The Best Mosel Valley Road Trip, Germany

In the summer of 2021 we spent three weeks on a road trip through Germany, the main focus of our time was the beautiful Mosel Valley located in the Rhine Palatinate region of Germany. We had been told by a few people that you only needed one of two days to see the region but we wanted to focus on traveling a little slower so instead chose to spend 5 days in the Mosel region. Personally, I think 5 days was the perfect amount of time to spend here as it gave us time to really explore the small towns, such as Beilstein and Ediger-Eller, hike through the wineries to some incredible viewpoints, visit the castles we wanted to see and take some day trips to places such as Burg Eltz.

The Mosel Valley is a small region, and thus the best way to experience the area on a road trip is to base yourself in one town and use the days you have to explore the surrounding area. For us, this meant camping in Ediger-Eller, by the Mosel River, and spending days driving, or cycling, to other towns in the region.

In this travel guide I will take you through the best things to see and do in the Mosel valley, some of the best hikes, possible day trips, and how to best enjoy your time in this small, picturesque wine region!

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The Towns of the Mosel Valley

Cochem

Cochem is the biggest city along the Mosel river and marks the beginning of what is traditionally thought of as the Mosel Valley (or Mosel Tal in German!) Cochem is a thriving city, compared with its neighboring small villages, and is the place to go if you want to have a lot of choices in restaurants, bars, and clubs. Cochem is also where the majority of Mosel valley river cruises depart from. I will talk more about this later but from here you can take dinner cruises, day tours, and trips to the Rhine river region.

If you are not traveling by car, this is probably the best place to stay in the Mosel Valley. Cochem has the best connections to bus routes (including the cycle bus), boat tours and river cruises, and transport to and from the rest of Germany.

If you are driving from the North on your Mosel Valley Road Trip, Cochem is likely the first village you will come across. It is the best place to stock up on groceries and necessities before continuing on your trip as most of the shops here are bigger and have a better range!

Ediger-Eller

Ediger-Eller was where we based ourselves for the majority of our trip to the Mosel Valley. We were on a camping road trip through the valley and what we loved most about this town is that it was not only a great base for exploring both the northern and southern sections of the Mosel river region, but it was also a great town in its own right. With several restaurants, wineries, and bakeries, swimming spots by the water, bike hire, and canoe hire, the town was always a great place to return to after a day of adventure.

In Ediger-Eller I would make sure to check out Fatis Backerei und Cafe, Weingut Walter J. Oster, and get breakfast from Moselromantik-Hotel Zum Löwen, and all of the small businesses selling jams and marmalades in notice-board shops hung up on the walls of the village.

Camping in Ediger-Eller, along the Mosel River

The camping site was beautiful, set right by the river with swimming spots and a big grass area for your tents and camper vans. The amenities were always clean and there was even a bar that was open in the evenings, with special events on for sports games. You could really feel the campsite culture here, and after a few days starting to get to know those around you, you begin to understand why people love to stay here for their whole summer holiday.

I loved staying here as our Mosel Valley Road Trip was all about trying to experience the area as much as we could in a slow and sustainable fashion. This meant that we could have slow mornings walking up and down the river followed by evenings tasting wines in the Weingut’s. It also meant we were quite central and could spend the day time exploring other areas of the Mosel Valley and even towns along the Rhine River.

Beilstein

Beilstein was my favourite of the villages along the Mosel Valley. Just like the setting of beauty and the beast, Beilstein is a little village situated on a hill by the water. It has a castle towering above, colourful, traditional-style houses, and an abundance of plant life. Because of this reason, Beilstein was also my favourite village to look at from the other side of the Mosel river as we cycled down the valley. This is a stop you must visit on any Mosel Valley Road Trip, even if it is just for a short walk and an ice cream!

