Best three nights in Mosel Valley

Hi,

We based across the Mosel from Cochem in Valwig. We visited Trier from here. Easy 1 to 1:30 drive. Burg Eltz was the absolute highlight of our 4 nights here. My advice, stay in one location.

Paul

When are you going? There are village wine festivals up and down the Mosel May to October. September is prime time for "Strassenweinfesten", street wine festivals with wine available at various maker's stands as well as bands (Dutch marching bands are the best) and food.
You can stay in a "Weingut", small mom & pop wineries with a couple of guest rooms. No more than 50 euros per night per room with breakfast. Lots to see and do.

"I definitely want to see Roman Trier, go wine tasting, and see Burg Eltz."

I think Paul's choice - Cochem - is a good one for 2-3 nights. There's a lot right there - Reichsburg Castle and falconry show, lots of dining choices, wineries, a chairlift ride to a scenic lookouit, and plenty of cobblestoned alleyways to explore. From there you can head out on numerous river cruises, scenic walks, hikes, and bike rides. Burg Eltz is an easy jaunt.

I would reconsider the car for this area. Trains on the Mosel are plentiful and cheap with day passes for small groups like yours.

You might want a car if you were to stay in tiny Beilstein, which has no station. But since Beilstein is a good river cruise destination from Cochem, I think I'd rather just pay Beilstein a short visit by boat and stay in Cochem. As you can see HERE, Beilstein is only a few tour buses in length - there's not much to do there compared with Cochem. Trier and Moselkern (trailhead for Burg Eltz) are quick, direct train trips from Cochem. The WALK TO BURG ELTZ from Moselkern is a very pretty one. (On weekends in the high season months there are connecting buses to Burg Eltz if you can't do the walk for some reason.)

Sometimes people think they need a car to visit wineries, like they would in the Napa Valley. But on the Mosel, wineries and wine tastings are generally in towns. Google "Weingut" and "Cochem" on Google maps and you'll see.

As far as views go, you can definitely find them in Cochem. Stay across the bridge from Cochem in Cochem-Cond at someplace like the Flairhotel am Rosenhügel, and you'll have views of the river, town and castle like THIS.

Have to disagree. I think a car makes perfect sense for the Mosel. Sure makes Burg Eltz easier, and a lot quicker, to reach.

"Have to disagree. I think a car makes perfect sense for the Mosel. Sure makes Burg Eltz easier, and a lot quicker, to reach. "

I've done the walk to Burg Eltz twice, once with my two 74-year-old in-laws. A long, mostly gentle walk, not very taxing. I think walking there gives you the perspective that our medieval forefathers must have had, a very different experience than motoring up to the parking lot. Rick says some nice things about the walk too... "As you approach through the gentle trees of an ancient forest — where you'd expect the Seven Dwarves or Martin Luther to be hiding out — a castle of your fantasies suddenly appears. It is Burg Eltz, nestled in an enchanted setting just above the river..."

For those in a time squeeze, I do not doubt that the car is faster in this case.

But the car isn't always faster on the Mosel. Under ideal conditions, it takes 75 minutes to drive between Cochem and Trier. The regional train from Cochem to Trier requires 49 minutes.

Thanks all for the advice! It is much appreciated! We are trying to decide between going in May or late Sept/early Oct. Any weingut lodging that ya'll would recommend? I've come across SA Prum in my research, but no others.

Although we did not sleep there, Weingut Trossen in Traben-Trarbach is a great location for no-car. Their wines weren't very complex, however. Note that famous wineries require a reservation. For tastings. Your host/hotel might be able to help you if you're late reserving. I recommend festival time, if you can pin down dates.

Edit December 19:
You should check the river boat schedules (not mentioned by you yet) before going as late as October. You can get 75% of your "castle fix" from Bingen to Boppard on the KD boat. But your Subject line doesn't mention the Rhine. The Mosel is narrow and without castles to see from the small boats that cruise it. Bicylcles might be better, depending on where you sleep.

Cologne is a world-class destination (but not rural) if you have time. Smaller Koblenz has plenty of history, but is also rather urban. It sounds like (from your writing) that you would get more out of walking towns like Bernkastle-Kues and Traben-Trarbach, and the smaller towns named already.

I would skip Luxembourg if you only have three nights in the area. Trier (a modern city with excellent Roman remains - don't skip the Amphitheater) is more worthwhile, but there happen to be a lot of Roman sites in Cologne, too.

I am not one of those (like Rick) who thinks the inside of Burg Eltz is the best in Europe. There are too many modern furnishings by the family that owns it and lives there. It's also true that the castle is still a "hike" (on pavement) from the parking lot.

The train can be faster as it often takes a more direct route than a car. I'd recommend foregoing the car in Cochem and renting some bikes if you are able and the weather cooperates. You can easily ride to Beilstein and further (my wife and I followed the river to Bullay and back stopping at two wine fests on the way).

DJ

Here is a resource when searching accommodations and festivals in the Mosel Valley.
http://www.mosellandtouristik.de/en/

Great information everyone! Thanks so much. I welcome any other tips as well.

I stayed in Beilstein in Sept at the Hotel Gute Quelle and the hotel and owner Susan were fabulous,our room had a balcony and the breakfast and Dinner were great.We had a car and that made access to Burg Eltz easy,do not miss Burg Eltz,maybe the best castle in Europe that we have seen.The boat leaves from the dock in front of the town center and we took the boat to Cochem and spent part of the day seeing the town,we had seen the Castle in 2011 so did not go up the hill.It is a nice drive along the river to Trier,great Roman ruins including Porta Nigra.We were happy staying in Bielstein,we have stayed in Trier previously.
Mike

Cochem is very nice...and many tourists will flood the village.

