Rieden by the Waldsee, Osteifel
Three holiday homes, 150 metres from the shore. Up to two dogs travel with you free of charge, the terrace at every home is fenced all the way round, and after a two-minute walk the woods begin.
Why here
“Dogs welcome” in many listings means: ten euros a night, on a lead in the house and in the garden anyway. That helps nobody. With us the dog is part of the booking, not part of the extras — and the terrace it lies on really is closed.
Up to two dogs per home, with no dog fee and no cleaning surcharge. They may come inside and do not have to sleep separately.
The fence encloses the terrace and the adjoining area. Access from the living area and separately as well.
The first walk starts at the door, without the car. The Traumpfad Waldseepfad begins around 100 metres away.
Each home stands on its own, with its own driveway. For anxious dogs that is exactly what makes the difference.
Our holiday homes
All three have the same fence, the same terrace and the same rules. The difference lies in the size — and in how far it is between the dog’s bed and the door.
The chalet for two to four guests
The home for families and friends
The home with the large sauna terrace
Book Direct
Live calendar, instant confirmation, no agency fees.
The fence
“Fenced” is a flexible term in the holiday home market. Sometimes it means a waist-high fence with an open side towards the road, sometimes a garden gate that does not shut.
At each of our three homes the fence completely encloses the terrace and the adjoining area. You reach it from the living and dining area and separately as well: you open the door in the morning, the dog goes out, and you stay inside.
The surface is part timber decking, part artificial grass — nothing that heats up in summer the way a stone slab does. There is a seating group, a barbecue and a hooded beach chair as well.
Honestly, up front
We put this point up front deliberately, because otherwise it causes disappointment on arrival. It costs us bookings, and we write it down all the same.
The Rhineland-Palatinate bathing water portal shows the pictogram “no dogs admitted” for the Riedener Waldsee. The ban applies all year round and covers not only the water but also the lawn of the designated bathing area. On top of that comes the state-wide rule: dogs may not swim in bathing waters in Rhineland-Palatinate.
So if you arrive picturing your dog swimming in the lake, you should know beforehand. It can cool off in the streams running to and from the lake; a designated dog beach is at the Freilinger See near Blankenheim, around 52 kilometres away — a day out, not an afternoon stroll.
If your dog’s holiday depends on swimming, you are better off at a lake with a dog beach. If it depends on walking, sniffing and sitting outdoors, the Osteifel is hard to beat.
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.
Straight from the front door
After about two minutes on foot you are in the woods. Two restaurants take dogs and are within walking distance. For everything else your car is at the door, with the EV charging point at the house.
A practical note on the ground underfoot: the basalt tracks in this area are coarser than forest floor. Dogs with sensitive pads should do shorter walks for the first few days, otherwise their paws will be sore by day three.
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
Search for a dog-friendly holiday home at Waldsee Rieden and the portals will show you dozens of results within twenty kilometres. Here it is more manageable: three homes, one plot, one host who answers the phone.
Up to two dogs per home travel with you free of charge. There is no dog fee, no cleaning surcharge and no rule confining the dog to a particular room. What we do not provide, we say just as plainly: please bring bowls, blankets and towels for wet paws yourself. A dog settles into a strange house faster with its own things around it. We let direct, with no portal in between — if you are arriving with an old dog that can no longer manage stairs, give us a ring and we will tell you which of the three homes fits.
Our address is Sonnenterrasse, 56745 Rieden, Eifel. The three timber chalets stand side by side on the slope above the Riedener Waldsee; it is around 150 metres on foot to the shore, with no road to cross. The woods begin behind the terraces. The Traumpfad Waldseepfad Rieden starts at the lake car park, around 100 metres from the house, and runs 14.2 kilometres with 464 metres of ascent — a good day out for a fit dog, too much for a small or older one. Then it is better to do the Traumpfädchen Riedener Seeblick of around five kilometres twice.
Hotels and guesthouses in the area often take dogs, usually for a fee. Three things make a holiday home different in practice: there is no corridor, no breakfast room and no strange dog around the corner — for anxious or reactive dogs that is the whole difference. The dog may stay in the house alone if you head out without it; in a hotel that is forbidden almost everywhere. And the terrace is yours alone, rather than a shared garden. In return there is no room service and no breakfast buffet.
There is no state-wide obligation to keep dogs on a lead in the woods in Rhineland-Palatinate, but Landesforsten Rheinland-Pfalz expressly asks you to use a lead and to take waste away with you. It becomes binding in nature reserves, where a lead and staying on the paths are compulsory, and during the breeding and rearing season from roughly the beginning of March to the end of July. Then there is the state hunting act: owners must prevent their dog from chasing or flushing game. In practice: take the lead, use it consistently between March and July, and stay on the path if in doubt. The deer around Rieden are used to people, not to loose dogs.
The drive comes via the A61, exit 33 Wehr/Nürburgring, then the B412 and the K19 to Rieden. The last few kilometres are country road, so no stop-start traffic for a dog in the boot. From Cologne it is a good hour, from Bonn around fifty minutes, from Eindhoven not quite two and a half. You can arrive Monday to Saturday from 15:00, departure is by 10:00, and the minimum stay is three nights. In summer the basalt paths heat up: walk before nine in the morning and after seven in the evening. In autumn the paths are empty and cool, which is the best time here. In winter snow rarely lies for long, but it is often wet — and then a wood-burning stove and a towel by the door are worth more than any list of facilities. Tick protection belongs in the luggage from March to November.
Choose your dates in the calendar and you will see the total price before you book — direct with us, with no portal fee and with instant confirmation. What applies to the deposit and to cancellation is set out in the FAQs and in the Terms & Conditions. If you would rather talk: +49 174 6579 422, daily from 9:00 to 18:00. Questions about your dog we answer faster on the phone than through any form.
FAQs
Nothing. Up to two dogs per home travel with you free of charge. We charge no dog fee and no cleaning surcharge for pets.
Yes. At all three homes the fence encloses the terrace and the adjoining area. The terrace can be reached from the living area and separately as well, so you can open the door in the morning and stay inside.
No. Dogs are barred from the designated bathing area with its lawn all year round, and in Rhineland-Palatinate dogs may not swim in bathing waters at all. The path around the lake is fine on a lead, and so are the streams nearby.
About a two-minute walk. The Traumpfädchen Riedener Seeblick is around five kilometres and easy; the premium trail Waldseepfad Rieden is 14.2 kilometres with 464 metres of ascent. It starts at the lake car park, around 100 metres from the house.
Yes, if it is used to that at home and does not bark constantly. That is precisely the difference from a hotel, where it is forbidden almost everywhere. The homes stand on their own, so a barking dog disturbs nobody in the next room.
Both do. At the Eifeler Seehütte, around an eight-minute walk away, dogs are welcome indoors too, one per table. At the Al Lago, around four minutes on foot, on the terrace.
In Mayen, around 13 kilometres away. The Tierklinik Dr. Schneichel at Ostbahnhofstraße 77 has an out-of-hours number for small animals, and there is also the AniCura Kleintierzentrum Mayen. In an emergency always ring first: the practice on duty changes.
No, please bring your own. Familiar things help a dog settle into a strange house far more than unfamiliar ones. A towel for wet paws should go into the luggage too.
Choose your dates, see the total price, book. The dog costs nothing extra, the terrace is closed, and the woods start behind the fence.
Prefer to talk? +49 174 6579 422, daily from 9:00 to 18:00
