The Eifelsteig

The Eifelsteig trail is 313 kilometres long and crosses right through the Eifel, from Aachen, the city where Charlemagne was crowned, to the Roman imperial city of Trier. The Eifelsteig’s slogan is “Just you, the water and the rocks”. The constant reappearance of these two elements along the route is a characteristic feature that is very special to the region, accompanying hikers throughout their tour of the Eifel. 

The premium trail is supplemented by its partner trails, the North Rhine-Westphalia trail and the Volcanic Eifel trail.

In the north, in North Rhine-Westphalia, the route begins with gentle hills which level off into flat land. Hikers looking for an alternative may prefer the mountains in Rhineland-Palatinate. The first stages are characterised by the high moors of the “Hohes Venn”, or high fen, and the beech hedges as tall as houses which provide protection against the wind. The trail continues through the Eifel National Park, with its narrow rock passages and mixed forest, to the walls of the Urft Dam.

The route then takes hikers up to the Dreiborn Plateau with the former national socialist “Ordensburg Vogelsang” fortress, before descending again to the Urft river, which flows on to Gemünd. Passing the Roman aqueduct to Cologne, the trail leads in the direction of Blankenheim, before crossing the border between North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate shortly afterwards. 

Now, the landscape is dominated by the volcanicity of the West Eifel. Outstanding natural spectacles are the constantly growing Dreimühlen waterfall, the Dolomite rocks in Gerolstein, and of course, the blue eyes of the Eifel, the maars. After leaving Daun, the Eifelsteig follows the already well-known “Lieserpfad” trail before turning into the valley of the river Salm and travelling further south-westwards towards the Kyll valley. From Kordel, the route leaves the Kyll valley and via Burg Ramstein castle leads to an attraction in the middle of the forest, the “Genovevahöhle” cave. It is an impressive cave in yellow-red sedimentary rock. On the red sandstone rocks above the Moselle river, the Eifelsteig continues from Biewer to Trier the route’s final destination. 

Hiking in North Rhine-Westphalia - Mountains in North Rhine-Westphalia - Hiking in Rhineland Palatinate - Mountains in Rhineland Palatinate.... The Eifel offers a wide range of different options!