Rhineland-Palatinate is Germany's castle country, with river valleys, vineyards and imperial cathedrals. The state has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Upper Middle Rhine Valley with Marksburg Castle and the Deutsches Eck, the Roman monuments of Trier and Speyer Cathedral. Add Eltz Castle hidden in a forested valley, the Reichsburg above Cochem, wine towns on the Moselle and the Geierlay suspension bridge in the Hunsrück hills.
This page covers our top 10 picks, one- and two-day itineraries, transportation tips and the best time to visit, followed by every attraction in the state from the tripto.de catalog. Hours and prices are on each attraction's page, so check with the operator before you go. Heads-up: after a rockfall, parts of the Loreley plateau, the stairway trail and highway B 42 are closed in fall 2026.
Our picks for a first visit — each with a short reason why.
Landmarks
Trier
The Porta Nigra in Trier is a massive Roman city gate begun in 170 AD and the symbol of what is often called Germany's oldest city. Built from huge sandstone blocks and darkened by centuries of weathering, the "Black Gate" survived because…
1. A Roman city gate begun in 170 AD from about 7,200 stone blocks, now a UNESCO site. Walk through the vaulted interior for €6, a few minutes on foot from Trier's main station.
Churches & monasteries
Speyer
Speyer Cathedral, known in German as the Kaiserdom, is the largest surviving Romanesque church in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Rising above the Rhine in the Palatinate region, this massive red-sandstone basilica s…
2. The largest surviving Romanesque church in the world, with emperors buried in its crypt. The nave is free; crypt, tower and Imperial Hall cost extra.
Castles
Braubach
Marksburg Castle above the town of Braubach is the only medieval hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine that was never destroyed, which makes it a must-see on any trip through the Rhine Gorge. Perched high above the river in the UNESCO-listed…
3. The only medieval hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine that was never destroyed, seen on a roughly 50-minute guided tour (€12). Unlike many castles, it's open daily in winter too.
Castles
Cochem
Reichsburg Cochem (Cochem Imperial Castle) is the fairy-tale castle that crowns the hill above Cochem, one of the prettiest wine towns on Germany's Moselle River. With its slender octagonal keep, pointed turrets and battlements rising abov…
4. A neo-Gothic castle on medieval walls high above the Moselle, visited on a 40-minute tour. On Fridays and Saturdays there's a knights' banquet in the cellar.
Fortresses
Koblenz
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress towers above the Rhine in Koblenz and is one of the largest surviving fortresses in Europe. From its walls you look straight down on the Deutsches Eck, where the Moselle meets the Rhine, and far across the hills of…
5. One of Europe's largest surviving fortresses, with a state museum and the postcard view of the Deutsches Eck. A cable car carries you across the Rhine to the top.
Monuments
Koblenz
The Deutsches Eck (German Corner) in Koblenz is the headland where the Moselle River flows into the Rhine, and one of Germany's most recognizable landmarks. A colossal equestrian statue of Emperor William I towers over the tip, while Ehren…
6. The point where the Moselle meets the Rhine, crowned by a 37-meter (121-ft) Kaiser Wilhelm monument. Free to visit and the starting point for the cable car to the fortress.
Viewpoints
Mörsdorf
The Geierlay suspension bridge near Mörsdorf in the Hunsrück hills of Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the longest rope suspension bridges in Germany and one of the region's most popular outdoor attractions. Stretching 360 meters (about 1,18…
7. A 360-meter (1,181-ft) suspension bridge up to 100 meters above the Mörsdorf valley. Open around the clock with no admission fee; you only pay for parking.
Museums
Mainz
The Gutenberg Museum in Mainz is one of the oldest printing museums in the world, dedicated to Johannes Gutenberg, the Mainz-born inventor of printing with movable metal type. While a new museum is being built on its historic site, the col…
8. Two original Gutenberg Bibles and live demos on a replica press. While a new building goes up, the collection is shown as Gutenberg-Museum MOVED in the former Reichklara convent.
Old towns & squares
Bernkastel-Kues
Bernkastel-Kues is one of the most charming wine towns on the Moselle River and one of the best things to see in the Moselle Valley. Its medieval market square is lined with colorful half-timbered houses, a castle ruin watches over the old…
9. A wine town with a half-timbered market square, the narrow Spitzhäuschen from 1416 and the Landshut castle ruin overlooking the Moselle Valley.
Start in Koblenz at the point where the Rhine and Moselle meet. It's a little over 2 km (1.3 miles) from the main station through the Old Town.
Places: Deutsches Eck (German Corner)
Ride the cable car across the Rhine to the fortress (April–October daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m.). A combined fortress and cable car ticket costs €21.90.
