Discover Drees: Forest Trails, Nature Trail and Motorsport
Accommodation in Drees
Drees combines nature-based recreation with a direct connection to the NĂĽrburgring: the local visitor attractions bring together the nature-focused side of the area and its nearby motorsport scene. This means your stay could range from time in the forest and on hiking trails to an interest in racing. The topics that matter most to you may also shape your search for suitable accommodation.
Forest trail, rest and wildlife watching
The forest nature and discovery trail has 15 stations. Puzzles and active play are combined with climbing, balancing and sensory experiences. A sheltered rest area adds to the facilities; there are also opportunities to observe roe deer and red deer. This brings movement and discovery together with rest and wildlife watching, offering different ways to enjoy time in the forest together.
As facilities can change over time, it is best to check the current status of the trail and its offerings before your visit. This can help you plan a visit that suits the interests of your group.
Three trails with varying levels of difficulty
Three local hiking trails loop around Drees: the Forest Trail, Valley Trail and Heights Trail. They differ in length and difficulty. If you want to choose based on duration or difficulty, it is worth checking the specific routes and details locally. Their varying lengths and levels of difficulty provide a clear basis for planning your day.
Church architecture and historic wayside markers
The history of its architecture is also part of Drees. The Catholic branch church of St. Anthony and Bernard has a choir dating from the 17th century and a nave with two bays from the late 18th century. There is also a wayside chapel from the 18th century and a basalt wayside cross, located in the surrounding area and dated to 1646. Together, these historic structures span the 17th to the late 18th centuries, combining church architecture with a historic wayside marker.
The Vulkaneifel as a wider travel destination
Across the wider Vulkaneifel travel region, maars and volcanic centres tell the story of the area’s volcanic past. To date, 77 maars have been identified, and 350 volcanic centres have been counted, around 270 of them from the more recent phase. The Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Vulkaneifel, which took place around 10,900 years ago. The lakes also each have their own character: the Windsborn crater lake near Bettenfeld is the only natural crater lake north of the Alps. The Gemünden Maar has a water surface of around seven hectares and is the smallest of the three famous “Eyes of the Eifel”.
The Vulkaneifel also offers hiking routes of different durations. The Vulkaneifel trails lead to scenic highlights on both sides of the Eifelsteig; they are marked and signposted and include half-day hikes, day hikes and multi-day hikes. The eleventh stage of the Eifelsteig runs from Daun to Manderscheid and is 23.4 kilometres long. The Vulcano Trail is a 26.2-kilometre circular route east of Schalkenmehren. This puts the three trails around Drees, which vary in length and difficulty, in the context of a wider regional offering with clearly defined tour formats.
You can also explore the geology of the Vulkaneifel in its museums. The Eifel Volcano Museum in Daun features three-dimensional landscape models of cinder cones, maars and mineral springs, as well as exhibits on West Eifel volcanism. The Volcano House in Strohn is an interactive museum featuring a lava fissure wall around 30,000 years old, approximately six metres long and four metres high. The Natural History Museum in Gerolstein is described as the largest and oldest geological museum in the Eifel. Its three floors display stone evidence from the region’s geological history. These different perspectives on geology and local history complement the nature and hiking experiences that may be part of planning a stay in Drees.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Oberelz, Gunderath, BrĂĽcktal, Neichen, Borler, Retterath, Nitz and ZermĂĽllen.
For the wider travel overview: Kelberg.
