The Eifelsteig from Aachen-Kornelimünster to Trier in its fifteen official stages: Roetgen, Monschau and the Rursee, the monastery at Steinfeld, Gerolstein, Daun and the maars on the way to Manderscheid, then by the Kyll to Trier.
Best season: No published season. Eifel Tourismus, the trail body, publishes no walking season for the Eifelsteig. Some services are seasonal: the Eifelsteig-Wanderbus (line 770) between Kall and Mirbach runs at weekends and on holidays from 3 April to 1 November 2026, and the boat on the Rursee from Einruhr to the Urft dam from April to October. A hotel in Monschau says it takes guests in every season. Before you go
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Checking the seasons, closures and current conditions for today…
Fifteen stages, the trail body's own, of 14 to 28 km. Most end in a town or village with hosts; the trail body lists none at Einruhr, Mirbach or Kordel, and at Kloster Himmerod only the abbey's hostel, not confirmed. Two days run over eight hours, and no stay on the way can shorten them: stage 8, Mirbach to Hillesheim (26.1 km, 8 h 30), and stage 14, Bruch towards Kordel (8 h 15 by the trail body for the whole stage), whose last 5 km are by train from Daufenbach because the Kyll bridge is gone. Choose a plan, or pick your own start, finish and nights below.
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
Stage 1: From the Benediktusplatz in Aachen-Kornelimünster to the Wanderstation in Roetgen: 14.1 km, 3 h 16, 327 m up and 136 m down, the trail body says. Near Hahn and Walheim a signed detour, in place since 2022, adds about 250 m. Our line still takes the old way over a footbridge that is closed (about km 3.3): follow the detour signs there.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
The stage ends at the Wanderstation, the old Vennbahn station on Bahnhofstraße, about 0.8 km west of the village centre. Buses run back to Aachen.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 2: From Roetgen to the Burgau car park in Monschau: 17.0 km, 4 h 30, 334 m up, 343 m down. From 19 October 2026, road works divert the trail between Mützenich and Monschau by the Eupener Straße and the Vennbahn route, about 1.0 km longer; the detour map is on the stage page. Our line shows the usual route: follow the signs.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Camping spot
Pick a date to check the season.
The stage ends at the Burgau car park at the far end of the old town, where the next stage starts.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 3: From Monschau to Einruhr: 24.3 km, 6 h 30, 786 m up, 903 m down, the stage with the most climbing. Since 20 September 2026 forest work closes the trail at several places between Hammer and Dedenborn and above the Pleushütte near Einruhr. Between Dedenborn and Einruhr take the RurUfer cycle path on the north side of the Rur, about 800 m longer by its detour map; the stage page has the maps for both stretches. Our line shows the usual route.
Einruhr Town or village
A village on the Rursee, with the boat to the Urft dam from April to October. The stage pages list no host in Einruhr itself: find a room in the village or round the lake before you set off.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 4: From Einruhr to the Marienplatz in Schleiden-Gemünd: 21.2 km, 6 h, 574 m up, 509 m down. From April to October a boat crosses the Rursee from Einruhr to the Urft dam.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
The stage ends at the Marienplatz in Schleiden-Gemünd.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 5: From Gemünd to Kloster Steinfeld: 17.5 km, 5 h 15, 491 m up, 313 m down. In Olef a damaged bridge is closed: the signed detour follows the Kichbergweg and Oleftal streets. Our line still crosses at the old bridge (about km 5.2): take the detour.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
The monastery at Kall-Steinfeld, with its guest house. The Wanderbus (line 770) stops at Steinfeld Kloster at weekends and on holidays until 1 November.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 6: From Kloster Steinfeld to Blankenheim: 23.4 km, 6 h 30, 490 m up, 545 m down.
Blankenheim Town or village
The stage ends by the town hall. The trail body lists one host for the stage end, Hotel Schlossblick; book it directly. The Wanderbus stops at the bus station and the town hall.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 7: From Blankenheim to the Haus Mirbach car park: 17.7 km, 5 h, 362 m up, 373 m down. A detour map from July 2026 under the stage page's downloads sends walkers round forest work between Blankenheim and the Nonnenbach valley, about 2.5 km longer; the page itself carries no notice, so watch for signs. Mirbach has no host: at weekends and on holidays until 1 November the Wanderbus takes you back to Blankenheim or Kall.
