth a visit, even for children.

Duration

35 min

1 April to 31 October, Wed–Sun 10 am–5 pm; guided tours start on the hour, with the last one at 4 pm; during the winter months, by prior arrangement only. museumwilhelmsburg.de/museen/besucherberg…

Former silver mine in the Lamer Winkel, with a temperature of 8 to 10 °C all year round. A maximum of 20 people per guided tour, and payment is by cash only – cards do not work underground.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€9.00

8 June – 31 October 2026: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; daily during the Bavarian school holidays; guided tours at 10.30 am, 12.00 pm and 1.30 pm. bergwerk-fuerstenzeche.de

Initially copper slate in seams just 37 centimetres thick; from 1897, barite from a hydrothermally filled fissure. The tour also covers the mining accident of 1957 – one of the first rescues using a rescue sledge, following the example set at the Dahlbusch colliery.

Temperature

10 °C

Duration

60 min

Depth

88 m

Adults

€9.00

Early April to late October; in spring and autumn, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1.30 pm and 3 pm; in July and August, Tuesdays to Fridays and Sundays at 1.30 pm and 3 pm, with an additional showing at 11.30 am on Saturdays. Winter break from November to March. grube-gustav.de

300 years of copper, silver and iron ore mining: The guided tour takes you down to the first level, and, if you wish, on the original mine train, which can carry just 16 people.

Duration

105 min

Adults

€14.00 (€17.00 including the mine railway)

May to October: Mon–Thu at 10 am, 1 pm and 3 pm; Sat and public holidays at 1 pm and 3 pm; Sun at 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm; in winter, daily at 2 pm. Closed on Fridays all year round. besucherbergwerk-kamsdorf.de

Hard coal in the Deister: A 600-millimetre-gauge mine railway runs for just over a kilometre into the Klosterstollen adit, which was first sunk in 1856. Coal was mined here until 1921, after which the adit was used for ventilation until the colliery closed in 1957.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

90 min

Route

1,380 m

Adults

€17.50

Regular guided tours take place on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 3 pm, by prior booking only; children aged 6 and over. besucherbergwerk-barsinghausen.de

Fort Oberer Kuhberg was built around 1850 as part of the Ulm federal fortress. From November 1933 to July 1935, the Nazi regime operated the concentration camp for Württemberg here; around 600 men were imprisoned there, including Kurt Schumacher. Among the features open to visitors are the underground prisoner quarters and the special detention cells.

Adults

€5.00

For individual visitors, Sundays only, 2 pm–5 pm. A 60-minute guided tour takes place at 2.30 pm; on the first Sunday of the month, this is replaced by a 90-minute themed tour. In addition, visitors can explore the museum using media guide tablets from 2 pm to 3.30 pm. Payment by cash only. dzok-ulm.de/gedenkstaette/besucherinformation

In the Karl Liebknecht Shaft – formerly the Empress Augusta Shaft – a 400-metre-long exhibition mine takes visitors on a journey through Saxony’s coal-mining history. It is a reconstruction, not the actual historic mining site itself; however, the machinery is in operation there, and at the end of the tour, Saxony’s largest surviving steam-powered hoisting engine is demonstrated.

Route

400 m

Adults

€17.00 (exhibition including the mine)

Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am–5 pm; closed on Mondays; mine tours at 11 am and 2.30 pm. Closed for holidays during calendar weeks 2 to 4. kohlewelt.de

Saxony’s oldest show mine, which will be 2026 years old. A descent of 80 metres via over 250 steps leads to two marble halls and shimmering green lakes; children as young as four are welcome here.

Steps

250

Depth

80 m

Adults

€8.00

Tuesday to Sunday, guided tours at 1.00 pm, 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm, and by appointment. schaubergwerk-waschleithe.de

Open-top mine railway wagons take visitors some 360 metres into the ‘Volle Rose’ adit, where fluorspar was mined until 1991. Above ground, on the same site, a historic narrow-gauge railway runs through the Schortetal valley – both attractions can be booked separately or as a combined ticket.

Temperature

10 °C

Duration

30 min

Route

360 m

Adults

€11.00

April to October: daily 10 am–6 pm, last entry at 5.30 pm; tours depart every half hour and on the hour, with a maximum of 16 places; booking recommended. schorte.com/schaubergwerk-volle-rose

Take the mine lift 150 metres down into the Himmelfahrt Fundgrube, the TU Bergakademie’s educational and research mine. There are four tours lasting between one and 2.5 hours; booking is essential – and the mine is closed from Sunday to Tuesday.

Duration

60 min

Depth

150 m

Adults

€18.00

Open only from Wednesday to Saturday; closed on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and public holidays. Visits by prior booking only. silberbergwerk-freiberg.de

Handover in 1984 at an old gravel pit on Lake Seddin: the bunker from which the GDR’s foreign intelligence service was supposed to continue operating in the event of a crisis. It is a 400-metre walk from the assembly point; inside the building, one has to use the stairs, and there are no toilets.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

90 min

Adults

€15.00

Only on six days a year: 16–18 October and 27–29 November 2026. Book via the operator’s form; special guided tours available on request. bunker-doku.de/ausweichfuehrungsstelle-hv-a

A multi-storey Cold War-era facility, handed over in 1970 as the Frankfurt Sector Command Post: capable of self-sufficiency for around 30 days for some 90 people, with its own water and electricity supplies. A piece of graffiti from the peace movement dating from 1985 has been preserved.

Duration

90 min

Guided tours are available on Saturdays only, by prior arrangement; as of September 2026, no dates had been published. Please contact the association for prices. bunker-ilbenstadt.de

Two bunkers in one: a Wehrmacht signals bunker dating from 1943 and the central command post of the NVA Air Force from the 1970s. A real-time demonstration of airspace surveillance is given in the command room.

Temperature

10–13 °C

Duration

150 min

Adults

€22.00

All year round except January, Saturdays at 10.00 am; in July and August, also on Wednesdays; booking is essential, as some dates are fully booked. bunkermuseum-fuchsbau.de

Constructed in 1794 as a tunnel for a ducal brewery, twelve metres beneath the park on the banks of the Ilm. Towards the end of the war, part of it was converted into an air-raid shelter – today it houses the museum galleries, featuring fossilised ceiling deposits and an earthquake monitor.

Duration

35 min

Depth

12 m

Adults

€7.00

Wednesday to Monday, closed on Tuesdays; 10 am–4 pm in winter, 10 am–6 pm in summer. Guided tours of the tunnels take place every hour on the hour, for groups of 4 or more and no more than 10 people. klassik-stiftung.de/parkhoehle

The only one of the 32 B-bunkers on the Westwall to have survived the war and the demolitions unscathed: 44 rooms, all with their original armoured domes. Only the entrance and the domes are visible above ground; the rest lies underground.

April to September: Sundays and public holidays, 2 pm–6 pm; guided tours by arrangement. The city does not specify an admission price. merzig.de/tourismus-kultur/sehenswuerdigk…

A small ore mine on the edge of the Black Forest National Park, run by volunteers. It is not open every day: during the school holidays, there is one fixed opening day per week; at other times, the association organises guided tours for groups by appointment.

Adults

€5.00 (aged 12 and over)

Once a week during the holidays, subject to booking; groups all year round, subject to prior booking. No booking required on open days (Whit Monday and the second Sunday in August); Mine Festival on 9 August 2026, 11.00–17.00. bergwerk-seebach.de

The Gutenberger Caves visitor centre, run by the municipality of Lenningen. Visits are by guided tour only, at fixed times at weekends. The cave remains closed in the event of persistent bad weather.

Temperature

8 °C

Adults

€4.00

1 May to the end of October; Saturdays 1 pm–4 pm (guided tours at 1 pm and 2.30 pm), Sundays and public holidays 10 am–4 pm (guided tours at 10 am, 11.30 am, 1 pm and 2.30 pm). From the end of October to the end of April: winter closure to protect the bats. lenningen.de/freizeit-gaeste/gutenberger-…

Copper mining has taken place here since around 1400; in the 16th century, there were between 200 and 300 miners; in 1975, the mine was opened as the first visitor mine in Rhineland-Palatinate. It has largely retained its medieval appearance, with vast chambers and turquoise-green secondary minerals.

Temperature

11 °C

Duration

60 min

Steps

254

Adults

€9.00

15 March to 1 November, Tue–Sun; Guided tours at weekends and during the Rhineland-Palatinate school holidays at 10.15 am, 12.15 pm, 2.15 pm and 4.15 pm; at other times, Tue–Fri at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. besucherbergwerk-fischbach.de

Two caves that were originally separate, linked by a tunnel in 1949. Known for the bones of cave bears that hibernated and died here. Visitors can explore the caves unaided; guided tours are available for groups at an additional cost.

Adults

€7.00

April to October: daily 10.00–17.30 (last admission 17.00); closed from November through to March inclusive, as the cave serves as a winter roost for bats. sonnenbuehl-tourismus.de/sonnenbuehl/hoeh…

A bunker open to the public on the site of a Nazi munitions factory, which subsequently served as a US depot for 50 years and, at times, stored nuclear warheads. Surrounding it is a nature trail featuring European bison and graffiti on the bunker structures.

Adults

Free admission, donations welcome

21 March to 25 October 2026, Thursday to Sunday, 9 am–6 pm. Free themed tours via eveeno; tickets sell out quickly. muenster-hessen.de/muna

A stalactite cave just under 200 metres long, featuring an underground lake and sinter basins; right by the entrance is a forest inn with a beer garden. Only ten people are allowed per guided tour – anyone arriving late at the weekend will have to wait.

Duration

30 min

Adults

€4.50

From Easter until the end of October, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only; guided tours every hour from 12 noon to 5 pm. November to March: winter roost for bats. osterhoehle.net

A former alum and vitriol mine containing coloured secondary minerals, situated in the same mountain as the St Barbara Healing Tunnel. The visitor route is largely accessible – which is unusual for a mine.

Temperature

7 °C

Duration

60 min

Depth

62 m

Adults

€14.00

April to October: daily, guided tours at 10.30 am, 12 noon, 1.15 pm and 2.30 pm; November to March: Tuesday to Sunday, with three guided tours. morassina.de

The corner tower of the Roman city wall, dating from 4/5 AD, now stands in the cellar of a residential building – Cologne’s oldest reliably dated structure, discovered by chance in 1965. The tuff blocks are joined without mortar using dovetail joints.

Every first Thursday of the month (Cologne Day) 2 pm–5 pm; at other times, only by prior booking for group or school tours. roemisch-germanisches-museum.de/Ubiermonument

The ice cellar at the Beuing Brewery, built from solid brick across three underground storeys from 1860 onwards. Natural ice cut from the ponds in winter kept the beer cold all year round; the association that runs the site considers the multi-storey structure to be unique in Europe.

Duration

75 min

Adults

€2.00

1 May to 30 September: Saturdays 1.00 pm–4.30 pm, Sundays and public holidays 11.00 am–4.30 pm, guided tours on the hour; from October to April by appointment only. eiskeller-altenberge.de

Not a tourist attraction, but a collapsed karst cave: the Wiesent river has cut into the mountain, the cave ceiling has collapsed, leaving behind rock arches over ten metres high. Officially Geotope No. 61, accessible in about five minutes via steps from the car park.

Open to the public all year round; no operator; no opening hours. lfu.bayern.de/geologie/bayerns_schoenste_…

A limestone mine until 1967, it was the longest-operating of the mines at Königsberg. As the seam rises gently up the hillside, visitors can travel in on the mine railway; the kilns and lime mills have been preserved in their original state, both above and below ground.

Temperature

13 °C

Adults

€7.00

From late March to early November, every Sunday and on public holidays, 1 pm–6 pm; last guided tour at 5 pm; no booking required; during the school holidays, also on Tuesdays and Fridays at 2 pm, by appointment. kalkbergwerk.com

The underground passages of the Baroque fortress in Mainz. As the city had no civilian air-raid shelters, these vaulted passages served as air-raid shelters from 1943 onwards; in 1963, parts of them were converted for use during the Cold War.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

60 min

Adults

€12.00

Open guided tours on selected Sundays towards the end of the month, limited to a maximum of 14 people; plus private tours and ‘The Underworld by Candlelight’. mainzer-unterwelten.de

Built between 1968 and 1972 as a backup command centre for the Stasi’s Leipzig district administration and disguised as a holiday resort. In the event of an emergency, 120 staff members and two KGB liaison officers would have worked here; some of the rooms still feature their original furnishings.

Adults

€7.00

Only on the last weekend of the month, Saturday and Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm – around 24 opening days a year. Groups are also welcome at other times by prior arrangement. runde-ecke-leipzig.de/index.php?id=253

A reconstructed horse-driven windlass above the Rudolph Shaft, which was in operation from 1838 to 1877. At weekends, real horses pull the hoist drum; visitors who wish to do so can also descend twenty metres into the shaft.

Depth

20 m

Adults

€5.50 (guided tour with horse show), plus €3.00 for the underground tour

Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays, 10.30 am–4.30 pm; guided tours on weekdays at 1 pm and 2.30 pm, and at 11 am at weekends (with horses). Closed on 24, 25 and 31 December. marienberg.de/de/1/pferdegoepel-auf-dem-r…

An iron ore mine, which operated until 1970. Underground, original overhead loaders, rock drills and ore scrapers are demonstrated – you can hear just how noisy mining used to be. Unusually for a visitor mine, dogs and photography are expressly permitted.

