15x What to do in and around Cochem (Moselle region)

Tip #1: Drink wine in the garden of Weinhaus Hieronimi

The finest place in Cochem? That – for us – is Weingarten Hieronimi. This winery has a wide range of dry, semi-sweet and sweet wines.

But the best thing about this place is the garden. Here you can enjoy the lovely vibe with a glass of wine, and with a nice view of the Moselle.

Hieronimi is open daily from 2pm to 10pm. You will find the garden when you walk across the bridge from the centre of Cochem, on the left side (location).

Is it not warm enough, or raining? Hieronimi also has a nice indoor space and wine cellar.

Tip #2: Visit Cochem castle

It is impossible to miss Cochem’s castle. Located on the hill close to the city centre, this imposing castle gives this town a fairytale look.

You can only visit the castle and its gardens with a guide between 9am and 5pm.

👉 You can find more info on their website.

Tip #3: Stroll the streets of Cochem

Cochem is a super beautiful town where you really should take some time to stroll around. During the day it can be quite busy with tourists, but in the evening, peace returns, even in high season.

Stroll across the bridge, Marktplatz, Schrombekaulplatz, the Italian street (Schulgasse), along the waterfront and get lost in Cochem’s pretty little streets….

Also fun to do: picnic on the grass near Uferstraße. You have a great view of the castle and typical German houses here.

Tip #4: Walk Germany’s most beautiful suspension bridge

The Geierlay is one of the longest suspension bridges in Germany ánd probably the most beautiful.

The suspension bridge (location) is just under half an hour’s drive from Cochem. From the car park, it is about a 2.5-kilometre walk to the bridge. Don’t imagine too much of that walk, as it is very boring and between flat fields. But when you get to the bridge, the view is beautiful. There you have some benches and can walk across the bridge. Once on the other side, you can follow one of the hiking trails, or go back.

Afterward, you can have a drink at Biergarten zum Brückenhof, which is on the way to the car park.

You can visit the suspension bridge for free. Parking costs €8 and can only be paid electronically (bank card or smartphone).

Tip #5: Go wine tasting

If you’re in the Moselle region, you’ll see that it’s all about wine here. You really can’t ignore it! So leaving this region without having done a wine tasting is a no-go.

Cochem has a total of five wineries and Gansen is one of them. Every other week you can go there on Thursdays at 6pm for a wine tasting (see dates below). For two hours, you will be explained about the Moselle wines and get to taste six wines. The wine tasting costs €10 per person. What we personally loved about this winery is that everything still feels so authentic. It has been around for generations and the passion for winemaking has been passed down through the generations. Also, there were only 4 ‘wine tasters’ in total, which made it very cosy and allowed us to ask a lot of questions.

We can highly recommend this wine tasting, but it’s helpful if you know a word of German. Tip: take a taxi (or go on foot) to the wine tasting because you won’t go out sober 😉 Ask about their opening hours and pick up some bottles of wine by car on another day – guaranteed to make you want to take a few bottles home with you!

Of course, you will find many other places in Cochem where you can do a wine tasting, but this is a very special one!

Tip #6: Visit the village of Beilstein

The Moselle region is full of cute villages and Beilstein is one of them. On top of the hill you will also find the beautiful Metternich castle. You can visit it daily between 10am and 6pm.

We didn’t go up there ourselves (unfortunately), but you would have a great view over the Moselle!

Tip #7: Admire the Eltz castle

The Moselle region is home to one of the most beautiful castles in Germany. Eltz is even called the most beautiful castle in Europe. And I can only agree, it is definitely one of the most beautiful castles I have ever seen.

From this car park, it’s a 15-minute walk through the forest, or you can take a shuttle. Parking costs €4, the shuttle bus €2 per person. But those with good mobility should opt for the walk, as it is beautiful! Fancy a longer walk? If you drive towards ‘P1’ (nearest), you’ll come across several car parks, indicating that you can hike to Eltz from there.

Want to take a look inside, too? You can only visit the castle with a guide. The entrance fee is €14 per person.

Please note that drones are strictly forbidden here, around the castle, but also throughout the forest!

Tip #8: Take the chairlift to the Pinnerberg and Pinnerkreuz

If you look towards the hills from the centre of Cochem, you will see a cross above the vineyards on the ‘Pinnerberg’. The cross is a memorial to a shepherd who tried to save one of his sheep from falling, losing his own life in the process. The Pinnerkreuz really stands out in the evening, when it is beautifully lit.