Mirbach Town or village
A hamlet with a car park and a few houses: the trail body lists no host here. At weekends and on holidays until 1 November the Wanderbus (line 770) runs from Mirbach back to Blankenheim and Kall, where there are beds, and out again in the morning. On other days it does not run: arrange your night before you set off.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 8: From Mirbach to the bus station in Hillesheim: 26.1 km, 8 h 30, 405 m up, 437 m down, the longest stage by time, with few ways off it. No host on the way is on the trail body's list.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
The stage ends at the bus station (ZOB) by the Viehmarktplatz.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 9: From Hillesheim to Gerolstein station: 22.4 km, 5 h 35, 361 m up, 420 m down. Our line measures 20.6 km, 1.8 km less: the mapped route and the trail body's measure differ here.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
The stage ends by the station; for now, the trail body says, rail replacement buses run instead of trains on the Eifel line.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 10: From Gerolstein to Daun: 23.7 km, 6 h 30, 697 m up, 575 m down; our line measures 25.1 km.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
The trail body lists more stays here than at any other stage end. The trail passes about 0.4 km west of the centre.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 11: From Daun to Manderscheid: 23.4 km, 7 h, 564 m up, 652 m down, past the maars, the round lakes in old volcanic craters, such as the Weinfelder Maar. Our line measures 22.4 km.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
The stage ends at the Burgenblick car park.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 12: From the Burgenblick car park in Manderscheid to Kloster Himmerod: 18.2 km, 5 h 30, 518 m up, 592 m down. The abbey has no village round it, and its hostel is not confirmed: see the stay before you plan a night here.
Overnight
Hostel or bunkhouse
Pick a date to check the season.
The abbey, with no village round it. Its Klosterherberge is the only bed at the stage end: we could not read the abbey's own pages, so check that it takes walkers before you plan a night here.
Stage 13: From Kloster Himmerod to Bruch: 19.9 km, 235 m up, 347 m down; the trail body gives no time for this stage. Two detours: at the start, forest work by the abbey sends walkers along a forest path by the Salm and then left on the K5 road for about 350 m, about 200 m longer (a map from September 2026); and the Meesenmühle bridge is closed until further notice, so the trail now runs through the village of Musweiler, at about the same length. Our line still crosses the closed bridge (about km 6.1): follow the signs through Musweiler.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
A village with a castle, Burg Bruch, which has rooms.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
By bus, train or ferry: 0.0 km with no walking route (see the stage's notes), not in the walking distance or time.
km 22.8–22.8: No walking route here: the official route crosses by bus, train or ferry. See the operator's description.
Closed: km 22.7–27.9 of stage 14. The Kyll bridge at the Deimlinger Mühle was destroyed in the flood of July 2021 and has not been rebuilt: since then the stage can be walked only as far as the mill, 5 km before Kordel, the trail body says. Our line still crosses the river where the bridge stood and runs on to Kordel; there is no way through on foot. From Daufenbach station, about 1.2 km north of the mill, take the train to Kordel or Trier. The stage 15 page says no trains run on the Kordel line for now and a rail replacement bus runs instead: check bahn.de before you go. Do not enter a closed section.
Stage 14: From Bruch towards Kordel: 27.8 km, 8 h 15, 507 m up, 533 m down on the stage page, but the stage cannot be walked to its end. The Kyll bridge at the Deimlinger Mühle was destroyed in the flood of July 2021, so since then the walk ends at the mill, 5 km before Kordel. Our line still crosses the river there (about km 22.7) and runs on to Kordel: there is no way through on foot. From Daufenbach station, about 1.2 km north of the mill, take the train to Kordel or Trier, the stage page says. The stage 15 page says no trains run on the Kordel line for now and a rail replacement bus runs instead: check bahn.de before you go.
Kordel Town or village
The official end of stage 14 and start of stage 15, but stage 14 cannot be walked into Kordel: the Kyll bridge at the Deimlinger Mühle is gone, and the trail body sends walkers by train from Daufenbach to Kordel or Trier (on the Kordel line a rail replacement bus runs for now). The trail body lists no host in Kordel: most walkers sleep in Trier and come back in the morning.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 15: From Kordel to the Weißhaus car park above Trier: 17.0 km, 5 h 15, 683 m up, 616 m down; the city centre is 2.5 km further. The path through the Butzerbachtal near Kordel has been closed since 2021 after damage: from the Butzerbachtal car park follow the road and cycle path to Burg Ramstein, then the path on until it meets the trail again about 200 m above the castle, and turn left for Trier. Our line still runs through the closed valley (about km 4 to 4.7): take the detour.
