DeborahAnn

My husband and I are taking our first trip to Germany, 22 days, May 2012. I would to minimize hotel changes so I was wondering if we could stay in a location along the Mosel River and from that base visit the towns along the Rhine on day trips.

I chose the Mosel because we'd like to stay a short drive from Nurburgring so Ron can visit and ride on the Nurburgring track.

Can you suggest a town that would be convenient for our stay of 4 or 5 days? Would Cochem be a good base for us?

Thanks, Deborah

Togo

I plan to stay few days in Cochem late May next year and do sidetrips to Bernkastel and Burg Eltz.

RJD

I would recommend Trier. Full of fascinating Roman artifacts and good restaurants, it's location is ideal for travel along the wine country of the Mosel, with the best reisling in Germany. Try the Piesporter golden steps.

valtor

Both recommendations you received are very good. We stayed five days in Cochem and made every day another trip (Koblenz, Trier, Luxemburg, Burg Eltz and another very small village - I don't remember now the name, probably Beilstein). We stayed also 2 nights in Bacharach, on Rhine valley.

DeborahAnn

Thanks for the suggestions. I think Trier might be too far from Nurburgring and the Rhine. We enjoyed a visit to Trier as a day trip from Metz two years ago.

I would prefer to be based in one location for our Mosel and Rhine stay rather than three days in one place and two in another. Thanks again, Deborah

treplow

Koblenz is the most centrally located, with good train and boat access to both Rhein and Mosel locations.

Aramis

Trier absolutely won't work. It's west of all the Mosel highlights and way west of the Rhine.

HistoricMarker

As stated earlier Cochem and Trier are the two logical choices for larger towns. You might try using Via Michelin (www.viamichelin.com) to get an idea of driving times to get to towns on the Rhine. For instance, Cochem to Bacharach is 1 hour 16 minutes each way. Cochem would be more centrally located for Nurburgring and the Rhine. Also, there are a host of small towns near Cochem with smaller hotels. Have a great trip.

Russ

Trier is a bit far for the Rhine. Cochem's a great place. If you're driving, well, just check viamichelin.com to see if the distances and travel times to the destinations you plan to hit from Cochem are acceptable to you. They probably will be, but it might depend on where you're going, exactly. And ferries across the Rhine will be involved south of Koblenz; figure about 8 Euros for car + 2 for Bingen to Rüdesheim, for example.

Boppard, a nice town on the Rhine south of Koblenz and just a few minutes from many destinations, would probably save you some driving overall if you plan to visit the Rhine towns mostly; it isn't far from Cochem and probably only a tad further than Cochem to the N'ring.

If you'd like to use the trains, look into the 3-day mini-group pass for 40 Euros, good west to Bullay on the Mosel and south along the Rhine to Oberwesel. It might be cheaper than your gas alone:

http://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets-and...eisure-ticket/

DeborahAnn

Thanks for the comments. We will have a rental car and I've checked on some locations using viamichelin. I'd forgotten about using/needing ferries to get across the river and that's one of the reasons comments here are so helpful when you are not familiar with a location.

I like to keep our day trips to less than 1 1/2 hour to the farthest point and then do all the sightseeing within that range. I was hoping to use that pattern for sights between the Mosel and Rhine/Rhein Thanks again, Deborah

twoflower

I'd recommend Koblenz, Cochem or Bernkastel-Kues. A ferry across the Rhine operates from south of Bacharach-am-Rhein, crossing to Lorch just north of Rudesheim & Assmannshausen. (We did our Mosel & Rhine touring from Bacharach-am-Rhein, but as you've specified a preference for a Mosel-side base it wouldn't suit).

mokka4

I stayed for two weeks on the Rhein in the lovely town of Bacharach, named for the god of wine, Bacchus. We took daytrips by train as far as Trier on the Mosel, included Cochem, Winnigen, Rudesheim, St.Goar,etc etc---all very do-able within 2 hours from this base, and I loved the town.

pef1234

After having done those areas you've described many times I would suggest another possibility. Not knowing how much emphasis you'll put on the Nurburing experience as compared to doing the Mosel and Rhine towns I would personally consider a location on the Rhine, somewhat south of Koblenz. The first place that comes to mind is to base at Oberwessel, auf Schoenburg http://www.hotel-schoenburg.com/. From here it's 1 hour to the Nurburing, Cochem, Burg Eltz, etc. but you would be far more centrally located for the Rhine towns such as Rudesheim, Bacharach, Boppard, St. Goar, etc. To cross the Rhine there are several ferries between Bingen and Koblenz, which run frequently and are not cost prohibitive. From a location such as Oberwessel the drive diagonally to the Nurburing/Mosel as easy and quite scenic.

