Dog-friendly holiday home in the Eifel: fenced terrace, no fee
Plenty of places advertise “Dogs welcome" and mean this: your dog may come along, but costs ten euros a night, has to stay on the lead indoors and in the garden anyway …
10 min readAuthor profile
Familie Hahn
Your hosts at Waldsee Rieden. Susanne, Carmen and David Hahn rent out the three holiday homes on the Sonnenterrasse in Rieden and have known the Eifel for more than ten years.
About the author
Who writes here
We have been renting out the three holiday homes on the Sonnenterrasse by the Riedener Waldsee for more than ten years. In that time, guests have asked us the same questions again and again: where do you go on a rainy day? Which walking trail is worth it with children? Where do you eat well on the Moselle?
This magazine grew out of those questions. We write about days out that we know ourselves and that you can reach from our homes in a reasonable time. If somewhere is only worth it in good weather, or the drive takes longer than the visit is worth, we say so.
Questions about a destination, or a tip that is missing here? Give us a call — we are glad of both.
55 articles
All articles by Familie Hahn
Hiking holidays in the Eifel: 32 Traumpfade trails from the door
Most walking holidays begin with a drive. You have breakfast, pack your rucksack, drive twenty minutes to the car park at the trailhead and only then set off.
10 min read
Swimming in the Riedener Waldsee: season, rules and facilities
The Riedener Waldsee covers around **four hectares** and is **eight metres** deep at its deepest point. It was created in 1982 by damming the Rehbach stream.
3 min read
Family holidays in the Eifel: days out by age of child
Rieden lies in the **Osteifel**, in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, municipality of Mendig. This is the **Laacher See volcanic region**: a landscape of ancient craters …
10 min read
Best time to visit the Eifel: a month-by-month guide
The Riedener Waldsee and the Nürburgring are 30 kilometres apart, with around 250 metres of altitude between them. That sounds like nothing. In the climate data it is another country.
12 min read
Accessible holidays in the Eifel: what is really possible
The nationwide accessibility labelling scheme is called **“Reisen für Alle"**. What sets it apart from any self-declaration is that trained surveyors measure on site …
10 min read
Spa breaks in the Eifel: thermal baths, sauna & peace and quiet
The Eifel is not a spa destination in the way Baden-Baden or the Allgäu are. There is no cluster of five-star spas, no strip of thermal baths, no cable car up to a panoramic pool. Anyone who …
10 min read
Getting to Rieden: by car, train and bus to the Waldsee
**The standard route:** the A61 to the **Wehr exit (junction 33)**, then along the K19 and B412 for around seven kilometres to Rieden.
4 min read
Hiking from the holiday park: Traumpfädchen trails from Rieden
If you want to **walk straight from the holiday park**, there is no need to get in the car first. Two certified trails start right at the Riedener Waldsee, one just under two …
9 min read
The Eifel in the rain: 14 things to do on a wet day
A rainy day in the Eifel is not a lost holiday day, it is a different one. That comes down to the geology: where a volcano erupted 13,000 years ago, people later …
12 min read
Family holidays in Rhineland-Palatinate: regions and prices
**The Eifel** is the destination for families who want short journeys. Volcanoes, craters, mines deep underground, plus several wildlife and adventure parks. It works well when the …
9 min read
3-Day Spa Break in Rhineland-Palatinate: Holiday Home with Sauna
If you are looking for **a 3-day spa break in Rhineland-Palatinate**, you are usually not after a programme but a pause. Three days when nobody wants anything from you, when no alarm …
8 min read
The Rhine: a romantic waterway in the heart of Europe
There are many popular wine regions along the Rhine. On the Upper Middle Rhine in particular, between Koblenz and Rüdesheim, you will find not only beautiful old …
9 min read
Wine festivals on the Moselle: celebrate and unwind
When you think of the Moselle wine region, the Moselle valley itself probably comes to mind first. In fact the side valleys of the Saar and the Ruwer belong to it as well …
9 min read
Maria Laach Abbey: a favourite day out in the Eifel
One of the great highlights of the Osteifel is Maria Laach Abbey. It has stood for 900 years and draws visitors from all over the world. After it was founded …
9 min read
