Camping tour in the Eifel: Aachen, Monschau, Rursee Castle & Satzvey

Camping tour in the Eifel – The temperatures are rising and the greenery is sprouting: Even in the big city, the spring awakening is clearly noticeable.
When the sun starts to shine on Saturday morning, there’s no stopping my boyfriend and I!
We’ve been planning a trip to the Eifel for weeks to try out our new roof tent and find some peace and quiet in the countryside.
While Max packs everything into the camper, I secretly make a quick phone call.
Because what he doesn’t know is that I have a very special surprise planned!
Join us on our little Eifel tour!

Tour planning: Short vacation in the Eifel

As we only had two days, we had to limit ourselves a little.
The Eifel has an incredible number of spectacular hikes and excursion destinations to offer, all of which are worth seeing, but you have to start somewhere.

Travel route to Aachen, Monschau & Co.

We have decided to drive to the village of Monschau with a short stopover in Aachen and hike the famous Eifelsteig trail from there.
We will spend the night in our camper at a nearby campsite.
The next morning we will drive on to the Rursee.
On the way back, we plan to visit the famous Satzvey Castle.
The tour at a glance:

  • Aachen
  • Monschau
  • Rursee
  • Satzvey Castle

The Eifel from above: Map and video


Destination 1: City of Aachen

It’s 23 degrees and we’re in a great mood when we set off from Cologne at around 8 o’clock in the morning.
We have seen that you pass very close to Aachen on the way to Monschau.
Neither of us had ever been to this interesting city before, so we decided to make a stopover there.

  • Distance: 75 km (Cologne to Aachen)
  • Route: From Cologne via A4
  • Travel time: 58 min.
  • Arrival (planned): 9.00 a.m.

Shopping in Aachen & Aachen Cathedral

As I still need a sun hat and we’ve already heard a lot about the great shopping opportunities in Aachen, our first stop is the city center.
And we are not disappointed: the shopping street with its cobblestones, flower boxes and old houses is beautiful to look at and, thanks to the early hour, hardly crowded.
There are small alleyways with lots of cafés, cute little shops and old-fashioned restaurants.
After finding what I was looking for surprisingly quickly, we decide to do a bit of culture and visit the city’s landmark, Aachen Cathedral.
This is conveniently located right at the end of the shopping street.
It is accessible free of charge and its Gothic architecture is extremely impressive.
We were particularly impressed by the gleaming golden shrine of Charlemagne, which is adorned with precious stones and enamels and contains the remains of Charlemagne.
The entrance on the market square between beautiful fountains.
After the tour, we sat down and had a coffee.

Insider tips for Aachen:

  1. Real Belgian fries at Maier Pevelings – perhaps the best fries in town
  2. Drink coffee and eat the famous Aachen Printen all year round at Café van den Daele
  3. Free parking on Hermann-Löns-Allee: also suitable for campers and the city center is just a 15-minute walk away

Map Aachen

Stage destination 2: Town of Monschau

It is only 7 kilometers from Monschau to the Belgian border, making it one of the western villages in Germany.
Monschau is located directly on the small river Rur, idyllically situated in a valley surrounded by mysterious fir trees and magnificent deciduous forests.
Monschau is best known for its medieval old town, the impressive half-timbered houses and its broad cultural program.

  • Distance: 33 km (Aachen to Monschau)
  • Route: From Aachen via B 258 and Monschauer Straße
  • Travel time: 0 hrs. 41 min.
  • Arrival (planned): 11.45 a.m.

Route

Hike: The monastery route

However, we save the visit to the old town for later and drive directly to a free parking lot on the B 258 main road.
From here, you can start the approximately 223-kilometre monastery route.
Here are a few key points

  • Route length: 22.3 km
  • Duration: 06:30 h
  • Difficulty level: difficult
  • Tour type: Hiking
  • Ascent: 654 m
  • Descent: 654 m
  • Type: Circular trail

The nature on the hike is simply breathtaking!
We often take a break and enjoy the views of forests or lakes.
Tip: Make sure you take snacks with you, as there aren’t many restaurants or other places to eat along the way!

