A gourmet walk in the footsteps of the clothmakers and through nature

Your day starts with a delicious breakfast before the 9 km hike begins at the clothmakers' fountain on the market square in Monschau. The clothmaker's fountain shows various stages of fine cloth production in the 18th century, when Monschau was an important center of wool fabric production in Europe. The entire tour is pre-organized for you and marked throughout. So you can enjoy the trail, marvel at the colorful nature and escape from everyday life without worrying about the schedule.

The trail takes you to the Sonntagsley viewpoint. Here you have a wonderful distant view over the idyllic old town of Monschau with its historic half-timbered houses and slate roofs, the Red House and the Protestant church. Opposite you will see the mighty fortifications of Monschau Castle.

You then follow the path through the spa gardens towards Burgau, where the last textile factory operating in Monschau closed its doors in 1983, until you reach the next vantage point: the Engelsley. Here you are rewarded with a magnificent view over the Rur and Perlenbach valleys and can really switch off. Below the Ley (= slate rock), roofing slate used to be quarried underground.

The trail then descends steeply into the Perlenbach valley, where you can discover the characteristic vegetation of the hillside scree forest and various species of moss and ferns. Be impressed by the imposing high hedges, dense forests and lush meadows along the entire tour. In spring, thousands of wild daffodils transform the valley meadows into a sea of yellow flowers.

Finally, you will pass the "Hotel Perlenau", a former wool laundry and dye wood mill. You walk towards the Perlenbach dam, which supplies the Monschau region with drinking water. Before the path ascends to Höfen, the Eifelsteig loungers on a rocky outcrop high above the dam invite you to take a short break. Relax here and enjoy the beautiful natural landscape with its magnificent variety of plants.

The trail then takes you uphill to the national park gate in Höfen. In good weather, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the lush forest and the Eifel dome in Kalterherberg from the beautiful terrace.

Well fortified, the gourmet tour takes you back towards Monschau through the picturesque rear village of Höfen with its half-timbered houses and meter-high hedges along the way. Finally, you walk downhill over the Mühlenberg hill back to the Tuchmacherbrunnen fountain on the market square. Right next to the fountain, you can enjoy a gourmet hike with selected sweet treats.

At a glance

Monschau gourmet tour: water - wool - slate stone

• Tour: Monschau-Höfen-Monschau
• Route length: approx. 9 km; few steep climbs
• Start: 10:00 am
• Duration: approx. 5 to 6 h (of which pure hiking time approx. 2.5 to 3 h)

Services

• Hiking description
• breakfast
• lunch
• Sweet finish

prices

• Gourmet ticket: € 61.00 per person

Gourmet tours as a gift voucher

Are you looking for something special for a birthday, anniversary, wedding, as a thank you or for Christmas? We will be happy to send your gift vouchers to your home by post.

You can request the Monschau gourmet tours via the contact form or directly from Ms. Hogenboom.
Mail: monique.hogenboom@touristik.monschau.de , Tel.: +49 2472 8025 079

For a smooth process we need the following information:

• Name of the desired gourmet tour
• Date when this should take place
• Number of participants
• Information on allergies/ intolerances/ vegetarians, etc.
• Your first and last name
• Your postal address (for the purpose of invoicing)
• Your e-mail address
• Your mobile phone number