The Hohe Acht: the highest mountain in the Eifel at 747 m
The Hohe Acht rises to 747 metres. It lies in the Hocheifel, right next to the Nürburgring. The mountain is often also known as the Hohe Acht …
9 min read
Eifel National Park: nature at its purest
The Eifel is a region shaped by powerful natural forces. At the same time it is rich in cultural heritage and a paradise for walkers …
8 min read
The Traumpfade of the Eifel: premium hiking trails with flair
Do you want somewhere really comfortable to stay while you explore and unwind in the Eifel? Then the private Eifel holiday park Waldsee Rieden is …
7 min read
Crystal-blue lake in the Eifel: discover the Eifel volcanoes
The Vulkaneifel is a part of the Eifel in Rhineland-Palatinate, most of it lying within the Naturpark Vulkaneifel nature park, and in its geological …
7 min read
Mayen slate mine: information and tips
Explorers young and old can learn a great deal about how slate was formed, mined and traded in the hands-on exhibition at the Deutsches Schieferbergwerk slate mine …
6 min read
Trier: Germany’s oldest city, information and tips
Trier is often described as Germany’s oldest city. The written sources go back to the year 16 BC. The region was Roman at the time, and the …
6 min read
Bernkastel Kues
Bernkastel-Kues is a small town on the Moselle that welcomes visitors from all over the world every year. The region is known far beyond Germany’s borders …
6 min read
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress at the Deutsches Eck in Koblenz
High above the point where the Rhine and the Moselle meet in Koblenz, the imposing Ehrenbreitstein Fortress rises 118 m above sea level.
5 min read
Koblenz: historic city with charm at the Deutsches Eck
Koblenz is famous for the Deutsches Eck, the man-made headland at the point where the Moselle flows into the Rhine. With around 113,400 inhabitants, Koblenz counts as a major city …
4 min read
Eifelturm Boos: lofty heights and breathtaking views
Important notice, as of August 2026: the Eifelturm in Boos is at acute risk of collapse. Since October 2024 neither the tower nor the ground around it may be entered, and the …
4 min read
Bürresheim Castle near Mayen
This castle in the Eifel was built in the High Middle Ages. The building is still a real beauty and well worth a visit …
5 min read
The Eifelmuseum in Mayen: picturesque old town with a castle
The museum is housed in the Genovevaburg in the town of Mayen, in the middle of the volcanic Osteifel. Laid out in five sections, the Eifelmuseum opens up …
4 min read
Daun Wildlife Park: an exciting car safari
The Vulkaneifel has always cast a spell over its visitors. Daun Wildlife Park sits in the middle of this breathtaking landscape. It lies close to the …
4 min read
Cochem Castle: knights and adventure for all ages
If you fancy something to eat before or after a guided tour of the castle, the Burgschänke tavern is definitely worth a visit. It serves a wide choice of tasty hot and …
4 min read
Eltz Castle
This castle really is worth seeing, and a guided tour comes highly recommended. Find out more about this unique fairy-tale castle of the Middle Ages and immerse yourself …
4 min read
Adventure: the brilliant Teufelsschlucht dinosaur park
Set off on an expedition with the whole family. More than 620 million years of the Earth’s history await you at the Teufelsschlucht dinosaur park. You begin in the …
4 min read
Andernach Geyser: the tallest cold-water geyser in the world
The history of the Andernach geyser is shorter than you might expect. The first observations of rising CO2 bubbles were only made around 1900 …
3 min read
Tollipark Mayen
Tollipark is a leisure park for the whole family, set between the towns of Koblenz and Cochem. Tollipark is nestled in the idyllic surroundings of the …
3 min read
The Moselle: the world’s largest area of steep-slope vineyards
Vineyards on what are known as steep slopes cover around 3500 hectares along the Moselle. This is considered unique anywhere in the world and makes the …
3 min read
Klotten Wildlife and Adventure Park
Klotten Wildlife and Adventure Park, affectionately known as “Klotti”, has something for every age group. This popular day out can …
3 min read
Bitburger Brewery: premium beers from the Eifel conquer the world
At the Bitburger Brewery visitor centre you will learn everything worth knowing about the art of brewing. Against the impressive backdrop of the historic brewhouse with its …
3 min read
Vulkan Brauerei Mendig: the deepest beer cellar in the world
