The Historiensäule or "History Column" was presented to Koblenz from the state of…read moreRhineland-Palatinate in 1992 to commemorate its 2000th anniversary. Installation was delayed until 2000 due to sculptor Jürgen Weber's illness. The column tells the 2000-year history of Koblenz in ten scenes, from Roman times to the present day. What hits hard is that 4 of the 10 scenes are destructive: i.e., crusades/ slave trade, Thirty Years War/ witch hunts of the Counter Reformation, French Revolution, and WWII. https://www.visit-koblenz.de/en/sights/history-column

This is a very interesting and beautiful fountain in old town Koblenz. It is surrounded right now…read moreby a Christmas market and is kinda difficult to see when it is crowded. We were in town and were able to get back on a Monday morning before the markets opened for the day.

I truly loved every minute of visiting this quaint historical town right near the Mosel. If you…read morelove wine, particularly Riesling, this is definitely the place to go. The historical tours you can take here and just exploring the old town and surrounding areas is breathtaking and very reasonable in price. Lots of nice things to see, friendly people, and great food! It made for a great visit for myself and one of my dearest friends.

Riding the valley? Amazing. Town? Slightly over-rated.read more

What a fantastically beautiful medieval village. We've been here so many times; yet each visit we…read morefind something new (to us, obviously, since the village is 700+ years old). The number and variety of half-timbered houses is amazing. Wander around the altstadt through the alleys and stairs. You won't be disappointed.

This sharp curve in the Rhein has destroyed countless ships and cost the lives of countless…read moresailors. According to legend, they were distracted by the song from this sorceress. True or not, there is now a statue of the maiden since 1983 at the tip of the mole. And there are still shipwrecks here, as recently as 2011. Or you can skip the walking as I did and follow the signs to the drive to the top of the promontory and get a tremendous view of the Rhein gorge. There is a cafe (currently closed), public restroom (50c to enter) and a parking lot (€3) with a short walk to the cliffside. The views on a clear day like today were perfect and it was interesting to watch the ships navigate the corner. [Round number review 16400 overall - 205 in Germany - 1907 of 2021.]

Legend has it that a siren sang a song so beautiful here that the captains didn't pay attention to…read morethe course and wrecked their vessels here. Today it is a spot that we have looked forward to seeing for our journey down the Rhine. Passing by on the river let's you understand the dangers that early travelers faced here. Now a statue sits in view here along the banks of the songstress that lured so many souls to their doom.

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Upper Middle Rhine Valley…read more Construction of the present iteration of Ehrenbreitstein Fortress was completed in 1817 by the kingdom of Prussia as part of the fortress of Koblenz. The first traces of human habitation date from around 3,000 B.C. An archaeological dig in 2003 at the Fahnenturm (Flag tower) uncovered the remains of a Celtic nobleman's residence. Later, a Roman fortress, a medieval castle, and until 1801 a baroque fortress and residence were built here. After its destruction by the French, Ehrenbreitstein was a ruin until the foundation stone for the current fortress was laid in 1817. On its completion in 1828, the fortress was considered impregnable. This version of the fortress was never attacked. This place was every military fort design fantasy brought to life. Warfare has changed so much since then. Summary and captions adapted from the Orientation Map for the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress provided by the Cultural Centre of the Koblenz State Museum. https://www.visit-koblenz.de/sehe.../festung-ehrenbreitstein

Took a ride with my (slightly scared of heights) girlfriend in the cable car up to the fort. The…read morebuilding is in a better condition than I previously expected. Very well done. Plenty of interesting things to see, from objects they recovered from the grounds of the area to photos of old armies and of course the Americans in WW2. The only downside was that my girlfriend does not understand German all that well, so she was a little annoyed that pretty much all of the signs only had German text on them to explain what you see. I believe there was something she could have gotten, though. Like a brochure in English or even some sort of audio guide device. So, keep that in mind.

Stunning. Nearly unbelievable that it's real!…read more Beautiful medieval castle overlooking Cochem and the Moselle River. The scenery is extraordinary. The castle tour is well worth it as is the drive to it. There is a small cafe/restaurant there. We had some excellent soups and some nice beers. Prices were reasonable considering the incredible view and historic setting. Pro Tip on Parking: Just keep driving up. The parking is all the way up by the castle and there are several areas. Many people park down the road and walk up. Don't do this... unless you want the cardio. Pro Tip on Photos: There are several excellent photo stops while on the drive down into Cochem before driving up to the castle as in my photos. Pro Tip on Cochem: Very cool town. Tourist restaurants are on the castle side of the river but there are a couple great places on the other side of the river that offer higher quality fare and a great view of the castle.

It's a relatively small castle, but what makes it outstanding is the view it offers of Mosel river…read moreand valley. Totally worth it just for that alone, and there are some interesting things to see inside as well. Highly recommend taking the bus from downtown (terminal is right next to the tourist office) to save the walk, unless you enjoy hiking up the steep hill. Most tours are in German, and when we arrived, we spent too much time snapping pictures in front of the castle (should have done that AFTER the tour), so we missed the English tour by a few minutes. Not wanting to wait a while for the next one, we joined the German tour. We were given a page of info in English (there are many languages available), although we definitely missed out on the jokes as the Germans chuckled once in a while. On the return trip, we got off at the old town instead of the bus terminal, where we get to see the shops and eateries. Makes for a great day trip when staying in the area.