Places: Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
Take a regional train along the right bank to Braubach, about 12 km (7.5 miles) south. A steep 500-meter path leads up from town; the tour takes about 50 minutes.
Places: Marksburg Castle
See the monument at the confluence in the morning, then ride the cable car up to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.
Places: Deutsches Eck (German Corner) Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
In the afternoon, head to Braubach for a tour of the never-destroyed castle with its medieval kitchen and knights' hall.
Places: Marksburg Castle
Take the Moselle line to Hatzenport and bus 365 to the castle parking lot (season through November 1). Allow 2.5 to 3 hours from the lot and arrive early.
Continue to Cochem and walk up the castle path or take shuttle 701. Tours run daily 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. through November 1.
Swap the Moselle castles for Trier: the Porta Nigra and the Imperial Baths with their underground passages. The AntikenCard saves money if you visit several Roman sites.
Places: Porta Nigra Trier Imperial Baths
By air: Frankfurt Airport is closest to Mainz and Rheinhessen; S-Bahn line S8 reaches Mainz main station in about 30 minutes. For the middle Moselle, Frankfurt-Hahn Airport is nearer, about 35 km (22 miles) from Bernkastel-Kues.
By train: Koblenz is the hub for the Rhine and Moselle. The Moselle line to Trier stops in Cochem and Hatzenport (bus to Eltz Castle), and regional trains run on both banks of the Rhine, for example to Braubach and St. Goar. Speyer is on the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn network. The Deutschlandticket is valid on local trains and buses.
By car: A car is easier for the Geierlay, Trifels Castle and the hill villages of the Moselle and Hunsrück. On the Middle Rhine, highway B 42 is currently closed at the Loreley, and in Speyer the B 9 is partly closed due to bridge damage.
Castle season runs from spring to November 1: Eltz Castle opens March 29 to November 1, 2026, and closes in winter, while the Reichsburg in Cochem and Marksburg keep giving tours from November 2 with shorter hours. Trifels Castle closes in December and January. In Speyer, the tower and Imperial Hall are only accessible on a booked tour from November to March.
Fall is harvest season in Moselle wine country. At the Loreley, safety work after the rockfall of August 31, 2026, is expected to take about three to five months depending on weather, so check the Loreley tourist office before you go. During Rhineland-Palatinate's summer school break, visitors under 18 get free entry to Trier's Roman monuments.
One day covers Koblenz with the Deutsches Eck, Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and Marksburg. A second day adds Eltz Castle and Cochem on the Moselle. Trier, Speyer, Mainz and the Geierlay each make their own day trip.
Only partly. After a rockfall on August 31, 2026, parts of the cultural landscape park, the viewing platform area, the stairway trail from the river and highway B 42 near the rock are closed. The Mythoshalle stays open. Work is expected to take about three to five months.
No. In 2026 the castle is open from March 29 to November 1 and closed in winter. Tickets are sold only at the castle; there's no online booking. Marksburg and the Reichsburg in Cochem, by contrast, keep offering tours in winter with shorter hours.
The Deutsches Eck in Koblenz, the Geierlay suspension bridge (you only pay for parking), the nave of Speyer Cathedral, and the cathedrals of Worms and Mainz are all free. Strolling the market square of Bernkastel-Kues costs nothing either.
Kids love the castle tours at Eltz, Marksburg and Cochem, the cable car to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and the underground passages of Trier's Imperial Baths. The swaying Geierlay bridge is best for anyone without a fear of heights.
Yes, at a temporary location. Since late 2024 the museum has shown its treasures as Gutenberg-Museum MOVED in the former Reichklara convent at Reichklarastraße 1, open daily 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. A new building is under construction on Liebfrauenplatz.
