Overath: Pilgrimage Routes, the Agger and Gut Eichthal
Accommodation in Overath
Overath combines hiking trails through the Agger river landscape with a pilgrimage tradition, a historic estate and opportunities for active hours on the water. Each offers a different focus for your trip: you can explore the trails and landscape, discover Marialinden as a pilgrimage destination, or combine your stay with activities on the water. When choosing a holiday apartment, it is therefore worth first considering which of these aspects of Overath you would like to shape your days.
Hiking trails with different focuses
The Overath Panorama Trail runs through the idyllic Agger river landscape and is about 16 km long. It starts at Overath’s cultural railway station. If you are looking for a longer hiking route, the Bergischer Weg is a long-distance trail about 259 km long, divided into 14 stages. It bears the “Quality Trail Wanderbares Deutschland” seal; one stage runs directly through Overath.
In Marialinden, the Kleeblatt begins at Marialinden Cathedral. This network consists of four themed hiking trails, each between 8 and 16 km long. Another option is the approximately 9 km-long Overath Pilgrimage Trail, which is easily accessible via the RB 25 line to Overath station. Along the route, there are informative panels and activity stations. The approximately 12 km-long Mining Trail also has such stations. Since 25 February 2026, a hiking map has also been available at the car park of the Cyriax school centre to help hikers find their way.
Marialinden and the pilgrimage tradition
The Church of the Visitation of Mary in Marialinden continues to be a destination for many pilgrims. Every year, a festival octave in honour of the Mother of God is celebrated there during the first week of July. This gives the place both a specific annual event and a lasting pilgrimage tradition. If you are interested in this aspect of Overath, you can choose between visiting the pilgrimage destination and hiking the Overath Pilgrimage Trail; both offer different options for planning your day.
The Agger: paddling and cycling
Canoe trips and relaxed paddling excursions are possible on the Agger; particularly experienced paddlers can explore Overath from the water. Clear conditions apply: boating is permitted when the minimum water release at the Vilkerath power station, which has the new gauge designation No. 25a, is 5 m³/s. Some sections of the Agger are rough and have hidden currents. For commercial boat hire and for inexperienced paddlers, boating is permitted only with professional supervision.
Cycling also offers a different way to explore the area. In Overath and Rösrath, the Agger-Sülz Cycle Route follows a separate shared path for cyclists and pedestrians for several kilometres alongside busy federal or state roads. This section therefore differs noticeably in its described route from the hiking trails through the river landscape.
Gut Eichthal and other experiences
Gut Eichthal is a historic estate building open to the public, set in an English-style landscape park on the Agger in Overath. A footbridge connects the grounds with the town, making it part of the hiking trail network. Local residents use the large park as a place to relax. If you would like to combine a stay amid the landscape with a visit to a historic site, this offers a different focus from the longer hiking trails.
For a change of pace, there is also Badino in Overath, with a 25-metre sports pool and a leisure pool with a water temperature of 32°C and massage jets. Hiking, paddling, cycling and swimming are different options to choose from.
Discover more places
You can also discover Burscheid, Kürten, Leichlingen, Wermelskirchen, Odenthal, Rösrath and Bergisch Gladbach as other destinations.
For the broader travel overview: Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis.
