Mosel Valley: Places to Visit

A complete list of all the places I consider worth visiting.

Mosel Valley: Places to Visit
Justin Bunch | CityscapeTravel My suggested travel destinations with the top three destinations highlighted.

List of Places to Visit

DestinationTypeDescriptionScore out of 5
TrierCityHighly concentrated history. It's a world Class tourist destination with Roman ruins, baroque palaces and medieval cathedrals, all stuffed into a small town. Trier offers something for everyone.3.5
BernkastelTown with CastleA beautiful village with a castle built on roman foundations. Bernkastel offers some of the most iconic pictures of Germany.2.5
Castle EltzCastleEltz Castle is the most iconic castle in Germany (the "castle" of Neuschwanstein notwithstanding). With fully preserved medieval interiors and exterior, its worth a visit.2.5
Castle BürresheimCastleThe lesser known relative to Eltz Caslte, Bürresheim also offers the same fully preserved interiors and spectacular location in a hidden valley, but without the tourists.2.5
CochemTown with CastleThough less interesting in my opinion than Bernkastel, Cochem is another iconic destination in Germany. The 19th castle is one of the most dramatic in Germany.2
Maria LaachMonasteryThe monastery church of Maria Laach is perhaps the defining image of the German Romanesque, and sets our mental image of medieval architecture. It sits on a beautiful lake hidden in the rolling hills of the Eifel.2
Bad Neuenahr-AhrweilerTownA walled town with a well-preserved old-town. Worth a short visit.2
MalbergTown with PalaceOne of the truly hidden gems of the Mosel region, Malberg is a small town with a baroque palace built on a rocky outcrop above the town and visible for miles in all directions.2
Kobern-GondorfTown with Castle Ruin and ChurchWith two castles and a beautiful Romanesque chapel, Kobern is also worth a visit for the beautiful views of the Mosel.2
MonrealTownOften seen tagged "Germany" along with Monschau. Its a picturesque village on a stream hidden in the Eifel. 2
Castle EhrenburgCastle RuinOne of the more interesting and well preserved castle ruins on the Mosel. Full of passage ways and sweeping vistas.1.5
NeuerburgTown with CastleA picturesque town with castle off the beaten path.1.5
KastellaunCastle RuinAnother picturesque town with a dramatic castle ruin overlooking the town.1.5
Alken / Castle ThurantCastleOne of the most recognizable castles on the Mosel, its twin towers overlooking a dramatic bend in the river.1.5
MünstermaifeldTown with ChurchA charming village with a dramatic fortified church.1.5
AlfTown with Castle RuinA small town with notable views of the Mosel Valley landscape1.5
BeilsteinTown with Castle RuinOne of the most picturesque towns on the Mosel, though many of the pictures creatively imply there is more to see than actually exists. Still a beautiful town.1.5
WittlichTownA small town known to most as the station where you catch the bus to Bernkastel. The preserved old-town is small and not really worth visiting.0.5
Castle BalduinseckCastle RuinA small castle ruin in the Hunsrück.1
Pyrmont CastleCastle RuinA moderately sized castle ruin near Castle Eltz. Its best appreciated from a distance1
ManderscheidCastle RuinThe combined castle ruins amount to a huge set of ruins to explore, though the level of preservation varies greatly.1
Gerolstein / KasselburgTown with Castle RuinThe town of Gerolstein is uninteresting and can be skipped for the Kasselburg to the north. One of the most spectacular castle ruins in the Mosel Region.1
AltenahrCastle RuinA small castle ruin with limited levels of preservation but good views.1
MayenTown with CastleThe town was annihilated in WW2, but there are a few nice corners (castle included) that are worth seeing.1
NürburgCastleThis castle is known primarily for the racetrack that goes around it. The castle is a fairly standard ruin, it would be more interesting if there were better views of it.1
MendigTownA charming village near Maria Laach, the parish church has some of the best preserved medieval frescos in the region.1
Castle HammCastleAlong with several nearby castles e.g. Rittersdorf, form one of the few things worth seeing around Bitburg.1.5
BollendorfTown with PalaceA beautiful village on the Luxemburg border with a number of preserved noble estates.1
Treis-KardenTown with ChurchA small village with a very large church1
Traben-TrarbachTownA small village with a mostly 19th century old-town.1
Trier-PfalzelTown with ChurchThis walled village near Trier was once the palace of Constantine. Though the palace remnants were largely destroyed in WW2, most of the town survives and makes for a nice trip out of Trier.1.5
SimmernTownA nice village in the Hunsrück0.5
PrümMonasteryOnce this would have been a spectacular destination, perhaps the oldest and richest monastery in Germany. It was destroyed down to the last Brick during the 1944 Ardennes offensive. The reconstructed town square and monastery church only hint at its past glory.0.5
RavengiersburgMonastery A nice village with a dramatic church overlooking the town. The church is for the most part, uninteresting.0.5

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Mosel Valley

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