Adults

€10.00

Open all year round, Mon–Sun; guided tours daily at 10.30 am, 12 noon and 2.00 pm (60 to 70 minutes), for groups of 4 or more; closed on 24 and 25 December and 1 January. No card payments accepted. schaubergwerk-elbingerode.de

At the Delle Quarry, slate for roofs and walls was quarried from 1860 to 1923; since 1983, former miners have been demonstrating what it was like to work underground here. Demonstrations of how the slate is split and cut are also given. Helmets must be worn; temperature six to eight degrees.

4 April to 31 October, on the first and third Saturday of each month at 2 pm; during the North Rhine-Westphalia summer and autumn holidays, on Wednesdays at 3 pm by prior arrangement. Groups by arrangement. schieferschaubergwerk.de

Beneath the Old Town lies a labyrinth of beer cellars, hewn out of the soft sandstone between the 14th and 16th centuries: around 700 metres of it is accessible, at a depth of between six and twelve metres. Parts of it were converted into air-raid shelters during the Second World War.

Duration

75 min

Depth

6–12 m

Route

700 m

Adults

€9.00

No fixed times; guided tours are available only by prior telephone booking; the association organises groups of five or more people. unterirdisches-zeitz.de/Startseite

Standard Bunker 10 of the Siegfried Line, built in 1938, comprising around 290 cubic metres of concrete and manned by a crew of 15. Visitors can enter the crew quarters and the command post; according to the association, this is the only fully preserved bunker of this type on the Upper Rhine.

Adults

€5.00

Public Sunday tours at 10 am; in 2026, the last tour will be on 11 October (‘Bunker Closure’); otherwise, group tours by arrangement. No booking required. hist-verein-rastatt.de/der-westwallbunker

The Saalfelder Fairy Grottoes are not a natural cave, but a disused alum shale mine: Between 1544 and 1850, slate was quarried here for the production of alum and vitriol; afterwards, seepage water containing iron and minerals coated the empty chambers with coloured sinter formations. Since 1993, the mine has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records as ‘the most colourful show caves in the world’.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

60 min

Steps

120

Depth

26 m

Route

550 m

The exhibition mine and the Grottoneum are open almost all year round, with opening hours varying across five seasonal periods: 28 March to 14 June 2026, daily 10 am–5 pm (last guided tour at 4 pm), 15 June to 30 August: daily 10 am–6 pm (last guided tour at 5 pm), 31 August to 20 September: daily 10 am–5.30 pm (last guided tour at 4.30 pm), 21 September to 1 November, daily 10 am–5 pm (last guided tour at 4 pm), 2 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, Tuesday to Sunday only, 11 am–4 pm (last guided tour at 3 pm). During the Thuringian school holidays, as well as on public holidays and long weekends, the museum is also open on Mondays. feengrotten.de

An early modern small colliery on the Syberg, not a fully developed visitor attraction: the tunnels are on average 60 to 80 centimetres high, and much of the tour involves crawling on all fours. The association provides overalls, knee pads and a protective pad for the backside.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

150 min

Almost every Saturday at 9.30 am, by appointment only; slots are often booked up months in advance. bergbauhistorie.ruhr/graf-wittekind

Military History Special Site 301, home to the only surviving tropospheric radio transmission system of the NVA. Until 1990, it was one of the most closely guarded sites in the GDR; today it is run by a voluntary organisation – visits by appointment only.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

180 min

Adults

€15.00

By appointment only, at 10 am and 2 pm at weekends; the tour lasts around three hours – warm clothing is required. bunker-wollenberg.eu

Not a stalactite, but gas: in a former red sandstone quarry, carbon dioxide escapes from underground and collects as an invisible lake at the bottom of the chamber, which was vaulted in 1720. The tour guides demonstrate this with experiments; Goethe had it demonstrated to him in 1801.

Visits are by guided tour only; tickets can be purchased online or by cashless payment on site, or in cash at the Tourist Information Centre on Europa-Platz. Children aged 6 and over; no pets. dunsthoehle.de

A small coal mine in the Deister, opened in 1831 and closed in 1947. Since 2003, a charity has been restoring the tunnels; since 2017, the Stolln has been one of three training mines in Germany.

Temperature

9 °C

Adults

Donations from €10.00

Open all year round, but by appointment only; special guided tours for groups, preferably on Sundays; enquiries must be made at least two weeks in advance. Children aged 6 and over; maximum of 15 people per ride. feggendorfer-stolln.de

A 130-metre-long tunnel beneath the Kiel Canal, 27 metres below the water level. Four escalators, each 55.90 metres long – the longest in Western Europe in 1965 – or two lifts with a travel height of 28 metres lead down into the tunnel.

Depth

27 m

Route

130 m

A public route between Rendsburg and Westerrönfeld for pedestrians and cyclists; the control centre at the north entrance is staffed round the clock, and the tunnel is monitored by CCTV. Vehicles with internal combustion engines must be pushed. wsa-nord-ostsee-kanal.wsv.de/Webs/WSA/WSA…

Not a fully developed exhibition mine, but a volunteer-run educational mine: cramped, dark, wet and dirty – but in its original condition. The association provides helmets and torches; your own clothes will get dirty.

Adults

Free of charge, donations welcome

Every Saturday from April to October at 2 pm; larger groups and other times by prior arrangement only. lehrbergwerk.de

An almost horizontal cave situated just below the Alb plateau, which was made accessible in 1876 by means of a specially excavated access tunnel. Unlike the large tourist caves in the Alb, it is only open on two days a year; at other times, the Albverein only organises tours on request.

Route

140 m

In 2026, open on 14 May (Ascension Day) from 9 am to 5 pm and on 13 September (Open Monuments Day) from 10 am to 5 pm; closed from 1 October to 30 April due to the statutory bat protection period. onstmettingen.albverein.eu/linkenboldshoehle

A dolomite cave with a rounded arch, approximately 28 metres long and up to eight metres high, which served as a church from the 9th century onwards – the pulpit and altar are carved out of the rock. Before that, Palaeolithic reindeer hunters had already made their home here.

Freely accessible, no opening hours and no admission charge; accessible on foot via the Karst hiking trail above Scharzfeld.

Heilbronn’s only elevated bunker built specifically for air-raid protection, constructed in autumn 1940. Up to 1,000 people sought shelter here; after the ramp was blown up, it remained sealed off for decades, but a new entrance has been in place since 2019.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€14.00

Guided tours only; dates in 2026 include 22 September, 24 October, 15 November and 10 December; maximum of 14 participants; bookings via the Tourist Information Office. heilbronnerland.de/event/der-theresientur…

The second stop on the Muggendorf Cave Trail, just a few minutes’ walk from the Oswald Cave. The entrance is around nine metres wide but less than two metres high – you can only get in by crouching down. An unlit natural cave with no operator.

Open to the public all year round; please be considerate of hibernating bats during the winter months. die-fraenkische-schweiz.com/GESUNDWANDERN…

Beneath Neupfarrplatz lie the excavated cellars of the medieval Jewish quarter, including the foundations of a synagogue and the site where a hoard of gold was discovered. It is neither a crypt nor a cave, but an excavation site open to the public right in the heart of the Old Town.

Adults

€8.00

Guided tours only: Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 2.30 pm; also on Sundays in July and August. Tickets and meeting point at the Tourist Information Centre in the Old Town Hall. regensburg.de/museen/unsere-museen/docume…

A cable ride down the refurbished Shaft 15 IIb takes visitors to the floor of the Marx-Semler Adit. The guided tour covers both the history of the old silver mining in Schlema and the uranium mining carried out by Wismut, which shaped the town in the 20th century.

Duration

120 min

Depth

50 m

Adults

€20.00

Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 10 am and 1 pm, by prior booking only and for groups of eight or more. kurort-schlema.de/kultur/freizeit/besuche…

After a journey of around 600 metres on the mine railway, you find yourself standing in front of a nine-metre-high waterwheel that is once again in operation. The adit illustrates three eras of mining – silver, cobalt and uranium – and forms part of the Frohnau mining landscape within the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region’.

Temperature

9 °C

Adults

€15.00

Daily from 9 am to 4.30 pm; the guided tour at 4 pm is available only by prior telephone booking and for groups of ten or more. roehling-stolln.de

A mine for magnetite and tin, first mentioned in 1558, operated by the Breitenbrunn Miners’ Guild. At six degrees, it is one of the coolest visitor mines in the Ore Mountains; the price drops significantly the more people join the tour.

Temperature

6 °C

Duration

60 min

Adults

€10.00 for three or more people (€15.00 for two, €30.00 for one)

Tuesdays from 2 pm, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 11 am; groups of ten or more by prior arrangement. besucherbergwerk-sankt-christoph.de

A museum in the basement of a high-rise bunker: a ‘luxury bunker’ from 1940, faithfully recreated, an air-raid siren simulation in the dark, and films about the air raids on Hagen. The building itself stands above ground.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€16.90 (’War and Peace’ guided tour); audio guide €9.90

Only at weekends and by appointment only; bookings can be made via the operator’s online shop. bunker-hagen.de

Around four kilometres of tunnels, which prisoners at the Aufkirch satellite camp of the concentration camp drove into the molasse rock between October 1944 and April 1945 for underground armaments production. 243 of the approximately 800 prisoners died in the process. The association organises guided tours of part of the site; it is not a tourist attraction.

Temperature

12 °C

Adults

Free of charge, donations welcome

Public guided tours take place on the first Friday of every month; from May to September, there is also a tour on the third Friday, at 5 pm on each occasion; duration: 1.5 to 2 hours. stollen-ueberlingen.de

A labyrinth of 16th- and 17th-century beer cellars, lying up to ten metres beneath the old town. From 1935 onwards, the cellars were surveyed for use as air-raid shelters; ten of them are now connected by openings in the walls.

Temperature

12–13 °C

Depth

10 m

Adults

€6.00

Guided tours: Thursdays and Fridays at 11.30 am, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm, maximum 20 people; no public guided tours from 24 August to 1 October 2026, but the Höhlerfest will take place from 2 to 4 October. gera.de/geraer-hoehler

At the foot of the Scherbelberg lie the remains of Ludwig I’s fortress, which served as an air-raid shelter during the Second World War; it could accommodate around 300 people. The guided tour ‘The Zero Hour’ tells the story of the end of the war.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€8.00

Only a few dates each year; the dates already booked for 2026 have passed, and new ones are listed in the events calendar. ingolstadt.live

Since the 11th century, the people of Bamberg have been quarrying sandstone from the mountain and using the cavities as wine, beer and malt cellars; during the war, they were converted into air-raid shelters. This is not a tourist attraction: a helmet and your own torch are compulsory; group tours cost €150 for up to 20 people; for individual visitors, bookings are arranged through the VHS Bamberg.

Duration

90 min

All year round, by booking only: Group tours Monday to Saturday 8 am–8 pm, Sundays by arrangement. Meeting point: Sternwartstraße 3. Minimum age 8 years. bamberg.info/veranstaltungen/bamberg_und_…

A network of tunnels in the limestone cliffs, originally constructed from 1825 as an ice house and beer cellar, and converted into an air-raid shelter from 1942: 2.6 kilometres, nine tunnels, ten entrances. Up to 10,000 people found shelter here.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

120 min

Held monthly, usually on the first Monday of the month from 6 pm to 8 pm; limited places available, booking essential. Please contact the Fire Brigade Association for pricing details. kassel.de/buerger/kunst_und_kultur/sehens…

The deep water-drainage adit at the Louise iron ore mine, running in a dead straight line from the Wied Valley towards Lahr Castle. The walls still bear the marks of survey pegs, measurement markers and hand-drilled holes from black powder blasting.

Route

400 m

All year round, by prior booking only with the tourist information office of the municipal association; there are no fixed dates. vg-altenkirchen-flammersfeld.de/angebote-…

Lead and zinc ore from the Siegen strata; according to the association, this is the only visitor mine in the Eifel where one can see the ore veins dating from the time of the formation of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. Three levels, one above the other, are connected by a spiral staircase and a ladder.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

90 min

Route

600 m

Adults

€8.00

All year round; standard guided tours on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 11 am, 2 pm and 4 pm – however, all tours are by prior telephone booking only. grube-bendisberg.de

Iron ore from the Martenberg, first mentioned in records dating from 1273. The Bismarck adit was driven by hand to a depth of 1,600 metres between 1870 and 1872; the last ore wagon was brought to the surface in 1963. Former miners from the Miners’ Association lead tours through the mine.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

90 min

Route

1,200 m

Adults

€9.00

Spring to October; Wednesdays and Saturdays 1 pm–5 pm, Sundays and public holidays 10 am–5 pm; from June to August also on Mondays; last guided tour at 4 pm. diemelsee.de/besucherbergwerk-grube-christiane

Copper mining on the edge of the Sauerland: The guided tour of the Oskar mining field lasts between one and one and a half hours and explains the ore deposit, mining and smelting processes. The mine railway, which is usually advertised, is currently out of service for technical reasons.

