Vulkaneifel: Maars, Hiking Trails and Volcano Museums
Accommodation in Vulkaneifel
You can explore the Vulkaneifel through its maars and volcanic landscape, marked hiking trails and geological museums. The region offers different points of interest for these activities; consider the distances between individual destinations separately.
Maars and Volcanic Landscape
A total of 77 maars have been identified in the Vulkaneifel. In addition, 350 eruption centers have been counted, around 270 of them from the more recent phase. The Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Vulkaneifel, which took place around 10,900 years ago. These figures provide a geological context for the landscape you can experience in different places across the region.
A special natural landmark is Windsborn Crater Lake near Bettenfeld: it is the only natural crater lake north of the Alps. Gemünden Maar is another prominent body of water in the region. Its surface area is around 7 hectares; it is the smallest of the three famous “Eyes of the Eifel.” If you are interested in the maars, these details offer specific points of reference for including natural attractions in your travel plans.
Hiking and Exploring the Outdoors
The Vulkaneifel trails lead to scenic highlights on both sides of the Eifelsteig. They are marked and signposted, and include half-day hikes, day hikes and multi-day hikes. This gives you the choice between shorter outings and longer hikes when planning. The length and route of each hike remain important factors in planning your day.
One specific circular route is the Vulcano Trail, which runs east of Schalkenmehren and covers 26.2 kilometers. The eleventh stage of the Eifelsteig is a different route: it runs from Daun to Manderscheid and is 23.4 kilometers long. One is described as a circular route, while the other is a stage between two towns. When choosing a hike, it helps to consider its format and stated distance together, rather than simply comparing the numbers.
Mountain biking covers a different scale: the Vulkaneifel Trail Park has a network of trails around 750 kilometers long, with more than 17,500 meters of elevation gain. These figures apply to the network as a whole, not to an individual ride. If you want to explore by bike, treat the choice of a specific route as a separate part of your planning and don’t conflate the network with the marked hiking trails.
Museums, Castles and Volcanism
The Eifel Volcano Museum in Daun features three-dimensional landscape models of cinder cones, maars and mineral springs, as well as exhibits on West Eifel volcanism. The interactive Strohn Volcano House is home, among other things, to a lava fissure wall around 30,000 years old, approximately six meters long and four meters high. The two museums offer different ways to explore the subject: in Daun, the focus is on landscape models and exhibits; in Strohn, you can view the lava fissure wall as a tangible object.
The Gerolstein Natural History Museum is considered the largest and oldest geomuseum in the Eifel. Across three floors, it displays stone evidence of the region’s geological history. This geological perspective is complemented by places where nature and architectural history meet: Ulmen Castle Ruins rise above the steep shore of the Ulmen Maar, with parts of the upper castle still preserved. The two Manderscheid castles, in turn, are separated by the narrow Lieser valley, creating a combination of nature and culture.
At the Strohn Lava Bomb, visitors can learn about its formation on site and experience the effects of volcanism in the Eifel. Together with the museums, a visit can be planned as part of a themed excursion exploring different manifestations of volcanism.
Plan Excursions to Suit Your Accommodation
If you are looking for accommodation in the Vulkaneifel, base your choice on the excursions that matter most to your trip: for example, a visit to a maar, a hike, the mountain bike trail network or a museum. The pages for Daun, Gerolstein, Kelberg and Obere Kyll can help you find your way around. Check each destination and route you plan to visit individually; the attractions mentioned do not form a single unified route through the region.
For the broader travel overview: Rhineland-Palatinate.
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