Castles
Wierschem
Eltz Castle (Burg Eltz) near Wierschem in Rhineland-Palatinate is the storybook medieval castle many travelers picture when they think of Germany: a cluster of towers and half-timbered upper stories rising from a rock in a deep, wooded sid…
Viewpoints
Bornich
The Lorelei (Loreley) near Sankt Goarshausen is the most famous rock on the Rhine River: a slate cliff about 130 meters high at the narrowest point of the Middle Rhine, inside the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. The l…
Landmarks
Trier
The Porta Nigra in Trier is a massive Roman city gate begun in 170 AD and the symbol of what is often called Germany's oldest city. Built from huge sandstone blocks and darkened by centuries of weathering, the "Black Gate" survived because…
Churches & monasteries
Speyer
Speyer Cathedral, known in German as the Kaiserdom, is the largest surviving Romanesque church in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Rising above the Rhine in the Palatinate region, this massive red-sandstone basilica s…
Castles
Cochem
Reichsburg Cochem (Cochem Imperial Castle) is the fairy-tale castle that crowns the hill above Cochem, one of the prettiest wine towns on Germany's Moselle River. With its slender octagonal keep, pointed turrets and battlements rising abov…
Castles
Braubach
Marksburg Castle above the town of Braubach is the only medieval hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine that was never destroyed, which makes it a must-see on any trip through the Rhine Gorge. Perched high above the river in the UNESCO-listed…
Churches & monasteries
Glees
Maria Laach Abbey (Abtei Maria Laach) stands on the southwest shore of Lake Laach in the Eifel volcanic region and is famed for its six-towered Romanesque basilica, one of the finest in Germany. The Benedictine abbey was founded in 1093 an…
Old towns & squares
Koblenz
Most visitors stand at the Deutsches Eck, look out over the Rhine and Moselle and then ride the cable car up to the fortress. Yet the real Koblenz is just a few steps inland: the Old Town is the city's original core, with three Romanesque…
Landmarks
Trier
Where grass now grows over the terraces, up to 18,000 people once cheered in Roman Trier. The Trier Amphitheatre at the foot of the Petrisberg hill was built in the second half of the 2nd century AD and staged gladiator fights, animal hunt…
Old towns & squares
Bernkastel-Kues
Bernkastel-Kues is one of the most charming wine towns on the Moselle River and one of the best things to see in the Moselle Valley. Its medieval market square is lined with colorful half-timbered houses, a castle ruin watches over the old…
Castles
Erlenbach bei Dahn
From a distance, Berwartstein looks like a storybook castle: turrets, a keep and red roofs above the forest near Erlenbach. The more exciting part, though, is inside the rock below. Stairs, passages and chambers are cut straight into the r…
Castles
Sankt Goarshausen
Katz Castle (Burg Katz) in Sankt Goarshausen is one of the landmark castles of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it sits on a rocky spur right above the river. Built in the 14th century as a rival to nearby M…
Castles
Lahnstein
Lahneck Castle (Burg Lahneck) in Lahnstein sits on a rocky spur above the point where the Lahn river meets the Rhine, and forms part of the UNESCO Upper Middle Rhine Valley World Heritage Site. With its rare pentagonal keep and neo-Gothic…
Castles
Thallichtenberg
Walk Lichtenberg Castle from one end to the other and you cover almost half a kilometre. At 425 m long it is one of the longest castle ruins in Germany and the largest castle complex in the Palatinate. It sits on a hill spur above the vill…
Castles
Sankt Goarshausen
Maus Castle (Burg Maus) above the Rhine village of Wellmich, part of Sankt Goarshausen, is one of the best-known castles of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The medieval hilltop castle with its round keep was…
Castles
Bacharach
In the middle of the Rhine off Kaub stands a white castle with little red corner turrets that looks as if it were sailing upstream. Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, known locally simply as "die Pfalz", was never a knight's home but a toll station:…
Castles
Trechtingshausen
Reichenstein Castle in Trechtingshausen perches on a rocky spur just above the Rhine and is one of the most photogenic castles in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rebuilt around 1900 as a neo-Gothic residence, i…
Castles
Sankt Goar
Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar is the largest castle ruin on the Middle Rhine and one of the most exciting castles to explore in the Rhine Valley. Perched high above the river, it lets you wander through courtyards, ramparts and dark undergr…
Castles
Trechtingshausen
Rheinstein Castle (Burg Rheinstein) clings to a rocky spur above the Rhine near Trechtingshausen, just downstream from Bingen. It was the first ruined Rhine castle to be rebuilt in the Romantic era, and it lies within the Upper Middle Rhin…
Castles
Bacharach
Stahleck Castle (Burg Stahleck) towers on a rocky spur above the wine town of Bacharach in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the oldest castle sites on the Rhine, it is now a youth hostel, which means you…
Castles
Alken
Thurant Castle (Burg Thurant) near Alken is the largest castle on the Moselle River and a landmark of the region. This twin castle crowns a slate ridge above vineyards, and a visit takes you through courtyards, a chapel, a dungeon and a ro…
Viewpoints
Bremm
The Calmont near Bremm in Germany's Mosel Valley is often called the steepest vineyard in Europe, and it offers one of the most famous views in the country. From the summit cross you look straight down onto the Bremm Mosel loop, where the…
Monuments
Koblenz
The Deutsches Eck (German Corner) in Koblenz is the headland where the Moselle River flows into the Rhine, and one of Germany's most recognizable landmarks. A colossal equestrian statue of Emperor William I towers over the tip, while Ehren…
Museums
Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler
In an emergency, the West German chancellor, the federal president and around 3,000 people would have sat out a nuclear war here for 30 days behind sealed steel gates. The Government Bunker in the Ahr valley was one of the best-kept secret…