Temperature

10 °C

Adults

€10.00

April to October, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm; during school holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, also Wednesdays at 2 pm. Groups welcome all year round by prior arrangement. kilianstollen.de

Beneath Mendig, at a depth of 30 metres, lies a vast network of basalt cellars, created during the quarrying of millstones. The constant coolness meant that, in the 19th century, they were used as storage cellars by the local breweries.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

60 min

Depth

30 m

Adults

€10.50

Tue–Sun and public holidays 10.00–17.30, last admission 16.45; also open on Mondays during the school holidays in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia; Lavakeller guided tours: Tue–Fri at 1.30 pm, Sat/Sun/public holidays at 12 noon, 1.30 pm and 3 pm. Closed over Christmas, in January and during Carnival. lavadome.de

Medieval silver mining with two very different tours: the St Anna Adit runs at ground level and is also suitable for visitors with reduced mobility, whilst the St Joseph Deep Adit winds through narrow passages and is not suitable for people with claustrophobia. Guided tours are available by prior booking only.

Route

450 m

Guided tours are usually held at weekends from May to September, by prior arrangement with the association only; there is also a Stollen festival on the second weekend in September. stadt-waldkirch.de/start/stadtinformation…

A natural, water-filled karst cave on the southern edge of the Schiefergebirge: the path follows the stream bed; there is a narrow passage and a 1.20-metre-high step to negotiate. Boots, coats, helmets and torches are issued at the entrance.

Route

160 m

From May to September, visits are by appointment only with a nature park and cave guide; closed from 4 October to 30 April to protect the bats. gebirgspfade.de/zinselh%C3%B6hle

Here, the ancient Ilm river has carved a small labyrinth into the Muschelkalk, some 16 metres above the present-day riverbed, featuring distinctive flow patterns. Visitors wearing helmets can venture about 150 metres into it; in winter, the cave is left to the bats.

Route

150 m

Adults

€2.00

1 May to 30 September; opening days are listed in the Village and Local History Society’s calendar of events; otherwise, guided tours are available on request. verein-dienstedt.de/karsthoehle

A small cave in the northern Harz Mountains with a long history: Liutbirg, a hermit, is said to have lived here around 850, and in 1146 Cistercian monks settled at the cave church before moving down into the valley to Michaelstein. Between 1884 and 1887, the cave was uncovered once again.

Freely accessible, no opening hours and no admission charge; stamp point 87 on the Harz Hiking Pin trail, a walk from Michaelstein Monastery (around 3.5 km) or from the Eggeröder Brunnen (around 1.5 km). Bring a torch.

The northernmost tank fortification of the Westwall, one of only 32 B-forts. The upper storey was blown up in 1947; from 1976 onwards, the Irrel Fire Brigade spent 75,000 working hours clearing the three underground storeys.

Temperature

10 °C

Adults

€4.00

April to October: Sundays and public holidays, 2 pm–5 pm; the season ends on 3 October; at other times by arrangement. westwallmuseum-irrel.de/de

The only visitor mine for galena in the Trier administrative district, developed between 1839 and 1852 as part of the ‘Neue Hoffnung’ mine. At times, up to a thousand people worked underground in Bleialf; above ground, a mining trail complements the guided tour.

Adults

€5.00

1 May to 31 October, Sundays 2 pm–5 pm, last guided tour at 4.15 pm; groups of ten or more may also visit at other times by arrangement. besucherbergwerk.bleialf.org

A five-storey high-rise bunker dating from 1941, clad with decorative arcades for camouflage. Inside are 23 sleeping and recreation rooms, a delivery room and the emergency power supply – designed to accommodate 140 people.

Adults

Free admission, donations welcome

Selected opening days from 3 pm with a guided tour (by prior booking): 3 October, 7 November and 5 December 2026. ak-bunkermuseum-lu.de

A World War II bunker with walls 2.5 metres thick, converted in the 1960s into a nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) shelter for 2,400 people. According to the operator, it is the only site in Lower Saxony where the original fittings from this programme have been fully preserved.

Temperature

10–12 °C

Duration

180 min

Adults

Donations welcome

No fixed times; guided tours by arrangement at weekends and on weekdays from 2 pm; no guided tours from July to September. vorbei-ev.de/wwwa/museumsbunker-hannover

The only accessible adit in the Olbernhau mining district, excavated from 1515 onwards to extract non-ferrous metals for the Grünthal smelter. A mining association has restored 180 metres of it itself and organises guided tours one Saturday a month.

Route

180 m

April to September: the second Saturday of the month, 1 pm–4 pm; at other times by arrangement; please book in advance. olbernhau.de/de/besucherbergwerk-gnade-go…

In the heart of Plauen’s old town, miners extracted alum shale from 1542 until around 1826; in 1944–45, the same system of adits served as an air-raid shelter. Around 90 per cent of the tour route is wheelchair-accessible, which is unusual for a mine.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€6.00

All year round, by appointment only, Monday to Saturday between 8 am and 8 pm; a maximum of ten people per guided tour. plauen-unter-tage-erleben.de/alaunbergwer…

An iron ore mine that has remained virtually unchanged since it closed in 1868 – narrow tunnels, 163 steps, three levels. As well as the standard tour, the association offers adventure tours off the beaten track, for which waterproof footwear is essential.

Temperature

7 °C

Duration

60 min

Steps

163

Adults

€9.00

Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 10 am–5 pm, last guided tour at 4 pm; Wednesdays to Fridays: groups by appointment only. frischglueck.de

A historic silver mine in the northern Black Forest, managed by the Neubulach Historic Mines Association. A therapeutic tunnel for respiratory conditions is connected to the same mine tunnels.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

45 min

Adults

€8.00

Closed on Mondays; guided tours on Tuesdays to Fridays at 2 pm and 3 pm; on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 11 am–4 pm, no booking required. bergwerk-neubulach.de

A volunteer-run copper mine with an adjoining museum, which has since moved from the town centre to the mine site. It is only open one day a month – anyone who drops by without an appointment will usually find the doors locked.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€6.00

April to October: every last Sunday of the month, 10 am–5 pm; guided tours at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm; closed for the winter from 1 November to 31 March. Groups of 10 or more are welcome at any time by prior arrangement by telephone. bergbau-kupferberg.de

A small manganese ore mine that operated for only around three decades, with its tunnels blasted out of the granite. In the late 1990s, volunteers spent over 5,500 hours clearing out the silt and making it accessible again.

Temperature

8 °C

Route

85 m

Usually on the last Saturday of every month from April to October, 10 am–2 pm; guided tours outside these dates are available only during this period and must be booked approximately two weeks in advance. ueberwaldmuseum.de/grube-ludwig

The adit was driven by SAG Wismut around 1950 for uranium exploration and runs through a field of pit marks and spoil heaps dating back more than 800 years. In addition, the association maintains the mine workings of the 18th-century ‘Hülfe des Herrn’ silver mine.

Due to restoration work, entry is by appointment only and at your own risk; you must bring your own wellies and clothing suitable for mining conditions. The disused mining area is not suitable for school groups. bergbau-im-zschopautal.de

One of the few surviving Nazi air-raid shelters in Thuringia, with a layout in accordance with regulations and original fittings, designed to accommodate 50 people. Erfurt had 70 such public air-raid shelters.

No fixed opening hours: Visits are only possible during events or as part of a guided tour by prior arrangement. Admission is free and no booking is required on Heritage Days. geschichtsmuseen.erfurt.de/gm/de/museen/s…

Northern Germany’s only show cave – and, despite its name, it is not a limestone cave but a gypsum cave. In winter, over 30,000 bats of seven different species hibernate here, which is why guided tours are only available during the summer months.

Temperature

9 °C

Adults

€12.00

1 April to 30 September, Tue–Sun 10 am–5 pm (until 7 pm on days when the Karl May Festival is taking place); guided tours at 10 am, 11.15 am, 1 pm, 3 pm and 4 pm, amongst other times. noctalis.de/segeberger-schauhoehle

Cologne’s only fully preserved civil defence shelter, built in 1979/80 on an intermediate level of the Kalk Post underground station: 2,500 square metres, shelter for 2,366 people for 14 days, 40-centimetre-thick steel doors.

Adults

free

Public guided tour on the first Sunday of the month; booking required; places are snapped up quickly. welt.unter.koeln/1-Atombunker.html

Erfurt’s underground network is not a single, interconnected system of tunnels, but rather a handful of very different locations. The most important of these lies within the walls of the Baroque Petersberg Citadel: over two kilometres of listening galleries, where sentries would listen out for any attackers tunnelling their way up from below.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€9.00 (Petersberg, ‘Mysterious Paths’ guided tour including listening walks – adults)

The Petersberg itself is open to the public, whilst the guided tours are the only way to explore the underground passages. “Mysterious paths over and through the Baroque city fortress” (incl. petersberg-erfurt.de/fuehrungen/geheimnis…

The only graphite mine in Germany that visitors are allowed to explore – down to the fourth level, 45 metres below ground. The route involves walking down a total of 220 steps; rucksacks and pushchairs must be left at the top.

Temperature

11 °C

Duration

90 min

Steps

220

Depth

45 m

Adults

€12.00

29 March to 31 October 2026, Thursday to Sunday and on public holidays, 10.30 am–3.00 pm; guided tours at 11 am and 1 pm; groups of 15 or more by arrangement. graphit-bbw.de

Fourteen metres below the Schlossplatz, the Saar Historical Museum has uncovered the castle moat: defences and casemates dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, a firing chamber and a dungeon, as well as the castle’s vaulted cellars, which still contain a preserved Gestapo detention cell. The ground in the moat is uneven; a maximum of 30 people are allowed down at any one time.

Adults

€7.00

Tuesday to Sunday 10 am–6 pm, Wednesdays until 8 pm, closed on Mondays; the ticket office closes 30 minutes earlier. Free admission on the first Wednesday of the month. Free public guided tour ‘Underground Castle – From Castle to Palace’ on Sundays and public holidays at 2 pm (approx. 1 hour); on Saturdays at 3 pm, the longer version including Schlossplatz. historisches-museum.org

A disused limestone mine on the outskirts of Chemnitz, whose mining chambers are so high that they are known as ‘domes’. Unlike most visitor mines in Saxony, the route is level and wheelchair-accessible, and guided tours run every hour without the need for prior booking.

Duration

45 min

Route

700 m

Adults

€8.00

Daily from 10 am to 5 pm, guided tours every hour on the hour; a minimum of two adult participants per tour. felsendome.de

An original coal mine tunnel, kept open by a voluntary organisation. You walk in, return on the old mine locomotive – and afterwards, if you’d like, you can enjoy a miner’s breakfast.

Duration

120 min

Adults

€7.50

No fixed opening hours: guided tours by prior telephone booking, plus open days with hourly guided tours (in 2026, these include 29 August, 19 September and 24 October, amongst others). rischbachstollen.de

Around 270 square metres of tunnels, dug into the red sandstone by Silesian miners from 1843 onwards to cool beer; used as an air-raid shelter during the Second World War. Open to the public since 2008 and accessible to people with walking difficulties via stair lifts.

Duration

60 min

Every first Sunday of the month, 2 pm–5 pm; group tours outside opening hours by arrangement, maximum 20 people per group. schoenenberg-kuebelberg.de/kultur-freizei…

It was not silver but arsenic-bearing gravel that made this mine profitable from 1799 onwards – it was so pure that it was given its own name, ‘Thalheimite’, and was sent to the Gifthütte smelter in Geyer. The Mining Association re-opened the adit and opened it to the public in 1998; entry is by appointment only.

Visits are by appointment only through the Thalheim Mining Association. thalheim-erzgeb.de/freizeit/ausflugs-erle…

Excavated in 1732 as a water drainage tunnel, it was used for iron ore mining until 1910, after which it supplied the village with drinking water for half a century. The guided tour demonstrates the mining techniques used, from pick and hammer to overhead loaders; the compressed-air door from its time as an air-raid shelter is still in place.

Duration

90 min

Route

600 m

Adults

€8.00

Every last Sunday of the month, first guided tour at 2 pm, last at 4 pm; individual tours by arrangement. heimatverein-salchendorf.de/Besucherbergw…

At Goldberg, there are several tunnels from the old gold mines, which can be explored from an information centre: the short, family-friendly Schmutzlerzeche tunnel, with a visible gold-bearing quartz vein, and the deeper ‘Mittlerer Name Gottes’ tunnel. Gold panning is available at the same site.

Adults

€3.50 (Schmutzler Colliery), €6.00 (Middle Name of God)

From May to mid-October, on Sundays and public holidays, 11 am–5 pm; last guided tour at 4 pm; closed in winter to protect the bats. Admission from 5 years of age (Schmutzlerzeche) or from 8 years of age. goldkronach.de/seite/508457/besucherstoll…

A disused rock salt mine – mining ceased in 1994, and the cavities are now being backfilled. The mine lift takes visitors 180 metres underground in just over half a minute. Down below, visitors can explore the site unaided; there is a slide and a memorial to the underground arms production at the Kochendorf satellite concentration camp.

