ExploreTravel GuidesPlan a trip
    de|en
    All Places & RegionsAbout FernwehFAQPrivacy PolicyImprint
    ExploreTravel GuidesPlan a trip
    • Neighborhoods & highlights
    • Eat & drink
    • Accommodation
    • Plan trip
    • Nearby
    Monschau

    Germany

    Monschau

    City

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

    1. Home
    3. Destinations
    5. Germany
    7. Eifel
    9. 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.

    Sights in Monschau

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Red House
    Museum

    1Red House

    The Scheibler cloth-making family built the house around 1760. Today, the museum displays 18th and 19th-century middle-class living culture.
    Open in Google Maps
    Haller Ruin
    Historic Landmark

    2Haller Ruin

    The tower ruins on Rahmenberg above the market square is a popular viewpoint, from where you overlook the castle and Rur Valley. Already in 1570, its stones were used for castle repairs.
    Open in Google Maps
    Monschau Castle
    Attraction

    3Monschau Castle

    The castle probably originated in the early 13th century as the seat of the Dukes of Limburg and was expanded in the 14th century. Today, it houses a youth hostel, and from the viewpoint at the castle, you can look out over the roofs of the Old Town.
    Open in Google Maps
    Old Town Monschau
    Attraction

    4Old Town Monschau

    The Rur-traversed medieval old town, with half-timbered and slate-clad houses, cafés, eateries, and craft shops.
    Open in Google Maps
    Discovery Museum Nature Center
    Museum

    5Discovery Museum Nature Center

    The Museum at Burgau, a museum and learning center since 2014, showcases a collection of over 1000 animal taxidermy specimens from the Kreisjägerschaft Aachen and is connected to a glassworks.
    Open in Google Maps

    Restaurants in Monschau

    1

    Schnabuleum by Michael Wolf

    Mill restaurant with dishes of Eifel beef or Zander, refined with mustard.
    Show on Google Maps
    2

    The Haller

    Cozy pub restaurant with wooden beams and hearty German and Italian cuisine.
    Show on Google Maps
    3

    Restaurant Old Market

    Rustic restaurant with hearty German cuisine, red walls and landscape paintings.
    Show on Google Maps

    Accommodations in Monschau

    Find perfect stay in Monschau

    Booking.com* (Affiliate link)
    Search Hotels
    Agoda* (Affiliate link)
    Search Hotels
    Airbnb
    Vacation Rentals

    * Affiliate link: if you book through it, we earn a small commission. The price stays the same for you.

    Campgrounds in Monschau

    Find perfect campground in Monschau

    Search via Google Maps
    Campgrounds nearby (15km)
    Camping.info
    Find Campgrounds
    Park4Night
    RV Parks & Camping

    Plan your trip to Monschau

    Save places, build a route and plan your city trip, all in one place.

    1. 1
      1234

      Round trip

      12 days · 4 stops

      Saved

      Pick a route

      Pick a ready-made one or save places and plan your own.

      Open bookmarks
    2. 2

      Trip to Monschau

      Live
      • 1Red House3 days
      • 2Haller Ruin4 days
      • 3Monschau Castle5 days
      Budget

      Plan your trip

      The planner sorts stops, days and budget. Plan together in real time.

      Start trip planning
    3. 3
      9:41 No signal
      Available offline

      Use it on the road

      Download the guide to your phone and use it on site, even offline.

    Nearby

    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.
    Eupen

    Eupen

    Eupen, close to the German border about 15 kilometers south of Aachen, is the capital of the German-speaking Community of Belgium. Here you speak German, experience baroque townhouses from the time of the clothmakers, and are just minutes away from the edge of the High Fens.The city is divided into the Upper Town with its Market Square and St. Nikolaus, and the Lower Town along the Weser. Just outside the city gates are the Wesertalsperre and Hertogenwald, popular destinations for hiking and cycling.
    Aachen

    Aachen

    Aachen is located in Germany's westernmost tip, bordering Belgium and the Netherlands. Around 800, Charlemagne had his Palatine Chapel built here, the core of today's Cathedral. In 814, he was laid to rest there, and between 936 and 1531, 30 kings were crowned in the Octagon. In 1978, the Cathedral became Germany's first monument on the UNESCO World Heritage list.The city, with around 249,000 inhabitants, is compact: its Cathedral, Cathedral Treasury, Town Hall on Katschhof, and Elisenbrunnen are close by. Try Aachener Printen, a spicy pastry available in bakeries all year round. Cologne is about 50 minutes away by regional train.
    Spa

    Spa

    Spa in den Ardennen südöstlich von Lüttich ist der Kurort, der allen Heilbädern seinen Namen gegeben hat. Seit 2021 gehört die Stadt mit zehn weiteren Bädern zum UNESCO-Welterbe der „Great Spa Towns of Europe“.Eisenhaltige Quellen, die Pouhons, prägen den Ort bis heute, ebenso Parkanlagen, Galerien und Villen aus dem 18. und 19. Jahrhundert. Wenige Kilometer südlich liegt die Rennstrecke Spa-Francorchamps, auf der die Formel 1 fährt.
    Liège Province & East Belgium

    Liège Province & East Belgium

    The province of Liège in eastern Belgium stretches from the Maastal to the Hohe Venn on the German border; Liège is about an hour by train from Brussels. You come for high moors and waterfalls, for the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack, and for East Belgium, where German is an official language.The Pays de Herve features orchards and a robust cheese; southwards, forests and river valleys extend into the Ardennes. Blegny-Mine is also located here, the fourth of the Walloon mining sites of the UNESCO World Heritage.