Moselle Valley

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Overview

Wending between vertiginous vine-covered slopes, the Moselle (Mosel in German) is narrower than its neighbour, the Rhine, and has a more intimate charm. The German section of the river, which rises in France then traverses Luxembourg, flows for 195km from Trier to Koblenz on a slow, winding course, with entrancing scenery around every hairpin bend: vine-ribboned hillsides, colourful half-timbered medieval villages, crumbling hilltop castles, elegant Jugendstil (art nouveau) villas, and ancient wine warehouses.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Burg Eltz

Moselle Valley

At the head of the beautiful Moselle side-valley the Eltz, Burg Eltz is one of Germany's most romantic medieval castles. Never destroyed, this fairy-tale…

Trierer Dom

Trier

Looming above the Roman palace of Helena (Emperor Constantine's mother), this cathedral is Germany's oldest bishop's church and still retains Roman…

Kloster Machern

Moselle Valley

The Moselle might be better known for its wine, but a former Cistercian monastery, founded in the 13th century, now houses this extraordinary brewery,…

Porta Nigra

Trier

Trier's most famous landmark, this brooding 2nd-century Roman city gate – blackened by time, hence the name, which is Latin for ‘black gate’ – is a marvel…

Rheinisches Landesmuseum

Trier

A scale model of 4th-century Trier and rooms filled with tombstones, mosaics, rare gold coins (including the 1993-discovered Trier Gold Hoard, the largest…

Konstantin Basilika

Trier

Constructed around AD 310 as Constantine’s throne room, the brick-built basilica is now an austere Protestant church. With built-to-impress dimensions …

Liebfrauenbasilika

Trier

Germany’s oldest Gothic church was built in the 13th century. It has a cruciform structure supported by a dozen pillars symbolising the 12 Apostles (look…

Kaiserthermen

Trier

Get a sense of the layout of this vast Roman thermal bathing complex with its striped brick-and-stone arches from the corner lookout tower, then descend…

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