4 Days Exploring Germany’s Rhine and Moselle Valley Regions
Pair sweeping hills and long vineyards with ancient castles and timber frame homes and shops, and you have the towns lining The Rhine: a river that spans Germany and The Netherlands and empties into the North Sea.
We spent nearly four days exploring Germany’s Rhine and Moselle Valley regions, choosing Bacharach as our home base, then driving west to tour Burg Eltz and ending our journey in Trier, a city bordering the country of Luxemburg with well-preserved Roman ruins and structures, including the famous Porta Nigra gate.
There is so much natural beauty in this region, plus plenty of opportunity to drink wine (Riesling, especially), as seventy percent of Germany’s wine comes from this part of the country. From hiking and exploring, to relaxing and taking in the scenery, the area truly has something for everyone.
Here my recommendations for a visit to this part of Germany.
Cruise down the Rhine on the ring tour in Rudesheim.
The “romantic ring” tour is a locally known route and one that was recommended to us by our Airbnb hosts. The route took us from Bacharach to Assmannshausen (you can begin from multiple towns), then hiked a bit to the Ehrenfels Castle overlook and enjoyed a picnic lunch.
In Assmannshausen, we made our way to the Niederwald Monument: a 120 foot high, 32 ton bronze statue of Germania that was built to commemorate the re-establishment of the German empire.
For information about the ring tour in Rudesheim, click here.
Following our visit, we enjoyed epic views as a cable car took us down to Rudesheim, and meandered a while before making our way back to our AirBnB.
Pair wine with a hike to the highest lookout point for views.
In Bacharach, you can take a short uphill walk through the vineyards to the town’s historic watchtower for views from the top, or around the bend a bit for a more private experience. We found a quiet bench towards the top of the towns main hill to watch the sun as it set over Burg Stahleck (the town’s main castle). It was magical.
Most of the towns in this region offer similar opportunities for climbs and views, so consider which town might be best for you and book a few days (at least!) to explore. You could spend a week or more in the Rhine region alone and not see enough.
We trekked back to our AirBnB as the sun set and enjoyed some wine and cheese on their intimate patio. It was glorious.
Explore other villages and towns in the Rhineland.
The Rhine and Moselle valley region is known for its beauty, so if I haven’t reiterated it enough already, be sure to get out and explore! Late spring to early fall are the best times to visit this area, with tourism at its peak in the summer months. I’ve read that some visitors have called the region “hauntingly beautiful” in the winter, but the temperatures and conditions do make travel is a bit more difficult.
Find trails to hike, or rent bikes and venture a bit further out. We rented a car and stopped drove to a few towns on the way to our final destination of Trier, including Boppard and Kobletz.
Check out this article for some good route options through the region:
Stop for a photo at Lorilee Rock - and venture further in.
The town of Kobletz offers two things you should do your best to see: Castle Stolzenfels and Lorelei, a high rock that has inspired some of Germany’s most famous legends and folktales.
Lorelei rock marks one of the narrowest sections of the Rhine river. Drive or hike to the top for some of the best views of the region.
Enjoy towns on your route and hiking opportunities galore! We found ourselves stopping to take pictures numerous times, and enjoyed picnic lunches at some of the most picturesque spots.
Visit Marksburg Castle
During our visit we toured Marksburg, which is one of only two medieval castles along the Rhine to have never been captured or destroyed.
The Marksburg castle is located in the high area of the town of Braubach, Germany, and is (like many of the areas I’ll mention in my blog posts featuring Germany) listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spend a few hours touring the castle and take in the amazing views!
Take in the canola fields in route to Eltz Castle, and explore the castle.
We followed this tour with a visit to Eltz Castle (Burg Eltz), nestled deep in the vast woods and hills above the Moselle River between Koblenz and Trier. The castle is still partially occupied by a branch of the family that lived there 33 generations ago, and through luck and savvy political maneuvering is the only other medieval castle along the Rhine that is perfectly intact.
The drive to Eltz Castle and hike through its surrounding forest gave the most awe-inspiring views of all our two-plus weeks on the road in Germany. The castle is located above the lovely town of Wierschem, which is surrounded by vast expanses of canola fields and farmland.
If arriving in the town by bus, you can catch a shuttle to the castle, which will drop you off at the main gate.
If you’ve rented a car, you can park in one of the castle’s main parking areas and walk the lovely footpath through the forest (about 1.25 miles). Then turn a corner, and you’ll see Eltz Castle! It’s one of the most beautiful and well-preserved castles in the country, and so worthy of a visit.
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Eltz Castle and the lovely town of Trier deserve their own posts, so more on that soon!
I hope you give yourself the pleasure of explore this magical area!