Cochem: Cochem Castle, chairlift and Moselle old town

The town beneath the castle

Cochem is the Moselle town that appears on every postcard of the region. The reason stands 100 metres above the river: Cochem Castle, which from the old town is in view down every lane.

With just under 4,900 inhabitants Cochem is small — and still the most visited place on the Lower Moselle. If you come in summer, plan for that; in autumn and spring the lanes belong more to the locals.

One point of orientation that many texts get wrong: Cochem lies in the Moselle valley, framed by the heights of the Eifel to the north and the Hunsrück to the south. For tourism purposes the district of Cochem-Zell is counted as part of the Eifel — but “Cochem in the Eifel", with no mention of the Moselle, is misleading.

Cochem Castle

Opening times 2026: daily 9:30 to 17:00 (start of the last guided tour) Important: the castle and its courtyards can only be seen on a guided tour — you cannot simply wander around on your own.

Prices: adults 10.00 € · children aged 6–17 5.00 € · school pupils over 18 and students 9.00 € · groups of 12 or more 9.00 € · family ticket 26.00 €

A word on the history, which the older text only hinted at: the castle was blown up by French troops in 1689, during the War of the Palatine Succession. It lay in ruins for almost two centuries, until Louis Ravené bought it in 1866 and had it rebuilt in neo-Gothic style from 1868. So what you see today is largely a 19th-century building on medieval foundations — that takes nothing away from the impression it makes, but it explains the architecture.

The castle has belonged to the town of Cochem since 1978.

Chairlift, bunker and mustard mill

The chairlift to the Pinnerkreuz Season 28 March to 4 November 2026. Single trip 4.90 € for adults and 1.90 € for children aged 4–14; return trip 6.90 € and 2.90 €; family ticket 17.00 €. At the top you get the best view of the bend in the Moselle and of the castle from the other side. If you are steady on your feet, walk one leg of it.

The Bundesbank bunker Beneath an unremarkable house lies the Bundesbank’s former emergency headquarters — the reserve currency for a national crisis was stored here. Visits by guided tour only, around 45 minutes. Daily from 1 April 2026, with tours at 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00; from 1 July to 1 November also at 10:30 and 16:00. Children under 7 free.

The Historische Senfmühle mustard mill Daily 10:00 to 18:00, all year round and on Sundays and public holidays too. Tours at 11:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00, around 30 minutes, 2.50 € per person, children up to 11 free. A small, surprisingly entertaining stop — and one of the few that works in the rain.

The two wine festivals

• Mosel-Wein-Woche, the Moselle wine week: 3 to 7 June 2026, Endertplatz, free admission, fireworks on Friday at 22:30
• Heimat- und Weinfest, the local wine festival: 27 to 31 August 2026, Moselpromenade and Marktplatz

Advent in Cochem

Three different events:

• Christmas market: 27 November to 20 December 2026, Fridays to Sundays, in the lanes of the old town
• Adventszauber at Cochem Castle: 5 and 6 December, 11:00–18:00, with promenade theatre after Dickens
• Burgweihnacht: 12 and 13 December, 12:00–18:00, a live nativity play with real animals

Details in our article Christmas markets in the Eifel.

More places to visit

• Moselle boat trips — round trips and scheduled services from the landing stage
• Cochemer Ritterrunde premium trail
• Winneburg Castle — a ruin above the Endertbach valley
• Balduinstor and Martinstor — remains of the old town fortifications
• Vineyards and the wine trail on the steep slopes

Getting Here

Take the A48, leave at Kaisersesch, then around 15 kilometres. From Rieden it is about 42 kilometres, roughly 45 minutes.

By train, Cochem is well served on the Koblenz–Trier Moselle line.

Tourist information: Ferienland Cochem, Endertplatz 1.