Cochem or Bacharach?

There is more to do in the Bacharach area. Not nightlife but more restaurant choices, attractions and nearby towns.

Correspondingly, Cochem may be less overrun by tourists.

The Mosel attractions tend to be seasonal while the Rhine attractions are available year round.

I really like Burg Stahleck hostel (castle turned hostel) clean, quiet and well run. Rheinfels castle is a great ruin to explore. The river cruise between Bacharach and St. Goar is really nice.

The Mosel is perfect for September but may be mostly closed in December. Trier has extensive Roman ruins. Wine tasting along the Mosel after harvest is very enjoyable. Burg Eltz is a good look at a living castle. Be sure to hike to the castle, the trail is beautiful. It's uphill but not really steep or difficult.

We'll be there in the beginning of August. Is Burg Eltz tough to reach by car from Bacharach?

Hi Tiffany,

We stayed in Cochem 4 nights last Oct. and we prefer Cochem and the Mosel to the Rhine. Burg Eltz is the best castle and best castle setting we've ever seen! Plenty of accomodations and restaurants in Cochem. We found the old town/pedestrian zone, along with the long river front promenade, to be simply beautiful. Less river traffic and train traffic along the Mosel. To see Burg Eltz, you can drive up to the parking lot and walk down to it in about 20 minutes (or take the cheap and frequent shuttle van). We followed the directions in Rick Steves' book. Our recent photos are at:

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/index.html

Hope this helps.

Paul

Thanks so much for the photos - they are AMAZING! Definitely gets me really excited about our trip!