Schleiden and the Eifel National Park (Schleiden, Blankenheim, Mechernich, Bad Münstereifel)
Schleiden has the largest group of our Eifel homes, and sits on the edge of the Eifel National Park, whose visitor centre is in the vast former Nazi training complex at Vogelsang. The Rursee reservoir has boats and swimming spots. Blankenheim has a castle above its half-timbered centre. Near Mechernich, the Kommern open-air museum collects old Rhineland farm buildings, and Bad Münstereifel is a walled town with an outlet centre. Cologne Bonn airport is about an hour away.
Best for: Forest walks, reservoirs and wildlife in the national park
Not for you if: You want a lively town: evenings in Schleiden and Blankenheim are quiet.
Monschau and the Rur valley (Monschau, Nideggen)
Monschau is a slate-and-timber town packed into a narrow valley of the Rur, with a mustard mill, a cloth merchant's mansion called the Red House and a well-known Christmas market. The Hohes Venn moorland, with boardwalk trails, runs over the border into Belgium. Nideggen, further down the Rur, has a red sandstone castle above the river. Aachen is around 30 minutes from Monschau, and Cologne Bonn airport about an hour and a quarter.
Best for: Couples who want an old town and walks to the Belgian border
Not for you if: You want quiet streets at weekends or in Advent: Monschau is a major day-trip spot.
The Nürburgring and the High Eifel (Adenau, Antweiler, Müllenbach)
Adenau sits below the Nürburgring, whose Nordschleife opens to the public for paid laps on many days when there is no racing. The Hohe Acht, at 747 metres the highest point in the Eifel, has a lookout tower a short walk from the car park. Antweiler and Müllenbach are small villages close to the circuit. Cologne Bonn airport is around an hour away.
Best for: Motorsport fans and walkers on the highest Eifel hills
Not for you if: You want peace on race weekends: Adenau fills up and the noise carries across the valley.
The Volcanic Eifel (Daun, Ulmen, Dreis-Brück, Gerolstein, Manderscheid, Berlingen)
Round crater lakes, called maars, are the main sight here. The three Daun maars sit close together, and the Gemündener Maar has a swimming spot. Ulmen has its own maar beside the village. Gerolstein, home of the mineral water, has dolomite crags above the town, and Manderscheid has two castles facing each other across the Lieser valley. Cologne Bonn and Luxembourg airports are each around an hour and a quarter away.
Best for: Families who want lake swimming and short walks with views
Not for you if: You want big mountains: the volcanoes here are low, rounded hills.
The West and South Eifel (Auw, Schönecken, Pittenbach, Biersdorf am See, Irrel)
Auw and Pittenbach are farming villages near Prüm, whose abbey basilica dominates the small town. Schönecken has a castle ruin above the Nims valley, and Biersdorf am See sits on the reservoir north of Bitburg, the brewery town. Further south, Irrel has small rapids on the Prüm and the Teufelsschlucht gorge nearby. Luxembourg airport is around 40 minutes from Irrel and about an hour from Prüm.
Best for: Quiet villages, reservoir walks and trips into Luxembourg
Not for you if: You want shops nearby: Prüm and Bitburg are the only towns of any size.
