The best cycling routes around Alflen

1 million years of geology. Worth putting your bike aside for a moment.

The fairy-tale fountain at the Alten Postplatz tells a story. Here, on this spot, it is at its most beautiful.

The Ulmen Maar lies 420 meters above sea level today, covers an area of 5.5 hectares, and is 36 meters deep. The bubbles at the maar's edge demonstrate that volcanism is still active. They bear witness to a turbulent past—but rest assured, there's no eruption in sight! A wall of various rocks and ash, up to 20 meters thick, surrounds the cone. For those interested, these testimonies to this explosive past are beautifully displayed in St. Matthias Church. This unique wall, with its different colored layers and rounded inclusions, is worth seeing for more than just geologists. The slopes of the maar basin are covered with a beautiful forest, which can be explored on a circular walk. A detour to the medieval castle ruins, from which the Crusaders once launched their campaigns, is recommended. The view from the crater rim over the maar and the Eifel beyond will take your breath away. Whether after a sweaty hike or a long drive, the blue of the Ulmer Eifel lake is all too tempting in summer. However, bathing in the maar is prohibited because it is designated as a nature and water protection area.

The lower castle has completely disappeared. You can still see the beginning of the ring that connected the lower castle and the Ulmen city wall, a two-story outer wall of the palace, as well as a cistern and some foundation walls of other buildings. The old part of Ulmen Castle was built around 1074 AD and likely rests on the remains of a Roman settlement. In the Middle Ages, Ulmen Castle was further expanded and divided into the upper castle, whose remains of the walls still exist, and the lower castle, which extended to the banks of the maar river. Two knightly families lived in the castle, which is believed to have never been attacked or destroyed until 1673 due to its size. Only the Sun King's troops succeeded. It was rebuilt, but fell again in 1689 during the War of the Succession. However, Ulmen Castle was also rebuilt this time, with only the city wall being abandoned. With the invasion of Napoleon's soldiers, Ulmen also became French and later Prussian. The empty castle, whose last descendant died in 1801, was auctioned to a merchant from Cochem, who sold it as a quarry. When a devastating fire burned Ulmen to the ground in the 19th century, the residents of Ulmen rebuilt their houses with stones from the castle. That's why you can still see a coat of arms on some of the stables today. It wasn't until the early twentieth century that Ulmen Castle was declared a listed building and became the property of the municipality of Ulmen. The castle is always freely accessible.

Be sure to go up to Metternich Castle

Beilstein "The Sleeping Beauty of the Moselle" One of the most beautiful towns on the Moselle, also known as the Sleeping Beauty of the Moselle. We Beilsteiners always strive to treat our guests warmly and kindly and to welcome them as friends when they return to visit us again and again, often for decades. Text / Source: Beilstein Mosel, Bachstr. 47, 56814 Beilstein https://beilstein-mosel.de/

Cochem Market Square The numerous well-preserved remnants of the historic city wall with its old fortifications still bear witness to Cochem's vibrant past, such as the Endert Gate with the former gatekeeper's residence, the defensive tower with the Balduin Gate, and the Martin Gate with its battlements and one of the footpaths to the Imperial Castle. Also eye-catching are the town hall, built in 1739 in the Baroque style, on the cozy market square, the "parlor" with the Martin Fountain, and the old, half-timbered, gabled houses roofed with Moselle slate in the narrow streets of the old town. The Bock Fountain on the Moselle promenade represents a "Cochemer Stückelchen" (Cochem little piece), an ironic narrative of everyday life for the residents. Opposite is St. Martin's Church with its striking tower, through which you walk on the pedestrian zone. From the Moselle promenade, you reach Bernstrasse through the "Fuchsloch," a passage that was once Cochem's smallest city gate. On the bridge near the tourist information office, there is a mosaic depicting the family tree of the town of Cochem. Experience-Marketplace-Small-Houses From the market square, old, winding stone steps lead up to the Klosterberg. The Capuchin monastery, built around 1630 and situated on a mountain promontory, served as a monastery until 1802 and is now the town's cultural center. Text / Source: City of Cochem, Markt 1, 56812 Cochem https://cochem.de/thema/cochemer-altstadt/

A dream… definitely worth a visit and while you’re there, make sure you go up to Metternich Castle and enjoy the magnificent view 😍