Weekend Getaways - Gems in the German Moselle Valley!

The Moselle valley is often overlooked in comparison to the world-famous romantic route of the Rhine valley. Granted, Moselle is not as mighty as the Rhine but the valley has its own charm! River Moselle (German: Mosel) flows through France, Luxembourg and Germany. As the river passes though Germany it creates beautiful landscapes and a great opportunity for wine growers. Most of the hillsides are covered in vineyards which grow the white grape variety called Riesling. The river has been used for trade and travel since hundreds of years and today we can see a high number of castle ruins along the entire Moselle valley. In this blog I am going to cover the cities (and castles) me and my husband have visited till now.  

The rivers Mosel and Rhine meet in Koblenz. The point of confluence is called the The Deutsches Eck and it is a lovely must-see place. More about Koblenz in the next blog dedicated to the Rhine valley! 😉

In Germany, if you stay in NRW or Rhineland-Palatinate then most of the cities along the Moselle are easy to cover over a long weekend.

We traveled by car however most of these cities are also easily accessible by train from Düsseldorf, Köln or Bonn.

You can choose just one place and explore it or cover multiple cities and sites in a day. We have done both😄 

If you decide to stay in one of the cities, you can enjoy the wine and the vibe of the city in the evening. 

Popular activities along the Moselle valley:

• A river cruise
• Wine tasting 
• Cable car (Sesselbahn)
• Hiking trails
• Cycling along the Moselle

Most of the towns have a tourist information center and they gladly provide information about hiking trails, wine tasting or other events happening in the area.

Eltz Castle

The castle is not near the river but it is near the Moselle valley so has to be included in the list. 😎

Because of its striking architecture amidst the surrounding mountains it can be found on many tourism advertisements and attracts a lot of tourists. There are various hiking trails to reach the castle or one can also take the shuttle bus to reach at the top. We chose one such 4 km hike through the woods. It was a very serene path and we thoroughly enjoyed the hike to the castle. We reached the castle after the closing time and hence did not see it from the inside. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the view from the outside 😍

Cochem

Cochem is one of the most popular destinations on this route! The city is quite lovely with a lot of options to eat and drink. One can take a river cruise or take a ride around the city in a little train called the 'Mosel-Wein-Express'. 

The main attraction in Cochem is the Cochem castle perched atop a hill. There are two paths to reach the castle. One is a road with houses on one side and vineyards on the other and the other path is a hiking trail along the Moselle. We took the city road while climbing and the other path while coming down. 

There are some amazing views of the valley 😍 from the platform outside the castle. We skipped the tour inside the castle as it was offered only in German however, we took a ticket to visit the premises inside the main gate. It was a bit disappointing as there is not much to see on the castle premises (maybe it is interesting for history buffs). I got a great photo inside the gate making the entrance ticket totally worth it. 😉

Traben-Trarbach

This gate is the main attraction point in Traben-Trarbach. We did not find anything interesting or different in this town so did not spend much time here and moved on to the next town.

If you found something interesting to do/eat/drink, do let me know!

Bernkastel-Keus

Activities to do in Bernkastel - Keus:

• Walk around, walk on the bridge connecting Bernkastel and Keus, visit the 'Market square'
• Cycle along the Moselle.
• Visit the castle ruins of 'Burgruine Landshut'. We took a shuttle bus to reach the top and came back with the same bus.
• There are numerous shops selling local wine, buy a bottle or two 😉 The most memorable experience for us was tasting fresh wine called 'Federweisser'. It is available only in the grape harvest season. It was sweet and strong and absolutely delicious. The shopkeeper sold it in a glass to drink in the shop or fill it in a bottle or as seen in this photo even give it in 3 or 5 litre canisters! We bought a bottle and relished it the same evening as we were staying the night. I can't wait for autumn to arrive so we can go back and buy some more Federweisser😄.

Trier

Trier was founded by the Romans and we can see many Roman structures in the whole city. 
The most prominent one is the Porta Nigra gate. The illumination at night makes it more remarkable.

Other prominent structures include the Saint Peter's Cathedral, the Amphitheater, the Roman bridge and the electoral palace. 

You can find many restaurants with a medieval ambience. One such wine bar is called Weinstube Kesselstatt. The above picture of the wine cellar is from the same bar. 

If you want to go for a drive (or a hike) then there is a place called 'Mariensäule' with great panoramic views of the Moselle.

We visited Trier in November when the Glühwein (mulled wine) season was just starting so it was an obvious drink of choice during the boat ride. 

That brings me to the end of our journey on this route!

Which other places did you find fascinating along the Moselle? Do let me know!