Attractions in the Eifel: 30 places to visit by distance
Familie Hahn
Your hosts at Waldsee Rieden
3 min read
Introduction
The Eifel has no single landmark you can pin it to. What it does have is an unusual density of very different places to visit: volcanic craters next to knights’ castles, Roman quarries next to a racing circuit, medieval half-timbered villages next to leisure parks.
This overview sorts the places most worth seeing by distance from the Riedener Waldsee, because that is the question that really comes up on holiday: what can I still fit in today?
Up to 15 kilometres: for half a day
| Destination | Distance | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Riedener Waldsee | 0 km | Bathing lake, circular path, start of the Waldseepfad trail |
| Maria Laach Abbey | 8 km | Romanesque abbey church from 1093, monastery shop and nursery garden |
| Laacher See | 9 km | Largest lake in Rhineland-Palatinate, volcanic crater, two circular walks |
| Mayen | 13 km | Genovevaburg castle, slate mine, Eifelmuseum, Lukasmarkt fair |
| Schieferbergwerk Mayen (slate mine) | 13 km | 16 m underground, 340 m of tunnels, 8 °C all year round |
| Lava-Dome Mendig | 15 km | Volcano museum and lava cellars |
| Monreal | 15 km | Half-timbered village with two castle ruins on the Elzbach |
15 to 40 kilometres: for a day out
| Destination | Distance | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Bürresheim Castle | approx. 15 km | Never destroyed, a filming location for Indiana Jones |
| Römerbergwerk Meurin | approx. 20 km | Largest surviving tuff quarry north of the Alps |
| Geysir Andernach | approx. 25 km | The world’s tallest cold-water geyser, reachable only by boat |
| Nürburgring | approx. 30 km | The Nordschleife, tourist drives, major events |
| Eltz Castle | approx. 30 km | In the same family for over 850 years, never destroyed |
| The Hohe Acht | approx. 30 km | Highest mountain in the Eifel, 747 m, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Turm tower |
| Koblenz | 41 km | Deutsches Eck, cable car, Ehrenbreitstein Fortress |
| Ehrenbreitstein Fortress | 41 km | Second-largest surviving fortress in Europe |
40 to 70 kilometres: for a full day
| Destination | Distance | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Cochem and Cochem Castle | approx. 45 km | Moselle town with a hilltop castle, chairlift and bunker |
| Klotten Wildlife and Adventure Park | approx. 45 km | Rollercoaster, deer enclosures, birds of prey display |
| Neuwied Zoo | approx. 45 km | 1,800 animals on 13.5 hectares |
| Daun Wildlife Park | approx. 50 km | Drive-through safari, Barbary macaques, summer toboggan run |
| The Eifel maars | approx. 50 km | Gemündener, Weinfelder and Schalkenmehrener Maar (crater lakes) |
| Geierlay suspension bridge | approx. 60 km | 360 m long, 100 m high, free, open all year |
| The Manderscheid Castles | approx. 60 km | Oberburg and Niederburg, Burgenstieg trail |
Over 70 kilometres: if you are staying longer
| Destination | Distance | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Bernkastel-Kues | approx. 85 km | Half-timbered old town, Landshut Castle, Doctor vineyard |
| Trier | approx. 110 km | Germany’s oldest city, Roman UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| Eifel National Park | approx. 100 km | Lies in North Rhine-Westphalia, wilderness and dark-sky park |
Sorted by interest
If you like castles: Eltz Castle, Cochem Castle, Bürresheim Castle, Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, Genovevaburg Mayen, the Manderscheid Castles, the Löwenburg and Philippsburg in Monreal → in detail in Castles in the Eifel
If you want to go walking: Waldseepfad Rieden, Traumpfädchen Riedener Seeblick, Traumpfad Vulkanpfad, Monrealer Ritterschlag, the circular lakeside path at the Laacher See → in detail in Walking trails in the Eifel
If you are coming with children: Neuwied Zoo, Tollipark Mayen, Daun Wildlife Park, Klotten Wildlife and Adventure Park, the Teufelsschlucht dinosaur park, Lava-Dome Mendig
If it rains: Mayen slate mine, Eifelmuseum, Lava-Dome, Römerbergwerk Meurin, Nettebad pool in Mayen
If volcanoes interest you: Laacher See, Lava-Dome Mendig, Römerbergwerk Meurin, Wingertsbergwand, the Eifel maars, Geysir Andernach
What you should know about the geography
One point that many travel sites get wrong: the Eifel is big, and not everything worth seeing lies inside it.
- Rieden lies in the Osteifel, the eastern Eifel, in the district of Mayen-Koblenz — in the Laacher See volcanic region.
- The Vulkaneifel district with its well-known maars begins around 40 kilometres to the west.
- Eifel National Park is in North Rhine-Westphalia, around 100 kilometres away.
- Trier, Koblenz, Cochem and Bernkastel-Kues lie on the Moselle and the Rhine, not in the Eifel.
- The Geierlay suspension bridge is in the Hunsrück.
That makes them no less worth a day out — but it does help you plan if you judge the distances realistically.
FAQs
What is the best-known attraction in the Eifel?
Eltz Castle counts as the best-known single sight — a medieval hilltop castle that was never destroyed and has belonged to the same family for more than 850 years. The Nürburgring is just as famous, though for entirely different reasons.
What can you do in the Eifel when it rains?
Underground: the Mayen slate mine and the lava cellars in Mendig. Museums: the Eifelmuseum in Mayen, the Lava-Dome and the Römerbergwerk Meurin. Plus indoor pools and thermal baths.
How many days do you need for the Eifel?
Three to four days are enough for everything within 30 kilometres. If you also want to see the Moselle, Trier and the maars, allow a week.
How much does entry to the attractions cost?
It ranges from free (the Laacher See, the Geierlay, the abbey church of Maria Laach) to around 20 euros (Neuwied Zoo, the Andernach geyser). You will find the exact prices in the individual articles linked here.
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.