Gastronomy: Rustic dishes

Exhausted but happy, we arrive in the old town of Monschau after a good 7 hours and decide to eat here instead of having a barbecue at the campsite as planned.
A gentleman we met on the way recommended the “Eifenstübchen” restaurant, which is located directly on the Laufenbach, a tributary of the Rurbach.
If you go to the toilets in the basement, you pass a window that is barely 30 cm from the surface of the water – exciting!
The Eifelstübchen is also highly recommended in other respects: The dishes are reasonably priced and sumptuous, the service is friendly and quick and there are over 20 exceptional Belgian beers on the menu!
And the woody, cozy yet modern interior makes you forget for a moment that you’re in a tiny village in the countryside.

Spend the night at the campsite

Fortunately, the Jone-Bur campsite is only a few minutes away.
The campsite, which not only offers pitches, but also mobile homes, rental caravans and permanent pitches, is located in the middle of a park-like area and, in addition to a restaurant, even has a beauty salon with a wellness area!
When we arrive, however, everything is already closed and we are glad that the roof tent can be set up so easily and quickly.
Jone-Bur campsite:

  • Restaurant
  • Beauty studio with wellness area
  • Pool
  • Bike rental
  • Children’s playground
  • Rental caravan
  • Direct access to several hiking trails possible

Stage destination 3: Rursee

The next morning starts quite early again, because we have a lot to do!
But breakfast is a must!
I get coffee and sandwiches from the campsite restaurant and we have breakfast with the most beautiful view of wide fields and deep green forests.
The sun is also shining on this day and we can continue our tour as planned.
It is only 23 kilometers to the Rursee, one of the largest lakes in the Eifel National Park.

  • Distance: 25 km (Monschau to the Rursee)
  • Route: From Monschau via L 246
  • Travel time: 0 hrs. 30 min.
  • Arrival (planned): 8.45 a.m.

Route: Car journey to Monschau

With e-bikes around the Rursee

The lake can be circumnavigated in a short 27-kilometre and a long 42-kilometre tour.
As our legs are still aching from yesterday, we decide to hire e-bikes.
This is possible at many bike rental points around the lake.
The landscape is no less impressive than yesterday, with the added bonus that you can always see the turquoise blue water of the lake glistening through the trees.

Map

Gastronomy: beach bars, restaurants and snack bars

There are a variety of restaurants, beach bars and snack bars on the cycle route.
We opt for the “Seeblick am Pegel” restaurant, which has a huge conservatory with a view of the lake.
The menu is a little more expensive, but this is justified by the high quality of the food.
The restaurant also has a variety of homemade cakes and tarts on the menu.
After refreshments, we cover the last few kilometers of the round trip and arrive back at our camper after a good four hours.

Balloon flight over the Rursee

Now it’s time for the highlight of our weekend!
Do you remember the phone call I secretly made yesterday morning in Cologne?
I booked a balloon flight for us.
The organizer sent me a text message earlier telling me the departure location, which can change on a daily basis depending on the weather and wind conditions.
I’m glad that everything is on schedule and take the wheel of the camper myself.
After a short drive, we arrive at a wide field in the middle of which the hot air balloon is already waiting.
The surprise is perfect and what follows is a breathtaking ride over the national park!
Sapphire-blue rivers meander through valleys and gorges, we see old castles, fortresses and forests as far as the eye can see.
What an unforgettable experience!
After the one-hour drive, we are driven back to the starting point of the tour in one of the tour operator’s cars.

Stage destination 4: Satzvey Castle

We actually wanted to stop off at the famous Satzvey Castle on the way back from the Rursee.
The medieval moated castle is perfectly located on the way between Lake Rursee and Cologne.
However, as the balloon ride took longer than expected and we were very exhausted, we decided to skip the stop and head straight home.

