Nature · From the hotel: 30 km · 40 min by car
🚗 40 min
Five national park gates in Rurberg, Gemünd, Heimbach, Höfen and Nideggen explain water, forest history, daffodil meadows and the relationship between people and nature. Entry is free. They are open daily from 9 to 17 from April to October and from 10 to 16 from November to March. From Obermaubach, Nideggen and Heimbach are especially quick to reach.
At the Internationaler Platz Vogelsang you find the national park centre with the exhibition "Wildnis(t)räume" and a view of the Urftsee. The site was a military training area for a long time and has been open to the public since 2006. The centre is open daily from 10 to 17.
The Wildnis-Trail covers about 85 kilometres in four daily stages from Monschau-Höfen to Hürtgenwald-Zerkall. For shorter trips there are many circular routes around the Urftsee and the Kermeter. Rangers offer free guided tours, at least eight a week and without registration.
In spring the wild daffodils bloom near Höfen, Germany's largest occurrence of the yellow wild daffodil. At night the park is a dark-sky park: the sky is especially dark and the Milky Way is easy to see.
Entry to the national park gates is free, as are the guided tours by the rangers. A fee is charged for trekking camp sites.
The yellow wild daffodils bloom in spring, usually around March and April; the exact time depends on the weather. The daffodil meadows are near Höfen.
Best at the Nideggen national park gate or in Heimbach. Both are 10 to 20 minutes away, and Heimbach is also reachable by Rurtalbahn.
Tip: The Nideggen national park gate is only a few kilometres from the hotel. The gates are free to enter.
Getting there: It takes about 40 minutes by car to Vogelsang. The gates in Nideggen and Heimbach are 10 to 20 minutes away.
