Mosel Valley by Motorcycle: The B49 and B53 from Koblenz to Trier

The Mosel is the relaxed ride of western Germany. The river winds from Trier to Koblenz in loop after loop, steep vineyards rise on both banks, and a riverside road follows almost every metre. It is not a road for pace: it is a road for a steady gear, a long lunch and a hotel with a garage and a wine list. Add the side climbs up to the plateaus on either bank and it becomes a proper riding weekend.

The route

The riverside main road is the B49 from Koblenz upstream to around Alf, then the B53 from there to Trier. Together they cover about 180km. Bridges every few kilometres let you switch banks whenever the other side looks quieter.

Koblenz to Cochem. Leave Koblenz at the Deutsches Eck, where the Mosel meets the Rhine, and follow the B49 through Winningen and Treis-Karden. Burg Eltz, one of the most photographed castles in Germany, is a short ride up a side valley from Moselkern; the last part is on foot from the car park. Cochem is the first big stop, with the Reichsburg on its hill above the river.

Cochem to Traben-Trarbach. Past Cochem the valley tightens. At Bremm the Calmont rises straight off the river, a vineyard so steep that a via ferrata climbs through the vines. The big loop around Zell (the Zeller Hamm) is the next landmark, and the road meets the B53 near Alf. Traben-Trarbach, with its Art Nouveau buildings on both banks, is a good lunch stop.

Traben-Trarbach to Trier. Upstream, the Hochmoselbrücke carries the B50 high over the valley near Zeltingen-Rachtig, a striking sight from the river road below. Bernkastel-Kues has the prettiest market square on the Mosel. The last stretch through Piesport and Schweich to Trier opens up, and Trier itself, with the Roman Porta Nigra, closes the ride.

Turning it into a loop

The river road is gentle; the climbs out of the valley are where the corners are. Almost every village has a lane that zig-zags up through the vines to the Eifel on the north bank or the Hunsrück on the south. The B327 Hunsrückhöhenstrasse runs south-west from Koblenz along the Hunsrück ridge and makes a fast, open return leg, turning the ride into a two-day loop of around 320km.

The roads

The B49 and B53 are well surfaced and mostly wide enough to pass, but they run through a string of villages with lower limits, and tractors and harvest trailers are common from late summer. The vineyard lanes are narrow, steep and often gravelly or muddy at the edges. Expect heavy weekend traffic in summer, especially around Cochem and Bernkastel-Kues.

When to go

April to October. Spring is green and quiet. September and October are harvest time: golden vineyards, wine festivals in almost every village, more traffic and slow machinery. The valley is sheltered and often warmer than the plateaus above, so it works on cooler days when the hills are not inviting.

Where to stay on the Mosel

Cochem, Zell, Traben-Trarbach and Bernkastel-Kues all make good bases, and many riders stay in the smaller wine villages in between. See all Mosel biker hotels with secure parking. The Eifel and the Nürburgring are under an hour north of Cochem, so the two regions pair naturally.