Urft Dam in the Eifel National Park
Johannes Höhn, Tourismus NRW e.V.

Setting out into the wilderness!

Get out of the city and into the wilderness. The Eifel National Park often gives you that vacation feeling in a matter of seconds and is always good for a surprise. Can't get enough of it? Impossible.

"How full can a train be?" or "How many people can fit on a train?" I ask myself, nervously waiting at Düsseldorf Central Station. I have to get to Cologne quickly, but more and more people are squeezing into my compartment. And I only have two minutes to change trains in Cologne. Everything will be fine, just don't get stressed, after all I'm taking the train directly into the countryside - a short break in the Eifel National Park. And it's worth leaving the car here. Taking the train right into the heart of the Eifel National Park? Check. Good route network and local mobility? Check. Discover the national park while traveling by train? Check.

Johannes Höhn, Tourismus NRW e.V.
First stop:

Köln

It wouldn’t be the first train journey to turn into torment, though. The Cologne main station is one more stop away. I move into position close to the door, getting ready to sprint over to platform 16. The doors open, and I take off. I’m actually still too tired for such early-morning exercise. Track 16 is where “RE22 to Kall main station is 5 minutes late today”. That gives me a moment to catch my breath before I lay eyes on something I have never seen before: RE22 has seating in groups of six, rather than four. It looks somewhat funny, but I’m happy to find the train so nice and empty. It’s also exactly why I get annoyed when a woman sits down right next to me just a few minutes after we have taken off, while there are hundreds of seats still available all around. I don’t get it...
Tourismus NRW e.V., Ilonka Zantop

Into the wilderness by trainFrom Cologne to Kall

Our ride goes through the south of Cologne, with the landscape outside turning ever more rural. The lady who has joined me has to get off in Erftstadt. What a pity. I am enjoying the view. Rapeseed field follows on rapeseed field. I’ve picked a seat on the right, facing the direction of travel. The sudden appearance of what may be the most beautiful castle in all of North Rhine-Westphalia just after we passed Euskirchen startles me a little. That’s Burg Satzvey, unmistakable with its pointed towers and red-and-white shutters. I hadn’t been aware that it was along this route, and I enjoy the surprise all the more for it. The terrain turns increasingly hilly, and “next stop Kall main station” is called out soon. By brief holiday is within reach. I really can’t stand the music played on a mobile phone a few rows behind me anymore anyway. The bus stop for the SB82 bus, which will take me to my accommodation for the night, is easy enough to find. My destination: Vogelsang IP.

Tourismus NRW e.V., Ilonka Zantop
Second stop:

Kall

Buses are the main means of transport for me from the small municipality of Kall onwards. The area has a practical, well-developed network of routes, connecting Kall to several spots in the national park. I reach my next adventure in the wilderness without needing a car or any other means of transport. That’s quite nice.

From Kall into the primeval forestEifel National Park

The grounds of the former NS-Ordensburg are sprawling. Once a Nazi training centre, it has been converted into an educational centre and place of experience for art and culture as well as a hiking centre as an International Place (IP) to support tolerance, diversity, and peaceful coexistence. A number of circular routes run through Vogelsang. Lake Urft is in quite nearby. The entire location is just beautiful. Still, I cannot help but remember the dark period of history that has brought this place to exist in the first place. The gloomy, robust, and solid stone buildings on site further reinforce the feeling.

The K13 guest house is another long stone building reminiscent of a barracks. A small incline leads down from the bus stop to it. Wow. The view of Lake Urft is downright incredible. Walking in, I feel zapped back directly to my school days, with youth hostel vibes galore everywhere around. They show me the premises. Here’s the coffee machine, there’s the wine fridge, the bedroom is upstairs. And by the way: “You’re here all alone today. Just lock the front door from the inside tonight.” – “Oh, so you’re going to leave for the night, too?” I ask, puzzled. I probably look even more confused when I’m told: “Nope. I’ll be leaving in a bit.” I was looking for some peace and quiet, and I set off right away because of it. But I hadn’t expected this to be quite so calm.

