A good way to discover the beauty of the Moselle region is on board a boat. You can sit down and relax and let the magnificent landscape pass by.

And when you stop at one of the beautiful towns along the river you can not only go sightseeing but also sample wines. So a Moselle River-Cruise is a wine tasting tour too. The whole region as you might know is not only famous for the beauty of its landscape but also for its great wines.
Along the Moselle you can see not only vineyards but also numerous castles and enchanting towns.

Moselle Cruise/Mosel Kreuzfahrt © flickr/JACoulter

The Moselle is flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany and has its source at the Col de Bussang in the Vosges Mountains. At Koblenz it joins the Rhine and therefore is an important German waterway.
In France Metz and Thionville are located on the Moselle. In Luxemburg the town of Schengen sits on the Moselle and in Germany the oldest German town Trier sits on the river. Another well known town on the Moselle is Koblenz.
The Moselle Valley is snaking through Germany and picturesque villages with half timbered-houses take turns with rocks and hillsides.
Cochem Castle dating back to the 11th century and Traben-Trarbach and Bernkastel-Kues are special highlights of this river cruise.

You can get the cruises as full board cruises or with wine tasting and also for visitors who don’t fancy wine too much they are a great experience. Just try it; you might love the famous Riesling. And you can of course combine a cruise with a cycling tour.

Koblenz will enchant you with the castles and magnificent buildings of the old town with its winding alleys. There are the Ehrenbreitstein fortress,  the so called Deutschherrenhaus of the Order of the Teutonic Knights, the residential tower called Deutscher Kaiser (German emperor) built in the 16th century, the Schängel Fountain and the Church of Our Beloved Lady which dominates the skyline of Koblenz.

Another must-see on the cruise and never left out is Trier the oldest German city. In Trier you can see the famous Porta Nigra, the Roman bridge (Römerbrücke), the Roman baths, the Roman amphitheatre and many other buildings. The Porta Nigra is the oldest still existing Roman city gate north of the Alps and is a perfect starting point for a sightseeing tour. And also the Trier Cathedral, the huge Constantine Basilica and the other churches form the cityscape and are open to the public.

Bernkastel-Kues © flickr/Karamellzucker

Lovers of old castles will really enjoy a cruise on the Moselle.  Some of them you can watch when passing by and some of them you can visit on an excursion.

Famous are Arras Castle near Alf, Landshut Castle near Bernkastel-Kues, Cochem Castle, Eltz Castle, Gondorf Castle, the Old Castle in Koblenz, Saarburg Castle and Greven Castle in Trarbach.

Arras Castle dates back to 1830 and has been the residence of the electors of Trier for 1000 years. It went rack and ruin in the 18th century and was restored from 1907 on. Today it houses a restaurant, a café, a hotel and a museum. Worth a visit are the great hall and the dungeon.

You can easily climb up to Landshut Castle by foot. The ruin is really lovely and dates back to 993. It boasts with a glorious history and changing owners.

Cochem Castle is a castle on top of a hill and can be seen from afar. From there you have a great view of the town of Cochem. And there also is falconry in the castle and you might be able to see a show.

Eltz Castle looks like a castle in a fairy tale book and is still well preserved. For more than 800 years it has been owned by the Eltz family.

The Old Castle of Koblenz is a moated castle built in the 13th century by the elector of Trier Heinrich von Finsterlingen. Since 2002 it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Oberes Mittlerheintal’.

The Greven Castle at Trarbach also is a ruin but really imposing. It was built around 1350 as seat of government of John III and has a long history with numerous owners. In 1620 it was even conquered by the Spanish, after that by the Swedes and the French tried to keep it for a while during siege. In 1734 it was handed over to the city of Trier but the peace didn’t last very long. Only 21 years later the French blew the whole castle up. The damage was done but couldn’t harm the view of the surrounding area.