Although it was cloudy all the time I was there and I could only let the top of my convertible down once, it was still a beautiful place to drive in. 

I stayed at a beautiful house through Airbnb (get $50 off, click here!) in Kasbach Ohlenburg, just in the Rhine region. From there, it is an amazing scenic drive along the Rhine river banks. There are so many cute castles above hilltops and also cute little villages. There’s even one castle that’s a toll station that’s on the waters. It’s called Pfalzgrafenstein castle. You can take the ferry there to see how it looks like inside.  
The toll castle set in the middle of the river
The big and touristy town of Rudesheim Am Rhein is a nice stop over because it has restaurants, cafes, shopping, a wine museum, a monastery perched on the hills and the chair lift up to the monument where you get panoramic views of the surroundings. I didn’t take it as it was raining when I went. So I had a nice brunch and then took shelter in the wine museum that used to be a castle. 

I then went to the Abby of St Hildegard for some wine tasting and the views from there are amazing, so was the wine. This is the only monastic winery in Germany and their wines have won several awards. The rieslings range from 6-15 euros. I got the sweeter one from the late harvest called ‘Spatlese’ and it was amazing with fruits and cookies that I had for supper and shared with my kind host who also offered me home grown and cooked tomato soup. 

The old town of Rudesheim is also very pretty to stroll on. It’s not big and it’s basically a pedestrian stretch and the buildings are all historical and colourful. You also see vines growing amongst the buildings. 

On my way back to the house, I stopped by St Goar because it was so cute I had to stop to take photos. There are so many cute towns along the Rhine and the advantages of having a car is you can stop almost anywhere and any time. 

I drove to Koblenz in the late afternoon and parked at the very new looking Forum shopping mall. From there, it’s a short walk to the old town. Koblenz is a bigger town and there is a super large Deutsch monument(German corner) by the river. Koblenz is special because it is where Rhine meets Moselle. 

Feel free to wander around Ludwig museum and the gardens because there are cute art installations there. There are also nice churches for you to roam into. 

You have to also walk and experience the old town as it has many beautiful old buildings and there are many restaurants that you can eat at. I chose Vietnamese because I’m missing Asian food 😂. I am very surprised and thankful that Germany is affordable in terms of food (and parking!) compared to the other European cities.

The next day, I drove to Burg Eltz. This is a castle perched on a hilltop and you have to park your car then walk 20 minutes on a path that’s clearly marked. The entrance fee is 10 euros but it comes with an English tour. My tour was very crowded. I guess 11am is the magical hour and I never seen so many people on the same hike as me. You can also hike around the forest surroundings if you wish from Burg Eltz. This castle is still privately owned by one of the families.  Previously, 3 very rich families lived here in harmony and inside are a lot of treasures from the late 14-18 century. I love the clocks that are very old. 

The next town I stopped at was Beilstein and I’m on the Moselle banks. It is so cute and beautiful and you should go up to Burg Metternich because the views from there is great. The cathedral is also very pretty inside and out. And the old town was so cute with so many beautiful old buildings you have to wander around it. So stop at one of the many shops that offer wine tasting, Riesling of course and have a snack. 

A stop in Moselle Valley is incomplete if you don’t stop at Traben Trarbach. These twin cities on opposite sides of Moselle is linked by a cute pink and green bridge. I stopped by to wine taste and buy wine at Louis Klein. They hold English tours at 11am so I missed it. But you can also ask the tourist counter if you want to join other tours if you’re there for a longer time. Their vines are within Traben Trarbach so you’re in for a treat. They have rieslings of course and a surprisingly nice red called Domfelder. You can also buy grape juice if you’re not alcoholic like me. 😂

I stopped for dinner after walking the beautiful old town at Stadt Muhle. This restaurant has been around since 1680 and it has delicious meat and fish. It was packed when I was there, because food is tasty and affordable. 

If you love cycling, Moselle has amazing cycling routes and the roads have special cycling tracks. You can rent bikes easily for a day and cycle to all the places above

Next up, I drive south to stay at a Hotel in Trier because that’s where I’m going next as I head further south towards the Black Forest. I booked my hotel through booking.com and if you want a discount, click here for the referral code 😄

Stay tuned and never stop wandering. Or wander from your couch through my blog 😘

XOXO

Stella