Gillenfeld: Vulkanhof, maars and historic cycle-route bridge

Gillenfeld can be explored through specific themes: a goat cheese dairy with a farm shop and bookable activities, a historic railway bridge and a range of maar landscapes. The destinations and activities below offer different starting points.

Maars, Water and Wildlife

Pulvermaar is a volcanic maar with steep, funnel-shaped walls and is considered Germany’s deepest natural lake. Swimming, fishing, hiking and boating are among the activities available there. This puts activities in and on the water alongside opportunities to explore on foot. The maar’s distinctive funnel shape gives it a unique landscape character.

Holzmaar is a protected natural area. Visitors can hike around the maar and fish there. Reed beds provide a habitat for birds, and there are benches around the water. Those who prefer to plan a walk along the shore will find a different combination here than at Pulvermaar: the path around the maar, the birdlife and the opportunity to linger shape the nature experience. The two maars can therefore be distinguished according to your interests, without treating their activities as interchangeable.

Vulkanhof and Historic Cycle-Route Bridge

Vulkanhof in Gillenfeld is a goat cheese dairy with a farm shop. Bookable activities include farm tours, cheese-making classes, goat hikes and farm-based educational activities. If you plan to take part in one of these activities, check the opening hours and booking arrangements in advance: both may change. This lets you plan your visit around the specific activities available, without assuming fixed times or that you can simply join spontaneously.

Another distinctive structure is Gillenfeld’s historic railway bridge, built in 1908. Today, it carries the Maare-Mosel Cycle Route and is crossed by cyclists and walkers. Its history and present-day function come together here: the bridge is a historic structure that can also be experienced along a cycle route. For a trip that includes cycling or walking, it offers a specific point of interest.

Hiking and Cycling Routes in the Volcanic Eifel

A total of 77 maars have been documented in the wider Volcanic Eifel travel region. In addition, 350 eruption centres have been counted there, around 270 of them from a more recent phase. Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Volcanic Eifel, which took place about 10,900 years ago. These figures provide a sense of the region’s volcanism, while the individual maars and eruption centres represent different aspects of this landscape.

The Volcanic Eifel Trails offer marked and signposted routes for hiking. They lead to scenic highlights on either side of the Eifelsteig; options include half-day hikes, full-day hikes and multi-day hikes. Comparing route lengths can help with your choice: the Vulcano Trail is a 26.2-kilometre circular route east of Schalkenmehren. The eleventh stage of the Eifelsteig runs from Daun to Manderscheid and is 23.4 kilometres long. These details describe different route types and endpoints, not walking times. Before setting off on the Vulcano Trail, it is advisable to check the latest route conditions.

The Volcanic Eifel also offers a regional point of reference for mountain biking: the Trailpark has a network of around 750 kilometres of trails with more than 17,500 metres of elevation gain. This gives an idea of the regional cycling network; it does not describe an individual tour or its conditions.

Volcanism and Culture in the Region

If you would like to explore volcanism beyond the landscape itself, the Volcanic Eifel also has museums to visit. The Eifel Volcano Museum in Daun displays three-dimensional landscape models of cinder cones, maars and mineral springs, as well as exhibits on West Eifel volcanism. The interactive Strohn Volcano House features a lava fissure wall around 30,000 years old, approximately six metres long and four metres high. The two examples have different focuses: landscape models and exhibits at the museum, and a large geological formation at the Volcano House.

When planning your trip, you can distinguish local themes in Gillenfeld from other destinations in the explicitly wider travel region of the Volcanic Eifel: the farm and bridge offer specific points of interest in Gillenfeld, while the hiking trails, mountain-bike network and museums provide regional context. Choose your hotel based on what matters for your stay, and check the latest details for bookable activities and changing route conditions.

Discover more destinations: Udler, Mehren, Demerath, Saxler, Kradenbach, Steineberg, Meisburg, Wallenborn

For the overview of the wider travel region: Daun.