  • Distance: 28 km (Rursee to Satzvey Castle)
  • Route: From Rursee via B 265
  • Travel time: 0 hrs. 31 min.
  • Arrival (planned): /

Route: By car to Satzvey Castle

Important facts about the castle

  • Almost 1000 years old
  • Outdoor area can be visited free of charge at any time
  • Regular events such as knights’ festivals, Easter market, witches’ festival, Halloween and castle Christmas, as well as medieval gastereyes, music events, theater performances and stage shows
  • Gastronomy: castle bakery, mustard mill and the burger restaurant “Lord oft he grillz”
  • Can be hired for private functions and corporate events

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Offroad
Raised and extra stable for road and off-road… What do you do if you are traveling in regions with poor roads or drive an off-road vehicle or SUV whose dome height does not fit conventional trailers? The solution: the off-road tent trailer from CAMPWERK – specially developed for extreme conditions. This unique model impresses with a raised and particularly robust AL-KO chassis that can withstand even the most demanding off-road routes. The entire body is made of lightweight but sturdy aluminum, reinforced with durable stainless steel components. So you are perfectly equipped for any terrain.
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T-drawbar
V-fork
T-drawbar
V-fork
Chassis
  • Extra strong square T-drawbar 100x100mm for maximum stability and best maneuverability
  • Axle up to 1,500 kg with maintenance-free hexagonal rubber spring axle
  • Optionally with watertight wheel hub
  • 2 crossbars
  • The chassis is exclusively from the renowned manufacturer AL-KO, market leader in the car trailer and caravan sector
  • Safety indicator on the clutch
  • Independent suspension
Aluminum body
  • Our aluminium trailers are equipped with anodized aluminium profiles
  • double-walled anodized aluminium side panels 30mm, 440mm high
  • Large emergency lighting with integrated rear fog light
  • Equipped with balanced tires as standard
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  • Complete M8 stainless steel screw connection (V2A stainless steel)
  • Electrical system: Supply cable (wiring harness) standard with 13-pin plug
  • Tailgate latches very elaborate, made entirely of stainless steel
Wheels
  • Black powder-coated steel rim
  • 235/85 R16 tires optionally adaptable to towing vehicle
  • Mud Terrain tire tread
  • Special wheel connection for your towing vehicle on request
Terrain values
  • 350 mm ground clearance
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  • 27° slope angle
Equipped for every situation thanks to the versatile accessories...

Raised dropside

20L canister

Towbar adapter for bike carrier with coupling connection

2-4 bike racks

Anti-drag clutch

Onroad

The perfect solution for your camping adventure:
Road trailer with tent
Imagine a first-class equipped road trailer that is ideal for camping trips in Germany and the surrounding countries.
This trailer comes with a sturdy holding device for a matching tent that can be set up in no time at all.
The result is your mobile home – ready for unforgettable tours!

Your decisive advantage: you are ideally equipped for your vacation in a particularly cost-effective way. And when you’re not on the road, you can use the trailer as a conventional utility trailer. We offer you the road trailer in two versions, depending on your needs: An unbraked version with a permissible total weight of 750 kg and the braked version recommended by us with a permissible total weight of 1,300 kg.
10-year guarantee
Our trailer base was not created in the laboratory – it was made for the real world. The robust construction is optimized for tough conditions. Oversized axles and virtually indestructible aluminum frames ensure exceptional durability. We are the only supplier in Germany to give you a 10-year guarantee on this unique quality!
T-drawbar or V-fork ?
Thousands of trailer drivers know the problem of tight spaces only too well: if you drive into a narrow lane and have to turn, it is important to back your car as far as possible against the trailer in order to get around the bend without any problems. With a T-drawbar, you can utilize the maximum steering angle. This is precisely why we at CAMPWERK rely on this tried-and-tested technology – for optimum flexibility and maneuverability, no matter how tight things get.
T-drawbar
V-fork
T-drawbar
V-fork
Chassis
  • 2 crossbars
  • Maintenance-free rubber spring axles
  • Independent suspension
  • The chassis is exclusively from the renowned manufacturer AL-KO, market leader in the car trailer and caravan sector
  • Safety indicator on the clutch
Aluminum structure
  • Our aluminium trailers are equipped with anodized aluminium profiles
  • double-walled anodized aluminium side panels 30mm, 440mm high
  • Large emergency lighting with integrated rear fog light
  • Equipped with balanced tires as standard
  • Base plate stable screen-printed base, non-slip
  • Complete M8 stainless steel screw connection (V2A stainless steel)
  • Electrical system: Supply cable (wiring harness) standard with 13-pin plug
  • Tailgate latches very elaborate, made entirely of stainless steel
Equipped for every situation thanks to the versatile accessories...

