Nature watching, starry skies and hiking offer different highlights in Schleiden. You can watch birds at Urft Lake; Vogelsang IP offers public skywatching events and the Eifel National Park Centre.

Observe Nature and Discover Viewpoints

Eifel National Park in Schleiden encompasses a landscape of deep-blue lakes and rivers, expansive reservoirs and forested mountain ranges. Wild daffodils and orchids are also part of the scenery. At the Bird Watching Station at Urft Lake, you can spot cormorants, great crested grebes, ducks and grey herons. Two high-quality telescopes with 15× magnification are installed at different heights, making it easy for wheelchair users to watch birds too.

With a little luck, you can see not only cormorants but also red and black kites and black storks at the Urft Dam. The Dreiborn Plateau offers a different kind of landscape: its quiet open countryside is shaped by agriculture and history, dotted with broom and offering views as far as the High Fens. The abandoned village of Wollseifen lies on the plateau. It was deserted after the Second World War and is now accessible as an archaeological monument.

Two Eifel viewpoints offer different panoramas: the “Panoramablick” on the edge of Dreiborn looks as far as Hohe Acht and Michelsberg in the Volcanic Eifel. The Urft Dam Eifel View offers a panoramic view over Urft Lake and Obersee.

Starry Skies and Exhibitions

The observatory of the “Sterne ohne Grenzen” astronomy workshop at the International Place Vogelsang IP in the Eifel National Park Star Park regularly offers public skywatching events. The Vogelsang IP “Star Park” Star Lookout offers a different experience: it is equipped for independent astronomical discoveries of the night sky and is easy to reach.

The Eifel National Park Centre in Schleiden houses the accessible, interactive “Wildnis(t)räume” nature exhibition for people of all ages. The centre is open year-round and is the starting point for regular ranger-led tours through Eifel National Park. Check the tour dates in advance if you would like to join one. The accessible “Bestimmung: Herrenmensch” exhibition at the Vogelsang Nazi Documentation Centre offers another option for a visit. It is recommended for ages 12 and up and can be explored with a guided tour or a media guide; check the current opening arrangements separately.

Compare Hikes by Length and Duration

For a shorter hike, the EifelSpur “Sun, Moon and Stars” trail passes through a landscape with distinctive flora and fauna and offers views of the starry skies in the Eifel International Star Park. This easy route is eight kilometres long, with a stated duration of two hours. It can therefore be planned on a different scale from the longer routes through the region.

The fifth stage of the Eifelsteig is 17.5 kilometres long, moderately difficult and runs from Gemünd to Steinfeld, home to the monastery of the same name. The third stage of the Wildnis-Trail is 22.6 kilometres long, runs from Gemünd to Heimbach and crosses the Kermeter. For a multi-day hike, the Rur-Olef Route is a 57-kilometre, moderately difficult three-day tour starting in Schleiden-Gemünd and running through Eifel National Park. The routes differ in length, difficulty and duration; choose one to suit the scale of hike you have planned.

Plan Your Journey and Accommodation Search

The Eifel National Park Centre at Forum Vogelsang IP in Schleiden is served by the “Vogelsang IP Forum, Schleiden” bus stop on the site. By car, reach the centre via the B 266 at the address Vogelsang 70, 53937 Schleiden. Check current bus connections and road conditions before setting out; for public skywatching events and ranger tours, it is also advisable to check the dates.

Olef is also a district of Schleiden. The village has a historic square and a continuous half-timbered streetscape. These different highlights—nature, starry skies, hiking and local history—can help you choose what to visit during your stay.

Discover more destinations: Gemünd, Morsbach, Mechernich, Schöneseiffen, Weilerswist, Olef, Zülpich, Euskirchen.

Back to the main travel overview: Euskirchen.