Temperature

18 °C

Duration

150 min

Depth

180 m

Adults

€13.00 (from 2027)

The 2026 season has ended. 2027: 1 May to 3 October on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; entry from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm. salzwerke.de/de/tourismus/besucherbergwer…

The Kenter Brewery’s cooling tunnel, tunnelled into the rock from 1857 onwards and abandoned following a fire in 1875. It served as an air-raid shelter during the Second World War, and subsequently as a bat roost; it has been open to the public again following a refurbishment funded by the EU.

There are no fixed opening hours; visits are by arrangement only with the SGV Reiste branch. sgv.reiste.net/sgv/felsenkeller.php

Over 130 cellar rooms, hewn by hand into the sandstone around 1500, stretching for almost a kilometre and comprising several storeys. Converted into air-raid shelters in 1943–44 – they protected over 6,000 people during the attack in April 1945.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

90 min

Adults

€7.00

A busy schedule from mid-July to mid-September; otherwise, mainly at weekends; booking essential. schwandorf.de/Kultur-Tourismus/Sehenswert…

The Harnekop command bunker’s two-storey shortwave transmission centre, completed in 1981: 80 rooms, external walls 90 centimetres thick, eleven unmanned transmission stations and ground-based antennas buried 50 centimetres underground.

Temperature

9–12 °C

Duration

120 min

Adults

€20.00

By telephone arrangement only; individual Saturday appointments are suggested on the website. bunker-kunersdorf.de

The mine adjacent to the Samson Mine was refurbished in 2025 and has been accessible again since 2026. The route leads through narrow, hand-dug tunnels dating from before 1575; a completely mined-out tunnel gap is crossed via a grating.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

45 min

Adults

€8.00 (€7.00 with a guest card)

1 May to 31 October: Monday to Saturday, guided tours daily at 1 pm; closed from November to April, when the bats hibernate. Suitable for ages 10 and over, maximum 15 people; descent via a ladder with 18 rungs. grube-samson.de/museen/catharina-neufang

The only visitor mine in the Spessart, a copper mine with several levels, of which the 23-metre level is open to visitors. As all the guides work on a voluntary basis, there are no fixed opening hours – appointments must be made, and open days are held only in September.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

50 min

Depth

23 m

Adults

€7.00 (aged 17 and over)

Open from April to October; closed from November to March. Visits are by pre-booked guided tour only; walk-in visits are permitted only on Heritage Open Day and Geotope Day. bergwerk-im-spessart.de

Command centre of the 6th Flotilla of the People’s Navy, built between 1979 and 1986: around 2,000 square metres comprising three large and nine small bunkers connected by a main corridor. Today it houses model ships, navigational marks and a simulator.

Adults

€8.00

Daily from 10 am to 3 pm; last exit at 4 pm. Ticket machine at the entrance; card payments only. kap-arkona.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/marinef…

The cheapest and quickest way to experience mining in the Ore Mountains: a 45- to 60-minute walk through a silver adit in the Schwarzwassertal valley, five times a day, all year round. If booked in advance, the guided tour is also available with schnapps or in a miner’s headscarf.

Duration

45 min

Adults

€8.00

Open all year round, Tue–Sun 10 am–4 pm; closed on Mondays; guided tours at 10 am, 11.30 am, 1 pm, 2.30 pm and 4 pm for groups of two or more. molchner-stolln.de

The Schutzbauten Stuttgart association organises tours of three sites at Feuerbach railway station; Tour 2 takes visitors underground into the deep bunker, whilst Tour 3 leads into the underpass. In 2023, the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments named the deep bunker the best-preserved structure of its kind in Baden-Württemberg.

Duration

85 min

Adults

€9.00

On nine Sundays a year, usually the last Sunday of the month; closed in December. Tour 1 and Tour 2 at 2.30 pm, Tour 2 and Tour 3 at 4 pm. Tickets are best booked online; any remaining tickets are available at the ticket office (2 pm–4 pm, cash only). schutzbauten-stuttgart.de

Graphite mining in the Northern Eifel, where tunnelling began in the late Middle Ages. The Rescheid Local History Society runs daily tours – lasting an hour and a half deep into the mountain, including a visit to the museum in the mine house – with no booking required.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

90 min

Adults

€6.50

Open daily all year round except on Christmas Eve and the two Christmas holidays; guided tours at 11.00 and 14.00, exhibition in the Grubenhaus 10.30–16.00. Groups of 8 or more are requested to book in advance. grubewohlfahrt.de

The Fichtel and Sachs bunker, built in 1941, protected the workforce at the ball-bearing factory, which was one of the most heavily bombed targets of the war. It was 19 metres high, with walls two metres thick – and built entirely above ground.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€10.00

No fixed opening hours: on weekdays from 6.30 pm, open only to pre-booked groups of 10 or more; for individual visitors, there were only two dates in April 2026. deutsches-bunkermuseum.de

A 340-metre-long labyrinth of tunnels 16 metres beneath Genovevaburg Castle, excavated in late 1944 as an air-raid shelter for around 3,000 people. Today, it houses an exhibition on Moselle slate, featuring mine trolleys, wire saws and a simulated trolley ride.

Depth

16 m

Route

340 m

Adults

€6.00

Daily from 10 am to 5 pm; closed on Mondays and Fridays; also closed on Mondays during the school holidays in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as on public holidays. Closed for the winter break from early November to mid-March. mayen.de/kultur-tourismus/tourismus/eifel…

A real cable descent rather than a walk through a tunnel: 283 metres down into the depths via the historic hoisting system, then 1,000 metres by mine railway into the copper-shale mining area of the Mansfeld region. The shaft frame, dating from 1888, is one of the oldest in Europe.

Temperature

14 °C

Duration

75 min

Depth

283 m

Adults

€22.00

All year round, Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am–4 pm; cable car departures at 10.30 am, 11.45 am, 1 pm and 2.15 pm. Closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. roehrigschacht.de

A small exhibition mine with an adjoining mineral museum; admission is free. The guided tour lasts just under three-quarters of an hour.

Duration

45 min

Adults

€5.00

January and February: winter closure; March: Sat and Sun 10 am–6 pm; April to December: Tue–Fri 1.30 pm–10 pm and Sat/Sun 10 am–10 pm; closed on Mondays; last guided tour at around 5 pm. bad-liebenstein.de/schaubergwerk

Open to visitors again from February 2026, following a break of over two years. This is no walk in the park, but a 2.5- to 3-hour tour past underground lakes, up slate steps and through high mining halls – the operator provides a helmet, gloves and a torch, but you’ll need to be fit.

Adults

€25.00

Only on fixed dates and by prior booking only; maximum of 16 people per tour; minimum age 8 years. schieferbau-nuttlar.de

17 metres below ground: built between 1972 and 1975 as a secret data centre for the NVA, which would have transmitted data to the Harnekop command bunker in the event of an emergency. The computer equipment and generators have remained largely unchanged since 1993.

Temperature

11 °C

Duration

90 min

Depth

17 m

Adults

€15.00 (only the unit price is shown)

Every first Saturday of the month at 11.15 am; please book in advance by telephone; private bookings for groups of 20 or more. bunker-garzau.de

A drainage tunnel around a thousand metres long, which Alexander von Humboldt had built whilst working as a mining official – according to the association, the only mine he ever established anywhere in the world. Originally, it was even intended to be navigable by boat; the preparations for this can still be seen today.

Temperature

10 °C

Adults

€7.00

Guided tour season: 3 April to 31 October 2026, on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and, during the Bavarian summer holidays, on Tuesdays at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm; bookings online only, maximum 20 people per tour. friedrich-wilhelm-stollen.de

The mine train travels about three kilometres into the mountain before the guided tour begins – further in than any other visitor mine in the region. Because the tunnel is so deep, the temperature underground is unusually mild at around 15 °C.

Temperature

15 °C

Duration

150 min

Adults

€20.00

Entry daily at 2 pm with a laser show; advance booking recommended; ages 6 and over; meet at the Huthaus 20 minutes beforehand. zinnkammern.de

The only visitor mine in Germany that you enter by boat: from the mine entrance at Zschopau level into the 19th-century water-management facilities, then back up via ladders. Tours are only available on selected Saturdays.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

105 min

Adults

€10.50

Only on selected Saturdays as advertised (10.00 and 13.00) and by appointment; ages 6 and over; cash only. schaubergwerk.de

Command post of the NVA’s 1st Air Defence Division, commissioned in 1967: three basement levels extending to a depth of just under ten metres, a Plexiglas air situation display, a teletype machine and a fully equipped kitchen.

Temperature

12–16 °C

Duration

150 min

Depth

10 m

Adults

€10.00

Usually on the second Saturday of the month at 9.30 am – all official guided tours for 2026 are fully booked; only special tours are still available. bunker-kolkwitz.de

A medieval slate quarry, first mentioned in a document in 1548, whose slate was used to roof Hachenburg Castle and Marienstatt Abbey. The underground chamber is open round the clock – as you descend the 30 steps, the lights come on automatically.

Steps

30

Depth

20 m

Open to the public all year round, with no set opening hours; guided tours are available on Geotope Day and for groups on request from the Culture and Tourism Association. limbach-ww.de/Dachschiefergrube.html

This isn’t just any old mine you can simply walk into: from the museum village, a guided walk lasting around two and a half hours takes you to the southern slope of the Grünten, where you’ll explore the Theresien and Anna mines. Admission to the museum village is included in the price.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

150 min

Adults

€14.50

Discovery tours from 1 May to 31 October 2026, one or two guided tours a day except on Tuesdays; online booking recommended. erzgruben-burgberg.de

Built in 1942 on the foundations of the synagogue destroyed during the November pogrom – Jewish neighbours were forbidden entry. Today it is a memorial site with five exhibitions. An above-ground bunker.

Adults

Free admission, donations welcome

May to the end of November, Wednesdays 5–7 pm and Sundays 11 am–2 pm; closed during the winter. Guided tours by arrangement, also available in English. initiative-neunter-november.de

A Salzgitter-type barrel bunker, approximately 50 metres long, completed in August 1944 for the Lützkendorf fuel plant. According to the operators, this is the only bunker of this type in Germany that is open to the public. Above ground.

Adults

Free admission, donations welcome

May to October, every second and fourth Sunday, 2 pm–5 pm; groups by arrangement. A third source states April to September – please ring in advance. dasgeiseltal.de/content/bau-134a---luftsc…

A round bunker dating from 1940, 20 metres in diameter, with three storeys, entirely underground. Around 800 people survived here during the ‘Night of the Fiery Storm’ in 1943; between 1960 and 1963, it was converted into the Federal Republic of Germany’s first public civil defence shelter, with a capacity reduced to just 450 people.

Duration

150 min

Depth

10 m

Adults

€12.00 (concession €10.00)

Only on dates announced by the “unter hamburg” association: 24 October 2026, 27 December 2026 and 17 January 2027 (20 September and 11 October 2026 are fully booked). 15 to 18 places available; registration by email; special dates for groups can be arranged. unter-hamburg.de/rundgaenge/berliner-tor

Copper ore tunnels dating back some 450 years, preserved in their original state; open to the public since 1974, making them one of the oldest visitor mines in Hesse. The village owes its name to the mining charter granted in 1561; today it promotes itself as ‘Snow White’s Village’.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€6.00

April to October: Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm and 3 pm, plus selected public holidays. November to March: winter break to protect the bats; this also applies to special guided tours. bergwerk.bergfreiheit.com

A mine that an association has re-excavated since 1997, putting in over 15,000 hours of voluntary work. The Upper New Adit stretches for around 250 metres; it features a mineral collection in the visitor centre and a free 1.7-kilometre mining trail.

Temperature

8 °C

Route

250 m

Adults

€7.00

Summer season from 1 April: public guided tours from Tuesday to Thursday at 11.30 am; on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, tours run hourly from 1 pm (last tour at 4 pm). From November to March, tours take place at 2 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Closed on Mondays and Fridays. grube-silberhardt.de

At the Wittmannsgereuth mine, the Maximilianshütte extracted iron ore for the Unterwellenborn steelworks; the former foremen’s offices and changing rooms now house a forest hotel. A guided tour leads from the mining trail on the hillside into the adits, which also include a small museum.

Guided tours of the visitor mine are available by appointment only through the Waldhotel Mellestollen. mellestollen.de/stollen

Tin mining at the Sauberg, part of the Ehrenfriedersdorf Mining Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are two guided tours to choose from: the 2.5-hour adventure tour (for ages 10 and over) and a shorter sightseeing tour (for ages 6 and over).

Duration

150 min

Adults

€22.00

Visitor mine: Thu–Sun, and Wed during the Saxon school holidays; guided tours start at 10 am, 1 pm and 3 pm; advance booking required. The museum will reopen on 5 September 2026 following refurbishment. zinngrube-ehrenfriedersdorf.de

The most recent mine on this list: barite and fluorspar were mined here right up until 1990. The mine railway takes visitors 250 metres into the mine, and there is also a mineral collection comprising over 500 specimens.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€8.00

April to October: guided tours at 10.30 am, 1 pm, 2.30 pm and 4 pm; maximum of 25 people; closed on Thursdays or Thursdays and Fridays, depending on the season. Closed from November to January. brotterode-trusetal.de/sehenswert/besuche…

During the winter of 1939–40, 15 bunkers were built in the heart of the city to house the Luftwaffe’s headquarters – with tiled roofs and façades designed to blend in so well that they are easily overlooked today. One of them is shown from the inside.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€7.00

Individual sessions as advertised; tickets must be booked in advance; minimum 3, maximum 25 participants. The event will go ahead even if it rains. bad-wildungen.de/leben/stadtfuehrungen/bu…

A former potash mine where underground concerts, cycle races, skittles and boat trips on Lake Laugensee take place. Boat trips are available all year round, but only by prior booking and for those aged 10 and over.

