Rhine Vs Mosselle

Well, you can have both. You could stay in places like Boppard on the Rhine and take a few day cruises from there. KD cruises has a number of cruises on the Rhine River. The most attractive part of the river (i.e., with the most castles) is between Bingen and Boppard.

Cochem on the Moselle (note the spelling), which is less than an hour from Boppard, is a small medieval town that has a lot of history, and is very picturesque. There are many wineries nearby and it's good base to explore the Moselle Valley.

If it's for them, I'd vote for the Rhine because it is the most scenic. If for you, yeah the Moselle is great because you've already seen the Rhine. I think the Moselle is less spectacular, but has a more subtle beauty. However, the Rhine is the maximum for the things they've identified.

On the Mosel, you will be passing through several locks which slows down the trip.

The Mosel is a tributary of the Rhine: smaller, slower, quieter, gentler. The word "bucolic" comes to mind. Better for enjoyable biking. The Rhine is big, fast, powerful, noisy, and dramatic with its tall, rocky walls and studded with more castles per km. Well-used train tracks line both riverbanks, and the river is busy with day cruise boats, long-distance cruise ships, and commercial shipping vessels.

You can cruise both rivers if you like. The Mosel is very curvy, so you're constantly changing direction - and there are locks you pass through, which slows down certain cruise segments. No locks on the Rhine - fast cruising down a mighty river.

There's no reason not to visit both places if you have the time. Both rivers have the elements your family wants. What sorts of activities/sightseeing do you have in mind, exactly? What does your dream stay look like?

It's just one data point, but we enjoyed the drive from Mulheim to Trier, on scenic slow roads. We also used sleeping in Mulheim to make car daytrips to Bernkastel-Kues, Traben-Trarbach, Burg Eltz. I felt that the river scenery was understated enough that the days in those places were worth more than time on a boat would have been. Now, B-K is very "touristy". But walking around T-T, we found a public way through a vineyard, ran across a wine-maker's cafe/tasting picnic tables, and a nice public steep-park-climb.

That said, the K-D or similar boat from Bingen to Boppard (or nearby) is a must-do in season. We weren't even that anxious to get inside some castles.

Edit: While it was not part of our trip, it was very clear that T-T was a serious bicycling stop, and I mean leisure bicyclists, not spandex-aristocrats.

I took a river cruise on Grand Circle Cruise Line that sailed on both the Rhine and the Mosel. The Rhine has the classic stretch with the Lorelei and castles dotting the hillside, but other parts are commercial and industrial. The cruise usually passes those parts at night. The Mosel has a lot of charming small towns and steep vineyards that I really enjoyed.

If I had to name a single must-see small town on the Mosel, it would surely be Bernkastel. Its old-town center is packed with attractive half-timbered buildings like no other Mosel town, and it is stunningly pretty.

I've hiked and biked the Mosel on several occasions. My most memorable Mosel Valley hike took place around 2002... I took a trail over the ridge that separates Traben-Trarbach and Bernkastel, a trek that ended after roughly 2.5 hours on a path through the vineyard behind the town; a photo I just came across shows the scene that greeted me from that path. It's a major wine town. And indeed it's a tourist town - mostly German and European tourists, I think - not just for the wine but also for its ensemble of historic buildings, and possibly for the hiking, biking, and river cruising available there.

Three of the Mosel's best hiking options include Bernkastel, according to this hiking webpage:

https://www.outdooractive.com/en/hikes/moseltal/hikes-in-the-moselle-valley/1415087/

You can scroll down through the hikes and click on each of them for descriptions, maps, photos, etc,
My hike included was an abbreviation of the "Seitensprung Moseltalschanzen."

I just can't stay away from Bernkastel. My first visit was in '73. On my most recent visit in 2018, DW and I took a river cruise from Kröv (where we spent a night, another wine town, memorable for its "Kröver Nacktarsch" wine label. The cruise took us to Bernkastel in an hour plus... if we had started instead in Traben-Trarbach, we'd still have made it to Bernkastel in less than 2 hours, so it's really not a huge investment of time if you are interested in a Mosel cruise, and there are 5-6 boats per day that make the TT - BK run.

TT is also a very fine town to visit. Unlike Bernkastel, TT has a train station. From the main Koblenz > Trier railway through the Mosel Valley, transfer at Bullay station to the Mosel Wine Railway and ride it to the end on this route's funny little trains.

A truly stunning photo

Russ

Funny Little Train? Fascinated to see a typical branch line train described as such. In that case I liked riding funny little trains when I lived in Germany.

Actually this is an interesting/useful thread, so it’s all good here.

I think you could do some of each.

My kids loved exploring Rheinfels and staying at Burg Stahleck. A boat ride between Bacharach and St. Goar (or similar) isn't time consuming (if planned efficiently) and certainly enjoyable. Both towns are quaint but could be overrun in high season.

The Rhein is a major transportation hub. It's wide with lots of large ship traffic (most of the year). There are great castles dotting the Rhein that are best seen from the river (or stops to tour a castle). The Moselle is a completely different feel. It's a narrower river with relatively steep vineyard hills on either side.

Moselle sights I wouldn't miss are Eltz castle and the Roman ruins in Trier. Burg Eltz to me is best seen by getting off the train at Moselkern (between Koblenz and Trier) and finding the walking trail to the castle. It's an easy trail (the last little climb to the castle itself is steep enough to wind you) along a brook through the woods. I felt like that was more than half the fun of seeing Burg Eltz. I'd probably stay in Cochem or Trier (a nice town where the Roman ruins are a giant bonus).

IMO Koblenz isn't worth spending more time than maybe a train change and/or a meal.

P.S. Russ, gorgeous photo.