Longest day: day 8, 8 h 30.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are the times published by eifelsteig.de where a stage has one, with the time measured on the mapped line beside it; a day that walks part of a stage gets a share of the stage's time by distance and climb.Outside Switzerland our walking times often run short of the times route operators publish; treat them as optimistic. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays.Refuge dates come from the operator's own pages; when they are not published, we say so. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Where each stage ends, the 2026 and 2027 seasons the operator publishes, and how to book. Read from the operators' pages on 13 October 2026; each stage page shows the sources and the grade profile.
| Stage | Night at | 2026 | 2027 | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Kornelimünster to Roetgen | Hotel am Eifelsteig | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 2. Roetgen to Monschau | Hotel Alt Montjoie | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 3. Monschau to Einruhr | Einruhr · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 4. Einruhr to Gemünd | Ferienwohnung Zum alten Rathaus | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 5. Gemünd to Kloster Steinfeld | Gästehaus Kloster Steinfeld | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 6. Kloster Steinfeld to Blankenheim | Blankenheim · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 7. Blankenheim to Mirbach | Mirbach · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 8. Mirbach to Hillesheim | Augustiner Hotel | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 9. Hillesheim to Gerolstein | Am Brunnenplatz, Hotel Garni | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 10. Gerolstein to Daun | Hotel Stadt Daun | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 11. Daun to Manderscheid | Hotel Zens | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 12. Manderscheid to Kloster Himmerod | Klosterherberge Himmerod | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 13. Kloster Himmerod to Bruch | Burg Bruch | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking request |
| 14. Bruch to Kordel | Kordel · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 15. Kordel to Trier | Nells Park Hotel | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
Loading the forecast for low point (136 m) and high point (669 m)…
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (136 m) and the highest point (669 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed |
| Stages rated good on typical weather | 0/15 | 0/15 | 5/15 | 15/15 | 15/15 | 15/15 | 15/15 | 15/15 | 15/15 | 15/15 | 2/15 | 0/15 |
| High point, day / night | 3°/-2° | 3°/-2° | 7°/0° | 12°/3° | 15°/6° | 18°/9° | 20°/11° | 20°/11° | 16°/8° | 11°/5° | 6°/2° | 3°/-1° |
| Low point, day / night | 5°/1° | 7°/1° | 11°/3° | 16°/6° | 20°/9° | 24°/12° | 25°/14° | 25°/14° | 20°/10° | 15°/8° | 9°/4° | 6°/2° |
| Rain, mm | 110 | 104 | 95 | 64 | 71 | 80 | 103 | 92 | 88 | 86 | 97 | 120 |
| Snow at high point | Possible | Possible | Possible | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Frost | Possible |
| Daylight | 8 h 30 | 10 h 03 | 11 h 47 | 13 h 43 | 15 h 23 | 16 h 22 | 16 h | 14 h 34 | 12 h 43 | 10 h 51 | 9 h 05 | 8 h 05 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Book each night with the host directly: the trail body's host pages link to their websites. Eifel Tourismus also sells packages (the original stages, shorter stages, or walks from one base hotel), and its FAQ names luggage transfer, packed lunches, shuttle and booking services. Plan the awkward nights first: the trail body lists no host at Einruhr, Mirbach or Kordel, and the abbey's hostel at Kloster Himmerod is not confirmed. From Mirbach the Wanderbus runs back to Blankenheim at weekends and on holidays until 1 November; from the end of stage 14 most walkers go on to Trier.
On 13 October 2026 the stage pages list detours on stages 1 (near Hahn and Walheim), 2 (between Mützenich and Monschau, from 19 October), 3 (forest work between Hammer and Einruhr), 5 (Olef), 7 (forest work, a map only), 13 (at the abbey and the Meesenmühle) and 15 (the Butzerbachtal), and stage 14 cannot be walked to its end. Our line still crosses the closed bridges on stages 1, 5 and 13 and runs through the Butzerbachtal: follow the signed detours there. The trail body's FAQ says each stage's page carries its current notices (read 13 October 2026): read them before you set off.
Eifelsteig: frequently asked questionsSince the flood of July 2021 the Kyll bridge at the Deimlinger Mühle is gone, so stage 14 can be walked only to the mill, 5 km before Kordel. The stage page (read 13 October 2026) sends walkers by train from Daufenbach station to Kordel or Trier; the stage 15 page says a rail replacement bus runs on the Kordel line for now. Check bahn.de for the day you walk.
Eifelsteig: stage 14, Bruch to KordelFor now no trains run on the Eifel line near stages 8 to 12 or on the Kordel line by stage 15: rail replacement buses run instead until further notice, the stage pages say (read 13 October 2026). Plan with the regional transport network, VRT, from Mirbach onwards.
Eifelsteig: stage 10, Gerolstein to DaunStage 8, Mirbach to Hillesheim, is 26.1 km and 8 h 30 by the trail body, with few ways off it; stage 14 is 27.8 km and 8 h 15 for the whole stage, though its last 5 km are by train. Stage 3 has the most climbing, 786 m up. Stage 13 has no published time (stage pages read 13 October 2026).