Adults

€28.00 (Tue–Fri), €30.00 (Sat/public holidays)

By appointment only: Tue–Fri 11 am and 2 pm, Sat 10 am and 2 pm, public holidays 10 am; no tours on Sundays; tours are cancelled on days when events are taking place. erlebnisbergwerk.com

Four cellars in one tour: the vaulted cellar of the former Michelhalle beneath the New Apostolic Church, the Kanzlerkeller beneath a private house on the Stadtbuckel, and another cellar beneath the city walls. Their origins date back to the Middle Ages; a Baroque wine cellar formed part of the town’s welfare system for the poor. The guided tour is free of charge, but is only available to individuals and couples.

Duration

120 min

Adults

free of charge

On selected Saturdays at 10.30 am; in 2026, the dates are 26 September and 31 October. The meeting point is the main entrance to the museum at the Ritterhaus. Registration is required by 5.00 pm the day before. offenburg.de/de/zu-gast-in-offenburg/tour…

Around one kilometre of tunnels dating from the early 19th century, which were converted during the war for arms production, as an air-raid shelter and as a command post. Unlit – helmets and lamps are provided on site.

Temperature

12–15 °C

Duration

90 min

Route

1,000 m

Adults

€8.00

Public guided tours take place on every second Saturday of the month and are usually fully booked; group tours by arrangement. Recommended for ages 14 and over; helmets must be worn. wetzlar.de/tourismus/wetzlar-im-dunkeln.php

A junction structure in Cologne’s combined sewer system dating from 1890, situated seven metres below the Ring – and still in operation today. The name is taken from two chandeliers that were hung there for the inauguration; concerts are occasionally held here because of the acoustics.

Duration

30 min

Depth

7 m

March to October, regular guided tours; booking is only possible via the StEB Köln customer portal; places are limited. steb-koeln.de/magazin/kronleuchtersaal

Magnetic gravel and nickel ore were mined here until 1937. Unusually for a Black Forest exhibition mine, the underground tunnel is fully accessible, and unlike most mines in the region, it is also open in winter, snow conditions permitting.

Temperature

8 °C

1 May to 31 October: Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and on public holidays, 2 pm–5 pm (last admission 4.30 pm); 1 November to 30 April: depending on snow conditions, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at the same times. todtmoos.de/p/der-hoffnungsstollen

One of the village’s rock cellars, which is around 200 years old, has been restored by volunteers and is now the venue for a sound and light show: its origins, its use as a storage cellar and its role as an air-raid shelter during the bombings in late 1944.

Open from Easter until Epiphany; a period of closure in between. Between St Catherine’s Fair and Christmas, it also serves as the Felskeller nativity scene. urlaub.saarland/attraktion/schaufelskelle…

A silver mine dating from around 1500, which was only rediscovered in 1992 beneath Annaberg’s old town. The entrance is located in the courtyard of the Erzgebirge Museum; the narrow tunnels extend up to 24 metres beneath Kirchgasse and Kupferstraße. It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.

Depth

24 m

Guided tours: Tue–Fri at 12 noon and 3 pm; Sat/Sun/public holidays at 11 am, 12.30 pm, 2 pm and 3.30 pm; during Advent and the school holidays, advance booking is requested; suitable for children aged 6 and over. annaberg-buchholz.de/erzgebirgsmuseum/bes…

At around twenty metres, it is Germany’s smallest show cave – discovered in 1892 whilst the beer cellar was being deepened, and to this day accessible only via the cellar of the brewery inn. When the water table is high, it is flooded, in which case guided tours are cancelled.

Route

20 m

Access is available during the brewery inn’s opening hours; guided tours usually take place on the hour, subject to the inn’s operating schedule; it is best to book in advance. brauerei-blank.de/tropfsteinhoehle.html

The main command centre of the GDR Ministry of Defence: three storeys, over 7,500 square metres, up to 30 metres deep. The GDR’s best-protected bunker, built for an emergency that never came.

Duration

90 min

Depth

30 m

Adults

€25.25 (plus a €2.50 fee)

All year round on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10.30 am, 1 pm and 3 pm, plus selected Sundays. Online tickets only; often sold out weeks in advance. atombunker-museum.de

Water drainage tunnels from the Upper Harz mining industry, now part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Upper Harz Water Management System’. The guided tour covers a distance of one kilometre there and back, including a descent of 25 metres into the turbine and compressor room and into the Ernst-August mine.

Depth

25 m

Route

1,000 m

Adults

€10.00

May to 1 November, guided tours at 11.00, 14.00 and 15.30; closed on Mondays, except during the Lower Saxony school holidays. 19-lachter-stollen.de

It was not ore that was mined here, but alum shale – until 1826, still entirely by hand using sledgehammers and picks. What remains are narrow, hand-dug galleries and colourful sinter formations of diadochite and iron ochre, which are largely unique in Saxony.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

40 min

Route

500 m

Adults

€5.00

Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 1 pm–4 pm, except 24 and 31 December; other times by arrangement. alaunwerk.de

500 years of mining on the Bergstraße, organised on a voluntary basis by the Schriesheim Mining Association. As well as the standard guided tour, there is a considerably longer adventure tour, for which you must be at least twelve years old.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

75 min

Adults

€8.50

1 April to 25 October 2026, on Sundays and public holidays (except Good Friday), 11.00–16.00; special guided tours from 1 April to 31 October, by appointment. bergwerk-schriesheim.de

The Tiefe Bünaustolln, situated right on the Czech border, has been the site of tin and tungsten mining for centuries. Part of the mine has been adapted for visitors with disabilities – special guided tours are available by arrangement.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

90 min

Adults

€7.00

Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am–3 pm; guided tours at 10.30 am, 11.30 am, 12.30 pm, 1.30 pm and 2.45 pm; groups of ten or more may also visit at other times. zinnwald-im-erzgebirge.de/buenaustollen.html

The last bunker complex built by the Warsaw Pact: a camouflaged tropospheric radio station belonging to the ‘BARS’ network, which was decommissioned in 1990 after just five months of operation. The underground section can only be viewed as part of a guided tour.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

60 min

From Good Friday until October, Mon–Thu and Sat/Sun 10.30 am–6 pm, last admission at 5 pm; guided tours in German and English. Please enquire about prices in advance by telephone.

A cavern hewn out of the red sandstone in the 19th century, with a pointed arch vault, in which local breweries and distilleries stored their natural ice. Platforms and benches hewn from the rock have repeatedly led to interpretations that this is a Mithras sanctuary – two expert reports date the chisel marks to the 18th/19th centuries.

Temperature

6 °C

Only from May to August, exclusively for small groups by prior arrangement with the Gersheim Municipal Cultural Office. bliesdalheim.de/eiskeller.htm

It was not copper that was mined here, but azurite, used to produce the pigment known as Wallerfanger Blue. A Latin inscription in the tunnel states that the miner Aemilianus began operations on 7 March – this is considered the only direct evidence of Roman underground mining in Central Europe.

Visits are by guided tour only, by prior arrangement through the Wallerfangen Tourist Information Office; fixed dates are not published. wallerfangen.de/tourismus-freizeit/sehens…

Copper mining has taken place here since the 18th century; the ‘Mystallica’ light and sound installation is housed underground. Above ground, the site includes a mine workers’ cottage, a crushing mill and a replica copper smelter.

Adults

€10.00

April to the end of November: guided tours at 2 pm and 4 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; Monday to Friday by prior arrangement with the Beckingen local council only. kupferbergwerk.saarland

Construction began in 1940 on the command centre – partly underground – known as the Budge-Palais, built for Reich Governor Karl Kaufmann; it is the last command structure from the Nazi era in Hamburg to have been preserved almost in its original state. The University of Music and Theatre now stands above the bunker.

Adults

€12.00 (concession €10.00)

Only one or two tours a year; the next tour is on 9 January 2027 at 2.30 pm. Meet in the entrance hall of the University of Music and Drama; booking is essential. unter-hamburg.de/rundgaenge/kaufmann-bunker

Beneath Waldheim lies a labyrinth stretching over 800 metres, formed during the quarrying of serpentinite. As the rock keeps the area cool in summer and retains heat in winter, the passages were used as storage cellars and, during the war, as hiding places; 200 metres of them have been secured and are open to the public.

Route

200 m

Adults

€4.00

Guided tours of the cellars are available by prior booking only at the Waldheim Town and Museum Centre; groups of 5 to 15 people. stadt-waldheim.de/tourismus-freizeit/sehe…

Over 300 years of mining in the Western Ore Mountains, with a mine railway and a preserved wheel house. The operator provides individual prices only on request, but runs tours several times a day from Tuesday to Sunday.

Temperature

8 °C

Tuesday to Sunday: guided tours at 10.30 am, 12 noon and 1.30 pm; 9 am and 3 pm by prior booking only for groups of ten or more. frisch-glueck.de

A Wismut adit dating from 1947, which is still part of the ventilation system for the Schlema-Alberoda mine and has been open to visitors since 2018. Machinery and equipment used in uranium mining are on display along the 1,300-metre stretch.

Duration

90 min

Route

1,300 m

Adults

€7.00

Spring to autumn by prior booking, for groups of four or more; closed in winter due to ice formation. kurort-schlema.de/kultur/freizeit/lehrsto…

A vaulted cellar hewn into the hillside beneath the castle, converted into a municipal air-raid shelter in the 1940s. Around 50 exhibits, many donated by residents of Plauen – including original paving stones bearing shrapnel marks.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€6.00 (City of Plauen; the operating association quotes €5.00)

No fixed opening hours; visits by appointment only; available all year round. alaunbergwerk-plauen.de

Not a natural cave, but a sand quarry: since the 18th century, families from Walldorf have been extracting scouring sand from the hill, leaving behind a network of tunnels covering 65,000 square metres with around 2,500 supporting pillars still standing. Today, one section of it features scenes from fairy tales.

Adults

€8.00

April to October from 10.00, last guided tour at 16.00; daily during the school holidays; otherwise closed on Mondays, except on public holidays. sandsteinhoehle.de

Excavated in 1773, uncovered in 1993 by the Großerlach/Grab Local History Society and opened as a visitor tunnel in May 2000. A lit passageway around 45 metres long, which visitors can explore without a guide – the key is collected next door, and no more than five people are allowed inside at any one time.

Route

45 m

Open all year round, provided the key is available: the tunnel is locked for safety reasons; the key can be collected during opening hours at the neighbouring Großerlach BikePark/Ski Lift. grosserlach.de/de/freizeit-kultur/grosser…

A karst cave above the Ruhr Valley, which is only open on a few dates during the summer. There is no developed visitor trail: a helmet and ankle-high shoes are compulsory; torches and helmets are provided by the operator.

Temperature

10 °C

Adults

€4.00

Only on selected dates from May to September, for three hours each time in the afternoon or early evening; no booking required; groups of eight or more by arrangement. veleda-hoehle.de

The largest of the eleven ‘A’ works between Aachen and the Weißenburg Depression: 14 kilometres of tunnels, of which around one kilometre is open to the public as an exhibition featuring equipment, weapons and vehicles.

Temperature

8 °C

Route

1,000 m

Adults

€10.00

4 April to 31 October 2026, Saturdays and Sundays 1 pm–5 pm; closed from November to March. westwall-museum.de

This is not a historic mine, but a specially constructed network of tunnels stretching some 1.2 kilometres at a depth of 20 metres, equipped with original machinery. Two themed tours showcase coal and iron ore mining; visitors descend via a lift.

Temperature

12 °C

Depth

20 m

Adults

€15.00

Tuesday to Sunday 9.30 am–5.30 pm, last admission at 3.30 pm. On weekdays, entry is by guided tour only; at weekends and during the NRW school holidays, entry is also permitted without a guided tour. bergbaumuseum.de

Beneath the cathedral lie over 2,000 remains of walls and foundations: Roman residential buildings, early Christian structures and the Carolingian Old Cathedral. Whilst the Praetorium is closed for the construction of the new MiQua building, this is the only major underground tour in Roman Cologne.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€27.00

Open all year round; guided tours are available on weekdays between 3.30 pm and 6 pm, and on Saturdays between 10 am and 4 pm. Tickets are available online only. domfuehrungen-koeln.de/sonderfuehrungen/a…

Beneath the sports hall of a grammar school lie two basement levels covering 1,140 square metres: in the event of war, the state government was to continue governing from here for 30 days. Built in 1978, it is now a documentation centre.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€15.00

In 2026, there will be just two guided tour days: 7 and 8 November. Book online. bunker-doku.de/ausweichsitz-rheinland-pfalz

The Knesebeck shaft forms part of the ‘Hilfe Gottes’ mine, the last ore mine in the Upper Harz region, which did not close until 1992. The guided tour includes the hoisting engine and electric compressor from 1923, two wheel houses with water wheels up to twelve metres high, and a section of the tunnel system.

