Must-see attractions in Moselle Valley

Trier's most famous landmark, this brooding 2nd-century Roman city gate – blackened by time, hence the name, which is Latin for ‘black gate’ – is a marvel…

Constructed around AD 310 as Constantine’s throne room, the brick-built basilica is now an austere Protestant church. With built-to-impress dimensions …

At the head of the beautiful Moselle side-valley the Eltz, Burg Eltz is one of Germany's most romantic medieval castles. Never destroyed, this fairy-tale…

Looming above the Roman palace of Helena (Emperor Constantine's mother), this cathedral is Germany's oldest bishop's church and still retains Roman…

The Moselle might be better known for its wine, but a former Cistercian monastery, founded in the 13th century, now houses this extraordinary brewery,…

A scale model of 4th-century Trier and rooms filled with tombstones, mosaics, rare gold coins (including the 1993-discovered Trier Gold Hoard, the largest…

Germany’s oldest Gothic church was built in the 13th century. It has a cruciform structure supported by a dozen pillars symbolising the 12 Apostles (look…

Get a sense of the layout of this vast Roman thermal bathing complex with its striped brick-and-stone arches from the corner lookout tower, then descend…

Trier’s mighty Roman amphitheatre could accommodate 20,000 spectators for gladiator tournaments and animal fights. Beneath the arena are dungeons where…

Magnificent St Matthias Abbey is thought to be Germany's oldest Christian church. Begun in 1127, when the relics of the Apostle Matthias (Judas' successor…

Like many others in the area, Cochem's original 11th-century castle fell victim to French troops in 1689, then stood ruined for centuries until wealthy…

Built on Roman foundations from 1197, this mighty castle on the hilltop above Alken has an intriguing history. From 1246 to 1248 it was fought over by the…

A rewarding way to get your heart pumping is heading from the Marktplatz up to this ruined 13th-century castle, framed by vineyards and forests on a bluff…

Anchored by a 1595 fountain dedicated to St Peter and the Four Virtues, Trier’s central market square is surrounded by medieval and Renaissance…

Adjoining the Porta Nigra, in the 11th-century priests' residence Simeon's College (retaining an original 1060-laid oak beam floor in the double-storey…

The Grevenburg castle, built in the mid-1300s, sits high in the craggy hills above Trarbach, with incredible valley views. Because of its strategic…

Camouflaged as residential buildings and built to survive a nuclear war, this extraordinary Cold War secret bunker owned by the German Federal Bank was…

Revamped in 2018 on the 200th anniversary of Marx' birth, the early-18th-century baroque town house in which the author of The Communist Manifesto and Das…

Up a steep staircase from Fürst-Metternich Strasse, this baroque 17th-century Carmelite monastery church has a spectacular interior with a vaulted ceiling…

Stretching south from Konstantinplatz, the lawns, daffodil beds, statues and fountains of the formal Palace Garden are perfect for a stroll, especially on…