Dahlem brings together a variety of interests: circular routes and moorland sit alongside water sports on Lake Kronenburg and historic buildings in Kronenburg and Schmidtheim. This lets you choose your base for overnight stays according to your planned outings, without having to combine every destination into one set tour.

Hiking through forests and moorland

The municipality of Dahlem has two EifelSpuren and sixteen EifelSchleifen, all laid out as circular routes. One of them is the approximately nine-kilometre-long EifelSchleife Moorpfad. It runs through Wasserdell, east of Dahlem, a wetland landscape with heathland, moorland and peat moss habitats. The Moorpfad therefore offers a specific route if you would like to make this particular landscape the focus of your hike. The other circular routes expand the choice, without equating their distances or walking times here.

Dahlem lies in one of North Rhine-Westphalia’s most heavily forested areas. The Eifel-Blick can also be included in different tour plans: by bicycle, the viewpoint can be reached via the 3-Länder-Route, the Kylltal-Radweg and the Historische Ortskernroute. It is also on the Willibrordusweg and the Rund um Kronenburg circular route. These names help distinguish cycling and hiking routes when planning your outings.

Historic details in Kronenburg and Schmidtheim

In Kronenburg, a walk through the historic village centre leads along Wilhelm-Tell-Gasse to the parish church of St. John the Baptist. Its late Gothic interior is defined by a single central pillar supporting four decorated vaults. Houses in the village centre, some up to 400 years old and restored through private initiatives, also convey its medieval character. Visible remains of the 13th-century fortifications add to this historic picture.

Schloss Schmidtheim also offers a glimpse far back in time: its origins date to the late 12th century, and large parts of its present-day foundations come from that period. The castle serves as an event venue and is accessible to guests staying in holiday accommodation. The Beissel von Gymnich family offers nature-focused seminars and courses there, led by experts from various fields. The castle thus brings both its long architectural history and its themed course programme into focus.

The St. Brigida Chapel adds art in a church interior to the historic themes. Its stained-glass windows were designed by Rolf Dettmann and Margret Kaltwasser; the chapel was consecrated in 1745. In Kronenburg, the details focus particularly on the village centre, church and fortifications, while Schloss Schmidtheim adds its own architectural-historical dimension through its origins and foundations.

Lake Kronenburg and other options

Lake Kronenburg serves as a water sports recreation centre within the municipality of Dahlem. You can reach it by public transport via Dahlem railway station and taxi buses; it is advisable to check the connections for your specific travel date. Near the entrance to the Kyll cycle route, there are bicycle parking spaces and an e-bike charging station by the lake. This combines the lakeside setting with practical information for arriving by bike, without presuming any particular water sports.

The Dahlemer Binz offers another, very different option: it has a motor and glider airfield where tandem skydives with trained instructors are available. When planning, you can therefore choose between hikes, historic sights, the water sports recreation centre and activities at the airfield. Which combination suits your stay depends on which of these activities you would like to prioritise.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Schmidtheim, Kronenburg, Baasem, Euskirchen, Nettersheim, Schleiden, Dahlem-Frauenkron, Schöneseiffen.

Return to the main travel overview: Euskirchen.