Ever since we moved to Germany, everyone told us that we must visit the Moselle Valley region. Also known as the oldest wine region in Germany, the Moselle Valley is home to the largest Riesling crop area in the world. Surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards everywhere you look, Cochem was the first place I wanted to visit in this area. Cochem, Germany is a gorgeous town located along the Moselle River with its beautiful castle towering above the city. Here is my ultimate travel guide and a list of my top 5 things to do in the charming fairytale town of Cochem.

1. Visit Cochem Castle

Cochem Castle also know as Reichsburg Castle is what I was looking forward to the most. I highly recommend that you take a tour of the castle. You can reach the castle by foot or you can take the shuttle up. It’s a beautiful walk up to the castle and not that difficult so if you feel you can make it I would definitely walk. Guided tours are offered Monday-Sunday every 15 minutes from 10:00-5:00. They are only offered in German. There is also a castle tavern that serves delicious meals that you can enjoy after your visit. See a full guide to the castle right here.

2. Cochem Bridge

Take a stroll across the beautiful Cochem Bridge. The bridge overlooks the town of Cochem and its beautiful castle above. This was my favorite place to take pictures of this fairytale town. If you cross the bridge to the other side of the river, you can get even better views of Cochem and its cute colorful buildings and castle. On the other side, there are large grassy areas that are perfect for a picnic along the river. Colt had so much fun playing with the ducks, and running along the river.

3. Cruise along the Mosel River

One of the top things to do in Cochem is to take a cruise down the Mosel River. There are several places in town where you can buy tickets. There are so many different tours available to see this beautiful region and its picturesque fairytale villages along the way. If you are staying for a couple of days, I highly recommend taking a romantic boat ride down the Mosel River.

4. Wander the streets of Cochem

My favorite thing to do when exploring new places is just wandering the streets of fairytale villages like Cochem. The winding cobblestone streets and cute shops and cafes make you feel like you stepped back in time. We had the best time eating at one of the charming cafes with its gorgeous views of the river. We also shopped at all the cute shops and stopped in one of the bakeries for the best apple pie. There are also several wine stores that sell wines from the Cochem Region.

5. Visit Cochem’s old medieval city gates

The largest of Cochem’s city gates was built in 1332. The gate served as a landmark for travelers for hundreds of years and protected the town from enemies. Legend has it that when the city was being attacked, the townspeople stacked all their empty wine barrels against the gate and when the enemy stormed the gate they were barreled over with the wine barrels.

I hope you enjoyed my ultimate travel guide and list of the top 5 things to do in Cochem. I am so thankful that we finally made it to this charming fairytale village!

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