Cochem Castle on the Hill
Destination: Cochem
Time of Year: Spring – April 2023
Mode of Transportation: Car ~1.5 hrs (you can also go by train ~3 hours)
Cochem – a beautiful little city along the Moselle river with a stunning castle atop a hill – is an easy day trip from Frankfurt by car and definitely one you won’t want to miss. The city’s streets wind around the hilly landscape, lined with colorful buildings and unexpected sightlines to the towering Reichsburg Cochem castle. The castle itself is an incredible sight, giving medieval vibes with its many pointy turrets, encircling castle walls, and stone archways. The original structure was heavily damaged in the late 1600’s during the war of succession of the Palatinate and left in ruins until 1868 when it was bought and restored in the now-seen neo-gothic style. You can read more about the history and reconstruction of the castle here. This castle is also exciting because it’s one where you can tour the inside rooms of the castle compound and – on certain nights – enjoy medieval themed Knight’s Feast program. We were short on time, so opted just to explore the castle from the outside, but still found it stunning. In addition to trekking up Schlossstraße – and it is a bit of a trek – you can also enjoy incredible views of the castle from Skagerak Brücke, from across the river at the Spielplatz am Kass (where you can also tap into your inner child and hone your see-saw skills, should you choose to!), and from the Cochemer Sesselbahn. I want to note that there are many places to hike in the area, with probably even better viewpoints, however since we wanted a relaxing vacation day, we opted for the less-strenuous options. Whether you’re taking it easy or doing some serious trekking, I would not pass on the Sesselbahn experience. For a little less than 8€, you can take the cable car up (and back!) to a stunning viewpoint that overlooks the city and castle below. The view extends along the Moselle river with winding house-lined streets snaking their way up the valley into the surrounding hills. It’s the perfect spot for some stunning photography or for a picnic with an incredible view.
Back down in the city of Cochem, you will find tons of cute shops, cafés and restaurants. We enjoyed a nice coffee in the Marktplatz at Cochemer Kaffeerösterei but decided to grab food at a restaurant with a view overlooking the Moselle river. Like many of the restaurants, the one we chose specialized in traditional German food – so I had an ‘Ofenkartoffel mit Kräuterquark’ (think the German version of a baked potato with sour cream and herbs) – one of the only gluten-free and vegetarian items on the menu, and Arya ordered a ‘Jägerschnitzel’ (breaded and fried pork with a mushroom sauce). The food was nothing special and a bit over-priced, but the star was the glass of local Riesling I ordered along with the incredible view.
Things we’d do again:
Sesselbahn – Incredible views and fun to ride.
Walk up to the castle – Absolutely lovely, and a bit of a workout – not too much though!
Bring the nice camera – So many great photo opportunities.
Things we’d do differently:
Taken a tour inside the Cochem Castle – its only 8,50€ for a 40 min tour, there was a bit of a wait but looking back, I wish we would have just done it.
Checked out one of the hiking routes with a nice viewpoint.
Packed a lunch and picnicked by the river or at the top of the Sesselbahn – the gluten-free options were minimal in this little city.
Beautiful pictures! Amazing content!