Mosel Valley or Rhine? Best to stay for relaxing?

I'd go further up the Moselle to somewhere between the Saar and the French border. Probably Wasserbillig.

We spent a very relaxing five days in Beilstein along the Mosel. It's mentioned and recommended in RS books. The town is kind of touristy during the mid-day, but once all the tourists are back on the boats and buses, the town quiets down and is very beautiful and peaceful. From Beilstein we visited, Cochem, Burg Eltz, and Trier, so there are things to do when Beilstein itself gets busier. Also, there are great views up and down the Mosel from the castle ruins above the town. And try to stay in Hotel Haus Lippman,as RS recommends. It's right on the river and very accomodating.

We stayed at a "Weingut" in Briedel. At 44 Euro/nt, the lodging bargain of the trip. Only 2 guest rooms with full bath, great breakfast, terrace overlooking the vinyards on the hillside overlooking the Mosel, wine available for sale from the basement winery at 3.50/ bottle, bikes available for rent with paved trails along the river on the old railroad bed. Throw in a weekend Strassenweinfest in the next village over, and it was a pretty good stay.

I think the Mosel is more scenic, mainly because the valley isn't as wide as the Rhine and it's less congested with train tracks and water traffic. Anywhere you stay will have wine choices. I like Cochem because it's centrally located but have never visted either Beilstein or where Ed mentions (Cheap Water?, sounds like a wild west town?). Trier is a great day visit and the walk from Moselkern to Burg Eltz is very enjoyable.

The most scenic amd relaxing part of the Mosel is between Cochem and Trier, in part because the railroad veers away from the river, which improves both the view and the noise level. You can reach at least some of the towns by bus, but a car makes things easier. My favorite town on the Mosel is Bernkastel-Kues; for a place to stay, I would recommend the Guesthouse of the S.A. Pruem Winery on the western edge of town.

Hi Scott, We liked the more relaxed atmosphere of the Mosel. The Rhine seemed much too busy, with plenty of barge traffic, car/truck traffic, etc. We based for 4 nights in Oct. '07 in Valwig, across from Cochem at the Hotel Rebenhof. www.hotel-rebenhof.com We loved Cochem, but it's not a "quiet" place. We also visited Trier, Bernkastel, Zell and Burg Eltz. Burg Eltz is a must see. That said, if I were looking for a quiet place to base, I'd go with Valwig (we liked our stay) or Beilstein. Paul

Ditto to the suggestion of Beilstein and the Hotel Haus Lipmann. This was a highlight of our trip to Germany. The town and the inn are something out of a fairy tale. The furnishings and atmosphere were wonderful; make sure and request a room facing the river. From Beilstein we did a day trip to Trier and another trip to Cochem.

Cochem is a small town that gets daytime crowds in the old town area in high season but is otherwise pretty quiet the rest of the year and in the evenings, even in summer. Beilstein is the size of a postage stamp, more a small cluster of buildings than a town, and though it's quite nice, I don't know what anyone does there after a couple of hours but meditate. It seems like a better place to visit for a couple of hours or for a meal than a place to linger. Well, unless you're on a honeymoon. There actually are dozens of places on both the Rhine and Mosel where the views are great and the atmosphere peaceful. In Bacharach, lots of folks book Rick Steves favorites even though they're next to the railroad tracks. Not a peaceful choice. But in Bacharach and most of these towns, you can just as easily book a place a short distance from town on the cliffside, or in a side valley full of vineyards.

We stayed at the Hotel Moselkern on the Mosel. Close to train station to explore. Friendly people in town. Walked to Burg Eltz. All rooms with relaxing view of the Mosel. We found it relaxing and wished we could stay longer.