Koblenz

VTL Europe : Germany

#tripaway There may not be a lovelier scene in Germany than the town of Cochem, couched in the high, vine-clad slopes of the Moselle Valley. The town of half-timbered houses, scurrying streets and medieval gates is on a loop in the river, under the steady watch of the Romantic Reichsburg castle. The Moselle cuts through two hiking paradises, the Eifel and Hunsrück ranges, while there’s a trail along the valley threading through vineyards and past Medieval castles to Koblenz or Trier. Or you can take it easy, sipping local Riesling on the town’s half-timbered squares and kicking back on a cruise on the Moselle. Let’s explore the best things to do in Cochem: 1. Reichsburg Cochem Reichsburg Cochem Source: Shutterstock Reichsburg Cochem Cochem’s crowning glory is a Medieval toll castle, rebuilt in a fairytale style in the 1870s. No matter which route you take into Cochem your gaze will be drawn to this fantasy-like sight and its giant four-storey octagonal tower far above the river. The castle goes back to the start of the 12th century. There are remnants of the Medieval building in the ring wall, octagonal tower, “Hexenturm” witch’s gate and the building housing the great hall (Rittersaal). But most of what we see today was done in the Neo-Renaissance style when the Berlin banker Louis Fréderic Jacques Ravené restored the property according to the Romantic tastes of the 19th century. A guided tour of the castle will take about 40 minutes, presenting tapestries, fine wood panelling, Louis XIV-style furniture, Baroque paintings, stained glass windows and armour. #tripaway