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Moselle Valley Road trip
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Moselle Valley Road trip

Always wondering what the Moselle Valley can give you? (Hint: wine). Or what you can do while road tripping through this beautiful valley? In this blog I tell you everything.

About Moselle Valley

Local name: Moseltal 

Best time to visit: may till oktober

Advised time of staying: 2-3 days (bed)

Closest international airport: Frankfurt am Main, 1,5 hours from Koblenz.

The Moselle Valley belongs to Germany’s most beautiful river valleys. The German part of the Moselle River twists and turns its way between the cities Koblenz (northern) and Trier (southern). The road (N)49 winds all the way along the Moselle River so that makes the Moselle Valley a perfect road trip destination in Europe. But there is more. The Moselle Valley knows lush terraced vineyards (and delicious wine), fairy tale villages and hills crowned with ancient castles. All ingredients for a romantic holiday are right there. Let this itinerary help you to make your road trip even better. 

In this blog: 

  1. Some facts
  2. Route
  3. Things to do and admire at Moselle Valley
  4. Tips to make your visit more pleasant 
  5. Local Delicacies
  6. Accommodations

1. Some facts

  • The Moselle River runs through three countries (Germany, France and Luxembourg), and drains a fourth (Belgium);
  • The Moselle River is a tributary of the mighty River Rhine;
  • Some of the best Rieslings grow here. 

2. Route

3. Things do in and around the Moselle River 

  • Vineyards
  • Wine Tasting
  • Visit villages and towns
  • Castles
  • Cruise
  • Hiking and biking
  • Stunning viewpoints 

Vineyards

The steep river bank slopes are said to be some of the most labour intensive vineyards in the world. At some places the terraced vineyards seem to rise up almost to the sky. The steep incline allows for direct sunlight to hit the vines. The other reason why the vineyards are doing so well is because most of the soil is covered by slate stone, the heat of the sun is retained and reflected. So the steep incline and the slate stone are creating a unique growing environment for the Rieslings grapes to grow.

From the middle of September into October, it is all about harvesting the grapes (and red vineyard peached). In this period, many of the villages of the Moselle Valley celebrates the harvest by hosting street festivals. Local winemakers convert their homes into makeshift restaurants, proudly serving a variety of their homemade wines and signature family dishes..

Wine Tasting

Weingüter (winemakers) have been producing the region’s famous white wines for centuries.

Many of the wine cellars are located at people’s homes so look voor sign as ‘wein verkauf’ (wine sales) and ‘weinprobe’ (wine tasting) when you drive through Moselle Valley. 

Villages and towns

  • Cochem
  • Bernkastel-Kues. This small town is the centre of the middle-moselle. Mosel-weinmuseum is located here. You can also visit Burg Landshut (castle ruins with a great panorama view. 
  • Traben Trarbach
  • Trier. Trier is Germany’s oldest town and located near the Luxembourg border. Trier is home to an impressive nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Porta Nigra, Basilica of Constantine, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier.

Castles 

There are four castles in the Moselle Valley worth your visit. All of them are located at stunning locations and the most of them offers you a breathtaking panorama view of the Moselle River. Three of them are located at the west (left) bank of Moselle River. 

  • Schloss Stolzenfels (Stolzenfels Castle). This castle is located a few miles from Koblenz and it’s the most northern one. This one is unique from the other three because it’s a white/yellow one. The other castles I mention in this blog are dark coloured.The hike to this castle takes approx. 20 minutes (uphill);
  • Burg Eltz (Eltz Castle). This 850-years-old castle is everything that childhood dreams are made of. It proudly stands on a rock, hidden in a thick forest. This one is unique from the other three because it you can’t see it from Moselle River. Burg Eltz is open daily from April through November 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM for castle tours.The short hike to Burg Eltz from the parking place is easy and doable for almost everyone. Good to know it’s not allowed to take photos inside of the castle. 

Photography tip from distant dreaming:

Visit the castle before tours operate (9:30) to make photos on the iconic bridge in front of the castle without a bunch of people in the photo.  

  • Reichsburg Cochem (Castle of Cochem). A beautiful castle on top of a hill overlooking the medieval town of Cochem. This castle is unique because the stunning view it offers. 
  • Ruins of Burg Landshut (Landshut castle). This castle ruin is located on the east  bank of the Moselle river. There is a shuttle (Landshut Express) who takes you the ruins in 20 minutes. Start point is the parking place of Bernkastel-Kues village. 

Cruises

The Mosel Bike Path is a popular destination for cyclists who want to stay in a different village each night. An added bonus is that most guesthouses produce their own wine, so you can mix in some wine tasting with each stay.

The most common bike route is from Trier to Koblenz, which is about 130 km in distance. It’s recommended to take 3 to 5 days to complete this bike route, depending on your skill level and pace.

Hiking and biking

The Mosel River snakes through the hills, creating an outdoor playground for hikers, runners and walkers.

The Mosel Bike Path is a popular destination for cyclists who want to stay in a different village each night. An added bonus is that most guesthouses produce their own wine, so you can mix in some wine tasting with each stay.

The most common bike route is from Trier to Koblenz, which is about 130 km in distance. It’s recommended to take 3 to 5 days to complete this bike route, depending on your skill level and pace.

Moselsteig trail.long-distance hiking trail

There is a Horseshoe Bend at the Moselle River (actually there are two, see map below nr. 1 and 2). There are two points who will give you a birds eye view the stunning loop in the Moselle River(nummer 1).These two points are Marienburg (point ‘A’ at the map below) and Prinzenkopfturm (point ‘B’ at the map below). Marienburg is a church and Prinzenkopfturm is a watchtower/observation deck. Those two viewpoints are really close to each other. When you are at one of them, you can see the other. The view you will get from Marienburg is suboptimal and you will see the Horseshoe Bend only partly. If you think that’s a good reason not to go there, you are wrong. The view is mindblowing. 

Photography tip: If you have a drone, don’t forget to take you with it. It’s allowed to fly as long as you stick to the drone rules of Germany. Side note: at least it’s allowed at Marienburg, but haven’t check out Prinzenkopfturm myself. 

Tips to make your Visit at the Moselle River Region more pleasant

  • Cochem ~ touristic town
  • Boat Drive Cochem. Go in the morning, the waiting line will be much shorter.
  • Sunset brings magic to every place. But remember the Moselle Region is a valley and the sun disappears much faster than the actual sunset time. Best photography hour is 2-1,5 before sunset time. 
  • The most restaurants/hotels only of menu cards in German (especially outside of Cochem). Most waitress and waitresses understands basic Englisch. For us Dutchies it’s easy to 

3. Tips

4. Local delicacies

Wine

  • Eiswein
  • Peach Secco

Bitburger Beer

The beer is produced in the city of Bitburg, located a few kilometers west of the Mosel River. You can find this popular beer at most establishments, just look for signs that say “Bitte ein Bit.”

5. Accommodations