It erupts about every two hours and whooshes up to 60 metres high – the fountain of the world’s highest cold-water geyser. Each eruption lasts several minutes and is agreeably refreshing on warm days. Every year, more than 140,000 visitors make sure they don’t miss this spectacle, which is even included in the Guinness Book of Records. And the best thing is, you don’t have to go all the way to Iceland – it’s just a short detour to Andernach am Rhein.
You start your journey at the geyser centre in Andernach with an interesting virtual trip under the ground to what feels like a depth of 4,000 metres. From there, you start your journey of discovery to the earth's surface. After this stimulating interactive trip to the source of the geyser and its connections with the Eifel's volcanism, you continue on to the wet practical part. You go aboard the MS Namedy and take an approximately 15-minute boat trip on the Rhine to the Namedyer Werth nature reserve. This trip gives you some fascinating views of the famous Rhine valley, before you marvel at the majestic fountain in the lush green of the nature reserve. Unlike hot-water geysers, which generate pressure with hot steam, this cold-water geyser is driven by carbon dioxide – similar to a bottle of fizzy water that you shake vigorously before opening. The geyser’s source is in the depths of the volcanic landscape, as the Eifel begins in the hinterland with its maars and extinct volcanic cones and it’s definitely worth a detour.
Cold-water geyser in Andernach, Romantic Rhine
From nature to culture. Enjoy a stroll through Andernach, one of Germany’s oldest cities. With its medieval city wall made of volcanic material and an idyllic marketplace with pretty timber-framed houses, slate roofs and the Bäckerjungenbrunnen (baker boys’ fountain).
Traumpfad hiking trail over the Krahnenberg, Lake Laach valley, volcano park, lava dome and lava cellar.
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