Question 1

Cochem on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Cochem is small enough to see on foot, and a simple day combines the old town, the castle and, for the view, the chairlift. Allow time for the climbs, which are short but steep. The old town: The market square has a town hall rebuilt after the destruction of 1689 and finished in 1739, a fountain with a basalt basin from 1767, and timber-framed houses from the 17th century. The Enderttor, a medieval town gate from after 1352, still stands. The Reichsburg: The castle's rooms and courtyards can be seen only on a guided tour of about 40 minutes. Tours in English run about once an hour, so ask at the souvenir shop on arrival for the next one. In the 2026 season the castle opened daily from 9:30 a.m. from mid-March to the start of November, with the last tour starting at 5 p.m., and adult tickets were €10. A shuttle up: From May to the end of October, bus line 701 runs up toward the castle and stops about 150 to 200 meters below the gate. The chairlift: The Cochemer Sesselbahn climbs to the Pinnerkreuz, a lookout above the town with a view of the castle. Hours are shorter late in the season and in rain, and an adult round trip cost €7.90 in 2026. Check times and prices before you go. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. Carry ID: Carrying ID is not a legal requirement in Germany, but if police ask and you cannot show any, they can take you to fetch your passport, so keep it or another photo ID with you.

Question 2

Food and Wine

Accepted Answer

Cochem is a center of the Moselle wine trade, and wine taverns and vintners' tasting rooms are all around the old town. The town also has an old mustard mill that still grinds its own mustard. The historic mustard mill, the Senfmühle, dates from around 1810 and makes mustards that include a Riesling mustard. The Moselle Wine Week in mid-June brings wine stands and tastings to the town. The castle runs a four-hour knights' banquet on Friday and Saturday evenings; check dates before you go.

Question 3

Tipping in Germany

Accepted Answer

In Germany a tip is usual for table service, in bars and in taxis, though nobody is obliged to leave one. Most people round the bill up, and a tip seldom goes beyond 10 percent; you pay in euros. To leave the change, you can simply say "stimmt so". Taxi drivers usually get 5 to 10 percent, and at least one euro. Fast-food counters are not tipped.

Question 4

Culture and Local Life

Accepted Answer

The castle holds a medieval festival in August and a nativity play in Advent. Most of the town's events fall between May and November. The castle holds a medieval festival on the first weekend of August. On the second or third weekend of Advent, the castle stages a nativity play of about 25 minutes in its courtyards. The Capuchin monastery above the town was founded in 1623, and its church was built between 1625 and 1628. The Catholic parish church of St. Martin keeps a late Gothic choir from between 1456 and 1503; the church itself was rebuilt in 1950 and 1951 by the architect Dominikus Böhm.

Question 5

History

Accepted Answer

Cochem grew around a castle first recorded in 1051, became a town of the Archbishops of Trier, and was nearly wiped out by French troops in 1689. Its castle was rebuilt in the 19th century by a Berlin businessman, and in the Cold War the hillside hid a secret Bundesbank bunker. Early settlement: Cochem was settled in Celtic and Roman times and first mentioned, as Villa cuchema, in 866. The castle: A castle is thought to have been built here around the year 1000 under the Count Palatine Ezzo. It is first recorded in 1051, and in 1151 King Konrad III took it over as an imperial castle. Under Trier: In 1294 King Adolf of Nassau pledged Cochem to the Archbishopric of Trier, which granted it town rights in 1332. The town walls were built soon afterward. Destruction, 1689: During the Nine Years' War, troops of Louis XIV occupied the town. On May 19, 1689, they set fire to the castle and blew it up, and most of the town was destroyed. French and Prussian rule: Cochem came under French rule from 1794 and was given to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815. The rebuilt castle: In 1868 Louis Ravené, a Berlin merchant, bought the ruin for a token sum and rebuilt it in Gothic Revival style as a summer home. His family kept it for 75 years; it was sold to the German state in 1942 and has belonged to the town since 1978. A bridge and a bigger town: A bridge across the Moselle was dedicated on January 23, 1927, and in 1932 the fishing villages of Cond and Sehl became part of Cochem. Second World War: Much of the old town was destroyed. A subcamp of the Natzweiler concentration camp operated between the nearby villages of Bruttig and Treis, where prisoners were forced to work for Bosch. Cold War: A bunker built to survive a nuclear war held 15 billion Deutsche Marks of a secret emergency currency for the Bundesbank. It is now open for guided tours. To learn more ashore: Take the guided tour of the Reichsburg, at Schlossstraße 36, which tells the castle's story.

Question 6

Cochem with Children

Accepted Answer

Cochem has a good mix for families: a real castle on a hill, a chairlift and, for older children, a Cold War bunker. The climbs are short but steep, so plan rests. Younger children: On the chairlift, one adult can sit with two children in a chair, and children under 12 must ride with an adult. At the castle, strollers must be left inside the main gate during the tour, so children are carried or walk. School age: The castle tour of about 40 minutes goes through the castle's rooms and courtyards. Visit on the first weekend of August and the medieval festival is on as well. Teenagers: The former Bundesbank bunker can be seen only on a guided tour of about 45 minutes, in German. The temperature inside is 12 °C all year, so bring a warm layer. From May 1 to November 1, a bunker shuttle runs from Endertplatz. The view: The Pinnerkreuz, at the top of the chairlift, gives a view of the castle and the valley.

Question 7

Accessible Travel

Accepted Answer

The castle can be reached without steps but not without steep slopes, and its tour cannot be done in a wheelchair or with a rollator because of stairs inside. The chairlift does not take wheelchairs. The footpath from the market square up Schlossstraße is paved or cobbled with no steps, but it is steep. The shuttle bus stops 150 to 200 meters below the castle, and the last stretch from the stop is also steep. For visitors with very limited mobility, the castle recommends going up by taxi. Inside, the tour climbs 30 steps to the first floor, goes down 15 steps on a narrow spiral staircase and then 10 more, and there is no way around them. The castle is step-free only as far as the main gate, and the courtyards are surfaced with gravel and cobblestones. The chairlift is not accessible and cannot carry wheelchairs. Staff will stop it for passengers with disabilities to board and leave on request, but cannot guarantee it is suitable. In winter, the town bus to the Bundesbank bunker stops both at Brauselaystraße, reached by steps, and at Am Wald, without steps.

Cochem

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