Experience breathtaking high-altitude trails offering magnificent vistas of the Mosel River meandering through vineyards, lush wooded mountain ranges, numerous enchanting castles, and unparalleled panoramic viewpoints. Your hiking week, spanning from Trier to Coblenz, promises a wealth of memorable moments. Explore picturesque villages adorned with half-timbered houses, traverse unique evergreen boxwood forests, conquer rugged steep paths, and conquer Europe's most precipitous vineyards.
Indulge in serene moments at scenic resting spots and observation pavilions, providing awe-inspiring vistas that stretch far into the horizon. Don't miss the opportunity to savour exquisite Mosel wines at charming wine bars. Amidst this natural beauty, you'll also encounter cultural treasures such as Trier, Germany's oldest town, the renowned Eltz Castle, and historic Roman high-altitude settlements and temples.
Anticipate remarkable hiking adventures amidst the Eifel, Hunsrück, and Mosel River Valley mountain ranges. This journey is both relaxed and idyllic, offering a myriad of superlatives. You'll not only encounter Europe's steepest vineyards but also the historic charm of Trier, Germany's oldest city. Embark on the Moselsteig trail, boasting 24 stages across a 365-kilometer stretch, and discover the wonders of this remarkable region.
On our journey from Trier to Koblenz, you will hike around 116 kilometres in seven stages. In the old town of Trier, one sight follows the last, nine of which have made it onto the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites - first and foremost the Porta Nigra.
With Bullay, Cochem and Treis-Karden, several gems await along the Moselle on the following days. Castles, palaces and monasteries line the paths and the steep vineyards rise imposingly into the air. Via sunny Löf, the last stage finally leads to Koblenz. Where the Moselle and Rhine flow together, you should explore the old town, nibble an ice cream at "e Gel o Sia" and take a cable car ride to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.
The highlights of the walking holiday at a glance:
Fantastic viewpoints: The hilly terrain has its advantages, as you can enjoy great views from the riverbanks to the mountain ranges and even better panoramas from above into the valley.
Vineyards & traditional winegrowers' taverns: Did you know that the winegrowing region on the Moselle is the oldest in Germany?
Tranquil villages with half-timbered houses: Stop in at the great pubs and enjoy the view of the enchanting market squares and alleyways while enjoying the region's excellent delicacies.
Imposing castles, fortresses and palaces: Castles line the daily hiking stages. Eltz Castle is certainly one of the most famous Moselle buildings, but Cochem Imperial Castle, Grevenburg Castle or Koberner Niedernburg Castle also have their charms.
Unique boxwood forest: Even the Romans had a fondness for the beautiful wood of the boxwood plant that grows in the Moselle region.
Useful information about the Moselle walking tour
The Moselle flows in numerous loops and the route follows the same course. The advantage is that the stages can be shortened by taking the train if desired. Hiking in this region is pure enjoyment, not least because of the first-class trails.
Route summary
Hiking tours along well-maintained paths and in parts on asphalted vineyard paths. Depending on the route you can either enjoy the tours at a leisurely pace or make it more challenging. Summits in the Moselle area are not high, but partly steep. Hence surefootedness is required in a few places. This week of walking offers a beautiful combination of nature, sights and enjoyment.
Trier, Germany’s oldest city, entices you with numerous historic sights. We highly recommend you visit the famous ‚Porta Nigra‘, Roman excavations and the opulent St. Peter’s Cathedral. A stroll through the bustling historic centre is the perfect way to prepare for the upcoming hiking week.
To start off your holiday you cross the river Mosel and ascend to the colourful sandstone rock located at the Trierer Stadtwald-forest. Along a marvellous high-altitude path with views into the depth of the river Mosel and views into the distance all the way onto the Hunsrück mountain range you proceed to Biewer and the Eifel-foothills. You hike through extensive forests and plateaus all the way to the ‚Ehranger Kanzel‘ and downhill to the river Kyll, onwards through the Eifel forests onwards to Schweich. By train, you reach the charming village on the river Mosel Bullay with its numerous inns called ‚Straußwirtschaften‘.
You reach the start of the tour via the legendary Mosel wine railway and cross Germany’s longest-hanging viaduct in the art-deco town Traben-Trabach. You ascend on steep terrain to Grevenstein castle and proceed on the ‚Franzosensteig‘-trail via spiral staircases and via ferratas straight through the ruins. Spectacular too is the view into the depth down to the river. An alpine hiking section along the ridge Kirster Grat leads you accompanied with great views to Enkirch, where we highly recommend you visit the historic half-timber houses. Onwards through wine-growing areas and the vineyards you proceed to Bullay, where a wine tasting of the best Mosel wines awaits.
Beautiful paths lead you high above the river up Mount Petersberg, where the summit cross offers stupendous views down onto the Mosel river bend. After the descent and the river crossing near Neef, you ascend Mount Calmont on the other side. You hike up Europe‘s steepest vineyard, where grapes are grown on an incline of up to 55 degrees. You proceed via a Roman high-altitude settlement with a view onto the rock spire ‚Eller Todesangst‘ past the ‚Galgenlay-Pavillon‘ and reach Cochem by train.
You ascend to the Pinner-cross, a marvellous rock pulpit located above Cochem, either on foot or by chair lift. Along hiking paths high above the river, you proceed to the legendary refuge ‚Wingerts Budche‘. The Dortebachtal-nature reserve, the Pommerer Forest and the via ferrata through the Schilzer-basin provide pleasant walking conditions in the shade. Through green vineyards, you reach Mount Martberg, where you can visit a nicely restored Roman temple complex. Narrow trails snake their way through dense woodland down into the valley and into the Day Finish Treis-Karden.
The impressive boxtree-trail welcomes you with evergreen forests and steep rock steps. You start from Müden and proceed along historic pilgrim trails into the highlands to the legendary Eltz castle. After a break in the beer garden, you continue uphill to the Maifeld-area and along the steep edge via little climbing sections to Hatzenport. If you have energy left, you can climb over slate rocks up Mount Rabenlay.
For the finale again numerous highlights await the castle ruin of Kobern Niederburg-castle, the Romanesque Matthew-chapel and again and again high-altitude paths with panoramic views. The Blumslay-viewpoint spoils you with spectacular views of the mighty construction of the Mosel-valley bridge with a height of 136 metres. You continue for a final time through the lush vineyards all the way to Güls-Koblenz, the official end of the Moselsteig-trail. After a short train journey, you reach the centre of Koblenz, where you enjoy the end of your impressive hiking week at the so-called ‚Deutsches Eck‘ (German Corner), the confluence of the rivers Mosel and Rhine.
ca. 5 hours
18 km
450 m
450 m
Day
8
Departure or extra days
Route information
You mainly walk on well-maintained hiking paths and trails, gravelled vineyard paths and remote forest paths. The panoramic paths featuring great views lead you in parts across steep terrain and rocks, here surefootedness is a prerequisite. The ascents and descents of the mountain ranges of the Mosel river valley are mastered easily with a good basic fitness level. Daily tours can easily and comfortably be cut short by train at any time.