Temperature

8 °C

Adults

€9.50

May to October: Tuesday to Sunday; November to April: Sundays only; guided tours at 11 am and 2 pm daily; closed on Mondays, except on public holidays. knesebeckschacht.de

The mine railway takes you into the mountain, then across three levels through old mining galleries and past the underground St Barbara’s Chapel. A highlight of the journey is the ride in a replica ore barge along a 450-year-old waterway.

Duration

120 min

Adults

€14.00

April to October: Wednesday to Friday at 11 am and 1 pm; Saturday, Sunday and public holidays at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm; November to March: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only at 11 am and 1 pm. Please arrive 20 minutes beforehand. lautenthals-glueck.de

The museum includes the ‘Neubeschert Glück’ exhibition tunnel, which is around 200 years old, almost flat-bottomed, and has been accessible by vehicle since 1971. Above ground stands the 16th-century tin-washing plant, which is considered unique in Europe. It forms part of the Altenberg-Zinnwald mining landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

60 min

Adults

€9.00

Every day except Friday, 10 am–4 pm; underground tours at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. bergbaumuseum-altenberg.de

Bituminous coal mining in the Alpine foothills: You take the mine railway into the deep tunnels, where you can see a display face and the ‘Old Man’, and in the blasting chamber a demonstration blast is carried out, complete with dust and a great deal of noise. The tour is led by people who used to work here themselves.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€10.00

All year round on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, guided tours at 11.30 am, 1.30 pm and 3.00 pm; from 15 May to 15 September, additional tours on Wednesdays at 1.30 pm and 3.00 pm. Groups of 6 or more can visit at any time by booking in advance. bergbaumuseum-peissenberg.de

A small mine in the Wilden Weißeritz valley, the prospecting for which dates back to the early 16th century. Visitors can see a winch-driven shaft system as well as longwall and drift workings in silver-bearing lead and copper ore, barite and fluorite.

Duration

35 min

Adults

€4.50

Every Saturday from April to October, 10.00–14.30; groups of 8 or more and special guided tours by arrangement; ages 6 and over. auroraerbstolln-dorfhain.de

Brownstone quarried from the hard siliceous shale beneath Battenberg’s old town, excavated from the mountain by a merchant from 1853 onwards. During the Second World War, the system of tunnels served as an air-raid shelter; children can try their hand at the work here for an additional charge.

Adults

€3.00

Every first Sunday of the month in the afternoon from May to September; open to individual visitors without prior booking; for groups of ten or more, please book in advance. Special guided tours by arrangement. burgbergstollen.de

A copper pyrite mine rediscovered in 1998, situated right on the Czech border, featuring a water-powered mechanism, a ventilation shaft and a day shaft. It came to prominence during the search for the Amber Room, which made headlines here in 2008.

Duration

45 min

Adults

€12.50

Tuesday to Sunday, guided tours at 10.30 am, 12.00 pm and 1.30 pm; on Saturdays and Sundays there is an additional tour at 3.00 pm – by prior booking and confirmation only; for children aged 6 and over. das-huthaus.de

The oldest mine in the Annaberg mining district, which was already in operation before 1440 and is situated on the eastern slope of the Pöhlberg. As later periods of mining did not overburden it, more than ten adits on seven levels have been preserved in their original state.

Route

500 m

Guided tours for small groups are available by prior telephone booking only; the association is on site on Saturdays. bergbau-im-erzgebirge.de/briccius.htm

One of the few visitor mines where you descend into the shaft via a cable lift – the tour takes place at a depth of around 50 metres, at the level of the Tiefen Fürstenstolln. The mine is part of the Schneeberg Mine Stabilisation site and is only open on a few days a year.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

120 min

Depth

50 m

Adults

€8.00

Public guided tours on Miners’ Day (the first Saturday in July), on Bergstreittag (22 July) and at the weekend of the Schneeberg Festival of Lights (the second Sunday in Advent), from 9.00 am to 3.30 pm on each occasion; advance booking by telephone is required; further dates available on request. bergbauverein-weisser-hirsch.de

Lead-bearing sandstone was already being mined at the Mechernich Bleiberg in Roman times; in the 19th century, the mining district was one of the largest in Europe. The Günnersdorf shaft was not established until 1940 and tapped into the remaining ore deposits at greater depths.

Duration

105 min

Adults

€7.00

Closed on Mondays; Tuesday to Saturday 2 pm–4 pm with a guided tour at 2 pm; Sundays and public holidays 11 am–4 pm with guided tours at 11 am and 2 pm. bergbaumuseum-mechernich.de

An exploration adit that never uncovered iron ore of commercial value: driven some 250 metres through the mountain between 1921 and 1923, extended in 1941 to serve as an explosives store, and subsequently collapsed. A 15-metre-high shaft connects two levels situated one above the other.

Temperature

12 °C

Adults

€8.00

Season 2026 runs from 19 April to 18 October, but only on nine specific dates; the mine is open from 11 am to 5 pm on each of these dates; groups of 15 or more are welcome at any time by prior arrangement. bew-imsbach.de

A former iron and manganese ore mine in the Kohlbach Valley, which has been reopened by a consortium. Guided tours are only available on a few dates each year and are limited to groups of six people.

Temperature

11 °C

Duration

45 min

Adults

Free of charge, donations welcome

Public guided tours in 2026 will take place on 23 May, 27 June, 25 July, 22 August and 26 September, starting at 2 pm on each date, in groups of six. Please book in advance. weinheim.de/3315900.html

Probably the oldest surviving remnant of silver mining in Schlettau, possibly dating back to the 15th century. Of the 520-metre-long main gallery, around 350 metres are still accessible by vehicle; within it lies a ten-metre-high artificial wheel chamber and several shafts with neatly hewn standing places for the winch operator.

Route

350 m

Only by prior arrangement with the Schlettau Miners’ Association and on official open days, such as Open Monuments Day. knappenverein.de/portfolio-item/grube-gru…

A small mine situated right on the banks of the Zschopau, accessible on foot via the path past the jetty house. The tunnels were entirely hewn out with pick and hammer and have remained unchanged for over 200 years; in the water-filled chambers, you can see right down to the bottom.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

45 min

Route

250 m

Guided tours are available by arrangement only with the Old Mining Association; a cape, helmet and boots are provided. altbergbauverein-zschopau.de

In 1749, a tunnel was driven into the Eisenberg near Brilon and abandoned five years later without any ore having been found – the ore lenses lay above it. After about 600 metres, the Barbara Cave opens up to reveal an underground lake.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

90 min

Route

600 m

Adults

€6.00

April to October, Fridays at 4 pm; further dates available on request; bookings via the Olsberg Tourist Information Centre. Closed in winter as it serves as a bat roost. heimatbund-olsberg.de/philippstollen

Established in 1805 and named after the naturalist from Eiserfeld who accompanied Cook on his second voyage round the world. The first 350 metres are open to visitors; the former underground stables now house a collection of minerals.

Route

350 m

Adults

€6.00

From March to November, on the first Sunday of every month; guided tours are available between 1 pm and 3 pm; groups are welcome all year round by prior arrangement, except on major public holidays. gewerkschaft-eisenzecher-zug.de/besucherb…

Four slate mining fields, which were grouped together in 1863 under the name ‘Christine’; after a good hundred years, mining became unprofitable in 1971. After a short flight of steps leading down, the circular walk continues on level ground – which is unusual for a slate mine.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

65 min

Adults

€9.00

Open all year round, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays; April to October: Wed–Sat at 10.00, 11.30, 14.00 and 15.30, Sundays at 10.00 and 11.30; November to March: Wed–Sun at 10.30. Booking required. willingen.de/poi/schiefergrube-christine

Down underground here stand the only two freely accessible Brendel water-column engines, which operated from 1836 and 1863 respectively until the mine was closed down. The 35-hectare site forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Erzgebirge Mining Region’.

1 April to 31 October: guided tours above and below ground are available by prior booking with the association only. rosswein.de/04741/7515

A heritage adit on the south-western slope of the Ullersberg, driven from 1738 onwards using pick and hammer, which has merely been cleared of debris and otherwise left in its 18th-century state. Since 2012, it has housed a broadband seismometer belonging to the Thuringian Seismological Network.

Route

226 m

Only as part of pre-booked special guided tours organised by the West Saxony Old Mines and Geology Working Group; appropriate mining equipment is required. wolkenburger-bergbaurevier.de

In the Granulit Massif to the west of Chemnitz, mining activities from the 14th, 16th and 20th centuries overlap here – in 1943, the mine served as an air-raid shelter. It is only open on a handful of public holidays each year.

Adults

€5.00

In 2026, only on a few days: Easter Monday 6 April, Whit Monday 25 May, 3 October and 31 October, 10 am–4 pm on each day; Bergquartal, 20 June, 10 am–2 pm; Geotope Day, 20 September, by booking only; groups by arrangement; Mettenschichten during Advent. Last guided tour one hour before closing time. wolkenburger-bergbaurevier.de

One of the oldest mines in the Schneeberg mining district, which has been excavated on a voluntary basis since 1989. The most impressive part of the guided tour is a twelve-metre-high wheel chamber, which was hewn out of the rock using pick and hammer; the association provides a cape, boots and a lamp.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

90 min

Adults

€10.00

Guided tours take place on Wednesdays at 4 pm and Saturdays at 10 am, as well as by appointment; special guided tours lasting between two and four hours are available by arrangement. besucherbergwerk-zschorlau.de

Hohenstein-Ernstthal was Saxony’s most productive gold deposit; the gold was extracted from gold-bearing arsenic-bearing gravel. Today, the mine building houses a small exhibition; access to the main shaft is only possible by prior arrangement and via ladders.

The cap-and-shovel house hosts an exhibition on the last Saturday of every month (except December) from 9 am to 12 noon; tours of the visitor mine run from April to October, subject to booking by telephone. lampertus.de

Iron ore mining in the Siegerland, in one of Germany’s oldest mining districts. The guided tour and the Steel Mining Museum go hand in hand; the tour concludes with a fully functional waterwheel, driven by the water flowing from the adit’s drainage channel.

Adults

€4.50

From March to November, on the second Sunday of every month between 2.30 pm and 4.30 pm; every Sunday during the summer holidays; individual sessions by arrangement. stahlbergmuseum.de

Three old ore adits in the Kirchberg granite, which the town’s brewers connected to form storage cellars in the 18th century and which were converted into an air-raid shelter in 1943. In 2010, a cross-cut was added to the neighbouring Hoffnungsstolln; the guided tour includes a small exhibition in the miners’ changing room.

Route

332 m

Open during the Kirchberg Town Festivals, the Old Town Festival in early October and the Christmas market on the first Sunday of Advent, 1 pm–6 pm; group tours available at any time by prior arrangement by telephone. kirchberger-bergbrueder.de/Bergbau/Stolln…

A water-drainage adit begun in 1787 on the valley slope of the Gimmlitz, which never yielded any ore but has preserved an unusually large number of traces left by the miners: 19 dates carved into the rock, over 66 survey marks and four tunnel signposts.

Guided tours are available by prior arrangement only with the Lichtenberg/Erzgeb. local authority; safety clothing and torches are required. lichtenberg-erzgebirge.de/seite/316401/tr…

The tin and uranium mine at Rudolfstein has been open to visitors again since 2016, but only to pre-booked small groups of no more than ten people. The guided tour includes a 1.3-kilometre round-trip walk; there are streams running through the mine.

Duration

180 min

Adults

€12.00

Guided tours are available from May to September on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, by prior booking only at the Spa and Tourist Information Centre; closed from October to April as it serves as a bat roost. weissenstadt.de

The former water drainage tunnel of an iron ore mine in the Schelderwald, accessible via a restored entrance. In complete darkness, the association demonstrates how work was carried out using oil lamps, carbide lamps and miner’s lamps.

Temperature

10 °C

Route

140 m

April to October, on the first Sunday of every month, 2 pm–5 pm; special guided tours by arrangement, including for schools and nurseries. grube-ypsilanta.de

A faithful replica of a lignite mine tunnel beneath the museum building in the city centre – not an actual historic mine, but the machinery is in operation: a drilling rig, a face loader, face support and conveyor belts are all demonstrated in action.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

90 min

Adults

€4.00

Open all year round; closed on Mondays; guided tours Tue–Thu at 2.00 pm, Fri and Sat 2.00–5.00 pm, Sun and public holidays 11.00 am–5.00 pm; last admission at 3.30 pm. braunkohle-bergbaumuseum.de

It was not tin but red iron ore that was mined here for the Marienhütte in Zwickau – the adit dating from 1834 was the most important iron ore mine in the area. The Rittersgrün Miners’ Association converted it in 1994–95 into a stop on the Pöhla–Rittersgrün mining trail and organises guided tours inside by prior arrangement.

By appointment only; sessions are arranged and mainly take place at weekends. Minimum age 14; children aged 8 to 14 must be accompanied by an adult. knappschaft-1713.de

A machine-gun embrasure post dating from 1935, which escaped post-war demolition because there was a drinking-water well right next to it. The embrasure panel, entrance door, inscriptions and even the embossed wallpaper pattern have been preserved in their original state.

