Eifel National Park scenic drive

Through the Eifel National Park

The Northern Eifel is the green, water-rich side of the Eifel, just across the border from Aachen. This loop strings the highlights together: the famous half-timbered town of Monschau deep in the Rur valley, the broad Rursee in the heart of the Eifel National Park, the view over the Urftsee from Vogelsang, and the red sandstone castle of Nideggen high above the river. About 96 kilometres on quiet country and federal roads, a full day through forest, along water and over the hills, without a single metre of motorway.

The Eifel National Park is the only national park in North Rhine-Westphalia: old beech forests, wild daffodils in spring, wildcats, and at night so little light pollution that it is an official Dark Sky Park. And it is close: from Aachen you reach Monschau in an hour, which makes this drive one of the finest and easiest day trips just across the border.

The route on the map

A schematic overview by Touren.app, not a navigation map. The exact route opens under “Drive this route” or in Google Maps. Map orientation: north is up.

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The places along the route

1. Monschau

Start · the half-timbered town

Monschau sits picture-perfect in the deep, narrow valley of the Rur: hundreds of half-timbered houses with slate roofs against the slopes, cut through by the river and watched over by a castle ruin. The Red House, once a cloth manufacturer's mansion, and the historic mustard mill are the best-known sights. One of the most popular day trips from the Netherlands and Belgium, and the start of the loop.

Practical: park on the edge (the centre is largely car-free); explore the old town on foot.

2. Rursee (Einruhr)

the great water · Rursee

At Einruhr and Rurberg the Rursee begins, one of the largest reservoirs in Germany, in the heart of the Eifel National Park. The water winds between wooded hills; in season you can join the Rurseeschifffahrt boats or hire a canoe. The road follows the shores with ever-changing views over the lake.

Practical: park at Einruhr, Rurberg or Woffelsbach; jetties and cafes at the water.

3. Nationalpark Eifel (Vogelsang)

the national park · Vogelsang

From the heights at Vogelsang you look out wide over the Urftsee, deep in the Eifel National Park. Vogelsang IP itself was an Ordensburg, a training site of the Nazi regime, and is now a documentation centre and the visitor centre of the park; the place deals openly and honestly with that history. Around it lie the old beech forests of the park, home to wildcats.

Practical: park at Vogelsang IP; visitor centre, viewpoints and walking paths into the park.

5. Nideggen

the finale · Nideggen

Nideggen sits high on a ridge of red sandstone above the Rur, crowned by the castle of the Dukes of Julich. The red Buntsandstein crags around it (the Rureifel) are a favourite area for walking and climbing, with wide views. From Nideggen you drive back across the plateau of the park to Monschau.

Practical: park in the centre; the castle with its museum and the rock crags are reached on foot.

Practical: for convertible, motorbike and camper

From the Netherlands and Belgium: the Northern Eifel is close. From Aachen you drive to Monschau in about an hour; from Maastricht in one and a half. To start the loop from your holiday base, type your start town into the planner and Touren.app rebuilds the same route from Simmerath, Heimbach, Gemund or wherever you are.

The National Park: you drive around and through it, but you experience the core on foot or from the water. Short walks start at Vogelsang and along the Rursee; in spring the wild daffodils bloom in the Fuhrtsbach valley.

Which vehicle: the winding country and federal roads are ideal for convertible and motorbike. It works well in a campervan too; mind the narrow, car-free centre of Monschau and park on the edge.

Difference from the Volcanic Eifel: this route is about the National Park, the water and the half-timbered towns of the northern Eifel. For the volcanic crater lakes instead, the Volcanic Eifel scenic drive further south is your route.

How we keep it honest: we have measured this loop and curated the stops; the label is 'measured and checked'; driving it comes next. The distance was set via Google Maps with motorways avoided.

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