If you would like a truly beautiful and unique place in the countryside above the Mosel, look at http://www.thomashoereth.de. This is an old mill with a wonderful restaurant. It's not inexpensive, but it's very special.

Burg Eltz isn't open in the winter. It opens for tours at the end of March. During the high tourism time in the summer, Burg Eltz is served by a bus starting in Treis-Karden, then going through Moselkern and Hatzenport to a stop above the castle, outside of Wierschem. From the train stop in Hatzenport it takes 17 minutes to Burg Eltz. During high season the bus runs on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. I think Burg Eltz is about the only important sight in the Mosel Valley that would require a car, and then only if one doesn't plan well.

I think Beilstein is over-rated. I went there on a Sunday, when the bus schedule was abbreviated. The return bus wasn't for four hours. Beilstein is very small. The castle ruins were closed for tours for the season; the remainder of the town took only an hour to see, thoroughly. I had to kill three hours before the bus back to Cochem returned.

As for the Reichsburg, the castle in Cochem, it is not a real castle. It was destroyed in the early 1800s and rebuilt later as a chateau for a Berlin businessman.

If you want to see a real castle, go to Braubach, on the Rhein, and see the Marksburg.

If you want to do a winery tour, Weingut Rademacher is right across the parking lot from the Cochem Bahnhof. They also rent rooms.

Here’s an alternative to a B&B or hotel – live like a local in a self-catering apartment located in Zell –Mosel.
http://www.myeuropebase.net/base.html

Have a look at all the tabs on the web site, there’s a lot of useful information regarding getting around this area.

The only downside is that the train stops about 5Kms away in Bullay, so you’d need to taxi the last bit.

Baz's post accurately points out that Cochem isn't your only choice. Zell is a nice place as well and a good bit "sleepier" than Cochem. Besides the apartment he suggests there are dozens of other apartments you can rent there as well. Indeed, Zell has no train station, but besides the taxi from Bullay, there are connecting buses to Zell as well. A ferry connects Bullay with Alf across the river, where there are lots of great hiking trails, including one to Arras Castle. I actually prefer Bullay to Zell, even sleepier and also with dozens of apartment options - and the convenience of a train station.

Bullay scene: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Bullay_2.jpg

Bkendal, we stayed at the SA Prum Winery Guesthouse in late March a few years ago, and I would use it as a base again if I were returning to the Mosel this year. Large, modern rooms in a quiet area, surrounded by vineyards, of course, on the outskirts of Bernkastel-Kues, my favorite town along the river. You can confirm by map that it has easy access by car to Trier, Berg Eltz, Maria Laach Abbey and the most scenic parts of the Rhine, as well as Luxembourg and Northern France. You are also away from the the noise of passing trains.

I will reconfirm that Beilstein is a great place to stay and you can daytrip from there by car or the boat which docks right in front of the Markt Platz,I dont think that the Mosel is good without a car.Cochem is very busy during the tourist season.
Mike

"I dont think that the Mosel is good without a car."
I would think exactly the same if I had stayed just in Beilstein. But the Mosel isn't defined by Beilstein. I've done the area both by car and by train, and either way, the Mosel is much more than good. IMO it's a choice driven not by the Mosel but by personal travel styles and choices - like if you pack or plan in such a way that a car is needed for storing your bags, or if you feel it's not a real vacation if you need to mesh your activities with a train schedule, or if you have a specific lodging accommodation in mind (like, say, Arras Castle) which is inaccessible except by car or on foot. But for this OP's choices over 3 days - Trier, wine tasting, Burg Eltz - train travel should work just fine. And very importantly, it keeps mobile wine-tasting fans out of big trouble with Germany's strict DUI laws.

One distinct advantage for the train is the free "guest-ticket" offered by participating (but not all) innkeepers in fhe Cochem-Zell area. Besides discounts at certain sights (including Burg Eltz) a guest ticket means free local train and bus transportation during your stay. Information about this guest ticket isn't widely available in English AFAIK but you can read this innkeeper's page in English on the program:
http://www.elfriede-fuhrmann.de/gaesteticket-cochemzell-englisch.htm

I am not going to join the debate over trains vs cars, other than to suggest that any traveler examine a map showing locations of both the roads and railroad tracks for their destinations before deciding on transportation. In addition to other advantages of train travel, such as easy access to large cities like Cologne, local trains, with their stops all along the Rhine, are an excellent choice for that river. And a train can work well if your budget is tight and you want to sample the Mosel. There are some knock-your-socks-off vistas east of Cochem before veering away from the river. But a car is necessary if you want to leisurely explore the much longer and even more scenic stretch that extends almost to the outskirts of Trier. Also, to reach Burg Eltz more easily than by train and hiking, as well as easy access to Maria Laach, another of my favorites, although I am told that buses do stop there.

"But a car is necessary if you want to leisurely explore the much longer and even more scenic stretch that extends almost to the outskirts of Trier."

This is probably the case; someone staying longer who wished to travel along the 80-mile stretch of river between Cochem and Trier would likely not finish such a route in one day if they tried it using buses or boats. Even by car driving time alone would 2.5+ hours and, depending on the number of stops, this would likely be a near full-day outing before even setting foot in Trier.

By public transport, one could however leave Cochem on a day trip or half-day trip and pay a visit to lovely BERNKASTEL (the most popular destination on that stretch of river by far) with total round-trip transport time of about 2.25 - 2.5 hours. Or one could do a stopover in Bernkastel on the way to Trier in about the same time. I'm not sure the OP has time even for this with just 3 nights and 2 days plus likely only several hours on Day 1 after traveling from Cologne.

"the train stops about 5Kms away in Bullay, so you’d need to taxi the last bit."

Gosh, I wish I had known that. Not knowing I went to the VRM website and found that there are frequent buses from the Bullay Bahnhof, about 9 minutes to Zell.