Only a few dates: 4 October 2026 as part of the ‘Bunkerweg Forst’ guided tour, and 10 October during the open day. neckar-enz-stellung.de/nes-302

One of ten air-raid warning centres in the Federal Republic of Germany, completed in 1962 and driven 3.5 storeys deep into the mountain. From here, the whole of Hesse would have been warned of air raids. Today, the facility is home to a Scout centre.

Temperature

10 °C

Duration

60 min

Adults

€5.00 (minimum charge of €50.00 per guided tour)

No fixed opening hours; appointments to be arranged individually; also open on Heritage Open Day. donnerskopf.de/moeglichkeiten/bunkerfuehrung

The southern terminus of the NVA’s microwave relay link, in operation since December 1965. To build it, a hill was levelled and then backfilled – a backfilled structure with just one point of access.

Temperature

7 °C

Duration

60 min

Due to building works, there are currently no regular guided tours; dates by arrangement. Special guided tours for up to 6 people: a flat rate of €30. bunker-leuthen.de

All that remains of the Nazi ‘Führer’s restricted area’ is mainly the concrete: an extensive network of bunkers beneath the plateau. It forms part of the permanent exhibition and does not require a separate ticket – admission is €4.50, and young people under 18 enter free of charge.

Adults

€4.50

Daily 9 am–5 pm (last admission 4 pm); closed on 1 November, 24, 25 and 31 December, and 1 January. Closed for maintenance from 16 to 23 November 2026. Public guided tours on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11.00 (90 minutes, additional charge of €5). obersalzberg.de

A command post of the NVA from the 1970s, hidden away in the Dübener Heide forest: communications, command, computing and technical bunkers. You can explore three of them at your own pace, whilst the two main bunkers can only be visited by prior arrangement.

Duration

120 min

Adults

€15.00

Saturdays and Sundays only: Discovery tour 10.00–15.30 (last admission 14.00), guided tour at 13.00 by booking only; cash payments only. bunker-kossa.de

Around 200 metres of the tunnel system have been secured and have been converted into an exhibition since December 2022: bunker construction, forced labour, bombing, flight and return. The entrance is located right next to the lift to the Oberland.

Adults

€7.00 (aged 14 and over)

Daily 9 am–7 pm; the operator does not specify a winter closure, so please enquire before travelling. museum-helgoland.de/bunkeranlagen/bunkers…

The adit was driven from 1842 onwards and operated until 1926 to extract hard coal, which supplied glassworks and brickworks in the Osterwald. The rock contains fossilised wood, shell beds and wave ripples dating from the Wealdian period.

Adults

€6.00

Tunnel tours take place on Wednesdays at 3 pm from 1 April to 28 October, and on Sundays at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm from 4 April to 25 October; admission to the museum above is free. Closed for the summer break in August 2026. der-huettenstollen.de

In the event of an emergency, the state government would have directed civil defence operations from here. The facility, which dates from the 1960s, is remarkably well preserved in its original state, and the equipment is still operational. It is located underground and is accessed via a flight of stairs.

Temperature

7 °C

Duration

120 min

Adults

€15.00

Public guided tour ‘Bunker Pur’ on Fridays and Saturdays at 4 pm, dates running until November 2026; booking required. ausweichsitz-nrw.de

The city’s largest above-ground air-raid shelter, covering 2,700 square metres and preserved in its original condition. The guided tour explains the construction, technology and oxygen supply. Above ground, but as gloomy inside as any underground bunker.

Temperature

11 °C

Duration

120 min

Adults

€16.90

No fixed opening hours; appointments by request, except during Carnival and from 24 December to 1 January. erinnerungsbunkeraachen.de

A semi-underground arched bunker, built in 1944/45 for the production of the Me 262. It was constructed by concentration camp prisoners from the Kaufering camps; over 6,000 people died in the process. Today it houses a military history collection with a memorial area.

Duration

210 min

By appointment only, Monday to Thursday 8 am–5 pm and Friday until 1 pm; the site is located within a military security zone. Guided tours are free of charge, according to the Federal Agency for Civic Education. zms.bundeswehr.de/de/zmsbw-kanal-forschun…

A mine where silver, cobalt, copper, nickel and, most recently, pitchblende were mined in succession. The standard guided tour includes a 250-metre boat trip through the Himmlisch Heer section; for experienced visitors, there is also a five-kilometre special tour.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€10.00

Monday to Friday 10 am–2 pm, Saturday 10 am and 2 pm, at other times by prior arrangement by telephone; guided tours are usually available for groups of four or more. dorotheastollen.de

A tunnel specially carved into the castle rock, complete with a lift shaft, which replaces the steep footpath up to the castle. The tunnel has been transformed into a small, walk-through museum dedicated to knights, dwarves and castle legends; the lift covers 80 metres in altitude in half a minute.

Depth

80 m

Adults

€4.80

Tuesday to Friday 9 am–5.30 pm, weekends and public holidays 10 am–6.30 pm, closed on Mondays; closed over Christmas and New Year. burg-altena.de/erlebnisaufzug

The Grüner Brewery’s labyrinthine beer cellars, first mentioned in 1872, are up to 22 metres deep and spread over several levels. During the Second World War, up to 2,000 people took shelter here.

Duration

90 min

Depth

22 m

Adults

€10.00 (no discount)

Individual guided tour dates in 2026: the last one is on 8 November at 2 pm; group tours are available all year round by arrangement. tourismus-fuerth.de/erleben-geniessen/sta…

A mountain tunnel beneath the steep slope of the Marienberg in Koblenz, originally built as a mine and now serving as a barrel and stainless-steel cellar for a winery. The tasting takes place down in the cellar, where the temperature remains consistently cool.

Temperature

12 °C

Duration

60 min

Adults

€19.00

Open sessions on Saturdays from 2 pm to 3 pm; groups by arrangement. weinkeller-schwaab.de/weinerlebnis/felsen…

An almost entirely preserved cobalt and silver mine, complete with a mine office, foreman’s house, smithy and the crushing mill building dating from 1816–18. The only underground access is to the crushing wheel chamber beneath the crushing mill, and this is only available on a few fixed dates each year.

World Heritage Day (1st Sunday in June) 10 am–5 pm, Bergstreittag on 22 July 10 am–4 pm, Open Monuments Day (2nd Sunday in September) 10 am–5 pm and Museum Night on 2 October 6 pm–midnight; further guided tours by prior arrangement by telephone. kobaltbergbau.de

Casemates and mine tunnels from the Royal Bavarian Fortress of Germersheim have been preserved. They are only accessible as part of a guided tour: the short, compact tour remains within the vicinity of the Fronte Lamotte and the Weißenburg Gate, whilst the longer tour of the town and fortress also takes in the old town.

Adults

€6.00

City and fortress tours every first Sunday of the month (2 hours), ‘Compact tours’ every fourth Sunday of the month (1 to 1.5 hours), starting at 2 pm from the Weißenburger Tor (bridge). Advance booking required. germersheim-erleben.eu/Erlebenswertes/Fue…

Germany’s most significant gold deposit: around 1.2 tonnes were mined here, and underground mining came to an end during the Thirty Years’ War. The medieval Untere-Tiefe-Tal adit is accessible only by torchlight.

Duration

120 min

Adults

€7.00

From mid-April to October, on Saturdays and Sundays; in July, August and October, also on Wednesdays; booking required at least two days in advance. goldhausen.de/goldbergbau/besucherbergwerk

A BT-6 series GDR observation tower with an attached FB 3 command bunker, saved from demolition at the last minute and restored to its 1980s condition. At the bottom are radio sets, a NBC station and the MZ vehicle used to patrol the border.

Guided historical tours are available by prior booking only through the visitor centre. deutsch-deutsches-freilandmuseum.de

In the 18th century, the Dorothea Mine was the most productive in the Burgstätter mining district. The tour takes visitors through the Dorotheer Rösche, the mine’s old watercourse; the exit is via a 20-metre-high haulage ladder in the Caroliner ventilation shaft.

Duration

150 min

Adults

€45.00

Only on a few dates each year: in 2026, on 25 July, 29 August and 3 October, at 2.00 pm on each occasion; please book at least five days in advance with the Oberharz Mining Museum; ages 14 and over; meeting point: car park at Am Pulverhaus 1. oberharzerbergwerksmuseum.de/fuehrungen/g…

Beneath the limestone quarry, which is still in operation, lies an old system of drainage and transport tunnels. The Mining Association has restored a section of it and a path runs through it – the only way to go underground in the Rüdersdorf limestone mining area.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€9.00

Only during the summer months, on the first Sunday of each month at 1.30 pm and 2.30 pm; 15 to 20 places available, advance booking required. There is no extra charge for the guided tour; it is included in the park admission fee. museumspark.de

Beneath the townhouses in the Old Town lie vaulted wine, beer and ice cellars. They belong to private homes and are only open to the public as part of the themed tours organised by the municipal WTG; the descent involves some steep steps, so a torch is recommended.

Adults

€12.00

Selected Sundays throughout the year at 2.30 pm; meet in front of the WTG Tourist Information Centre on the Marktplatz. The date for 2026 is 25 October. Tickets are available from the WTG and via Reservix. rottenburg.de/historische+keller+in+rotte…

Beneath the motorway junction lies a facility dating from the 1960s, which was designed to protect 1,800 people for 28 days following a nuclear strike. It is now a listed building and open to the public as a museum tunnel.

Temperature

13 °C

Duration

105 min

Steps

42

Adults

€14.00

No fixed times; guided tours take place on specific dates; tickets are available in advance only, not at the venue. unterirdisches-saarbruecken.de

A 16th-century silver mine right in the heart of the town, whose ore once supplied the Freudenstadt mint. There are three levels to choose from: a level adit with an air-raid shelter, a six-metre descent or a thirty-metre descent – a minimum age applies depending on the level chosen.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

30 min

Adults

€3.00 (Level 1), €4.00 (Level 2), €5.00 (Level 3)

1 May to the end of October: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 2 pm–5 pm; special guided tours for groups at other times by prior arrangement with Freudenstadt Tourism. hmv-fds.de/aus-dem-16-jahrhundert-bergwer…

A silver mine first mentioned in records in 1520 and which has been open to visitors again since 2000. Guided tours take place on fixed dates – on Tuesday afternoons and on two Sundays a month – and on Sundays, coffee and cake are served at the top.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

45 min

Adults

€8.00

2026 season, from May to October: Tuesdays at 4 pm (except on public holidays) and on the first and third Sundays of the month from 2 pm to 5 pm; group tours on weekdays by prior arrangement. bergwerk-hallwangen.de

One of 15 high-rise bunkers built in the centre of Hamm from 1940 onwards. The guided tour opens the heavy doors and shows visitors the original rooms. The structure stands above ground.

Duration

120 min

Adults

€6.00

Only two dates a year (2026: 8 May and 18 September, both of which have now passed); the dates for 2027 have not yet been finalised. hamm.de

From 1944 onwards, prisoners at the Leonberg satellite camp of the concentration camp manufactured wings for the Me 262 in the two tubes of the Engelberg Tunnel, which had been closed in 1938. Today, the documentation centre is housed in one of the tunnel tubes. It is a place of remembrance, not a tourist attraction.

Adults

free of charge

March to October, Sundays 2 pm–5 pm. On the first Sunday of every month, there is also a guided tour of the exhibition in the tunnel from 1.15 pm to 2 pm; no booking required. kz-gedenkstaette-leonberg.de

Behind the treasure chamber, a flight of stairs leads down to the cellar: on the first floor, silverware and suits of armour; one flight of spiral stairs further down, the casemates with the foundation walls of the previous castles dating from the 15th and 11th centuries. No additional ticket is required, but there is no guided tour either – you go down on your own.

Adults

€26.00 online / €29.00 at the box office

28 March to 1 November 2026, daily: castle grounds 10.00–18.30, exhibition galleries 10.00–18.00, last admission at 17.00. The museum galleries will be closed from 2 to 18 November 2026; closed on 19 November; from 20 November, the winter season begins with higher admission prices (€29.00 / €9.00 online). burg-hohenzollern.com/de/besuch-planen/ko…

Beneath the castle lies a network of tunnels, some 300 metres long, dating from the 16th century, which was intended to allow defenders to fire on attackers. It remains closed in winter because more species of bat hibernate there than anywhere else in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Duration

60 min

Route

300 m

Adults

€9.00

1 April to 31 October, daily at 12 noon and 2.30 pm, with an additional showing at 4 pm on Sundays and public holidays; closed in winter to protect the bats. bielefeld.jetzt/sparrenburg

Since 1969, the cellars beneath the Deinhard sparkling wine brewery’s main building have housed a wine and sparkling wine museum featuring original equipment used for bottle fermentation. There are no regular opening hours – visitors can only enter as part of a group accompanied by a guide.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€19.00

Daily throughout the year by prior booking, starting between 9 am and 8 pm, except at Christmas and Easter; individual available dates can be arranged through Koblenz-Touristik. sekt-museum.de

An elevated bunker next to the Ronhof Sports Park with an unusual history of use: first a civil defence shelter, then accommodation for displaced persons, a nuclear fallout shelter during the Cold War, and now a meeting place for football fans. Part of it remains in its 1960s state.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€10.00

Individual sessions only: 15 October 2026 at 6 pm; group sessions available all year round by arrangement. tourismus-fuerth.de/erleben-geniessen/sta…

Historic rock cellars around the Burgberg, some of which are owned by the council and others privately. They were used for storing goods and, in times of war, as shelters; the Tourist Information Centre has been organising tours of them since 2010. The temperature in the cellars is between 8 and 10 degrees; visitors must bring their own torch.

