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Need help planning Mosel/Rhine family itinerary

Need help planning Mosel/Rhine family itinerary

Old Aug 2nd, 2005, 11:28 AM
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Need help planning Mosel/Rhine family itinerary

I am planning a 10 day trip for a family of 5 (kids ages 15, 13, 11). We use our European trips to reinforce history concepts and ideas we have learned through our homeschooling. Specifically, I am trying to include all of the following in this trip: Aachen, Trier, Cologne, castles, churches, maybe even Mainz. I was hoping to get advice regarding proceeding from east to west (fly to Frankfurt and finish around Trier flying out of Lux), or the opposite. My husband is not a fan of moving each night, and I'd prefer to do this with only 2 or 3 guesthouses. So, if anyone can suggest the best bases for this trip, or a specific place to visit, I'd be quite grateful. Thank you. Staci
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Old Aug 2nd, 2005, 11:32 AM
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Obviously, if you fly into Frankfurt, than Mainz is your first stop. I think it's a lovely town - and you can visit the Guttenburg museum. I also think Weisbadan(sp?) - just near Mainz - is quite lovely. Trier is good for Roman history as there is a great Roman port (I believe the furthest north in the Roman Empire)... and if I were to do this again, I would include the WW1 battlegrounds near Nancy.
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Old Aug 2nd, 2005, 11:33 AM
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Burg Eltz, near Moselkern, one of Germany's finest castles - nestled in a forest high above the Mosel Valley - such an important monument it used to grace the backside of Germany's 500 mark banknotes. Your base depends on mode of transport - car you could base in probably one place and motor to all in a few hours at most. By train i'd chose Cochem or Koblenz - Cochem being a picture postcard town, Koblenz less romantic but fine rail and boat connections. Of all the castles that once dominated the Mosel and Rhine, Napoleon supposedly knocked all but a handful down in the early 1800s - dommage!
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Old Aug 2nd, 2005, 11:38 AM
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Yes Trier is steeped in history - it was the capital of the Western Holy Roman Empire for a few centuries - Constantine i think had his base there. The Porta Negra, the huge Roman gate, was the gate to the rest of the empire i guess. Yes Trier is one of Europe's most historical towns - also a third or fifth or some such date basilica that is actually standing and the ruins of a Roman theatre. For a different bent, Trier's Wine Teaching path tells you all about how Mosel wine is made.
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Old Aug 2nd, 2005, 11:56 AM
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Thanks for the comments so far. I think we'll use a car as it might be cheaper for the 5 of us. What about the best locations to use as bases? Do you think one along the Rhine and one along the Mosel (midway for both)? Or do we need a 3rd location to easily get to all these sites? One other note is that we are a family that enjoys walking and hiking to things.
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Old Aug 2nd, 2005, 12:15 PM
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Bernkastel-Kues is a great town midway up the Mosel Valley - nice ruined castle looming over it you can hike up to. For variety consider taking boat to Moselkern and then doing the great two-mile hike up a gently ascending path to Burg Eltz. There are great hikes along the Mosel but most of course involve climbing out of the several hundred foot deep gorge - you can walk up the paved paths that lace the vineyards and get fantabulous views of the serpentine Mosel far below. Don't actually go into the vines however as they may be prone to disease - i don't know but local vintners don't seem to like you disturbing the vines - but the paths seem OK. Yes a mid Mosel base and a Rhine base (even though you could cut across country and be on the Rhine in short time from a Mosel base. The Mosel is a far prettier river than the Rhine though less interesting as the Rhine is a working river with a parade of behemoth barges and ocean-going ships plying it. The Mosel has a few coal barges but not much else. (In German it's called 'the Mother Mosel' and the 'Father Rhine' - a good differentiation for these two very different rivers - the powerful Rhine with an oft swift current and the lazy Mosel - all damned up to make it navigable. Luxembourg is one of Europe's most gorgeous cities - in fact has a deep gorge bisecting it - but not much to do there except learn about the Europe Union's installations there.
The best part of the Mosel to boat on is between Bernkastel and Cochem via Beilstein.
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Old Aug 7th, 2005, 12:06 PM
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I always travel this region by train myself. I'm pretty sure the train would be cheaper - it's about 22 Euros per day with a daypass. But with the size of your family, you'll be needing an apartment/vacation rental rather than a guesthouse, I think, and these aren't always conveniently located next to a train station. You will probably find a car more convenient, or perhaps some combination.

