Birgel: Hiking at Hirschbergsattel, cycling on the Kyll Valley Cycle Path

The Kyll Valley Cycle Path runs through Birgel, while the Hirschbergsattel nature and adventure hiking area offers three signposted routes. These are two distinct considerations when planning your trip and looking for a hotel in Birgel: would you like to include the cycle path in your plans, or would you prefer to choose based on the length of your hike?

Hiking at Hirschbergsattel

The three routes are 6.0, 9.3 and 11.2 kilometres long, offering a clear range of distances. They run through fields, meadows and forests; wildflower beds and viewpoints are also part of the route scenery. The maximum elevation difference is 120 metres. The hiking area also has fitness stations and botanical information stations.

Routes 1 and 2 lead to Bielenhof Alm. There, visitors can enjoy a self-service herb garden and a petting zoo with native animals. What is on offer may vary seasonally; check access before visiting.

Cycling through Birgel and the Volcanic Eifel

The Kyll Valley Cycle Path runs through Birgel. The village also provides access, without any significant climbs, to the Vennbahn Cycle Path, the Kalkeifel Cycle Path and the Ahr Valley Cycle Path. If you are planning a cycling tour, check the current trail conditions and connections before setting out.

The wider Volcanic Eifel travel region offers a distinct setting for hiking and cycling tours. The Volcanic Eifel Trails lead to scenic highlights on both sides of the Eifelsteig. They are marked and signposted, and the options include half-day tours, day tours and multi-day hikes. One specific longer route is the eleventh stage of the Eifelsteig, from Daun to Manderscheid, at 23.4 kilometres. The Vulcano Trail is a 26.2-kilometre circular route east of Schalkenmehren. Both routes are considerably longer than the three Hirschbergsattel routes. For mountain biking, the Volcanic Eifel Trail Park has a network of around 750 kilometres of trails and more than 17,500 metres of elevation gain. When planning your tour, it is worth checking current trail conditions.

Volcanic Eifel: geological traces and museums

So far, 77 maars have been identified in the Volcanic Eifel. In addition, 350 eruption centres have been counted there, around 270 of them from the more recent period. Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Volcanic Eifel, which took place around 10,900 years ago. Gemünden Maar is also a regional landmark: its surface area is around seven hectares, making it the smallest of the three famous “Eyes of the Eifel.” Windsborn Crater Lake near Bettenfeld is the only natural crater lake north of the Alps.

Those interested in geological development can visit the Eifel Volcano Museum in Daun, which features three-dimensional landscape models of cinder cones, maars and mineral springs, as well as exhibits on West Eifel volcanism. The Strohn Volcano House is an interactive museum. Its geological highlights include a lava fissure wall around 30,000 years old, measuring approximately six metres long and four metres high. The Gerolstein Natural History Museum is considered the largest and oldest geomuseum in the Eifel; across three floors, it displays stone evidence from the region’s geological history.

The ruins of Ulmen Castle also bring landscape and history together: they rise above the steep shore of Ulmen Maar, and parts of the upper castle have survived. In the wider Volcanic Eifel, visitors can therefore choose between different areas of interest, including hiking routes, geological exhibitions and historic buildings.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Schüller, Ormont, Scheid, Kerschenbach, Esch, Hallschlag, Jünkerath, Lissendorf.

For the wider travel overview: Obere Kyll.