Duration

120 min

Adults

€7.00

On selected Saturdays throughout the year at 3 pm; for 2026, the town has announced 19 September, 10 October and 24 October. Meeting point: Town Hall on the Market Square; registration by telephone is required; places are limited. kulmbach.de/seite/712481/f%C3%BChrungsvie…

A small copper-slate mine on the southern outskirts of Ilfeld, which has been left in the state it was in during the last mining period of the 19th century and was opened to visitors in 1982. Above the mine, a mining history and geology trail leads past further mine shafts and the outcrop from which the site takes its name.

Run on a voluntary basis; guided tours for individual visitors and groups are available only by prior telephone arrangement with the Ilfeld-Wiegersdorf Mine and Hiking Guides Group.

The tunnel was driven into the Ottilienberg towards the end of the Second World War to serve as an air-raid shelter – and in the process came across a medieval well shaft that had been hewn out of the rock without the use of explosives. After walking about 60 metres into the tunnel, you can look down into the shaft; the route then continues to the viewing platform. Helmets must be worn in the tunnel.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

90 min

Adults

€7.00

Public tours take place on selected Sundays throughout the season, most recently on 20 September 2026 at 2 pm and 4 pm (both sold out). The website only lists upcoming dates; tickets are available from the City Information Centre. Group tours can also be booked. tourismus-heidenheim.de/gaestefuehrungen/…

From April 1944, twelve Italian forced labourers drove this tunnel into the Muschelkalk; by November, there were 243 seats and 249 standing places. It was never completed – boreholes and unfinished passages can still be seen today.

Open on the same three days as the Ro 1 Museum Bunker: 5 April, 5 July and 6 September 2026, from 11.00 to 17.00 on each occasion, as well as on Heritage Open Days. geschichtsverein-bietigheim-bissingen.de

The City Archives and Bunker Museum are housed in a converted above-ground bunker in Neckarstadt. The exhibition tells the story of the air raids on Mannheim; the building itself stands above ground.

Adults

€9.00

Tuesday, Thursday to Sunday 10 am–6 pm, Wednesday until 8 pm; guided tours on Sundays at 3 pm and 4 pm for an additional €2.50. marchivum.de/de/bunkermuseum

Between 1724 and 1729, Balthasar Neumann built the four-storey gun tower on the southern flank of the fortress and, from 1734, the covered casemate connecting it to the fortress. Both are open on only six public holidays a year; access is via the Schwedenschanze, and tickets are available exclusively from the museum shop at the Echtertor.

Adults

€4.00

Only on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, 1 May, Whit Sunday and Whit Monday, 15 August and 3 October, from 9 am to 6 pm on each of these days. The standard guided tour of the castle on the Marienberg does not come this way. schloesser.bayern.de/deutsch/schloss/obje…

An MG embrasure post from the Neckar-Enz defences of 1935, earth-covered and restored to its original condition: a fighting compartment with a replica embrasure plate, and a standby room with beds, a stove and a ventilation fan. During the war, it served as an air-raid shelter for a factory.

Open on only a few days: 5 April, 5 July and 6 September 2026, from 11.00 to 17.00 on each occasion, in conjunction with the Gaishalde air-raid shelter. Admission not specified. arbeitskreis-bunkerforschung.de/museumsbu…

A tufa cave – a type that is rare in Germany: it was not formed by leaching, but rather by accumulation. It will reopen following restoration work in 2026; the mining authority allows only five people per guided tour, and bookings must be made online in advance.

Duration

45 min

Route

80 m

Adults

€6.00

Wednesdays 9 am–12 noon and Sundays 10 am–3 pm; a group starts every 30 minutes; advance booking required; walk-ins are generally not possible. tropfsteinhoehle-niedaltdorf.de

Germany’s oldest mining museum: 29 exhibition rooms in two 300-year-old town houses, plus an outdoor area featuring a horse-drawn winch, a wheel house and a miners’ smithy. Housed in a 200-year-old shaft building is the visitor tunnel, which connects the above-ground and underground sections.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€9.50 with a guided tour, €7.00 without

April to October: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am–5 pm; November to March: 10 am–4 pm; guided tours daily at 11 am and 2 pm, including Mondays on public holidays; closed on 24 December. oberharzerbergwerksmuseum.de

The Rosenhöfer mining area is regarded as the cradle of mining in Clausthal. The circular wheel chamber was originally above ground but was eventually buried beneath the growing spoil heaps; today, the chamber lies 24 metres underground.

Depth

24 m

Only by booking in advance with the Oberharz Mining Museum; meeting point: the Ottilia shaft, on the corner of Berliner Straße. Helmets are provided. oberharzerbergwerksmuseum.de/fuehrungen/f…

Beneath Münsterplatz lie the remains of a late-antique fort dating from around 300 AD – a massive wall and an octagonal fortification tower. The excavation site has been open to the public as an underground museum since 2005; above ground, only the glass pyramid remains, which serves as a light well. The team at the Rosgarten Museum opens it on specific evenings.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€2.00

The ‘Roman Fort’ is open on around 21 dates between April and early October, from 6 pm to 7 pm on each occasion; in 2026, from 10 April to 2 October. A flat-rate admission fee is payable on site. Group tours are available all year round by arrangement (€80 per group). konstanz-info.com/event/oeffnung-roemer-k…

Malachite and azurite were mined here in the mid-2nd century by the Romans – together with the Emilianus adit, one of the oldest documented underground mines in Germany. Later, the ashlars for Trier’s Porta Nigra were quarried from this site.

1 May to 31 October, by prior arrangement with the Butzweiler Local History Society only. heimatverein-butzweiler.de/sehenswuerdigk…

Above the shaft stands a replica of a flywheel winch dating from 1783, which was used to hoist the ore from a depth of 80 metres. Visitors descend 25 metres; the shaft was later used to maintain the Thelersberg adit.

Duration

60 min

Depth

25 m

By prior telephone appointment only, via the Brand-Erbisdorf Town Council. brand-erbisdorf.de

Beneath the Hindenburg Tower lies a replica of an underground coal mine from the Saarland, complete with a washhouse, a lamp room and various types of mine support. Some of the machinery is in working order.

Duration

120 min

Adults

€4.80

1 April to 31 October: Tue–Fri 10 am–5 pm, weekends and public holidays 12 noon–5 pm; in winter, opening hours are one hour shorter and the museum is open only on Saturdays and on the first Sunday of the month. Closed on Mondays. bbm-bexbach.de

The tunnel on Schwartenbergweg, which was rediscovered in 1987, opens just once a year: on ‘Open Tunnel Day’, the Seiffen Miners’ Association provides visitors with helmets and rubber boots and guides them into the mountain.

Only on the Tunnel Open Day, 28 August 2026 from 5 pm. seiffen.de

Sixty vaulted cellars spread over seven underground levels beneath the Kupferberg Terrace; according to the company, this was once the deepest sparkling wine cellar in the world. Sparkling wine production ceased in 2008; today, a brewery offers guided tours of the site.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€25.90

Approximately every fortnight on Saturdays at 4 pm; admission by pre-booked ticket only. kupferberg-mainz.de/sektkellerei

One of the oldest drainage tunnels in the Ruhr mining region, excavated from 1746 onwards and lined with fine dry-stone masonry made from local sandstone. Tours are conducted in groups of two to six people; rubber wellington boots and torches are provided on site.

Temperature

8 °C

There are no fixed opening hours; individual dates are published on the website about a month in advance, and booking is required. On Open Monument Day, no booking is required. stock-und-scherenberg.de/besucherbergwerk…

A 120-metre section of the tunnel system that concentration camp prisoners were forced to dig into the Thekenberge mountains in 1944–45. Of around 7,000 prisoners, over 1,700 died. The entrance is situated two kilometres from the memorial building.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

45 min

Route

120 m

Adults

free

April to October, on the last weekend of every month, 2.00–5.00 pm; guided tours at 2.15 pm, 3.15 pm and 4.15 pm; groups by prior arrangement. Helmets must be worn; helmets are available on site. gedenkstaette-langenstein.sachsen-anhalt.de

One of three bunkers surrounding the main railway station, built in 1941 for travellers and local residents and converted into a civil defence shelter for over 1,400 people between 1966 and 1969 during the construction of the underground railway. During the demolition, the furnishings were removed, but the heavy ventilation equipment remains in place.

Adults

€12.00 (concession €10.00)

Only on dates announced by the ‘unter hamburg’ association: in autumn 2026, on 26 September and 10 October at 2.30 pm; meeting point in front of the Schauspielhaus. Book by email; groups of up to 25–30 people can also arrange their own dates. unter-hamburg.de/rundgaenge/hachmannplatz

This is not a historic mine, but a visitor mine that was built into the barrel vaults beneath the Baroque castle chancellery from the 1970s onwards. Spanning 200 metres, it features original machinery in working order, ranging from a scraper to a hoist.

Route

200 m

Adults

€6.00

Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays; April to October 10 am–5 pm, November to March 10 am–4 pm; last admission 30 minutes before closing time. Closed from Christmas Eve until the end of January. museum-weilburg.de

Five metres beneath a vocational college lies a Cold War-era auxiliary hospital, built between 1963 and 1965. Of the approximately 220 such facilities in West Germany, it is the only one that is still almost fully equipped.

Temperature

8 °C

Depth

5 m

Adults

€175.00 per group (up to 20 people)

No fixed times: guided tours by appointment, plus individual public dates listed in the events calendar. A liability waiver is required; mould spores are present in some areas. hilfskrankenhaus.gunzenhausen.de

Beneath the hall lie the service shafts of the Bochumer Verein’s former gas-fired power station – part of a system that linked production facilities across half the city. They can be viewed through hatches and viewing windows.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€10.50

Only on fixed dates from April to October, at 12 noon, 1.30 pm and 3 pm; meeting point: the visitor centre at the Pump House. bochum-tourismus.de/besuch-planen/stadtfu…

In 1944, British prisoners of war drove a prospecting tunnel here in search of wolframite and, in doing so, came across the Martin-Römer Tunnel, which is over 700 years old – both sections are now part of the visitor route. The tunnel lies at the heart of the Hoher Forst World Heritage archaeological site, with its deserted mining town of Fürstenberg.

Route

410 m

Open during the Mining Experience Days in early June and on Open Monuments Day on the second Sunday in September, 10 am–6 pm; further guided tours are available by appointment (please book by telephone). kirchberger-bergbrueder.de/Bergbau/Englae…

In 1661, a head forester of the Electorate of Saxony had the Stolln tunnel on the Heidelsberg constructed to keep his beer cool – whilst driving the tunnel, the miners came across a tin-rich ore vein, and this led to the establishment of a separate mining district. The Aue Historical Mining Association only organises tours by prior telephone arrangement and on special event days.

Duration

60 min

Only by prior telephone booking with the Mining Association, and on special days such as the Mining Experience Days, Heritage Day and Museum Night. bergbauverein-aue.de

Germany’s oldest wine cellar, built within Roman storage halls dating from around 330 AD; in the late 7th century, the Merovingians constructed a ribbed vault within the ancient masonry. Wine has been matured here continuously since Napoleon established the foundation.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€17.50

April to October: Wednesdays, Fridays and selected Saturdays at 11.00 am; guided tours in German only. weingut.vereinigtehospitien.de/pages/kell…

An air-raid shelter beneath the Fuggerei, the social housing estate dating from 1521. The exhibition shows how the air raid of February 1944 destroyed the estate and how it was rebuilt. The admission ticket is valid for all four museums in the Fuggerei.

Adults

€8.00

April to September: daily 9 am–8 pm; October to March: 9 am–6 pm; closed on Christmas Eve. Public guided tour on Saturdays at 3 pm. fugger.de/fuggerei/museen/ausstellung-im-…

Not an ore mine, but a whetstone quarry: sandstone was quarried here to make whetstones for scythes and knives. Guided tours are held on two Sundays a month; children and young people go free.

Duration

75 min

Adults

€3.00 (aged 18 and over)

May to October, on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, 1.30 pm–5 pm; guided tours at 1.30 pm, 2.45 pm and 4 pm; further dates by appointment. wetzsteinstollen.de

A tapered air-raid tower of the ‘Winkel’ type, popularly known as the ‘Niehl cigar’. It provided shelter for around 600 factory workers and is built entirely above ground.

Adults

free

Guided tour on the third Saturday of the month; booking required. welt.unter.koeln

A civil defence shelter dating from 1940–41, hewn into the cliffs of Helgoland. The guided tour takes visitors through the original tunnels and explains how the islanders survived the war inside the cliffs.

Duration

75 min

Adults

€14.00 (guided tour)

Museum season: 15 March to 31 October 2026, daily from 11.00 to 16.00; fixed guided tour dates are not published; booking required. museum-helgoland.de/bunkeranlagen/zivilsc…