The Mosel Valley

The Mosel Valley is a smaller, sleepier version of the Rhine. It too has wonderful castles and fine wines, but far less travelers than the Rhine. The towns are beautiful and fairytail-esque. Perhaps the best castle in all of Germany is to be found in this area - Burg Eltz. You can cruise the Mosel, but the boats are fewer and the trip is slower because you have to go through many locks. There are many cheap places to stay along the Mosel. Below is a video of the Mosel region.

Rhine River Cruise Video

Well, I learned how to put video from YouTube into this blog. Below is a video of a Rhine River cruise. If anyone is interested, the music is Schubert's Symphony Number 8, the "Unfinished" Symphony.

Cruising the Rhine River

Looking at the the Rhine from Rheinfels Castle

Cruising the Rhine River is one of the best ways to see this amazing region of Germany. Cruise boats stop nearly every hour at many places up and down the river. You can use a Eurail Pass to access the cruise boats at no additionaly cost. The area stretching from Mainz to Koblenz gets most of the traffic since it is the most romantic section of river. You can actually make this whole stretch of river in 5.5 hours if going downstream and 8.5 hours if going upstream. Of course, it would take longer if you make stops at the towns and sights along the river. Along the river you will see old fortresses, castles, vineyards, and boats. If time is a problem, you don't have to do the whole section from Mainz to Koblenz - in fact, most tour guides recommend that you just pick a section and only focus on it. Rick Steves suggests the section from St. Goar to Bacharach if you want the most scenic hour. Marksburg Castle is not far from Koblenz and is considered the best preserved of all Rhine castles. The Rheinfels Castle (pictured below) near St. Goar was once the mightiest castle on the Rhine River. It is relatively ruined now but is one of the neatest places to visit on all the river.

Looking at Rheinfels Castle from the Rhine

Some of the towns along the river are extremely picturesque and fun to visit. They abound with history and scenery. One such town is Bacharach (pictured below.) Both Bacharach and St. Goar are nice villages to stay in for a night.

Bacharach - most beautiful town on the Rhine

Intro to the Rhine Valley

Marksburg Castle on the Rhine

The Rhine Valley is one of the most castle-studded areas of the world. There are countless castles along this romantic river. The whole area is easily accessible and can be seen in a variety of ways, from trains, riverboat cruises, or by car. It is also a relatively "compact" area that can be covered pretty thoroughly in two days and reasonably well in one day. It's a great area to stay in if you want to make day trips to either the nearby Mosel valley or the cathedral city of Koln. Boat cruises are popular and cheap. You can also follow the river by train making stops wherever you want. Towns also have cathedrals to view. It is one of the most beautiful areas in all of Europe, though there are plenty of other tourists to contend with.

The Black Forest Region of Germany

The Black Forest region is a hilly region in Southwest Germany bordering France. It is covered in thick forests and is considered the "backwoods" area of Germany. In many ways it is Germany's equivalent to the Ozarks. It was generally cut off from the main stream of Germany until the last century, so the locals became quite colloquial with many of their own traditions. The area is famous for its hiking opportunities, cuckoo clocks, and cherry cakes.


The two main cities of the Black Forest are Baden Baden and Freiburg. Baden Baden has been a major spa and casino town for centuries. It is a more hedonistic version of Bath, England, or maybe Hot Springs, Arkansas. The nude spas and gambling are two of the main attractions of Baden Baden. Freiburg is a large university town. It is very pedestrian and has small streams running down the center of many of the streets.

The whole Black Forest region doesn't have many historic sights - it's main charm is in the actual beauty of the countryside. It's best seen from a car traveling down a local by-way. The famous Gutach River waterfall (below) can be viewed, as well as the Black Forest Open Air museum or the Black Forest Museum in Triberg.