Excursion à vélo d’une journée de Monschau à Saint-Vith

Roll out from Monschau’s storybook old town—think half-timbered houses, the Rotes Haus museum, and the Rur river—and glide onto the Vennbahn rail-trail heading south into Belgium. This route is classic Eifel–Ardennes: long, gentle grades, old station buildings, and big views across the High Fens. You’ll hop the border a few times as you pass places like Kalterherberg and Waimes, cruising over former railway bridges and through quiet forest.

It’s about 47 km with roughly 470 m of climbing, mostly steady rather than steep. Surfaces are overwhelmingly smooth (about 97% paved), and you’ll be on dedicated cycleway for most of the ride (around 82%), with just a few short path or quiet-road links.

Finish in Sankt Vith, heart of Belgium’s German-speaking community. The town was heavily damaged in the Battle of the Bulge and carefully rebuilt; today it’s a relaxed base for the Schneifel hills with great cafés and bakeries. Bring a light jacket—weather can shift quickly on the plateau—and enjoy one of the region’s best point-to-point rides.