It's only my thoughts, birdsong, rippling water, and me. Walking around Lake Urft is as calming as it is idyllic. In the middle of the week as it is, there’s barely a soul around. Only two older gentlemen are approaching with binoculars. Were they aware that there is even an official bird-watching station here? I keep stopping along the shore to enjoy the view. The colour of the water changes depending on the incidence of light. The dense treetops around Lake Urft almost seem painted in different shades of green. How pretty can an area be? The Viktor-Neels bridge and the Urft dam seem to be yelling “this pretty!” at me. The pedestrian bridge and the dam offer another particularly marvellous view of the lake.

What a bizarre situation, I think as I unlock the door to K13. I’m all alone in the enormous guest house. I wander through the common room, tap “latte macchiato” on the coffee machine, and retire upstairs. In addition to my room, there is a kind of fireside lounge there. It’s very cosy, affording a great view. I’m all alone, in the middle of the Eifel, in a huge house – I am reminded all over again, and I find myself grinning as I quickly push aside any thoughts that liken my situation to an ideal horror film setting. However, I do check once again that the door actually is locked.

Tourismus NRW e.V., Ilonka Zantop
Tourismus NRW e.V., Ilonka Zantop
Tourismus NRW e.V., Ilonka Zantop

Onwards with the hiking busTravelling to the Wilder Kermeter

Nothing scary happens during the night. My start into the day is magical, with a soft golden morning light over Lake Urft. I am standing there without a soul in sight, enjoying hot peppermint tea, cool air, and sun on my face. Day 2 in the Eifel. I can hardly wait for it to start. Since I’m already heading back tonight, however, I choose to take public transport through the national park (I may be a bit lazy after the last day). That works surprisingly well. The SB82 line that I have used before takes me to the centre of Schleiden-Gemünd, from where I take the 231 bus. 15 minutes later, I have reached my destination at the Wilder Kermeter. Commuting through the national park is even easier on the weekends, when two leisure lines – the “Mäxchen” and the “KermeterShuttle” – are operated between various sights in the national park.

Here at the Wilder Kermeter, visitors will find some accessible outdoor experiences. Broad, asphalted paths, information boards in Braille and simple language, and various audio stations with all kinds of information on the national park’s flora and fauna make this hiking trail stand out. The walkable wooden footbridge and the tunnel shaped like a felled tree trunk on the “Wild Path” offer some particularly interesting sights. So do the many cosy, and at times hidden, seating areas in the dense beech forest.

“Hi girl, let’s get going!” my new bus driver of line 231 is greeting me in Eifel dialect as I make my way back. Alright then. I’m a “girl” here. I can’t exactly hold his manner of greeting me against the happily grinning older gentleman. The route through the national park is curvy, and the idyllic spa town of Gemünd is looking particularly photogenic from above. I switch lines at Schleiden-Gemünd to return to Vogelsang “Have a nice day, even if it’s raining, bye-bye!” Bye, Eifel! It was very nice to take a brief holiday here so close to home.

Tourismus NRW e.V., Ilonka Zantop
Tourismus NRW e.V., Ilonka Zantop
Tourismus NRW e.V., Dominik Ketz

Do you need an overview?All stops at a glance

Setting out into the wilderness!
  • Want to get a taste of the big city before heading out into the wilderness? Then Cologne is the place for you. This is where trend meets tradition.
    Directly to Köln
  • The small national park community is the ideal starting point for adventures in nature. You can get anywhere from here by bus.
    Directly to Kall

    When is the train coming?Special advice for special situations!

    Are you once again finding yourself waiting for the train or bus? No worries - there is plenty to discover in NRW.

    • Use your time in Cologne to treat yourself to some activity before continuing along your journey. 533 steps and a breathtaking view of the city are waiting for you. Go and visit Cologne cathedral.
    • Fuelling up in Schleiden: If you are still waiting for the next bus on line 231, Onkel Tom’s Hütte snack bar is located practically right next to the bus stop: It sells fries and has the best ratings.

    Overnight advice:

    • Special holiday homes can be found in the neugrad accommodation, where modern cabins with sauna are located in the middle of the national park, also on the Vogelsang IP site. They are perfect places relax and wind down.

    Your route:
    63,4 km; 1:24 travel time
    Total energy | Energy per 100 km by train: 0,85 kWh | 1.35 kWh

    By comparison:
    Total energy | Energy per 100 km by car: 17.82 kWh | 23.12 kWh