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DJH hostel ( 146 620; www.jugendherberge.de; An der Jugendherberge 4; dm €19.90; ) A spick-and-span, 228-bed hostel right on the Moselle, about 1km northeast of the tourist office. Rooms have bathrooms and up to six beds. Take bus 12 from the Hauptbahnhof or Porta Nigra.

Hotel Römischer Kaiser ( 977 0100; www.friedrich-hotels.de, in German; Porta-Nigra-Platz; d €105-150; ) Right next to Porta Nigra, this 1894 building offers 43 bright, comfortable rooms with solid wood furnishings, parquet floors and spacious bathrooms.

Becker’s Hotel ( 938 080; www.beckers-trier.de; Olewiger Strasse 206; d €110-170; ) About 2km east of the centre in the quiet wine district of Olewig, across the creek from the old monastery church, this Design Hotels–affiliated establishment pairs 32 supremely tasteful rooms – some ultramodern, others traditional – with stellar dining. A swimming pool is being added for 2010. Served by bus 6.

Hotel Villa Hügel ( 937 100; www.hotel-villa-huegel.de; Bernhardstrasse 14; d €128-185; ) A stylish, 30-room hillside villa, where you can begin the day with a lavish Champagne breakfast buffet and end it luxuriating in the 12m indoor pool and Finnish sauna. Served by buses 2 and 82.

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Eating

In the warm months, cafes fill the old city’s public squares, including the Kornmarkt.

Astarix ( 722 39; Karl-Marx-Strasse 11; pizza from €4.10; noon-midnight or 1am Mon-Sat, from 1pm Sun) A popular student cafe, in a funky part of town, with good pizza and Auflauf (casserole; €4.80 plus €0.40 for each added ingredient). Enter through the arcade.

Textorium ( 474 82; Wechselstrasse 4-6; meals €6.20-16.90; noon-2.30pm & 6pm-1am or 2am) A popular, industrial-chic eatery with outdoor seating and daily specials. Part of the TuFa events venue.

Kartoffel Kiste ( 979 0066; www.kiste-trier.de, in German; Fahrstrasse 13-14; mains €7.20-14.50; 11am-midnight) A local favourite, this place specialises in baked, breaded, soupified and sauce-engulfed potatoes, as well as steaks. Has an extraordinary bronze fountain out front.

Zum Domstein ( 744 90; Am Hauptmarkt 5; mains €8.80-16.90, Roman dinner €15-33; 8.30am-midnight) A German-style bistro where you can either dine like an ancient Roman or feast on more conventional German and international fare. A cookbook of ancient Roman recipes, printed in Venice in 1498, is on display downstairs.

Becker’s Hotel in Olewig affords three excellent dining options: Becker’s Restaurant (5/8 courses €85/105; 7-9pm Tue-Sat) has two Michelin stars; Weinhaus Becker (1-/3-course lunch €15/28; noon-2pm & 6-10pm) serves fresh, classy German cuisine; and ultramodern Becker’s Weinbar ( 3pm-midnight, hot meals 6-10pm) offers 60 wines by the glass and a more experimental menu.

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CYCLE TOURING: FIVE RIVERS IN FIVE DAYS

Trier makes an ideal base for day trips by bike, with five different riverside bike paths to choose from. Trains and RegioRadler buses (www.regio-radler.de, in German; reservations required; Apr-Oct) make it possible to ride one way (eg downhill) and take public transport the other.

Kylltal-Radweg Heads 115km north along the Kyll River, paralleling the rail line to Cologne. Take the train between Erdorf and Kyllburg (five to seven minutes) to avoid a killer hill.

Mosel-Radweg (www.mosel-radweg.de) Heads down the Moselle River all the way to Koblenz or upriver along the Luxembourg border and into the French region of Lorraine. Served by RegioRadler bus 333.

Ruwer-Hochwald-Radweg (www.ruwer-hochwald-radweg.de) This recently completed, 50km bike path runs along a one-time rail line south along the Ruwer River and then west. Served by RegioRadler bus 200.

Saar-Radweg (VeloRoute SaarLorLux) Heads south along the gorgeous Saar River to Saarbrücken and, at Sarreguemines, into France.

Sauertal-Radweg This 53km path heads north, following a decommissioned rail line along the Sauer River into Luxembourg. Northern variants follow the Prüm and Nims Rivers. Served by RegioRadler