A company outing rarely fails because of the budget. It fails because half the team does not want what the other half suggested. We have been taking groups onto the water since 1990, from five-person teams to companies with well over a hundred people, and every year we see which days work and which do not. Here are nine ideas for the Eifel, each with what brochures usually leave out: group size, price and the honest time it takes.

The short answer

For a day in the Rureifel you really only need two decisions: water or land, and calm or sporty. Everything else follows. A canoe day for a closed group on the Rur costs 800 euros flat per guide unit plus VAT for up to 18 people. A calm round on the Heimbach reservoir is 560 euros as a base for up to 20 people, then 28 euros per additional person. Both are invoiced with 14 days to pay. If you would rather stay on land, there are six alternatives further down, including other providers.

What makes the Eifel work for a company outing

For a lot of companies in Cologne, Bonn, Aachen and Düsseldorf, the Rureifel is a good hour away by car. That is the real advantage: you do not need an overnight stay to get a day that feels like a small holiday. The Eifel National Park starts right at the water, and Heimbach, with around 4,400 inhabitants, is small enough that a group of fifty does not disappear into the crowd.

Two things to know in advance. First, the season for guided tours on the Rur is shorter than most people expect. The river may be paddled from 15 July to the end of February, but our guided tours normally only run until mid-October. The Heimbach reservoir, by contrast, opens on 1 March and works practically all year. Second, if you are looking for adrenaline whitewater rafting in the Eifel, you are in the wrong place. For that you need the Alps. What you get here are calm to gently moving rivers, and that is exactly what makes them work for mixed teams.

Idea 1: guided canoe tour on the Rur

The classic, and the one we get asked about most. 14 kilometres from Heimbach to Zerkall in a two-person kayak, with a guide. The river has a few small rapids and standing waves but it is beginner territory, nobody needs to be able to paddle beforehand. There is no weir to carry around.

The day has a fixed frame: the start is at 11:15, you are out for around four and a half hours in total, of which two and a half to three hours are actual paddling. The rest is the briefing, changing and the break in Blens. So do not plan anything important between 11 am and 4 pm.

Important for the logistics: we do not run a shuttle. You park in Zerkall, take the Rurtalbahn train up to Heimbach and paddle back to your cars. That sounds more awkward than it is, and plenty of groups find the morning train ride the most relaxing part of the day. Your belongings travel to the finish by van, and there is no eating on the water.

For whom: teams from 8 people, minimum age 9. Price: 800 euros flat per guide unit plus VAT, up to 18 people. Timing: 11:15 until about 15:45. Details on our guided Rur tour page.

Idea 2: canoe tour on the Heimbach reservoir

The calm option, and for many companies the smarter one. Still water, four-person Canadian canoes, no current and no order you have to keep. You can travel together, stop, swap boats and talk. For team building that is often worth more than the sporty tour, because nobody trails behind and loses contact.

The reservoir is open from 1 March and available practically all year, which makes it the only real option for company outings outside summer. You are flexible on timing, two to four hours is usual.

For whom: mixed teams, including children from 7 on family days, large groups of over a hundred people. Price: 560 euros base for up to 20 people, 28 euros per additional person. Duration: 2 to 4 hours, freely scheduled. More on the Heimbach reservoir page.

Idea 3: walking in the Eifel National Park

If water does not suit your team, the national park is the obvious alternative. The Dschungelpfad around the Heimbach reservoir is about five kilometres long, runs right along the waterline and needs no particular fitness, so it works for mixed groups. If you want more, there are routes of two to seventeen kilometres around Heimbach.

Its own rules apply inside the national park: no fires, no camping, do not leave the marked paths. That is rarely an issue on a company outing, but somebody in the group should know it.

Idea 4: the Art Nouveau power station in Heimbach

The hydroelectric power station from 1905 is the landmark of the town and visually stunning: a machine hall like a cathedral, entirely in Art Nouveau style. It is within walking distance of the reservoir, so it works perfectly before or after the boat tour. For groups it is the point where even the people who never take photos take photos.

Idea 5: Hengebach Castle

The castle defines the look of Heimbach and sits above the town centre. You will see it from the water anyway, and a detour on foot takes a good half hour. It will not carry a whole day on its own, but as an addition it works well. What else there is in town is in our guide to the sights of Heimbach.

