5 Great Ports on the Moselle River

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

Perhaps there is no more scenic river in Europe than the Moselle.

It is a winding river that starts in the Vosages Mountains in France, flows through France, Luxembourg and Germany and ultimately ends up in the Rhine River. The river is about 340 miles long, but river cruising happens on about 150 mile stretch from Trier/Luxembourg to Koblenz in Germany.

It is historic (the Romans), famous for Riesling wines, and the steep vineyards make sailing here a joy.

So, let’s explore together and learn about these Moselle 5 ports (we will sail from south to north) and we will also explore 2 other places—Burg Eltz and Luxembourg City—you won’t be disappointed!

Trier was an old Roman outpost which was first settled by the Roman in 17 BC. It is the oldest city in Germany, and is near the Luxembourg border—in fact, one side of the Moselle River is Trier, Germany and the opposite other side is the tiny country of Luxembourg. Anne & I first visited here in 1989.

Important Roman sights include the Roman Baths, an amphitheater, Basilica of Constantine (it was the throne room of Emperor Constantine), and the huge city gate, the Porta Nigra gate, that dates back to 180 A.D. It has earned the nickname of “the Rome of the North.”

Porta Nigra (Black Gate) in Trier is the largest Roman Gate north of the Alps.

Other sights are the Trier Cathedral (it is the oldest Cathedral in Germany) and the ornate Trier Electoral Palace and gardens.

Also worth a visit is the old town area of the main market (Hauptmarkt)—besides people watching, the backdrop is the Porta Nigra and the large square is lined with a variety of architectural styles and is quite colorful.

Luxembourg City, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is not really a port, but so close to Moselle River that it becomes a destination to visit while in this area. As with most historic cities, it is the old town and its fortifications that make this an interesting place to visit. Known as the “Gibraltar of the North” due to high rocky bluff (called the Bock Promontory) that rises from the river gorges carved out by the Alzette and Petrusse Rivers, it is a strategic point that could be easily defended. Little of the fortifications remain but it still is spectacular, especially if you walk the Chemin de la Corniche.

Some of the defensive walls of Luxembourg City. The Alzette River is in the foreground.

Other interesting sights include the Place d’Armes, the original square of the old town; the Grand Rue, a pedestrian only street with a wide variety of shops; Notre-Dame Cathedral, an impressive Gothic architecture church; the Grand Ducal Palace, originally a town hall, but now a palace for the Grand Duke and their families (sadly only open for tours in July and August); Chemin (Walls) de la Corniche, the walking path often called “the most beautiful balcony in Europe”; the Bock casemates defensive sections that remain and one of the fascinating bridges leading to the old village area.

The walk way on top of the defensive walls.

For many who are interested in World War II, a must visit to this area is the American Cemetery in Luxembourg. Along with the 5.075 buried here and the 371 reported missing, it is the burial site of LTG Patton. Anne and I visited this sacred ground in 1989 while I was still on active duty. It truly was emotional for me—I was so grateful and humbled for these soldiers. Many of these soldiers lost their lives in the Battle of the Bulge and the subsequent drive to the Rhine River. My Dad was part of the Battle of the Bulge and he survived—I am sure knowing this made me respect these dead heroes even more.

Bernkastel is a wonderful town of around 8000. It is located about halfway between Cochem and Trier on the Mosel River. There are many half-timbered buildings, especially around the market square. Easily seen from market square is St Michael’s church, built in the 14th century that had a dual purpose— it served as a house of worship and its tall bell tower served as a watch tower in the old city ramparts.

A good picture of market square with the talk St. Michael’s Church dual purpose Bell and Watch Tower.

The city has some wonderful fountains—they include St. Michael's fountain on the Market Square, the bear's fountain and the doctor's fountain.

Overlooking the town is the Landshut Castle ruins. It was first built in 1277 but was ruined by fire in 1692. On an AmaWaterways cruise, some like to hike up to the ruins for great views of the area.

Bernkastel is located in the middle of the Mosel wine-producing region. This area has been producing wine for over 500 years. You will get to experience a guided walking tour through the old town center and a winery visit to sample several different regional vintages are scheduled for this portion of your cruise if you go on an AmaWaterways cruise.

Zell is famous for its white wine zellerschwartzkatz (Zell’s black cat). It is a small town of about 4,300 people. It has an interesting market square and the town hall has a wine museum. It was once a walled city but not much of the old walls remain.

The really great draw of this village is the story of Zell’s Black Cat Wine.

According to legend, a large quantity of local wine was being stored in barrels in a regional cellar. When people approached, a black cat jumped on the barrel from Zell and started hissing to protect its contents. Seeing the hissing, caused the wine merchants to believe the wine from Zell was special and better quality than the other wines stored in the wine cellar building. Today the black cat is the symbol of this town.

AmaWaterways has an exclusive wine festival celebration in Zell. The local children, dressed up like black cats, provide a performance that everyone who has visited Zell on AmaWaterways will remember. I just recently heard Kristin Karst, one of the co-owners of AmaWaterways, describe how special and unique this visit and performance is during a webinar—it instantly brought back great memories of this port stop.

The children dressed up as black cats in Zell

Cochem, Germany, on the Mosel River, is a former walled city. It has a population of about 5,800 and is a traditional old German town. The town has many fine buildings, quaint cottages, guild houses, and winding cobblestone streets. The town square, lined with half-timbered houses, is a wonderful, scenic area of this small town.

St. George Fountain—he is cutting his cloak in half to give to aid the other person on this sculpture on top of the fountain.

In Cochem, if you go on an AmaWaterways cruise, you will enjoy a guided tour of Cochem that takes you to the spectacular hilltop Reichsburg Castle (also known as Cochem Castle but the correct name is Schloss Reichsburg). It has fantastic views of the river valley below. Touring inside the castle is great!

Reichsburg Castle high on the hill over Cochem hi

Knight armor—the big guy is 7 feet tall!

Berg Eltz is a beautifully preserved castle, with towers, half-timbered walls, and it is seemingly in the middle of nowhere—Anne and I hiked in 3 miles from the Mosel River town of Moselkern in early March one year to visit. The family who owns this castle still lives here, and has done so for 850 years in their ancestral home.

There are 2 places to visit here—the Treasury (pictures allowed) with a great display of precious items and tour of select rooms (no pictures) which takes about an hour or less.

Some of the many items on display in the treasury in Berg Eltz

3 families owned this castle and each has built separate wings. The tour includes an entrance way decorated with weapons, various gathering rooms, bedrooms and the kitchen—all very authentic and used by the families for over 33 generations. Perhaps the most famous room of the castle, is the Knight’s room, where the 3 different families met to celebrate and work our any conflicts that might arise. It is famous for the wall decorations, which served as a reminder to the 3 families about cooperation—a jester mask (representing freedom of speech) and a large rose (representing a code of silence—items discussed in the room need to stay there).

The entrance to the courtyard of Berg Eltz

Koblenz is located at the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine Rivers. It is a great base to explore parts of nearby castles and quaint towns—we used it as a base of operations and enjoyed it very much.

Key sights in and near Koblenz, include Deutsches Eck, Lahneck Castle, Stolzenfels Castle, Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and the Electoral Palace.

Deutsches Eck—German Corner. The statue is of Kaiser Wilhelm I who unified Germany in 1871

We stayed in a wonderful little hotel and this square was the view out of our room.

My Final Thoughts

What a great adventure—the Moselle River—just another reason we love the Old World of Europe so much! We hope you enjoyed these pictures as much as we enjoyed seeing them during our travels.

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HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 49+ years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:

AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent

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