Germany · Eifel · Premium route guide
Eifel Lakes, Castles and Monschau
Castle towns, the Rursee lakes and the half-timbered gem of Monschau.
Nideggen, Heimbach, the Rursee, Simmerath, Monschau, Höfen, Hellenthal, Schleiden and Gemünd, back to Nideggen. Built from our own track.
- Distance
- 100.9 km
- Peak elevation
- 639 m
- Elevation gain
- 1,156 m
- Best months
- Apr–Oct
- Germany · North Rhine-Westphalia
- Loop
- 100% paved
The route
A loop around Eifel National Park. From the red sandstone castle of Nideggen down the Rur valley to Heimbach, along the Rursee to the plateau at Simmerath, into the narrow valley of Monschau, then south and east through Hellenthal, Schleiden and Gemünd.
2 verified stays within 30 km of the route. Click a stay pin to see details. Know one that should be here?
Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route, how to load this into your GPS
What you are downloading is a GPX track, a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It is not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zumo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner, new trip from track) if you want turn by turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive, it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it does not re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour, Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these do not read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line, pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~198 m at the base to 639 m at the top, 1,156 m of total climbing across the route.
Our track is 101 km with about 1,160 m of climbing, roughly 3 hours of riding without stops. The Eifel National Park portal publishes longer motorcycle loops of about 150 to 245 km. The Nürburgring Nordschleife is not part of this route.
Why ride it
Castles at Nideggen, Heimbach and Monschau, the reservoir views of the Rursee, the half-timbered old town of Monschau, and flowing valley roads through the national park.
Hazards
Busy weekends, tight town centres with cobbles in Monschau, local speed limits for motorcycles on popular stretches, and wet shaded corners in the valleys.
Fuel
Fuel in Nideggen, Heimbach, Simmerath, Monschau, Schleiden and Gemünd.
Best months and difficulty
April to October. Difficulty: moderate.
What to see along the way
- Nideggen - Red sandstone castle above the Rur valley.
- Heimbach - Castle town and Art Nouveau power station.
- Rursee - Large reservoir with lake views.
- Simmerath - Plateau town above the lake.
- Monschau - Half-timbered old town in a narrow valley.
- Höfen - Village with tall beech hedges.
- Hellenthal - Village at the south of the loop.
- Schleiden - Castle town in the Olef valley.
- Gemünd - Gateway to Eifel National Park.
- Nürburgring (optional) - Famous race track, not part of the route.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Eifel Lakes, Castles and Monschau
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Monschau - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
Rentals powered by BikesBooking. StayToRide may earn a small commission - no extra cost to you.
Verified stays within 30 km
Automatically selected by proximity to the traced route, no editorial cherry-picking. Sorted by how close they are to the road.
Ridden this road and stayed somewhere great?
This whole directory grows one rider recommendation at a time. Add a stay and it will appear on this guide automatically if it is within 30 km of the route.
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