Rieden, district of Mayen-Koblenz
The state lists 68 official bathing lakes — and not one bathing river. Our three holiday homes stand 150 metres above the shore of one of those 68: the Riedener Waldsee in the Osteifel.
Why here
The Riedener Waldsee is one of them.
Imagine this: you open the door of your holiday home in the morning, take a few steps through the countryside – and there is the lake in front of you.
It is around 150 metres from our holiday homes to the shore. A good two minutes on foot, with no road to cross.
And the best part: you are not just staying near a pretty lake. You are staying by an official bathing water with excellent water quality.
The lake
The Riedener Waldsee is designated a European bathing water and has again been rated “excellent bathing water quality” for the 2026 bathing season – the highest rating there is.
You do not need to get in the car to go swimming.
You do not need to look for a parking space.
And you do not have to pay an entrance fee.
Your car is parked free of charge right by the house. The lake is just a few steps away.
A swim in the morning. Down to the water with the children in the afternoon. A quick dip after a hike. Or simply sitting by the lake in the evening and letting the day wind down.
That is exactly the difference between a “holiday home by the lake” and a holiday home where the lake really is part of your holiday.
The location
There are 68 official bathing lakes in Rhineland-Palatinate. For the Eifel, we checked for ourselves which of these lakes have a detached holiday home within walking distance.
The result: three lakes. The Riedener Waldsee is one of them.
Our three holiday homes stand above the lake – 150 metres from the shore.
No country road between house and water.
No car needed.
No hunting for a parking space.
Just a few minutes on foot – and you are at the lake.
Our holiday homes
All three stand side by side on the Sonnenterrasse, all three have their own outdoor sauna, whirlpool bath and wood-burning stove. The difference lies in the size and in how many people are coming along.
The chalet for two to four guests
The home for families and friends
The home with the large sauna terrace
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2026 bathing season
A lake can look idyllic. But for a swimming holiday, the view is not all that matters.
The Riedener Waldsee is an official EU bathing water. For 2026, its bathing water quality was once again rated “excellent”.
So you can plan your holiday the way a lakeside holiday should be:
Get up. Have breakfast. Grab your swimming things. Walk to the lake. Into the water.
And when you head back, your holiday home is only a few minutes away.
DTV classification
All three homes have been awarded five stars under the quality criteria of the German Tourist Association.
View the certificatesDirect from your hosts
You book with no agency in between and no portal fees, with instant confirmation.
Dogs welcome
Up to two dogs travel free of charge, and every terrace is fenced.
A sauna at every home
Your own outdoor sauna, whirlpool bath and wood-burning stove come as standard everywhere.
Parking and charging
For us, this is part of a relaxed holiday too:
Your parking space is right by your holiday home and free of charge.
And if you arrive in an electric car, you can charge it right on site:
Each of our three holiday homes has its own EV charging point – exclusively for the guests of that home.
No searching for a public charging station.
No detour.
Simply arrive, plug in and charge at your leisure during your stay.
Your car is parked right by the house. Your electric car charges right by the house. And you walk to the lake.
After your swim
It is not just your holiday home that is waiting for you.
Each of our three homes has its own outdoor sauna, a whirlpool bath and a wood-burning stove. Plus your private terrace and the peace and quiet of the Eifel.
First a swim in the lake.
Then unwind in the whirlpool.
Later, perhaps, the sauna.
That is what a day at the Riedener Waldsee feels like.
In short
Plus nature, peace and quiet, sauna, whirlpool and wood-burning stove.
A lake holiday does not need to be any more than that.
Book Direct
Choose your dates → check availability → choose your holiday home → book direct.
150 m to the lake · excellent water quality · free swimming · free parking · your own EV charging point
Distances
The bathing area, the path around the lake and two restaurants are within walking distance. The Moselle, the Rhine, the Nürburgring and Koblenz are days out, not journeys.
What our guests say
“We really enjoyed the peace and quiet and the lovely weather. Our Puschel took it all in his stride too. Even the reunion with the dog family went really well. The house is lovely. PS: I loved the hooded beach chair, I had no idea how cosy one of those is.”
“It was wonderful here. We enjoyed our stay and will certainly be back. You get a lovely view of the lake from the house.”
“Thank you so much for the lovely place to stay and for the wonderful days we were able to spend here. We felt completely at home. The weather was beautiful, we explored the area and had a great time. Thank you and all the very best.”
Good to know
Between “by the lake” in the listing and “by the lake” on holiday there is often a main road. This page says what is measurable here — and where you would be better off booking somewhere else.
