Beilstein or Trier

I'll be a little less caustic than James, but I really did not see anything special about Beilstein. It is a very tiny town. It doesn't take long to see it. In all fairness, the castle ruins at the top of the hill were closed when I was there. That might have added an hour, but other than that, and another ornate German church, there is not much there.

I've been to both and will say that Beilstein had a giant swan who had parked itself along the road that captured my attention for a good 5 minutes. Other than that, it's all I remember. And it's likely that by now even the swan moved up the river to a more interesting town.

Why not stay somewhere in the Taunus area, like Kronberg, Königstein or Bad Homburg. Very pretty, close to Frankfurt, nice Alt Stadt areas in all of them, parks and the views are great. I like the castle in Kronberg too. Near Bad Homburg is the Saalburg, a reconstructed Roman Fort plus lots of Roman ruins, and also Hessen Park which is a very large Open Air museum.

Hi Denise,

My suggestion is Cochem. It's our favorite town along the Mosel.

Paul

I've never been to Beilstein but have spent time in Trier on several occasions, as well as other places along the Mosel. I would echo Paul's suggestion of Cochem. It puts you closer to Frankfurt than Trier. If you are traveling by car you can stop at some wonderful villages along the Mosel and enjoy some wine. We love the area around Cochem.

Having said that, last year we spent the night before departure in the Taunus area and went to the therme in Bad Homburg. As Jo said, this is also a great area to explore before departure.

It does come down to what you want to see. I was not wild about Trier but its Roman Ruins are possibly the most extensive in Germany. The Basilica is enormous and awe inspiring in how long it has stood; the Romans were excellent builders. I best liked the former baths and their tunnels. The arena on the edge of town was also interesting.

The Dom (cathedral) is one of the earliest in Germany. I liked the structure but thought the interior was cluttered with too many styles in the various alters.

Trier might have been one of our most informative stops on a trip to the area in 2009. If you are into history, it might be the best stop.

As others have said, Cochem is a delight. It sounds like you have a full day to spend near Frankfurt plus your departure day - so two nights? If so, I would also head to Cochem for afternoon/night #1, then do a daytrip on day 2 to Trier. On your departure day, you could tour Reichsburg Castle in Cochem and see the excellent falconry show there, or visit nearby Burg Eltz castle, or take a river cruise up to Beilstein and back (about one hour each way.)

But I would not position myself in Beilstein for any length of time unless you just want an extremely quiet day of gazing at the river.

I have been to all 3 towns. My favorites in order would be Cochem, Trier, very interesting history and Beilstein. Cochem is such a cute charming town. I would love to return.

Happy Travels!

The only advantage to Beilstein is its slightly closer proximity to Frankfurt.

Trier is great and I like Cochem also. Perhaps a full day in the area spending the night in Cochem.

From there you can either spend the morning on the Mosel or do something you may have missed on the Rhine at the start of your trip - then head toward Frankfurt.