Skywalk Willingen suspension bridge

665 metres of steel grating, a railing on each side and up to 100 metres of air below you: the Skywalk Willingen in the Upland, the Hessian part of the Sauerland hills, is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Germany. It spans from the Mühlenkopf with its famous ski jump across to the Musenberg. It opened on 1 July 2023. On the very first weekend, one in five visitors turned back after a few steps.

Bridge facts

The Skywalk was built from 2022 in the so-called Tibetan style, with a walkway that follows the sag of the main cables. It weighs 125 tonnes, and its two portal towers are anchored with 46 anchors and bored piles, the longest reaching 24 metres deep. It cost 4.5 million euros. The walkway is only 1.2 metres wide, with gradients of up to 12 %. Hydraulic cylinders tension the bridge in storms, and as soon as wind sensors at several points record excessive values, access is closed automatically. A maximum of 700 people may be on the bridge at once.

What to see

• The Mühlenkopf ski jump: The bridge starts right beside the world's largest large hill ski jump, and you look down on the in-run and out-run.
• The Stryck valley: Below you are forest and meadows, with Willingen's Stryck district in the valley.
• Nature reserves: Right beside the Skywalk you can see the Grebensteine and Alter Hagen nature reserves.
• Ettelsberg: A 1.2 km circular path links the bridge with the Ettelsberg mountain and its cable car.

Parking and getting there

• P24 Mühlenkopf ski jump (free): satnav address Mühlenkopfstraße 1, 34508 Willingen. It is a few steps to the valley station of the Mühlenkopfliner, which takes you straight up to the bridge entrance. Café Aufwind by the car park has step-free public toilets.
• P20 Musenberg/Stryckbahnhof: satnav address Auf dem Wakenfeld, 34508 Willingen, right on the B251. From there it is a 1.2 km walk, with a steep final 50 metres. There are free lockable lockers at Wakenfeld.
• P1 Ettelsberg cable car: Zur Hoppecke 5. Take the gondola up the Ettelsberg, then walk about 20 minutes to the bridge.
• P12 K1 chairlift: Zur Ruthenaar 3, up by chairlift.
• By train: to Willingen or "Usseln Bahnhof Willingen", then bus 567 or 568 to "Willingen Abzweig Stryck".

Prices and opening hours (as of October 2026)

• Opening hours: all year, daily 09:00–20:00; from 1 November to 31 March 09:00–17:00. Closed in storms.
• Skywalk: adults aged 16 and over €12, children aged 6 to 15 €9.
• Combined tickets (staffed desks only): with the Ettelsberg cable car or K1 chairlift €26 (children €18), with the Mühlenkopfliner and the ski jump's in-run tower €24 (children €16.50).
• Payment: the machines at both entrances accept Girocard only; cash is only possible at the cable car desks during their opening hours. Online tickets are sold via Starjack.

A ticket covers the way there and back on the same day and stays valid for two years until first use, so if the bridge is closed you can come back another time.

Tripto tip

Allow about an hour for the bridge and the walk back, or half a day with the ski jump or the Ettelsberg. Dogs, pushchairs, bicycles and wheelchairs are not allowed on the bridge; dogs would find the grating unpleasant anyway. Come early in the morning or on a weekday, when it is quieter. If you are nervous of heights, take a look at the bridge from the car park by the ski jump first.