Portals do not know the paths on the ground, they know straight lines. That is why a listing says “by the lake” even when two kilometres and a main road lie between the house and the water. We prefer to say what can be measured: our three homes stand around 150 metres from the shore of the Riedener Waldsee, a good two-minute walk, with no road to cross. That is walking distance. It is not “right on the water” — if you want a terrace that juts into the lake, you will not find it here.
The reason is not chance but law. Under the Federal Water Act a riparian strip with restrictions on use applies in undeveloped areas, and under the Rhineland-Palatinate state water act structures near the shore of larger waters require consent. Then there is nature conservation: the Laacher See, for example, lies in the largest nature reserve in the state, and its shore cannot be built on apart from one bathing area at the campsite. Where holiday homes do stand near the water today, they usually stand there because they are older than the law as it is now.
Both lead here, but they mean different things. If you search state-wide, you are comparing three very different kinds of water: warm gravel-pit lakes along the Rhine with short journeys from the cities, shallow family lakes in the Palatinate, and cool maars and reservoirs in the Eifel. If you search for the Eifel, you have already chosen the landscape and want to know which lake there actually has a holiday home beside it. We answered that question in an article of its own: Holiday home by a lake in the Eifel. The short version: at nine of the thirteen monitored Eifel bathing lakes, the only place to stay on the shore is a campsite.
The Waldsee has a gently shelving entry and a lawn right beside it, plus a playground, a kiosk and pedalo hire. There is no lifeguard, so swimming is at your own risk; water shoes are sensible, as the bed is left in its natural state. For dogs there is a clear line at the lake: they may not enter the designated bathing area at any time of year, but the path around the lake is fine on a lead. Up to two dogs travel with us free of charge, and the terrace at every home is fenced. And if it rains, each of our homes has its own outdoor sauna, a whirlpool bath in the bathroom and a wood-burning stove with firewood; the Nettebad in Mayen and the slate mine are 13 kilometres away.
Our address is Sonnenterrasse, 56745 Rieden. The drive comes via the A61, exit 33 Wehr/Nürburgring. You can arrive Monday to Saturday from 15:00, departure is by 10:00, and the minimum stay is three nights. The price depends on the home, the season and the number of nights: choose your dates in the calendar and you will see the total price before you book — direct with us, with no portal fee. What applies to the deposit and to cancellation is set out in the FAQs and in the Terms & Conditions. Prefer to talk? +49 174 6579 422, daily from 9:00 to 18:00.
FAQs
For the 2026 bathing season the state lists 68 EU bathing lakes. On the basis of the readings of the past four years, 59 of them are rated “excellent”, five “good” and one “sufficient”. Two were added in 2026: the Pfarrwiesensee and the Wammsee in the Palatinate.
No. Not a single river and no larger stream in Rhineland-Palatinate is designated as a bathing water, and because of the risk of infection, shipping traffic and currents the state government advises against swimming in flowing water altogether. A holiday home on the Rhine or the Moselle is therefore a house by the water, but not one for swimming.
Around 150 metres, a good two-minute walk, with no road to cross. That is walking distance, but it is not “right on the water”: if you are looking for a house whose terrace juts into the lake, you will not find it here.
The Mayen-Koblenz district authority, as the lower water authority, has again approved it for 2026 as a European bathing water with excellent bathing water quality — the best of the four possible grades. The current readings are published in the state’s bathing water atlas.
From 1 June to 31 August. During that time the water quality is tested regularly. Outside the season the lake is freely accessible but unsupervised. September is often the most pleasant month: the water holds its warmth longer than the air.
Nothing. There is a charge for the car park — if you are staying with us, you will walk anyway. The bathing area has lawns, changing rooms, toilets, a playground, a barbecue area, pedalo hire, a kiosk and a path right around the lake.
In both. Rieden lies in the Osteifel, in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, and the Osteifel belongs to Rhineland-Palatinate. If you have the Eifel specifically in mind, our article “Holiday home by a lake in the Eifel” has the full count of the lakes there.
On the path around the lake, yes, on a lead. Dogs may not enter the designated bathing area with its lawn at any time of year, and they may not swim in bathing waters in Rhineland-Palatinate. Up to two dogs still travel with you free of charge, and every terrace is fenced.
Choose your dates, see the total price, book. No agency, no portal fee, instant confirmation.
Prefer to talk? +49 174 6579 422, daily from 9:00 to 18:00