Beer from the Eifel is undoubtedly something special. The barley fields between the gentle hills and the fresh brewing water from the deep volcanic …
3 min read
Geierlay suspension bridge: a thrill 100 metres up
The Geierlay is one of the finest suspension bridges in Germany and lies in Rhineland-Palatinate, in the heart of the Hunsrück. It spans a wooded …
3 min read
Neuwied Zoo: information, tickets and prices
More than 1,800 animals of around 185 species are there to marvel at in Neuwied Zoo. Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and arthropods all have their home here. The …
2 min read
Riedener Waldsee: parking, boats, paths and places to eat
The Riedener Waldsee lies in a hollow between wooded slopes, around one kilometre outside Rieden. Anyone seeing it for the first time takes it for a …
11 min read
Holiday home with sauna in the Eifel: your own outdoor sauna
“With sauna" appears in a great many listings. It can mean very different things: a shared sauna in the basement of a block of flats, a sauna cabin that you …
9 min read
Holiday home by a lake in the Eifel: possible at just 3 lakes
If you look for a holiday home by a lake in the Eifel, you almost always end up on booking portals. There, “by the lake" is used even when what lies between the house and the water is a country road and two …
8 min read
Mayen: Genovevaburg castle, slate mine and Lukasmarkt fair
If you are staying by the lake, you drive to Mayen for the weekly shop, a doctor’s appointment or a stroll through town. Around 13 kilometres, a good 15 minutes. That makes the town the …
4 min read
Monreal in the Eifel: half-timbering, two castles, one tip
Monreal is the village our guests most often visit twice: once because it appears on every list of recommendations, and once because they did not allow enough time on the first visit.
8 min read
Burgfestspiele Mayen: tickets, rain policy, Genovevaburg
The story of the Burgfestspiele begins in 1980 with the 700th anniversary of the Genovevaburg and a performance of the Genoveva legend. **Since 1987 the festival has worked with …
8 min read
Nürburgring: the Nordschleife, tourist drives & events
The Ring belongs to the municipality of **Nürburg in the district of Ahrweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate**. This is the **Hocheifel**, a plateau at around 600 metres above sea level, not a valley. That …
9 min read
Cochem: Cochem Castle, chairlift and Moselle old town
Cochem is the Moselle town that turns up on every postcard of the region. The reason stands 100 metres above the river: Cochem Castle, which from the old town is in view down every lane …
3 min read
Attractions in the Eifel: 30 places to visit by distance
The Eifel has no single landmark you could pin it on. What it has instead is an unusual density of very different places to visit: volcanic craters next to …
3 min read
Castles in the Eifel: the 8 most rewarding at a glance
The Eifel and its neighbouring regions along the Moselle and the Rhine have an unusually high density of castles. There are historical reasons for that: trade routes, territorial borders …
4 min read
Hiking trails in the Eifel: Traumpfade from the Waldsee
Around the Riedener Waldsee lies one of the densest networks of premium walking trails in Germany. The trails are called **Traumpfade** — 27 circular routes in all, plus 14 shorter …
4 min read
Mushroom picking in the Eifel: rules, season, safety
Two sets of rules apply at once. At federal level, **§ 39 (3) of the Federal Nature Conservation Act** allows anyone to take “wild flowers, grasses, ferns, mosses, lichens …
11 min read
The Eifel in autumn: leaf colour, walking, places to eat
In July and August the Waldsee is busy. That is lovely if you are coming with children and spending the whole day by the water. But if it is the quiet you are after, come in autumn …
4 min read
Christmas markets in the Eifel 2026: dates and tips
Ten kilometres from Rieden, between Kottenheim and Ettringen, a trail of around **1.7 kilometres** runs through the Kottenheimer Wunderwald. From **15 November to 31 …
5 min read
The Laacher See: volcanic crater, circular walks and abbey
The Laacher See looks peaceful. In fact it lies in what is left of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in central Europe.
3 min read
Lava-Dome Mendig: volcano museum and lava cellar tour
Beneath Mendig lies a single large cellar system that grew over the centuries. But it is opened up by two different operators, in separate sections …
8 min read
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