From the cross you have a great view over the Moselle valley. You can get there easily and quickly with the chairlift ‘sesselbahn’.

You can go up for €5.90 and go down on foot, or buy a return ticket for €7.90 per person. From the cross, you have several hiking trails you can follow.

Next to the chairlift on the ‘mountain’ is also a nice café where you can enjoy the beautiful view while having a drink. Bring plenty of cash as that is the only method of payment. The café is fairly pricey, but with a view like this, it’s worth every euro.

Tip #9: Visit a wine festival

Going to the Moselle region in the summer holidays? Chances are there is a wine festival. Annually, the wine festival is celebrated for six weeks, each weekend in a different village.

We went by bus from Cochem to the nearby village of Ernst on Friday evening. We bought one wine glass with a €3 deposit, and then we could have it filled at all the stands throughout the festival. There was an opening parade, – ceremony and a live band. There was a cosy atmosphere, and we even seemed to be the only tourists. Super cool to see such a local festival! We took the last bus back to Cochem around 1am.

👉 You can find an overview of all wine festival dates and locations here.

Tip #10: Visit the Bundesbank bunker

The story went that this bunker was built to survive a nuclear war, but nothing could be further from the truth. During the Cold War, the German Central Bank hid some 15 trillion German marks there. Enough to provide all of Germany with a new currency within two weeks. For years it was one of the German government’s best-kept secrets, today you can visit the bunker accompanied by a guide. An original activity for when the weather is bad, for example!

Please note, inside the bunker it is only 12 °C, so make sure you have plenty of warm clothes with you.

👉 You can find more info about the guided tours on the official website.

Tip #11: Take a photo at the viewpoint

You don’t need a drone to get a great photo of Cochem castle and its surroundings.

Just drive to this viewpoint (location) and admire Cochem from above 😉

Tip #12: Go shopping in the city of Koblenz

Is it a down day or do you just feel like shopping? In less than 45 minutes by train or car, you can be in the city of Koblenz.

Koblenz has several shopping centres and streets for a nice afternoon of shopping.

Tip: drugstore products and alcohol are often a lot cheaper in Germany versus Belgium or the Netherlands. Example: my L’Oréal day cream costs €18 here and only €10 in the DM (drugstore) in Germany.

Tip #13: Visit the village of Bernkastel Kues

Not had enough of romantic villages yet? Then Bernkastel Kues should not be missing from your to-do list. This village consists of two parts, Bernkastel on the right bank and Kues on the left bank. The two parts are connected by a bridge.

It is often called the most beautiful village in the Moselle region!

Tip #14: Visit Germany’s oldest city

Trier is Germany’s oldest town and can be fun to spend a day in. You’ll find Germany’s oldest bishop’s church, a beautiful Roman city gate and other Roman remains. We didn’t end up getting there ourselves, but we heard good stories about it!

Tip #15: Take a canal cruise

Admire the surroundings of Cochem from the water, with a glass of wine in your hand? Check!

You have countless options. A big boat, small boat, with stops in different villages, party boat…

👉 Check out this boat trip!

Some more tips for your stay in Cochem….

Hope you got something out of this list of activities in Cochem! Before you leave, we would like to give you some additional tips:

• Cash is king. You may be used to paying with your bank card or smartphone everywhere at home, in the Moselle region this is not the case. Make sure you always have enough cash in your pocket!
• Public transport in Cochem and the surrounding area is pretty well organised. Buses and trains leave regularly and also run until late. Download the app ‘DB Navigator’ to see up-to-date bus and train times – as Google Maps does not always indicate them correctly.
• There are no big supermarkets in Cochem itself. In the village next door, Ernst, you do have a larger supermarket ‘Edeka Diewald’ (location).
• Check restaurant reviews before going in. Cochem has exceptionally many restaurants with terrible reviews. But there are definitely good restaurants with good reviews too, so just check before you go in. Want to be sure of a place? Book in advance, as the good restaurants fill up quite quickly.
• It is useful to know a word of German. We hardly found any English texts, even in the most touristy places everything is in German. Make sure you have a translation app that lets you take pictures and translates everything for you if you don’t know German (the Google app has this).
• After your weekend break in the Moselle region, you will no doubt want to take a few bottles of wine with you. Make sure you have some extra space in the car 😉