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.
The starting point
Rhineland-Palatinate is a land of rivers. The Rhine, the Moselle, the Saar, the Lahn, the Nahe and the Ahr shape the landscape, the vineyards and almost every travel brochure. Search for “holiday home by a lake in Rhineland-Palatinate” and you regularly end up on a river.
Except that you cannot swim there. In Rhineland-Palatinate not a single river and no larger stream 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 house with a view of the Moselle is a house by the water. It is not a house for swimming.
The 68 waters where the state expressly permits swimming and monitors the quality are all lakes. One of them lies 150 metres below our terrace.
2026 bathing season
Figures from the Ministry of Agriculture, Viticulture, the Environment and Forestry for the start of the bathing season on 1 June 2026.
The two new ones are the Pfarrwiesensee and the Wammsee in the Palatinate. The largest official bathing lake in the state is the Laacher See at 331 hectares — it lies 13 kilometres from our homes, although its only designated bathing area is at the campsite there.
Where these lakes are
Along the Rhine lie the broad recreation areas with their gravel-pit lakes. These are the lakes with the shortest journeys from Mainz, Ludwigshafen and Worms — and the busiest on a hot weekend.
In the Palatinate new waters are added regularly, in 2026 the Pfarrwiesensee and the Wammsee. Shallow, warm, good for families.
In the Eifel they are maars and reservoirs: the Laacher See as the largest, along with crater lakes such as the Gemündener Maar and the Pulvermaar, and dammed lakes such as the Riedener Waldsee. Cooler, more wooded, considerably quieter.
No authority counts how many of the 68 lakes have a detached holiday home within walking distance. For the Eifel we counted it ourselves — the answer was three lakes, and the Riedener Waldsee is one of them.
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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The lake
Around four hectares in size, eight metres deep at its deepest point, created in 1982 by damming the Rehbach. A small upper pool serves as a pre-dam, and the two are linked by a cascade waterfall.
More important than the figures is the status: the Mayen-Koblenz district authority has again approved the Waldsee for the 2026 season as a European bathing water with excellent bathing water quality. The areas open for use are marked out, and two bathing jetties make getting in easier.
The lake is not heated and has no deep spring inflows — it simply follows the weather. In June it is fresh, in July and August at its warmest, and a warm September day by the water here is often better than a crowded day in July.
DTV classification
All three homes have been awarded five stars under the quality criteria of the German Tourist Association.
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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.
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
