HIKE & DISCOVER: THE MOSELSTEIG IN GERMANY

ME.ACTIVE - Everyone knows that it is beautiful on the Moselle. You can discover how beautiful it really is on the 365 kilometre (226 miles) long Moselsteig.​

by Hanan

A hiking trail with a quality mark, which combines 2,000 years of history with beautiful landscapes - and an unrivaled wine culture.

Along the Moselsteig you come in close contact with nature, but also with the rich local culture. You walk through charming wine villages and towns such as Cochem and Trier, and also past castle ruins and reconstructions of Roman temples. The Moselsteig is subdivided into 24 stages, each with a distance between 11 and 24 kilometres (7 and 15 miles).

Read more under the photo

ABOVE: Cochem.

A walking route like a day and a year: 24 stages that follow the full course of the Moselle over a length of 365 kilometres (226 miles) - from the German-French-Luxembourg border town of Perl to the mouth at the Deutsche Eck in Koblenz. The Moselsteig is not only one of the longest long-distance hiking trails in Germany, but without doubt also the most attractive and versatile.

Enthusiasm of the walker

Even though each stage has its own unique character, they all have one thing in common: right from the start, the sunny vineyards and famous vineyards, vast forests, breathtaking views and of course romantic castles and castles awaken the enthusiasm of the walker.

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ABOVE: Bernkastel-Kues.

ABOVE: Traben-Trarbach.

From Perl, which is still in the Saarland, the route runs via Palzem, the southernmost Moselle municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, via the picturesque wine-growing town of Nittel to the beautiful Roman city of Trier with its many sights.

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Read also: 'Trier and the Romans'

From here the route continues through ancient beech forests, fields and meadows with fruit trees to Schweich on the Römische Weinstraße, then to the idyllic Leiwen and then to the distinctly romantic Bernkastel-Kues with its rich wine culture. ​The beautiful art nouveau town of Traben-Trarbach is also famous.

Tip Traben-Trarbach
The town of Traben-Trarbach, where the Moselle makes a large loop around a headland with steep slopes and a vast plateau, is the perfect place for a relaxing stopover. Not only because there is so much to see here, about halfway along the route, but also because of the extensive wellness offer, such as the thermal springs with their 33 ° C warm, spring water bubbling from deep underground from the slate mountains. And of course because of the many vineyards, whose products can be tasted anywhere in the city.

Via the steepest vineyard in Europe, the Bremmer Calmont, the route then runs to the city of Cochem, above which rises the fairytale beautiful Reichburg (Cochem Castle), and to the majestic castle Eltz. Finally, the last stage runs through the Mühlental, the kingdom of a legendary dragon, via the cozy wine village of Winningen to Koblenz, the last of the countless highlights of the Moselsteig.

Moselsteig practical

+ WHERE

Departure and arrival
From Perl to Koblenz.

+ ACCESSIBILITY

Both places are easily accessible by train. Most towns and villages on the entire route can be reached by public transport.

+ DISTANCE

365 kilometres (226 miles), 24 stages between 11 and 24 kilometres (7 and 15 miles).

+ SIGN

The entire route is signposted with the indication of distances and alternative side roads.

+ INFO

Website
www.moselsteig.de

+ MAP

GERMANY | ME.ACTIVE | HIKING

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POST BY
Thierry Hanan Scheers
With a backpack  and hiking boots Hanan travels around the world. Destination? Somewhere, nowhere and everywhere.
backpacker and storyteller

PHOTO
​Thierry Hanan Scheers

26 July 2019