Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [448]
Learn more about these castles at the Mittelmosel-Museum ( 9480; Casinostrasse 2, Trarbach; adult/youth €2.50/1; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Apr-early Nov, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun mid-Dec–mid-Jan), housed in a furnished baroque villa proud of once having hosted Johann Wolfgang von Goethe for a few hours in 1792. Around the corner is the new Fahrradmuseum ( 819 9131; Moselstrasse 2, Trarbach; admission free; 2-6pm Tue-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat, 10am-1pm Sun May-Oct), upstairs through the Wein-Kontor wine shop.
Of Traben’s sinuous art-nouveau villas, the most seductive – and the only one open to the public – is the Hotel Bellevue (Am Moselufer 11), easily recognised by its Champagne-bottle-shaped slate turret. The oak-panelled lobby and stained-glass windows in the restaurant typify the style, brought to town by Berlin architect Bruno Möhring. Historic flood crests are marked on the wall near the entrance.
Möhring also designed the medieval-style Brückentor (1898) above the bridge on the Trarbach side.
The tourist office organises daily wine tastings (4/6/8 wines €6/8/10) and cellar tours with various vintners.
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Sleeping & Eating
Trarbach has quite a few restaurants in the area upriver from the bridge, eg along Moselstrasse and Weiherstrasse. In Traben, eateries can be found along Bahnhofstrasse and tiny parallel Neue Rathausstrasse.
DJH hostel ( 9278; www.jugendherberge.de; Hirtenpfad 6, Traben; dm €18.90; ) All rooms at this modern, 172-bed hostel have private bathrooms. It’s a 1.2km, signposted walk up from the train station, past the fire station.
Central Hotel ( 6238; www.central-hotel-traben.de, in German; Bahnstrasse 43, Traben; s €32-38, d €60-68; ) In the same family for three generations, this friendly hotel has 32 modest but spotless rooms. The owner, Iris, lived in Texas for eight years but somehow returned twangless. Great budget value. Situated 200m south of the train shelter.
Hotel Bellevue ( 7030; www.bellevue-hotel.de; Am Moselufer 11, Traben; d €135-190; ) Classy, romantic and historic, this exquisite art-nouveau hotel, facing the river, offers perks that include bike and canoe hire, pool and sauna. The stained-glass-adorned gourmet restaurant (mains €11 to €27) serves regional and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.
Weingut Caspari ( 5778; www.weingut-caspari.de, in German; Weiherstrasse 18, Trarbach; mains €4.90-13.90; 5-10pm or later Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm or later Sat & holidays Easter-Oct) Six short blocks inland from the bridge, this rustic, old-time Strausswirtschaft (winery-cum-eatery) serves hearty local specialities, such as Feiner Grillschinken Moselart (boiled ham with potato puree and sauerkraut).
Brücken-Schenke ( 818 435; Brückentor, Trarbach; mains €7.60-15.40; 11am-11pm Mon & Wed-Sat, 11am-10pm Sun) A range of solid, good-value German and regional favourites are served up inside the tower at the Trarbach end of the bridge. Great views.
For self-caterers, the Edeka Neukauf supermarket (Am Bahnhof 44, Traben; 8am-9pm Mon-Sat, bakery also open 8-11am Sun) is diagonally across the tracks from the train shelter.
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Getting There & Around
For details on boats to Bernkastel-Kues, see opposite.
You can hire bikes and buy or borrow cycling maps at Zweirad Wagner ( 1649; www.zweirad-wagner.de, in German; Brückenstrasse 42, Trarbach; city/mountain bike per day €8/12; 8am-12.30pm & 1.45-6pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-1pm Sat year-round, also 10-11am Sun & holidays Easter-Oct), next to the bridge.
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COCHEM
02671 / pop 5100
Cochem, a picture-postcard village about 55km downriver from Traben-Trarbach,