If your time at the Nurburing is the absolute priority for most of your waking hours in the Rhine/Mosel area then Cochem would be a good choice but I would still prefer the Oberwesel/Bacharach area! It's only about 20 minutes further from Nurburing than Cochem to Nurburing! Small price to pay when you're right in the heart of the most wonderful and scenic stretch of the Rhine Gorge area.

Trier would not be a good option to meet your needs . . . it's much too far west.

DeborahAnn

I certainly appreciate everyone's suggestions

perf123 our visit to Nurburgring is just one day out of our stay so it's not the emphasis but an enticement for my husband who has been reluctant to visit Germany It's more about the wine and towns along the two rivers. I'll check on viamichelin to see the drive time from Oberwesel/Bacharach.

On my list to see along the Mosel are Burg Eltz and Bernkastel-Kues. I'm just starting to read about the Rhine area.

As much as I dislike short stays and changing hotels it might be a better idea to stay 3 nights near the Mosel and two nights near the Rhine.

My plan (right now) will be to drive to Rothenburg for a 3 night stay after the Mosel/Rhine portion of our trip and then to Bavaria after Rothenburg. I expect I'll need help for each stage of this first visit!! We have taken side trips into Germany from France but this is the first trip where Germany is the only country we will visit.

Thanks again, Deborah

bilboburgler

In terms of the wine part of your trip I guess he knows about Rheingau and you've checked for any wine festivals on the dates you are there. The mosel has good trains and ferries along the river which means you go sober and come back as drunk as a lord. While the middle Mosel is the supposed best part for wine don't forget the Ruwer Saar and the wineries of Trier. I gannot reccomend Peter Terges in Trier enough particualary if like guys who never put their prices up and still have wine from 10 years ago in his catalogue.

If traveling a lot seems to limit the range of wines there is a wine library in Berkastel with 120 wines for Euro 10 (though it is tough as you have to give the glass back).

This article http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/German_Wine_Festivals.php might entertain

hausfrau

You will be visiting my favorite region of Germany...and including the Nuerburgring makes it all the better! I agree with all the others who have posted about Cochem. We really enjoyed our stay there and it is well-situated, while Trier is definitely too far out of the way. I don't think you'd go wrong breaking it up into two bases either - there are many lovely places to stay along the Rhine as well (including the Hotel auf Schoenburg already mentioned), and so many castles to visit, so being closer would allow you to see and do more.

FYI, my husband and I have driven the Nuerburgring a number of times, and I have been quite vocal on this board regarding the hazards of the Ring. It sounds like your husband is planning to "ride" not "drive" - perhaps taking the Ring Taxi? - which is definitely my recommendation for visitors with little to no track experience. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have about making the most of your Nuerburgring experience.

DeborahAnn

hausfrau, yes, Ron and I plan to take a ride with a Ring Taxi. I'm glad there is room for more than one person on the ride so I can share in the fun

I would love to receive suggestions from you about making the most of the experience. Right now I think I just have to wait until they open the May dates. Do you have an idea when that will occur?

I'll start a new thread about the Nurburgring. I think it was a post of yours when I was doing a general search on Germany that brought the Nurburgring to my attention. It was the "carrot" I waived in front of my reluctant husband for going to Germany---that and a few travel DVD's has him much more enthusiastic about this trip. Thanks again, Deborah

hausfrau

Glad you are planning a ride with the Ring Taxi. I haven't been in one since we always drove our own cars, but I have heard and seen plenty about them and you will get a huge thrill, believe me! I don't know when they will open the May dates - just keep checking the website. I'll watch for your Ring thread.