Germany is dotted with a number of stunning castles. From the infamous winter castle in the Bavaria region to Burg Eltz, there is no shortage of fairytale castles in Germany. Check out this blog post to get tips and tricks and get the complete guide to Cochem Castle.

Who doesn’t love a day-cation? Cochem Castle is one of the most sought after castles in Germany, and rightfully so! You can see amazing views from all over and not to mention the interior of the castle is just as pretty. There are some hidden passages and folk tales surrounding this fairytale caste and this blog post gives you the complete guide to Cochem Castle.

Fun facts about Cochem and Cochem Castle:

Cochem falls under the Kusel district and it is nestled in the stunning Moselle Valley. I’ve seen many videos of it covered in snow but it is just as pretty during summertime! Scroll down for views of the valley from the castle 👇🏼 Cochem is a wine village and the castle is located on top of a hill surrounded by vineyards! You can sit in the castle’s cafeteria and enjoy a glass of German wine or beer or get yourself a wine bottle from one of the shops in the village. The village is your quintessential German village with small pubs, souvenir shops and half-timbered houses. The perfect spot for a cool Insta picture if you ask me!

As for the castle, it was owned by a number of prominent people and families before the district took possession of it. As you will see later on, it is filled with history and who doesn’t love a good view on a nice, hot German day?

 

BEST TIME TO VISIT COCHEM CASTLE:

This is common sense but I would definitely recommend visiting around Spring and Summertime. Walking around the open courtyard and the village in the rain is no fun. Also, you can enjoy a boat ride down the valley with a glass of wine in your hand if the weather permits. However, you can also visit during the wintertime when it snows. Like I mentioned above, the Moselle Valley covered in snow looks absolutely beautiful.

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Somethings you should know:

Unlike Burg Eltz & Eilean Donan castles, you can’t roam freely around the castle. You would need to go to the souvenir shop and buy yourself a ticket for one of the tours and it is definitely worth it. There are German and English tours and for a 40-minute English tour, we paid €6 each. English tours happen every twenty-thirty minutes. As for parking, you can park your car at the bottom of the village or there’s parking by the castle. We walked up the small hill and were immediately in the castle’s courtyard.

Cochem Castle is a popular tourist destination so expect some crowds. We went on a Sunday and it was packed. Nonetheless, we still enjoyed it!

GETTING ON WITH THE TOUR:

After eating a decadent Apple Strudel in the castle’s cafeteria & sipping on some German beer, we gathered with the rest of the people on the tour in front of the gate, met our tour guide and proceeded to go round the castle. Our tour guide (I didn’t catch her name but she was a German lady with red, curly hair) was fantastic. She took us around the castle and the different rooms and explained everything in great detail.

We walked around the courtyard before going into the castle and it was absolutely stunning. Since tourists aren’t allowed to roam freely around the castle, the courtyard is really peaceful and quiet.

Cochem castle first belonged to a German family and then the archbishops of Trier took possession of it. After many years, a French wealthy family, whose wealth came from the railroads, took ownership of the castle. As of today, the castle became the property of the state. The castle survived many wars and foreign occupations!

Currently, only the housekeeper and a cute black and white cat live in the castle.

After the brief history about the past and present ownership of the castle, we proceeded to the rooms. The first room was a banquet hall with beautiful stained glass windows!

Fun fact: back in the day, people used to drink 4-5 litres of wine. Water was dirty so people drank wine instead. However, the alcohol percentage wasn’t as high as how it is today.

One intricate detail that caught my eye was the design of the ceiling and the china. According to the tour guide, the design of the ceiling is Dutch-inspired and the china is all the way from Delft!

BELOW IMAGES ARE IN SLIDER MODE.

In the next room, there was a mermaid hanging from the ceiling symbolized luck. People used to touch it with one hand for 30 seconds, close their eyes and make a wish. You are allowed to touch it. In fact, the guide encouraged it & all of us did it.

We then walked to another banquet room. This one was bigger than the first one and there were portraits of the French family that owned the castle! Plus, the ceiling is so intricate. I love it!

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BELOW IMAGES ARE IN SLIDER MODE. 

 

The next room was the one that led to the balcony and that by far was my favourite room!

And the reason is the views of the Moselle Valley! I took over 50 pictures of just the views and it was so hard to narrow it down to my favourite three. These pictures don’t do any justice!

Fun fact: the castle has a lot of secret passageways in case of an attack or invasion dating back to Medieval times and they all lead to the centre of the village!

The room leading to the balcony was the last room we went in. The tour guide did inform us that there was a fully functioning kitchen and bathrooms. She didn’t tell us why the kitchens weren’t open to the public but I’m guessing because there was a wedding going on. Imagine having a wedding in a castle! #goals

After the tour ended, you are guided outside the castle and the gates close behind you.

I stopped to buy a small souvenir. It’s a tradition of mine where I buy a souvenir or a postcard wherever I go & place them in my travel jar! Would you like to see what’s in my travel jar? Leave a comment below!

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