Idea 6: rent a barbecue hut

By far the most common wish after the boat tour. The Rureifel has several official, rentable barbecue huts, one of them in Hasenfeld practically right at our landing point. Open fires are banned in the forest and within a hundred metres of the forest edge, but at the huts they are allowed. They belong to village associations, local clubs or the Eifelverein, and you book them directly with the operator.

One tip from experience: book the hut first, then the tour. Dates on the water are easier to move than a fully booked summer weekend at a barbecue hut.

Idea 7: Rursee boat cruise

If you have a large, very mixed group in which some people do not want to be active at all, a trip on the excursion boat on the Rursee is the smallest common denominator. No changing, no getting wet, still outdoors and on the water. As the only item on the programme it is too little for most teams, but combined with a walk it makes a rounded day.

Idea 8: activity programmes from other providers

Honestly: not every team wants to go on the water. The Eifel has archery, quad tours, zip lining, highland games and covered wagon rides, all from specialist providers. We do none of that and do not want to. If you want to build your day around something like that, go directly to those providers, you will get better advice than through an agency.

What we do recommend from experience: do not stack two activity programmes into one day. One main item plus food is enough, anything more turns into a rush.

Idea 9: combine water and land

The combination that works most reliably looks like this: arrive in the morning and walk or visit the power station, go on the reservoir at midday, barbecue in the afternoon. The reservoir suits this better than the Rur, because you can place the boat time freely, while the Rur tour blocks the day from 11:15 to 15:45.

If it has to be the Rur, reverse the order: tour in the late morning and midday, everything else afterwards. A second item before 11 am does not fit, because by then you are already parking in Zerkall and sitting on the train.

What a company outing may cost

For tax purposes there is an allowance of 110 euros per participating person and event in Germany, including VAT, and it applies to up to two events a year. Anything above that is generally subject to wage tax. The calculation includes not only programme and food but also travel and incidentals.

We are not tax advisers and deliberately give no advice here that belongs with your accountant. For a sense of scale though: a canoe tour for 18 people is 800 euros plus VAT, so a good 53 euros a head, which leaves plenty of room for travel and food. If in doubt, clarify the specific treatment with your finance team beforehand, not afterwards.

Planning checklist

Lead time: for summer dates it is worth enquiring several weeks ahead, for large groups two to three months. Barbecue huts are the bottleneck, not the boats.

Group size: we do group offers from 8 people. At the top end, more than 100 people per tour is possible, but that needs to be arranged.

What to bring: a change of clothes and shoes that are allowed to get wet. Boats, paddles, buoyancy aids, the briefing and all permits are included.

Weather: a rainy day is less of a problem on the water than on land, as long as everyone has dry clothes in the car. A thunderstorm is the only real reason to cancel.

Payment: corporate customers are invoiced with 14 days to pay, not prepayment.

Not possible: there are no multi-day canoe tours on the Rur, and we only hand out boats without a guide on the Rur to regular customers who have already done the guided tour with us.

Frequently asked questions

From how many people is a group offer worth it?

From 8 people. Below that you are better off booking individual places on an open tour, which usually works out cheaper for small teams.

What does a company outing by canoe cost?

On the Rur as a closed group, 800 euros flat per guide unit plus VAT for up to 18 people. On the Heimbach reservoir, 560 euros base for up to 20 people, 28 euros per additional person.

Does it work in autumn or winter?

On the Heimbach reservoir yes, that runs from 1 March and practically all year. Guided Rur tours normally only come together until mid-October, even though the river is legally open until the end of February.

Do you have to know how to paddle?

No. Both tours are made for beginners and you get a briefing beforehand. You should be able to swim, though, as the buoyancy aid does not replace that.

What happens in bad weather?

Rain is not a reason to cancel, a thunderstorm is. We decide at short notice and get in touch with you.

Do we get an invoice with payment terms?

Yes. Corporate customers pay by separate arrangement on invoice, with 14 days from the invoice date.

If you want to make it concrete

For a company outing on the water, send us a short enquiry with your preferred date, roughly how many people and whether it should be sporty or calm. We will sort out the rest. Start on our page for a company outing by canoe, or for team building in the narrower sense on the team building in the Eifel page. If you just want to see dates, they are on our booking page.

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Company outing in the Eifel: 9 ideas and what they cost