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  • Between a sea of flowers and quiet expanses
    Enjoy the heath and the open landscape
    Copyright: Eifel Tourismus GmbH, Dominik Ketz

Heaths, bogs, and sweeping views

Between a sea of flowers and quiet open spaces

Here, the Eifel reveals its most unspoiled side: vast heathlands, mysterious bogs, and breathtaking views define these moments in nature. When entire mountain ranges turn purple in late summer and a special stillness settles over the bogs, the landscape becomes an experience for all the senses.
 

Purple Horizons – The Eifel Heath

Especially in the Vordereifel, the heathland unfolds its characteristic play of colors—a blend of purple flowers and evergreen juniper—in August and September.
This unique cultural landscape was shaped by the historic “Schiffelwirtschaft” (a traditional farming system) and today provides a habitat for numerous rare animal and plant species.
Open areas such as the Drover Heath or the juniper heaths near Langscheid, Arft, and Virneburg are considered impressive examples of this type of landscape.
If you’re paying close attention as you walk, with a little luck you might spot rare butterflies or hear the soft humming and rustling along the trail.

Bogs – Landscapes of Water, Time, and Silence

The Eifel’s bogs are among the region’s most pristine and, at the same time, most sensitive habitats.
As raised bogs or transitional bogs, they formed on nutrient-poor soils and are characterized by peat mosses, wet heaths, and specialized species.
Well-known moorland areas can be found, among other places, in the Schneifel, around Dahlem, and in the Struffelt area near the Hohe Venn.
Many of these areas have undergone extensive restoration in recent years and can now be explored via designated trails and boardwalks.

Eifel Views – See the Vastness, Understand the Landscape

The Eifel Views lead to particularly impressive vantage points in the region and offer new perspectives on the diverse low-mountain landscape. From here, the view sweeps over forests and mountain ranges, quiet valleys, and glistening lakes—allowing you to truly experience the vastness of the Eifel in all its beauty.
Panoramic information panels on site help you identify distinctive mountains, towns, and scenic features within your field of view. This transforms a brief pause into a conscious moment of discovery—and turns the view into a true experience of nature.

Impressions

Discover heaths, moorlands, and open spaces

Explore the Hohe Venn by bike or on foot. Discover rare plant species and the raised bog.

The Heath in the Eifel

Purple Horizons

The heathlands of the Vordereifel offer a fascinating landscape with evergreen juniper trees and purple-flowering heather. Juniper trees are unique plants: sturdy yet slender like cypresses, and a aromatic ingredient in fine delicacies. And they grow where there are wide clearings. This expansive heathland was created by a special form of land management practiced until the late 1950s, known as “Schiffelwirtschaft.”

Especially in August and September—that’s when the small purple flowers of the heather create a beautiful play of colors alongside the green juniper.

With a little luck, you might spot rare butterflies; other shy inhabitants stay hidden… but they’re there, rustling, scurrying, and buzzing along the wayside. On warm summer days, a carefree, Mediterranean feeling inevitably sets in; and on refreshing autumn days, a sense of all the legends and mysteries that call this area home.

In the “Drover Heide” nature reserve near Kreuzau in the northern Eifel, you’ll find open heathlands, green meadows, as well as wild wooded areas and idyllic small bodies of water where primeval crayfish and crested newts thrive. The Drover Heide is also an important bird sanctuary, providing habitat for various bird species.

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Interesting Facts About the Heath

The Eifel Moors – Landscapes of Water, Time, and Silence

They are rare, fragile, and fascinating: the Eifel’s moors are among the region’s most pristine habitats. They lie hidden between the plateaus of the north and the mountain ranges of the Schneifel—sometimes as open raised bogs with sweeping views, sometimes as mysterious bog forests with narrow boardwalks and moss-covered ground.
Sphagnum mosses, cotton grass, and sundew define the landscape, while adders bask in the sun in damp, sunlit clearings. Narrow wooden boardwalks guide visitors through open raised bogs and hidden bog forests. Sounds grow fainter, footsteps more cautious, thoughts slower. Bogs are living archives of the landscape—they store water, sequester CO₂, and preserve pollen, traces, and history.

At the same time, they are vulnerable. Many bogs in the Eifel region could only be preserved or revitalized through years of restoration efforts. Anyone walking along the boardwalks through these special biotopes today encounters more than just a unique natural environment.

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Interesting Facts About Moors

Impressions of the Moors

Views from the Eifel-Blicken (Eifel Views)

The Eifel-Blicke (Eifel Views) take you to some of the region’s most beautiful vantage points. From here, you can enjoy sweeping views of forests, mountain ranges, valleys, and lakes—and experience the Eifel in all its scenic diversity.

Panoramic information boards on site help you identify prominent mountains, towns, and landmarks in your field of view and appreciate the landscape more fully. This turns a simple break into a true nature experience.

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Hiking Tips in the Eifel

Impressions: Views of the Eifel

What else do you want to experience?

Experience the diversity of the Eifel: Discover wildflowers and heathland, hike through unspoiled wilderness, enjoy the starry sky, and explore fascinating caves and gorges. That’s how diverse the nature experiences in the Eifel are.