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    Eifel

    Germany

    Eifel

    RegionNature

    The Eifel is a low mountain range spanning over 5,300 square kilometers between the Cologne Bay, Rhine, and Moselle.

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    The Eifel is a low mountain range spanning over 5,300 square kilometers between the Cologne Bay, Rhine, and Moselle. It lies in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, extending westward into the Belgian Ardennes and Luxembourg's Oesling. Its highest peak is the Hohe Acht, a volcanic cone at 746.9 meters.In the north, the Eifel National Park protects beech forests around Lake Urft and Kermeter; just beside it lies the half-timbered town of Monschau in the Rur valley. To the east, Lake Laach and Maria Laach Abbey tell of the volcanic past, and at the Nürburgring, you can drive your own car on the Nordschleife. The Eifelsteig long-distance hiking trail has connected Aachen with Trier since 2009.
    Bad Münstereifel
    Wolkenkratzer / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

    Place 1 of 4

    Bad Münstereifel

    Bad Münstereifel is located on the Erft river in the district of Euskirchen, approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Bonn.

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    Eifel National Park
    Cayambe / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

    Place 2 of 4

    Eifel National Park

    Eifel National Park was established on January 1, 2004, as North Rhine-Westphalia's first national park, covering approximately 10,770 hectares between Nideggen, Gemünd, the Belgian border, and the Rursee.

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    Maria Laach & Lake Laach
    Carsten Steger / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

    Place 3 of 4

    Maria Laach & Lake Laach

    On the southwest shore of Lake Laach stands the Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach, founded in 1093 by Count Palatine Heinrich II. von Laach and his wife Adelheid.

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    Monschau

    Place 4 of 4

    Monschau

    Monschau lies in the narrow valley of the Rur, nestled between the slopes of the Naturpark Hohes Venn-Eifel, close to the Belgian border.

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    More places in Eifel

    Nürburgring

    Nürburgring

    The Nürburgring, near Nürburg in the Ahrweiler district, was inaugurated on June 18, 1927, and is named after the Nürburg castle ruins. Today, it's famous for the 20.8-kilometer Nordschleife (North Loop), which racing driver Jackie Stewart dubbed the 'Green Hell' due to its hilly, forest-lined course. The 24-hour race starts here every year.Since its opening, you can drive the Nordschleife with your own road-legal car during tourist drives for a fee. According to Autozeitung, the 2026 season runs from March 7 to November 15, usually from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM on weekdays and from 8 AM to 7 PM on event-free weekends. A lap costs 30 Euros from Monday to Thursday, and 35 Euros from Friday to Sunday and on public holidays (as of March 2026). Motorcycles have no longer been permitted since 2025. Times vary depending on the schedule, so check the official opening hours beforehand.

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    Nürburgring

    Nürburgring

    The Nürburgring, near Nürburg in the Ahrweiler district, was inaugurated on June 18, 1927, and is named after the Nürburg castle ruins. Today, it's famous for the 20.8-kilometer Nordschleife (North Loop), which racing driver Jackie Stewart dubbed the 'Green Hell' due to its hilly, forest-lined course. The 24-hour race starts here every year.Since its opening, you can drive the Nordschleife with your own road-legal car during tourist drives for a fee. According to Autozeitung, the 2026 season runs from March 7 to November 15, usually from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM on weekdays and from 8 AM to 7 PM on event-free weekends. A lap costs 30 Euros from Monday to Thursday, and 35 Euros from Friday to Sunday and on public holidays (as of March 2026). Motorcycles have no longer been permitted since 2025. Times vary depending on the schedule, so check the official opening hours beforehand.
    Bad Münstereifel

    Bad Münstereifel

    Bad Münstereifel is located on the Erft river in the district of Euskirchen, approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Bonn. The old town is encircled by a nearly completely preserved, 1.6-kilometer-long city wall from the early 13th century, featuring 18 towers and four city gates. Within the walls stand the Romanesque Collegiate Church of St. Chrysanthus and Daria and the Romanische Haus from 1167, now a local history museum.Since 2014, the City Outlet, the first outlet center located within a city center, has been spread across the historic buildings. Since 1974, Bad Münstereifel has been a state-recognized Kneipp spa. In the district of Effelsberg, there is a radio telescope with a 100-meter diameter.
    Eifel National Park

    Eifel National Park

    Eifel National Park was established on January 1, 2004, as North Rhine-Westphalia's first national park, covering approximately 10,770 hectares between Nideggen, Gemünd, the Belgian border, and the Rursee. It primarily protects woodrush-beech forests, alongside lakes, streams, and open grasslands. The Kermeter forest area, with its high proportion of beeches, and the Urfttalsperre form the heart of the park.Around 3,300 hectares previously belonged to the Vogelsang military training area, which has been publicly accessible since January 1, 2006. Today, Vogelsang IP houses the Eifel National Park Centre, from which you look out over the Urftsee. If you plan to be out for several days, take the 85-kilometer-long Wilderness Trail from Monschau-Höfen to Hürtgenwald-Zerkall in four daily stages.
    Maria Laach & Lake Laach

    Maria Laach & Lake Laach

    On the southwest shore of Lake Laach stands the Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach, founded in 1093 by Count Palatine Heinrich II. von Laach and his wife Adelheid. The Romanesque abbey church was consecrated in 1156; its narthex, known as the "Paradies" (Paradise), is considered the last surviving example of its kind north of the Alps. Today, the monastery includes a book and art shop, a large nursery, and an art smithy.Lake Laach itself is approximately 3.3 square kilometers in size, up to 51 meters deep, and is considered Central Europe's only water-filled caldera. It was formed during a volcanic eruption approximately 13,000 years ago. On its southeastern shore, carbon dioxide still rises today from so-called mofettes. Since 1935, the lake and its surroundings have been under nature protection.
    Monschau

    Monschau

    Monschau lies in the narrow valley of the Rur, nestled between the slopes of the Naturpark Hohes Venn-Eifel, close to the Belgian border. The medieval old town is traversed by the Rur and is characterized by half-timbered buildings and slate-clad houses, which today host cafés, restaurants, and artisan shops.The town grew prosperous from fine cloth production: it began here in the late 16th century, reaching its zenith in the 18th century under Johann Heinrich Scheibler. This story is told in the Rote Haus, now a museum showcasing bourgeois domestic culture. Above the town, Burg Monschau, dating from the early 13th century, now houses a youth hostel.