The predominantly agricultural municipality of Alpen with its districts Alpen, Bönninghardt, Menzelen and Veen is located in the midst of extensive recreational forests with numerous cycling, riding and hiking trails. On the cycle route "Alpentour am Niederrhein" you can explore about 30 sights of the beautiful municipality of Alpen. Idyllically situated farm cafés invite you to linger. Water sports facilities and a public lido are offered by the recreational lake in Menzelen-Ost.

Near Alpen, the Romans built two camps, unusually large for Lower Germania, as well as an auxiliary fort, which can be identified on the basis of aerial photographs, magnetometer measurements and two sondages. They are located about 8 km south of the legion site Vetera castra near Xanten on the Limes road archaeologically proven here in 2006. In the two exceptionally large camps north of the fort, a large part of the Lower Germanic army could be assembled at short notice.

The auxiliary fort closes an important gap in the chain of sites between Moers-Asberg / Asciburgium and Xanten / Vetera castra.