The first four letters of “Venntrilogie” refer to the landscape you walk through: the Venen (fens). The last part – trilogie – stands for the three unique sections that make up this trail. The complete route is 109 kilometres long and divided into six stages. The distances are not “evenly” split, but once you’re walking, you’ll understand why.
The trail is well-marked and clearly signposted — also in three parts: six stages, spread across three landscapes, with two stages per section.
I hiked from north to south, starting at the Drielandenpunt (Three-Country Point) in the Netherlands and finishing in Bütgenbach, Belgium. The Dutch section is very short, but the Drielandenpunt is a fun place to kick off your hiking adventure.
from the Drielandenpunt to Eynatten (23.5 km, elevation gain: approx. 170 m)
Together with Judith from Vita Walking and Stefan from Hicle, I began the trail by taking some pictures at the well-known spot at the Drielandenpunt. The official start of the Venntrilogie is clearly marked with a large sign.
This stage has more descent than ascent. We immediately enter a shaded forest — a welcome relief on this warm May day. Before long, we spot a slowworm on the trail, alive and happy to be photographed. A special moment; I’d seen one before, but unfortunately, it hadn’t survived.
We walk through the fresh scent of blooming wild garlic, surrounding us in every direction. If scented photographs existed, you’d instantly smell the oniony fragrance.
The route leads us to the Hohnbach Valley, where we spot a derelict building. It’s well hidden and difficult to photograph, but the small gatehouse near the river catches our eye. Sadly, it’s locked with a heavy padlock, so no fun photo from inside this time.
It’s warm, and our water supply is running low. We hope to come across a café, cemetery or public water tap, but find nothing. In a meadow, we spot a house and decide to walk up and ask for water. The woman who answers kindly hands us a two-litre bottle — so sweet! With full bottles and renewed energy, we continue our hike.
We follow the Geul — yes, even here in Belgium! I always thought the Geul was purely Dutch, but clearly that’s not the case. We regularly see signs with the river’s name.
Under the impressive railway bridge, the Hammerbrücke, we find some shade. Donkeys are calmly grazing nearby. I lie back in the grass, using my backpack as a pillow, gazing at the blue sky — it feels like a little Camino moment.
After this break, we’re almost at our destination. In Eynatten, we have dinner and stay overnight. After checking in, we drop our backpacks in the room and settle on the terrace for a refreshing drink.
from Eynatten to Eupen (19 km, elevation gain: approx. 165 m)
After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast (complete with packed lunch), we hit the trail again. This time, we’ve packed extra water — yesterday taught us a lesson!
Over breakfast, we talked about the many pasture gates we had passed. Today, we decide to count them. In the end, there are 20!
Just after starting out, we see a small, square building in the distance: the Carrot Museum. Yes, really. A tiny tower, 1.5 by 1.5 metres, with carrot art and decorations displayed behind glass. Judith happens to have carrots in her backpack — perfect for a funny photo.
In Raeren, I take a picture of the Pin Collector next to a trail marker. While photographing, we meet a couple also hiking the Venntrilogie. We enthusiastically share our experiences, and after about ten minutes, we each continue at our own pace.
Raeren is known as a pottery village — though I must admit, I didn’t really notice that. But we did find a great café stop here: a bakery with delicious pastries. I went for a mocha cake with cappuccino — a perfect combo.
After the break, we continue through the Hertogenwald forest, pass an old railway line, and follow narrow paths along streams and little boardwalk bridges. The scenery here is slightly less dramatic, but the trail remains engaging.
This part of the route also features “workout” suggestions along the way. After a full day of hiking, it’s easy to get a bit giddy. I tell my fellow hikers that we’re definitely joining in! Backpacks on, we do some stretching and lunges. I’m having fun — others probably thought we looked a bit odd, but we get strange looks again a bit later anyway.
Near Eupen, we spot poles topped with gnome heads — probably part of a children’s trail, but always fun to come across. Then we see a gnome sign where you can stick your head through for a photo. We (the ladies) decide that’s too good to pass up. I’ll spare you the picture, but we sure had a laugh!
Our accommodation is just outside Eupen: a hostel with a private room where we’ll stay for two nights. Time to unpack everything and enjoy a well-earned shower.
In the evening, we eat Italian in Eupen: a large menu, small prices. Afterwards, we treat ourselves to ice cream. On the way back, I see a stunning sunset over Eupen — a beautiful end to the day.
I was invited to do this hike in collaboration with the tourism office of Ostbelgien. The pins for the Venntrilogie were designed by us and are available through the official website of the Venntrilogie.
Would you like to walk Venntrilogie?
Starting point: Drielandenpunt (Three-Country Point)
Finish: Eupen
Distance: approx. 42 kilometers
GPS & route info: Venntrilogie
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Our Photos
We take photos with our iPhone, mirrorless camera, or compact camera. We don’t edit our experience photos with colors or filters; all the colors you see are exactly as we observed them.
A Walking Pin
Would you like a pin as a souvenir? The webshop of the Venntrilogie has the unique Pin. In our webshop you will find Pins of for example Belgium, hiking shoes or other nice matching pins. You can click here for more inspiration
Other Hikes
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