Mainz is a pleasant city to stay over in if you want somewhere close to the airport, but it isn't particularly interesting from an educational perspective save for the Cathedral (Dom) and the Gutenberg Museum. You might stay there one night, get settled, see these sights, then move on to a Rhine town. A regular hotel will probably be best - Check out the Ibis if you're on a budget.

In the Rhine Gorge I'd suggest St. Goar, central to all, and unlike many other towns with a ferry across the river to another town, in the prettiest part of the Rhine Gorge. The Vacation rentals offered by Walter Huppertz are located near the boat docks and the train station and are very nice and comfortable - ask for the Rheinblick (Rhine View) apartment. There are other apartments in and out of town as well - check the Hotel Zur Loreley and others for their apartment offerings and with the TI for privately-owned apartments. You could stay here 2-3 nights and see the Reheinfels castle ruins in town, the Burg Maus (castle) falconry show across the river, and Marksburg Castle (tour) across the river and north in Braubach.

For the Mosel, Cochem is a good bet. It's quite close to Burg Eltz and it's easy to daytrip into Trier from there. No specific rec's for 5 people, but there are many vacation rentals available in this area. Check also the neighboring towns of Bullay, Alf, Zell, Reil, Puenderich, and Traben-Trarbach. Reichsburg Castle in Cochem has a good tour and a falconry show; hike to Burg Arras from Alf for a unique castle tour.

You'll need a third overnight to explore Aachen and Cologne - too far north for daytrips from the Mosel. Be sure to stop at the Friedensmuseum in Remagen, an excellent WW II museum housed in the remains of the old Luddendorf Bridge. Aachen makes the best base (as a smaller city) if you have a car.

You might take a train from FRA to Mainz to your Rhine Base and into Koblenz. A car in Mainz is a liability - what a tangle of streets! The trains here are great and you don't really need a car for this part if you are all in reasonably good shape and don't mind hiking up to the castles from the riverside towns. In Koblenz you can pick up a car for the remainder of your trip - it'll be convenient for Mosel exploration and around Aachen, although you might just take the train from Aachen into Cologne for a day there - driving isn't all that easy in Cologne.

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Old Aug 7th, 2005, 02:41 PM
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I am surprised that no one thus far has commented on your decision to tour this particular area with 3 youngsters. Don't get me wrong, the entire area is absolutely beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful area in Germany. But I don't think of it as an area that would appeal to the ages of your children. Maybe yours are really into history and scenery. IMO it's not a very "interactive" area.
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Old Aug 7th, 2005, 03:33 PM
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I'm inclined to agree with Mikediebold. We spent just a night at St. Goar, with a Rhine day cruise the next day, and that was plenty for me. Frankly, I was a bit bored and underimpressed.

We spent two nights at Beinstein, on the Mosel, with a trip to Burg Eltz, which is fabulous. While we loved the Mosel, it's really slow paced.

If I had 10 days in that area, with three kids, I'd do a maximum of two days each at two small towns on the Rhine and Mosel, a couple of days in Cologne - the Cathedral is absolutely dazzling, and a couple in Trier and/or Friebourg.

To me, Amsterdam is the most interesting and educational city in that area and it's just a two or three hour train ride from Cologne.
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Old Aug 7th, 2005, 07:05 PM
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I've been to the area several times with my daughter and have to disagree with mkdiebold and Mary Fran. Perhaps they haven't gone beyond the surface in this region. My daughter tends toward an appreciation of history, but I think that even non-academic kids would think that climbing around the 4 castles I mentioned and touching a WW II torpedo (Remagen museum) was pretty cool. And I don't know any kids who'd call those falconry shows boring. I didn't mention the other fun stuff in the area simply because the poster emphasized the academics... but most kids would probably enjoy the Moselbad water park in Cochem, the Wild Animal park in Klotten, the river boat rides on the Rhine or Mosel (keep them under 2 hours, though), or the gondola rides in Boppard and Cochem to scenic lookouts. If they're into biking, there are some nice, easy paved bike paths, especially on the Mosel, and some mountain biking too. In the summer and early fall, the Rhine-in-flames fireworks events are fun for all ages, and there are several festivals that take place as well, including some middle-ages fests that involve lots of armor and horsemanship. There are smaller pleasures in these towns too - mustard mills, doll museums, cuckoo clock shops, that may be of special interest to some kids.

It's not Disneyland, but it's a pretty entertaining, kid-friendly region in my book.
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