A day out in the rain

Rain outside, 8 °C below.

The Wiehler Tropfsteinhöhle (Wiehl Dripstone Cave) lies 30 metres underground and can only be visited on a guided tour. Tours run the same in sun, rain and snow. It is about 8 °C all year round, and the rain from above falls on the forest floor, not into the passages.

To be honest, the cave is not a dry room. The humidity is high, and in a few places water drips and runs – after all, that is exactly how dripstones form. But you do not stand in the rain, and you stay with the group under a roof of rock.

If you are planning an outing with children in bad weather, you need a destination that does not depend on the sun. That is what the cave is made for. Reservations are possible until the day before; for today, please ask at the ticket desk.

What you should wear.

A rain jacket for the walk from the car park to the ticket desk, with something warm underneath for the cave. Sturdy shoes with a good tread are important, because the steps and paths can be wet. A spare jumper for the children in the rucksack saves trouble.

It is best to leave umbrellas in the car: in the passages they only get in the way. A hood is more practical.

Warming up at the Waldhotel.

If you come out of the woods dripping wet, the Waldhotel restaurant is the obvious next item on the programme. The day can end here: cake, lunch, coffee. Please ask in advance for larger groups. You will find more for families on the page Children’s birthdays & families.

Rainy days with children.

Rainy days with children are a challenge: little is possible outside, and indoors it gets cramped. The cave offers something an indoor playground cannot: it is a real adventure that does not feel like keeping them busy. Children explore with torches, discover dripstones and ask questions that would not occur to them above ground.

To make the rainy day work, a little preparation is worthwhile: pack a second pair of socks, because wet feet are the most common reason for a bad mood. A flask of warm tea in the car works wonders. When the children are tired, the drive home will be quiet anyway.

Good to know: the wetter it is outside, the more water drips below. That makes the cave more alive, because seepage water carries lime into the formations every year. Children grasp this quickly when it is explained to them: today’s rain is tomorrow’s dripping. The guides like to tell this.

If you are accompanying a group of children, for example at a birthday party or a holiday programme, the page Children’s birthdays & families has ideas for the schedule. School classes can also come in rainy weather; more under Schools & nurseries.

A quick check before you set off.

If the weather is uncertain, feel free to phone briefly (+49 2262 7920) and ask about free places. When it rains fewer guests are out and about, and there are often places at short notice, especially in the morning. This is not guaranteed, because the number of places per tour is limited.

Allow some time for the walk from the car park and park as close to the building as possible. Parking at the Waldhotel is free. If you come by bus, get off at the “Tropfsteinhöhle” stop on line 302. In heavy rain the stairway down is no more dangerous than usual, but the path to the entrance can be slippery. Use the handrail and do not run.

After the tour wet jackets can stay in the car, and in the restaurant you sit dry. A hat and gloves for children are helpful in autumn and winter.

And if the weather does clear up: the wildlife park next door is open and free to enter all day, so a rainy morning can still turn into a dry afternoon. By car it is roughly an hour from Cologne/Bonn Airport and about 1 hour 15 minutes from Düsseldorf (approx., depending on traffic).

Rain? Never mind.

Reserve a place until the day before or give us a call. When it rains, tours are often quieter than in the holidays.

Book a tour Call +49 2262 7920

Goes well with

• Summer: 8 °C instead of heat
• Wildlife park & day out
• Schools & nurseries