Eifelsteig: stage 8, Mirbach to HillesheimMirbach, the end of stage 7, has no host. The Eifelsteig-Wanderbus (line 770) links it with Blankenheim, Steinfeld and Kall station four times a day at weekends and on public holidays, from 3 April to 1 November 2026, and on weekdays only on 15 May and 5 June. It leaves Kall at 9:00, 12:00, 14:30 and 17:30 and reaches Mirbach at 10:10, 13:10, 15:40 and 18:40 (timetable read 13 October 2026). No booking needed.
Eifelsteig: the WanderbusClosures and notices last checked 13 October 2026: Eifelsteig: stage 1 notice · Eifelsteig: stage 13 detour maps · Eifelsteig: stage 14 notice · Eifelsteig: stage 15 notice · Eifelsteig: stage 2 notice · Eifelsteig: stage 3 notice · Eifelsteig: stage 5 notice · Eifelsteig: stage 7 detour maps · Eifelsteig: Wanderbus. Check them again before you set out.
Getting there
Choose a stage or journey above to narrow the travel searches.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
Take the train to Aachen Hbf or Aachen-Rothe Erde, then the AVV bus to the Kornelimünster Napoleonsberg stop, near the start on the Benediktusplatz.
AVV: timetablesAVV and Rheinlandbus buses serve stages 1 to 3, and run from the Roetgen Wanderstation back to Aachen. A boat crosses the Rursee from Einruhr to the Urft dam from April to October. The Wanderbus (line 770) links Kall and Blankenheim (Wald) stations with Steinfeld, Blankenheim and Mirbach at weekends and on holidays until 1 November 2026. From stage 8 the VRT buses take over, with rail replacement buses on the Eifel and Kordel lines.
Eifelsteig: the WanderbusThe trail ends at the Weißhaus car park, about 2.5 km above the centre of Trier; trains, long-distance ones included, leave from Trier Hbf.
Deutsche Bahn: journey plannerTake your trip with you
Prepare each stage while you still have a connection, so the map, the stage ends and the detours stay on your phone in the forest.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Eifel Tourismus gives 313 km in fifteen stages of 14 to 28 km; its fifteen stage pages add up to 313.7 km, and the fourteen with a time to about 83 h 36 of walking, in 15 sections on our map. The guide's day planner offers a 15-day plan on the overnight stops, and you can choose your own nights.
No published season. Eifel Tourismus, the trail body, publishes no walking season for the Eifelsteig.
Take the train to Aachen Hbf or Aachen-Rothe Erde, then the AVV bus to the Kornelimünster Napoleonsberg stop, near the start on the Benediktusplatz. The "Connect your journey" section has the travel details, with 2 more travel notes.
Book each night with the host directly: the trail body's host pages link to their websites.
Yes: the whole route and every section, free, for a GPS watch or a phone. The guide also saves your plan for offline use in the app.
Closures we know of are shown on the days and sections they affect, in the day planner and on the stage pages. We watch 9 official notice pages (Eifelsteig: stage 1 notice; Eifelsteig: stage 13 detour maps; Eifelsteig: stage 14 notice; Eifelsteig: stage 15 notice; Eifelsteig: stage 2 notice; Eifelsteig: stage 3 notice; Eifelsteig: stage 5 notice; Eifelsteig: stage 7 detour maps; Eifelsteig: Wanderbus); the date we last read them is shown with the notices on this page. Check them again before you set off.
Route & sources
Eifel Tourismus GmbH, the trail body (the Eifelverein looks after the waymarks), publishes the Eifelsteig as fifteen stages (Etappen), about 313 km from the Benediktusplatz in Aachen-Kornelimünster to the Weißhaus car park above Trier, with an official stage time for each stage but stage 13, whose page gives none; the times are shown beside ours on every stage. The fifteen stage pages add up to 313.7 km. The line here is the Eifelsteig on OpenStreetMap (relation 1176757, from the planet of 11 October 2026): 315.2 km, cut at the fifteen stage ends. Most stages are within 0.6 km of the official figure; on our line stage 9 is 1.8 km shorter, stage 10 1.4 km longer and stage 11 1.0 km shorter. The line is the official route as mapped, closures included: it still crosses the closed footbridge near Hahn (stage 1), the damaged bridge in Olef (stage 5) and the closed Meesenmühle bridge (stage 13), and runs through the closed Butzerbachtal (stage 15). Each of those stages names its signed detour: follow the detour, not the line, there. On stage 14 the line crosses the Kyll where the bridge at the Deimlinger Mühle was destroyed in 2021; there is no way through on foot, and the trail body sends walkers on by train from Daufenbach. Our climb is measured on terrain heights, so short steep steps are smoothed out.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Eifel Tourismus: the Eifelsteig stagesMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation
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