Moselsteig Trail with Charm

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 colorful sandstone rock located at the Trierer Stadtwald-forest. Along a marvelous high-altitude path with views into the depth onto 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 the art nouveau town of Traben-Trabach, directly on the Moselle.

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.

On foot or by chairlift to the Pinnerkreuz, a magnificent rocky pulpit above Cochem. On forest paths high above the river, the trail leads to the legendary "Wingerts Budche" rest hut. The Dortebach Valley nature reserve, the Pomeranian Forest and the trail through the Schilzergraben promise pleasantly shady freshness. Through green vineyards you reach the Martberg, where an excellently restored Roman temple complex invites you to visit. Narrow paths wind through dense forest down to the valley and the finish in Treis-Karden. Then take the train back to Cochem.

By train to Treis-Karden, where the impressive boxwood trail with evergreen forests and steep rocky steps welcomes you.... From Müden, hike along historic pilgrimage paths into the highlands to the legendary Eltz Castle. After a stop in the beer garden, hike up to the Maifeld and along the steep edge over small climbing passages to Hatzenport. If you still have strength, climb the Rabenlay over slate rocks.

Today you will cross the Moselle twice. From Alken to the remarkable Spornburg Thurant and over rocky paths down to the more than 1000-year-old Michaelskapelle, one of the oldest churches on the Moselle. Then through the vines to the pilgrimage church on Bleidenberg. The best views as far as the Volcanic Eifel accompany you along the magnificent high-level trail to Oberfell. Across a sunny plateau to the panoramic cliff of the Hitzlay - enjoy the view before hiking down to Niederfell and reaching Kobern-Gondorf via the Moselle Gold Bridge. From there, take the train to Koblenz.