Cochem or Stuttgart

My vote goes to ...land in Frankfurt, stay in Cochem with day trips to Burg Eltz and Trier. But I would definitely make a point of visiting Bernkastel as well and would perhaps take a river cruise too (train to Traben-Trarbach, 2-hr. cruise from there to Bernkastel; you can return by bus + train to Cochem in one hour.) In Cochem the chairlift ride and the climb (or shuttle bus) to Reichsburg Castle (English tours available) are worthwhile as well.

View over Bernkastel
Old-town street in Bernkastel

I personally would go with Cochen and the Mosel River area. I haven't seen Trier, but it's high on my list due to its rich history.

Stuttgart is just kind of a modern city. It's cool for me because I like all things German, and I'll be there again in December for a Revolverheld (German band) concert and Christmas markets. Stuttgart is also a good place to visit for people who like car museums.

If you can snag a highly coveted Porsche factory tour I'd go w/ Stuttgart. Otherwise, Cochem.

If you go to Stuttgart, do the Mercedes-Benz tour! Great car museum. That said, Mosel River valley is not to be missed. You can hit up the spas in Wiesbaden, which is quite near to Frankfurt Airport. I don't recommend staying in Cochem, though. Too touristic. Zell is a good choice. With a car (highly recommended), you can stay anywhere. We had a great AirBnB in Enkirch.

Thank all of you. Cochem won. After being reminded of the famous car factories and museums in Stuttgart area I decided to save that for another time (hopefully sons are going in ‘27). Besides, after checking out Russ’ Bernkastel link, I am excited to add it to my day trips. I will not have a car so I likely will stay in Cochem but will check out Zell. Again, thanks for your thoughts. I truly appreciate this forum.

I will not have a car so I likely will stay in Cochem but will check out Zell.

Zell would be a weak base since it does NOT have a train station. You'd need a bus connection anytime you wanted to use the railway. I've stayed in Cochem on many occasions. Wonderful town. The place gets busy in summer with tourists for sure. But if you are doing outings to Eltz, Trier etc. during the day, they will likely be gone just about the time you return from your outing.

If you want a super-quiet place, stay in BULLAY, about 10 minutes from Cochem. It's a railway hub town with only a small # of hotels (I stayed at the Mosella once, also at some B&BBs... There are a few restaurants, and the visitors are not day trippers but mostly German vacationers who stay for 1-3 weeks. But with Cochem so close and Traben-Trarbach nearby, you'll have no trouble stepping out. Bullay is a wonderful base if you like hiking or biking. If you want to visit Zell, catch a bus there from Bullay or take a 2.5-mile bike ride.

Thanks again Russ. I will gather some info about Bullay. I had not heard of it before. I’ll likely rent a bike for one day.

Russ is right, Bullay is a good place to stay. I like the rotating fountain, and the small park on the water. If you go take some bread for the swans (they really like croissants). The nice part about Bullay is it's an easy train ride up or down the river, it's not well known to Americans, and this is where a lot of folks from Cochem will come to do their shopping. The prices are a bit lower and there's a Edeka right on the main road. It's only a 10 minute train ride.

Both the Porsche and MBZ museums in Stuttgart are worth visiting also, but I'd rather spend a day in Trier than Stuttgart.

day trips to Baden-Baden

Do you want to see Baden-Baden or just going for the spa? If just the spa, then you can get the same or better experience at many thermes in or near Stuttgart. Some offer ladies only areas or days if that helps with your textile-free shyness.