Saarbrücken is centrally located within easy reach of many places worth a visit. Metz with its flea market and the Lorraine region are just over the border in France. The Hochwald forest is to the north and Völklingen Ironworks, a world heritage site is close by. The Saar Bow is a remarkable natural feature.Saar Bow
The Saar Bow is a remarkable natural feature. It is a deep-set meander in the river Saar between Merzig (45 kilometres from Saarbrücken) and Saarburg (70 kilometres away) where the river has carved its course through the hard rock strata and created some of the most beautiful scenery in the Saarland. Visitors can walk from Orscholz, near Mettlach to the Cloef viewpoint to see the Saar Bow and there are well-maintained cycling and walking trails in the area around it. If you prefer, you can experience it from close hand from a pleasure boat.Völklingen Ironworks UNESCO World Heritage site
Völklingen Ironworks (about 10km away) with its six blast furnaces and remarkable sloping ore lifts tells the story of a hundred years of steel-making. Since its closure in 1986, visitors have been able to follow each process in the production of pig iron in the place where it was once made.Saarlouis
The small town of Saarlouis, 25 kilometres north-west of Saarbrücken, owes its origins to Louis XIV. Its partially preserved star-shaped fortifications were designed by Vauban, the foremost defensive architect of his day. A variety of restaurants are now sited in the restored vaults of the casemates which were added half a century later by the Prussians.