What to do in Beilstein:

Visit Metternich Castle
Get gelato from Bastians Eiscafe

The best things to do in the Mosel Valley

Taking a river cruise down the Mosel River

River cruises are a very popular thing to do in this region. Whether you want something that lasts only a few hours, a hop-on and hop-off style shuttle, an overnight stay, or a week-long cruise, there is likely something that will catch your attention in the Mosel Valley. The majority of river cruises depart from the city of Cochem and either head south towards Trier, or north towards Koblenz where they start to explore the Rhine river region.

Mosel Valley Wine Tasting

Visit a “Weingut”

A “Weingut” translates to “Winery”, and in the Mosel Valley, they often take the form of small bars owned by local wineries where you can go and taste wines and enjoy some light snacks. These are scattered throughout the small villages along the Mosel River and you will find you will be wanting to visit more than once over the course of your stay!

A Guided Vineyard Tour with Wine Tasting

When you are in one of the best wine regions in Germany, you can’t miss out on a wine tour! A wine tour, like this one, is a great way to get to know a bit more about the history of the area and the grape varieties you are most likely to find.

Hiking around the Mosel Valley

Hiking to View Points In Bremm

Some of the best viewpoints in the Mosel valley are in Bremm. These are Moselschleife Bremm Aussichtspunkt, Aussichtspunkt Calmont, and Gipfelkreuz. If you want to walk, the hike up from Bremm is beautiful, although quite difficult at times. Otherwise, it is possible to drive up to Gipfelkreuz and from there it is only a short hike down to Aussichtspunkt Calmont. You can access Moselschleife Bremm Aussichtspunkt quite easily by walking from Bremm as it exists at the beginning of the harder hike.

The Calmont Klettersteig

This is an incredible hike that wraps around the hills of the Mosel Valley with the best view over the river. The walk begins at Parkplatz Calmont Klettersteig and continues up past the view point Moselschleife Bremm Aussichtspunkt. As a Klettersteig, this walk is difficult and often involves walking on thin pathways in between grapevines with nothing to stop you from falling. I recommend only doing it in really good weather as it was quite dangerous otherwise!

Cycling in the Mosel Valley

Cycling is one of the best ways to explore the Mosel Valley. It was amazing to be able to stop in all the different villages for a short walk or a coffee, and get to see everything that the Mosel River region has to offer!

Where to Hire Bikes in the Mosel valley

If you can’t bring your own, it’s very easy to hire bikes in the Mosel valley! There are many shops in each town that hire bikes for half a day, a full day, or multiple days! We hired ours from Freie Tankstelle in Ediger Eller. It was open from 10-6 on a Sunday. For us, this wasn’t quite enough time so I would recommend either taking multiple days or hiring on a weekday when the opening hours are 7 – 6.30 instead!

The Bike Bus

From early spring to late autumn there is a bike bus that drives around the Mosel Valley. This is a great way to see several parts of the region. Here, the buses are equipped with a bike rack so you can start your journey from any of the points along the route.

https://www.mosel-inside.de/en/middle-mosel/67-regio-radler-bus.html

Castle spotting along the Rhine river

A day trip to the Rhine River region is a great thing to do on your visit to the Mosel Valley! It is only a short drive north to the town of Koblenz, where you can then drive south along the Rhine and castle spot along the way. The Rhine is home to so many picturesque small villages and hundreds of castles!

The Best Castles to Visit from the Mosel Valley

Reichsburg Castle

Reichsburg castle is unmissable as it towers over Cochem. It is a great activity if you are based in Cochem and is only a 15-minute walk from the center of town.

Metternich Castle

Metternich castle is located above the beautiful village of Beilstein and is more ruins than a still running castle. It is only a short walk from the center of Beilstein and has amazing views over the Mosel Valley.

Burg Eltz

Burg Eltz is just outside the Mosel Valley but is worth a visit if you are in the area! It is a 27-minute drive from Cochem, through beautiful forest land. The castle is known as one of the most spectacular in Germany, with a courtyard of many colors and a fairytale demeanor.