Take it Slow: The Epic Mosel Road Trip

Like road trips? Fortunately, one of the world’s most beautiful drives is just an hour from Kaiserslautern, along the curving roads of the Mosel River Valley. Here’s an itinerary guaranteed to slow you down, recharge your batteries, and brighten your outlook.

Road Trip Ground Rules

Before we go, here are a few ground rules for our awesome road trip:

From Kaiserslautern, take the A6/A62/A1 to Exit 127 (Salmtal). Then we leave the fast lane behind for a while.

While this trip could be done in either direction, we’re going from Piesport to Koblenz.

Our goal is to stick as close to the river as possible. I’ll offer some road recommendations, but you and your GPS can sort things out, too.

Speed is NOT of the essence. Frequent stops are encouraged. The goal is to slow down and appreciate the fact that we live so close to such an amazing area.

This is wine country. If you’re driving and tasting, make sure to spit the wine out. If you’re drinking, pick a spot to stay for the night and/or a designated driver.

All right. Let’s buckle up. It’s go time.

Phase 1: Piesport to Bernkastel-Kues

One of my favorite stretches of road ever is the L50 that descends from the high hills above Piesport down to the Mosel River. There is something iconic about the way that bit of highway snakes back and forth. This is the perfect spot to start the journey.

Piesport is a sleepy, lovely village that produces excellent white wines. Compared to the other towns along this route, there isn’t a lot to do there. In fact, pretty much the best thing to do in Piesport is to eat (and drink). Which is okay! You’ll be ready for food by the time you arrive. Enjoy a hearty, delicious meal, then stroll along the river bank afterward. Maybe take a catnap on a bench. And then get ready to roll!

Plug in ‘Burg Landshut’ as your destination, then take the B53 out of town. It’s a gorgeous drive, but keep your eyes on the road. You’ll have time to admire the views in a bit.

Phase 2: Bernkastel-Kues to Traben-Trarbach

Soon enough, you’ll be standing in Burg Landshut, the ruined castle that overlooks Bernkastel-Kues. The views are staggering: storybook village, gravity-defying vineyards, the knowledge that people have called this place home for millennia. It’s incredible. Whenever you’re ready, head toward town.

If you’re making this a weekend trip, Bernkastel-Kues is a fantastic place to spend the night. It has loads of half-timbered gasthauses, hotels, restaurants, and shops. There are constantly festivals in the spring and summer. And, of course, there is very good wine. But even if wine isn’t your jam, Bernkastel-Kues is still a marvelous place in which to sit and watch the day slowly turn to evening.

When it’s time to go, get ready for a curvy road. As the crow flies, Traben-Trarbach isn’t far from Bernkastel-Kues – maybe just a few kilometers. But we’re taking the long way. Keep following the B53.

Phase 3: Traben-Trarbach to Cochem

Traben-Trarbach is the best spot on this route to take a Mosel river ride. Located on one hairpin bend of the river and not far from a couple of other hairpin bends, Traben-Trarbach provides perhaps the best sense of the majesty of the Mosel Valley. Fully appreciating it, however, requires leaving the road and traveling by water.

So book a river trip here. By the time you return to shore, it will be time to eat again. Traben-Trarbach doesn’t disappoint when it comes to restaurants, either. It is, of course, a wine-producing village, so the food is really good almost everywhere.

Afterward, we hit the road. Follow the B53 out of town toward Zell. Your GPS will be impatient. It will want you to leave the river’s edge and get to Cochem quickly. Tell it to chill. Cross the river south of Zell, and hook up with the 421 until it becomes the B49. And then cruise ever so slowly toward one of the coolest river towns in Germany.

Phase 4: Cochem to Koblenz

Cochem is awesome. The restored Reichsburg castle is one of Germany’s best and most picturesque. If you have kids who aren’t huge fans of wine towns, Cochem also has a fantastic pool and a super-cool, tourable, and mysterious Cold War bunker.

If you’re taking a long weekend, then Cochem is also an excellent place to have dinner and spend the night. You’ll be refreshed and ready to go for the final leg of the Mosel road, which is the hour or so drive into Koblenz.

Koblenz is one of Germany’s most overlooked gems, which is kind of funny for a city that’s 2,000 years old. At Koblenz, stretch your legs by visiting the Deutsches Eck, which is a triangular platform that juts like a giant stone arrowhead into the dark water where the Rhine and Mosel rivers meet. This is where you’ll officially say auf wiedersehen to the Mosel before you drive the 90 minutes back to Kaiserslautern.