Raised dropside

20L canister

Towbar adapter for bike carrier with coupling connection

2-4 bike racks

Anti-drag clutch

Material and processing.
The tent fabric of our trailer tents is made from a high-quality, 450 g blended fabric, also known as canvas. This unique combination of cotton and polyester combines the advantages of a natural fiber with those of a modern high-tech material. The result is a robust, breathable fabric that impresses with its pleasant feel and high dimensional stability.

The tent fabric, which is also used by the military, is impregnated and particularly tear-resistant thanks to the ripstop process. In this special weaving technique, thicker threads are woven into the fabric at intervals of around 10-15 millimetres, giving the fabric its characteristic tiled structure and exceptional tear resistance. It goes without saying that our fabrics are opaque and therefore offer optimum protection and privacy.
The basis of our trailer tents is a robust stainless steel frame with a thickness of 3×3 cm. A 1.8 cm thick, water-resistant wooden floor panel is securely fastened to this sturdy frame with stainless steel screws. The frame of the trailer tents is also made of galvanized steel tubing and special stainless steel components that ensure maximum stability. The modern surface finish not only offers a high level of corrosion protection, but also gives the material a pleasant feel and ensures a durable, weatherproof construction.
We rely exclusively on yarn from the German market leader Amann. Thanks to the combination of a cotton core and a high-tenacity polyester core, this yarn is characterized by a particularly high tensile strength and excellent water resistance.

On contact with water, the cotton coating swells and closes the seam holes created during sewing. For additional protection, all seams in the roof area are fitted with a transparent sealing strip to ensure maximum waterproofness.
Less is sometimes more.
We are often asked: What about the water column? For tent fabrics, the impermeability of the fabric is specified in the form of the water column. For cotton tents, this value is usually around 300 to 400 mm. However, our tent fabric offers an exceptionally high water column for cotton fabric of around 750 mm. This means that theoretically more than 75 cm of water can stand on the material before the first drops penetrate.

A major advantage of cotton as a natural raw material is its ability to swell when it gets damp, which provides additional waterproofing. In contrast, synthetic fabrics, which cannot swell, must have a much higher water column (between 3,000 and 10,000 mm, depending on the material) in order to achieve comparable waterproofness.
Good night.
The comfort sleep set consists of a high-quality visco foam mattress that adapts perfectly to the individual body shape, ensuring a restful night’s sleep. The set is complemented by the innovative Froli bed spring system, which guarantees an exceptional sleeping experience. Perfect sleeping comfort in a well thought-out overall package.
Premium mattress.
An excellent mattress is the basis for healthy and restful sleep. Just as every person is unique, their mattress should also be individually tailored to them.
Our premium mattress adapts perfectly to the contours of the body and promotes orthopaedically correct positioning of the spine. Thanks to targeted pressure relief, back muscles and intervertebral discs can relax optimally. The innovative construction and high-quality materials create an ideal sleeping environment.
There are no compromises at CAMPWERK: We rely on flexible visco foam with memory function. The unique combination of supportive foam core and relieving visco foam topper ensures maximum sleeping comfort.
  • Visco-elastic mattress.
  • High-quality Tencel® cover (38 % Tencel®, 62 % polyester).
  • Four practical turning loops.
  • Four-sided zipper.
  • Removable, divisible and washable.
  • Four practical turning loops.
Suspension.
Good ventilation is crucial for your well-being and sleep hygiene. To ensure maximum sleeping comfort, we combine our mattress with an innovative Froli slat base. The flexible spring elements form a comfortable slat base with individually adjustable firmness zones. This combination ensures orthopaedically correct positioning of the body and provides targeted, pressure-relieving support. This effectively prevents tension and one-sided strain. The open, air-permeable cells also enable optimum ventilation and create a healthy sleeping environment.
Are you allergic or do you have special health requirements? No problem! We cooperate with a renowned German mattress manufacturer to offer customized solutions. Simply contact us and together we will find the ideal mattress for your needs.