The Eifel in autumn: leaf colour, walking, places to eat
Familie Hahn
Your hosts at Waldsee Rieden
4 min read
Why autumn here beats summer
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, book in autumn.
From mid-September the mood shifts: the woods turn colour, mist lies over the lake in the morning, and on the path around it you might meet all of two people on a Tuesday morning. The sauna is no longer an extra then, but the logical end to a day you have spent five hours outdoors.
There is a practical point to add: the weather in October is more settled than in early summer. High-pressure spells last longer, and when the air is clear you see far further from the viewpoints than in a hazy August.
When the woods turn colour
The colour follows the altitude. It starts later in the valleys than on the hilltops.
| Dates | What happens |
|---|---|
| Mid to late September | First splashes of colour, mainly beeches on exposed slopes. Still plenty of green |
| Early to mid-October | The main phase. Beech woods in yellow to copper red, oaks later and darker |
| Late October | The peak down in the valleys, while up on the tops the leaves are already falling |
| November | Bare trees, but long views — the underrated walking season |
A note from experience: the exact timing shifts by a week or two from year to year and depends on the summer weather. If you want to be sure of catching the colour, book the second week of October.
The finest autumn walks from the door
Traumpfädchen Riedener Seeblick — around 5 km, easy. Good for a morning or for arrival day. The circuit stays close to the lake, which is the advantage in autumn: mist over the water with the coloured woods behind it is the picture people come here for in October.
Waldseepfad Rieden — 14.2 km, 464 metres of ascent, around 4:30 hours, moderate. The certified premium trail starts right at the car park by the lake. The high point is the climb to the Gänsehalsturm; the viewing platform sits at 24 metres and is reached by 108 steps.
Traumpfad Vulkanpfad — from Ettringen, around 8 km from Rieden. It leads over the Bellberg and the Kottenheimer Büden. The old basalt quarries look their finest in autumn light.
Mushroom picking: what is allowed
The Eifel is mushroom country, and September and October are the peak of the season. The legal position in Rhineland-Palatinate is clearer than many people think:
Allowed is picking small quantities for your own use — in law the so-called Handstraußmenge, a posy-sized amount, which in practice means one to two kilos per person per day.
What is not allowed:
- picking in nature reserves and in the national park
- entering fenced land, young plantations and thickets
- any sale of what you have picked
Breaches can be punished with fines — running into five figures for picking on a commercial scale.
And the most important point of all: only pick what you can identify with certainty. If you are unsure, photograph it and have it identified rather than tasting it.
Autumn events in the area
621st Lukasmarkt Mayen — 10 to 18 October 2026 The largest funfair in northern Rhineland-Palatinate, with around 250,000 visitors and free admission. Around 13 kilometres from Rieden. Two dates in the programme are especially worth catching: the horse fair show on 13 October and the sheep fair on 14 October.
Cochemer Federweißenfest — 6 to 8 November 2026 Federweißer, the young new wine, and onion tart on the Endertplatz, around 42 kilometres away.
Grape harvest on the Moselle — from the end of September into October. Drive through the steep vineyards on a clear day and you can watch the picking from the road.
Where to eat in autumn
Eifeler Seehütte by the lake — Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00, closed on Mondays except on public holidays, kitchen open until 20:15. The terrace facing the lake is still pleasant in October when the sun is out.
Al Lago Restaurant & Pizza by the lake, known until June 2024 as “Pizzeria am Waldsee": Monday to Saturday 17:00 to 22:00, Sundays and public holidays from 12:00, closed on Tuesdays.
Nohner Mühle (for cake) — from 1 September to 31 October daily 11:00 to 18:00, in November only on Saturdays and Sundays. After that it closes for the winter.
What makes autumn at the Waldsee special
What is different with us in autumn compared with summer: the outdoor sauna on your own terrace becomes the centre of the day, the firewood lies ready by the wood-burning stove, and the whirlpool bath in the bathroom is exactly the right thing after a wet walk. On top of that comes the quiet that no day in high summer can offer.
One honest word to finish: it rains in the Eifel in autumn. Not without a break, but reliably on a few days. Plan for that — with the sauna, the wood-burning stove and a wet-weather option such as the Schieferbergwerk slate mine in Mayen — and you will still have the better week compared with a crowded August.
Your base for exploring
This destination is within easy reach of our holiday homes
Three holiday homes with their own outdoor sauna, whirlpool bath and wood-burning stove on the Sonnenterrasse by the Riedener Waldsee. This is where every day out in the Eifel begins.
Familie Hahn
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.
