This September, after a 1.5 hr flight from Venice to Frankfurt, we are planning to immediately catch a train to either the Mosel or the Rhein. Our first 2 nights in Germany are unaccounted for and then we'll be spending 2 nights in Oberwesel at Castle Hotel Auf Schonburg, followed by one night in Cologne (to break up a long train journey to Bruges, Belgium).

For the first two nights, I would really like to stay in Beilstein at Hotel Haus Lippman but I am concerned that it will be awkward getting to/from there without a car. Has anyone done this? And is Beilstein convenient for sightseeing by boat? Two other options I'm considering are Cochem or taking the shorter/easier route of skipping the Mosel entirely and staying in Rudesheim. Any suggestions?

We are three couples traveling together (in our 30's to 50's) and our style of traveling is pretty much about atmosphere, food (incl. wine, beer), and culture. Thanks in advance!

I know nothing about connections, but I know you will enjoy Hotel Haus Lippman. I also highly recommend seeing Burg Eltz, a great castle, but again, I don't know how you'd get there. We had a car. We didn't want to wait for a large enough group to get an English guide, so we took a German tour. There was an English handout.

Seems that you have picked the best hotels in the area.

Beilstein is 10km from Cochem train station, but connected by bus and by boat. Taxi fare from Cochem to Beilstein would be 25 Euros per car.

That hotel must be full of Fodorites...

"That hotel must be full of Fodorites..."

When we stayed there we were the only ones. The other guests were an English couple who have been staying there every year for the last 25 years, and Germans. The Germans could have been Fodorites of course - I have no way of knowing that, but there were no Americans there.

The boat stops just across the road from the hotel.

Hi Tammil,

While Beilstein is very quaint, we loved Cochem. It's our favorite town along the Mosel.

Don't skip the Mosel. It's beautiful.

Here are some pic's of our recent trip there

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/index.html

Paul

Cochem is a fairy-tale town with great rail links - Beilstein is a group of houses and a church. Some like the quiet but others like a proper town - cochem has a dreamy castle sticking out of vineyards on a hill in the town center and sits at a nice part of the Mosel - like Beilstein.

Boats are seasonal so depends on the season you are talking about.

and yes the Mosel IMO is much nicer than even the Rhine Gorge is - to me the prettiest river valley in Europe.

No train service Beilstein. I have been their many times but only for lunch. Parking always a problem. My opinion stay in Cochem and do a day trip to Beilstein. I agree with palenque.Enjoy your trip. Jayvee

Pal, you forgot the castle and the Jewish cemetery.

Haus Lippman IS the reason to stay in Beilstein, but the tiny village, the castle etc are nice diversions whilst you are there.
And as I said the boat stops just across the road.

It's not hard getting to Beilstein - boat or the frequent buses that ply the Mosel. It's more a matter of whether folks want a proper town with lots of choices for restaurants, etc.

or a quiet burg with very little.

Matter of taste - i go for the towns and plus a bit better with direct trains.

Beilstein is at one the very cutest bends of the sinuous Mosel Valley.

Can't go wrong with either.

We stayed at Haus Lipmann for 2 nights a couple of years ago. It's a lovely hotel with friendly owners and a great restaurant. There are several other good restaurants and cafes in town as well as the Castle ruins, Karmelitenkirche and the Jewish cemetery mentioned above.

There isn't much night life so if that's what you want, then it's not for you.

It does require a little more effort to get there, so you might want the easier option of Cochem. It's much larger and busier than Beilstein. We were there on a Sunday and it was teeming with people.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/135...11574650KXKcwO

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/135...11574650nuyjNw

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/135...11574650DfwOCv

This is a photo of Haus Lipmann with the Castle ruins above.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/135...11574650LCDfif

Whatever you do, don't skip the Mosel! I spent 2+ years in Germany and it is by far my favorite part of the country. Simply spectacular.

I have stayed in Cochem (Alte Thorschenke) and Beilstein (Hotel Haus Lipmann, of course!) and both are fabulous, but I agree that Beilstein might be a little more difficult as a base without a car. Cochem also offers more options for restaurants and shopping. Maybe you could stop at Beilstein for a meal while taking a cruise up the river?

Beilstein might be nice for about an hour. I stayed there last November for four hours and it quickly became quite tedious. It is really quite small. The castle ruins were closed for the season; the church was about the only other thing to see.

Wow - you guys are great! Thanks to your advice we'll definitely be seeing the Mosel area. I still need to talk it over with my co-travelers but I think we'll probably stay in Cochem and maybe take a day trip to Beilstein for lunch.

Is the KD line, www.k-d.com, the only ferry/boat company in the area?

We stayed at Hotel Haus Lipmann for 3 nights a few years ago and loved it and Beilstein. We needed a quiet place to return to each evening without traffic and train whistles after exploring the Mosel and the hills around the river all day and into the evening each day. Well, Cochem does have "more" to do than Beilstein does, but even it is not exactly party central at night. However, I would not recommend Beilstein without a car.

I'm wondering how the OP will get to and from the Castle Hotel Schoenburg to the town of Oberwesel. Taxi? We drove and in my memory it seems a bit distant from town. But maybe the road is longer than the footpath.

Mimar, I remember reading on their previous website that there is a taxi service from the train station that will take you to the hotel Auf Schoenburg.

We stayed in Ccohem, and visited Beilstein. 1/2 day it was more than enough to vsit Beilstein.
Cochem is bigger, is very well connected by trains to all other nice town on Mosel and Rhine valleys. We stayed at Pensione Albers [email protected] in the center of the old town. We had here a small apartment and breakfast, for 45 Euro / night. From Cochen we also visited Burg Eltz, Trier, Luxemburg, Koblenz - very easy , by train.

The boat ride, in season between Cochem and Beilstein is one of the prettiest anywhere

You could also rent bikes on the Mosel - many hotels seem to provide them and cycle on the bike path hugging the river the whole course of the valley.

I've ridden the valley on the trails at least a dozen times - tip - go with the wind, usually blbowing down this nature wind gorge.

You can take you bike on a train - so can bike from Cochem to say Moselkern - do the lovely few-mile hike up to Burg Eltz thru the forest and then if a strong headwind to get back to Cochem, put the bike on the frequent trains (slight fee for the bike).

Palenque, thanks for the bike tip. That made my husband very happy.

And pja1 and bettyk thanks for the photo links. They are lovely.

Now to find a hotel in Cochem that will allow us to stay 2 nights on a weekend...