Saturday some friends and I took a day trip to the town of Cochem to see the Reichsburg Cochem (Cochem Castle) and drink some great wine. Cochem sits along the Mosel River, which is known for their Riesling wine. It is a beautiful town with a myriad of restaurants and shops to enjoy while strolling along the riverside. There are ferry rides available for a very reasonable price and even a wine tram that will take you through the vineyard areas and back again in about 20 minutes, both of which can be found right in the town center.
Our family doesn’t do a lot of tours right now because of one word: toddler. It’s just not usually a pleasant experience and we wind up missing half of what the tour guide is saying anyway. But Reichsburg Cochem is not a freely-toured castle. Meaning, you cannot just go walk the grounds on your own; you must go through the castle and its grounds on a paid-for tour only. This is the only downside, in my opinion, but I am sure if they changed this it would just become too crowded. However, they do have specific tours for children available, but it is 40 minutes and probably will not be in English. Our group tour was in German, but they handed out papers with the information about the castle written in English; no audio guides are available. Papers come in 12 different languages. Tours are 6 Euros for adults; groups of 12 or more are 5 Euros pp. Family tickets are available for 12 Euros if at least two children are under 18. They also provide a 4 hour dinner feast on Fridays and Saturdays, which sounds really fun!
The castle itself is gorgeous. The original castle dates back to 1130; however, in 1689 it was completely destroyed by the French. It was bought and rebuilt in 1868 and has been owned by the town of Cochem since 1978. Today it is beautifully refurbished for all to enjoy.
The views from the castle are pretty spectacular!
Views of the outside of the castle:
From the inside:
Got some shots of my beautiful friends!
Birthday girl, Meaghan and Nicole, the little mermaid!
After touring the castle we drove down into town to explore the area. I ate an incredible rahmschnitzel and chased it down with a tall Weizen (I must admit, I’m really a beer girl…but I did have wine later!). It was so nice to just sit and talk with friends for awhile.
Isn’t this girl adorable? She was just looking extra cute here, so I had to break out my camera!
This town has me smitten.
Totally Brady-bunching it.
Ended the day with wine at a quaint restaurant in the heart of Cochem.
It was a wonderful day, and thankfully the rain held off for most of it! If you are looking for some wonderful wine and a relaxing afternoon with beautiful scenery, check out Cochem!
Reichsburg Cochem Info:
Schloßstraße 36
56812 Cochem
Daily tours from 9:00-5:00 from March-November; 10:00-3:00 in the winter
Tours last about 40 minutes and are done in German; English information sheets available to be able to follow along with.
Adults: 6 Euros
Children (6-17 years): 3 Euros
Family ticket (at least 2 kids under 18): 16 Euros
Groups of 12 or more: 5 Euros
Children tours are only available with advanced booking
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Wow! Your trip to Germany was amazing. Germany is my native country and your post is incredible. Thanks for taking the time out and sharing with us this great information. I wish you good luck, inspiration and good mood for creating new cool posts. Please keep me updated!