Holiday home Sauerland

The choice of accommodations in Sauerland is vast. Before you choose a house, it helps to know what kind of holiday you have in mind. A vacation park gives you many extras such as a swimming pool, a playground and an on-site restaurant. Convenient if you go with children and want everything to be close by. A chalet is often looser in nature, has fewer extras but more privacy and atmosphere. And a nature cottage is exactly what it says; small, quiet and surrounded by woods or meadows, ideal if you really want to unwind.

Want something that falls outside the standard categories? Then it definitely pays to look at unusual overnight stays in the Sauerland. Think treehouses, tiny houses or cottages with a panoramic terrace. Those kinds of stays book up faster than you think, so booking early is wise. For those who also want to compare other regions, there are many special holiday homes in Germany, from the Eifel to Bavaria.

Winterberg is the most famous part of Sauerland. It is the winter sports center of the region, but just as popular in the summer thanks to its many mountain bike trails and hiking trails. If you are looking for a holiday home in Winterberg, you are in the right place if you want an active holiday in any season.

Schmallenberg has a quieter character. The area is one of the most beautiful in the Sauerland: green valleys, small villages, lots of forest. This is the area for those who seek relaxation and prefer to find a quiet restaurant in the evening rather than an après-ski bar. Brilon and Olsberg are less touristy and therefore more affordable. There you are in the middle of nature without the hustle and bustle of Winterberg in high season. The Möhnesee in the north is a must if you want water as a recreational option. Sailing, canoeing and biking along the lake are part of the standard vacation day filling here.

Sauerland is an excellent destination for families, but your choice of accommodation matters a lot. A vacation park with an indoor pool is a safe choice if the Sauerland weather is momentarily disappointing, and that can happen just like that in the fall or early spring. Larger parks near Winterberg or Schmallenberg often also have a kids' club, playgrounds and organized activities.

Outside the park, there is plenty to do. The Wildwald Vosswinkel is a free hiking park featuring wild animals in their natural habitat. The Erlebniswerk in Winterberg combines a climbing park with a toboggan run and is also open in the summer. For a day out with more structure, Phantasialand is relatively nearby about an hour and a half away. A holiday home with a fenced garden, a children's pool or sunbathing area and a supermarket nearby sounds simple, but it makes a huge difference in daily logistics.

Sauerland is one of the most dog-friendly vacation destinations in Germany. Its vast forests, low off-season traffic and thousands of miles of hiking trails make it a logical choice. Not every holiday home allows dogs, and some charge a surcharge of 5 to 15 euros per night. When booking a holiday home in the Sauerland with your dog, it's best to pay attention to a fenced-in garden and proximity to forest areas. The surroundings of Schmallenberg and the Rothaargebirge are particularly suitable, here there are hardly any busy roads and there are miles of paths where you can let your dog run loose.

A private sauna in your vacation rental is not a rarity in the Sauerland, in fact it is one of the most sought after filters. Many chalets and detached holiday homes have a Finnish sauna as a standard option, especially in the more expensive category. A holiday home in Sauerland with a sauna costs on average 20 to 40 euros more per night than a comparable home without one. A private pool is rarer but existing, those stays book up quickly in summer, so searching early pays off.

Winterberg is the ski resort of the Sauerland. The Skiliftkarussell has 22 slopes, making it the largest ski area in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is an excellent choice for beginners, families and those who do not want to go to Austria for several days. Snow cannons cover the most popular slopes during frost, but for really good snow, you're best off between mid-December and mid-February. In addition to skiing, tobogganing, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are also popular during the winter months.

During the rest of the year, hiking is the big draw. The Sauerland has more than 12,000 kilometers of marked hiking trails. The Rothaarsteig is the most famous long-distance hike: 154 kilometers from Brilon to Dillenburg, mostly through pristine woodland. The best season for a hiking vacation is early fall, September and October, when the leaves are discolored and the hustle and bustle of summer vacation is over.

A simple cottage for two people costs about 70 to 100 euros per night in the low season. A chalet for six people with sauna in Winterberg in high season is more like 200 to 350 euros per night. Group accommodation for 10 to 16 people seems expensive at first glance, but divided by the number of people you often come out cheaper than a hotel. A cheap holiday in the Sauerland is well possible outside school holidays. May, September and early October are the best times. The weather is pleasant then, nature is beautiful and prices are 20 to 40 percent lower than in the summer or Christmas vacations.

The Sauerland has two distinct peak seasons, the summer vacations and the winter sports period. During those periods, the most popular houses are fully booked months in advance. Outside of those peaks, last minute deals are much more realistic, houses that become vacant due to cancellations can then be found with discounts of 15 to 30 percent. A weekend getaway works well year-round. Arriving Friday, leaving Monday gives you three full days, and many houses offer that as a standard booking option.

Outside of skiing and hiking, the Sauerland has a wide range of activities. The Hennesee near Meschede is one of the region's largest reservoirs. Here you can sail, surf, canoe or bike along the water's edge. The Dechenhöhle near Iserlohn is a spectacular stalactite cave that you can walk through in about 45 minutes. And those who love beer will find several craft breweries offering tours in the area.

The region has no major cities, but does have a number of quaint village centers. Schmallenberg, Winterberg and Brilon each have cozy centers with restaurants, bakeries and small stores. Want to eat out in the evening? In and around Winterberg, you'll find good restaurants serving local dishes like Sauerland game roast or fresh trout.

Ready to book? Use the search function on Vipio to filter by region, group size, sauna, pets or availability and find the Sauerland holiday home that's right for you.