Mosel Valley

We stayed in Cochem and Bernkastel a number of years ago w/o a car, and getting around by bus, boat and train was very easy. I remember taking a boat from Cochem that stopped at a few villages on the other side of the Mosel.

I would recommend a car. If you just hate to drive or are going for the lowest cost, you can use public transportation to get around. With a week it may make sense, but I would get restless over that amount of time without a car. Plus, rental costs for a week are pretty reasonable in Germany. A boat ride can be fun, but after about 20 minutes, I want to get off and give the thing a push. The train route takes you away from the most scenic stretch of the river from Cochem to Trier, and you will have to change to a bus to reach towns like Bernkastel. A car is definitely best for viewing that stretch of the river, and you can set your own pace, stopping along the way. Also, a car makes it easier to reach Burg Elze, Maria Laach Abbey and other great places that are back a ways from the Mosel.

Thanks, this is some good info. Think the car is the way to go to see more of the out of the way spots.

Have a look at Cochem on this map of train and bus routes: http://www.vrminfo.de/fileadmin/data/pdf/2012/Liniennetzpl_apr12.pdf Clearly, you don't need a car to reach "out of the way places" - you can get virtually anywhere on the Mosel by train or bus and maybe a short walk. The only real issue here is whether you want to plan your trips around the system - you'll want to find hotels near the stations and stops, learn the ins and outs of using the system, and be prepared to leave town X when the train leaves. So it's a less spontaneous way of moving around that requires more planning on your part.

If you enjoy cycling the Mosel valley is ideal for it (mostly flat!) with well signposted cycle paths which follow the river. It goes from Koblenz through Trier and ends in Thionville in France, a distance of 275 Kilometers (not for the faint hearted). There are however good regional rail and bus links so that you can hop on and off as you feel like it, cycle the distance you want and hop back on. If you buy a 'Raderlebniskarte 2012' for the train or bus then your bikes go free from Monday to Friday after 9am and with no time limit at weekends and public holidays. If the weather is good it is a great way to see the Mosel.

Before my first visit to Germany, I imagined the Rhine River as idyllic. After visiting Germany, I learned it was really the Mosel Valley. Another vote for easy biking on the pedestrian/biking path. Suggest you go with the flow of the River from say Trier to Koblenz. A week by car in this area would be too much time for me, but hey, have some great wine and enjoy.

My daytrips would be Trier, which has extensive Roman ruins, and Burg Eltz. Getting around by local train is easy and cheap. I probably wouldn't want a car for the area. I like the idea of biking. If you go with the river, toward Koblenz, it will be flat to very slightly downhill. As far as I know, it's okay to then bring your bike on a local train to get back to your starting point. There are weinstubes in the area, including in Cochem, that are a great place to relax when the weather is nice.

Thanks to everyone for the info. As for going by bike, haven't been on a bike in over 30+ years and don't think now is the time to get back on one. Will try train and bus, that way I can do some wine and beer tasting.

I agree that Trier and Burg Eltz are both great daytrips from Cochem. You could also consider a Kolb boat ride from Cochem to Beilstein and back...boat there in the am, check out ruined castle and town, have lunch at Haus Lipmann, and catch pm return boat. Koblenz is an option...heck you could even go from there to St. Goar or Bacharach on the Rhein for a long-ish daytrip. If you were planning on hitting a bunch of tiny towns for wine tasting, perhaps a car would be more convenient/necessary. Otherwise, it's not necessary for some really good daytrips IMHO. Cheers!

You can get to Bernkastel Kues and to Zell by bus from train stops. I didn't find (2008) a car to be necessary on the Mosel.