Walking in the Romantic Rhine and Moselle Valley

The Rhine and Mosel Rivers form the backbone of Germany's wine-growing regions, which are home to some of the world's most distinctive white wines. The Mosel River begins in France and flows into Germany where it twists sharply for 150 miles (250 km) and deposits into the Rhine on its way to the North Sea.

The Rhine valley wines are often medium dry white wines, which has led to the term “Rhine wine” being used for white blends and Rhine-inspired wine. The Mosel Valley is similar and is included when describing 'Rhine' wines. 

Several wine regions are located along the Rhine River, including Alsace in northern France and Nahe, Rheinhessen, Mosel (formerly Mosel-Saar-Ruwer), Pfalz, and Baden, in Germany.

4 Types of Grapes Used to Make Rhine and Mosel Wines

Many grapes are grown near the Rivers (including red wine grapes), but these are some of the best known.

Riesling: Riesling is perhaps the most famous grape grown in the Rhine and Mosel River Valley. Its reputation was built on sweet white wine, but it can also make a dry wine.

Müller-Thurgau: A cross between Riesling and reliable Silvaner, this early-ripening German variety has notes of peach.

Gewürztraminer: One of the most popular Alsace grapes, Gewürztraminer produces full-bodied, intensely aromatic white wines.

Pinot Gris: Although it originated in Burgundy, Pinot Gris is most popular in Alsace, where it's used to make rich, dry wines.

What does the wine taste like?

Rhine and Mosel valley wines vary immensely in taste. In Germany, designations for different styles of wine include Kabinett and Auslese. Wines designated as Kabinett are the lightest and least sweet of the German wine system. Auslese wines are sweet and high in alcohol, often made with grapes affected by noble rot.

Explore some of the best walking regions in Germany, from sacred lakes, enchanted black forests, to the otherworldly peaks reaching for the sky and revel in a little slice of nature’s paradise in Germany. Walk in Bavaria, and it’s Alps with their classic alpine scenery and sweeping panoramas of the Allgäu Alps, discover the mystical Black Forest, fairy-tale castles of the romantic Rhine Valley, the Mosel Valley with its curiously steep vineyards or Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland with its rocky outcrops – to name but a few examples. Walkers really are spoiled for choice, with every region boasting its own unique characteristics and customs.

Mosel and Rhine Valley

Quieter, stunning regions to visit are the Mosel and Rhine Valley. The walking is less challenging as on either you wander from between the quaint villages and through local vineyards. You can follow the Rhine as it cuts deeply through the Rhenish slate mountains, meandering between hillside castles and steep fields of wine-producing grapes. You can choose an in Style experience on our Rhine in Style Walking trip. Our Mosel Valley tour will take you through forested hillsides alternate with craggy cliffs and near-vertical terraced vineyards.

The Black Forest

Germany’s iconic Black Forest has been the inspiration for the famous Brothers Grimm fairytales and other German myths and legends. Located in the southwest in the state of Baden-Württemberg, it’s one of the most popular hiking and trekking locations. The area is packed with mountainous terrain, miles of breathtaking forest dotted in between charming little villages. Our Black Forest Gorge trip takes in the highlights of the region.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

This little town located in the Bavarian Alps is a hiker’s dream. The town lies near the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest peak. It is the perfect starting point for an alpine walking tour in the Bavarian Alps and the adventurous cross the Tyrolean Alps into Austria and Italy on our challenging Tyrolean Alps: Garmisch to Sterzing

Berchtesgaden National Park

This mountainous landscape in Bavaria is referred to as the Eagles Nest. It has a network of trails for both newbie and experienced trekkers. Hikes in this region ensure a day well spent in the mountain. The national park is known for its impressive wildlife—especially wonderful sightings include the golden eagle and red deer. A hike to the magnificent Königssee is also recommended all of which you can explore on our Bavarian Alps: Hiking the Salt Trail.

Harz Mountains

The Harz Mountains is an off the beaten track way to discover Germany as you come across the beautiful wilderness in unspoilt forests, deep valleys, wild rivers and blossoming mountain meadows. Encounter local history and the local regions culture as you follow in the footsteps of witches on our Harz Witches Trail, think picturesque, historic half-timbered towns, countless relics from the mining era, mysterious caves, old castles, spiritual places and nostalgic steam trains.

Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland

Situated close to Dresden, the beauty of Sächsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland) is of mythical proportions. Ancient, fingerlike rock formations make it the perfect location for climbing and hiking. The huge national park is known for its sandstone formations and splendid valleys and waterfalls. Discover more on our Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland trip.

Macs Adventure has been running self-guided walking holidays in Germany since 2008.  Whether you like mountains and hills, lakes, rivers, dreamy villages and well preserved medieval cities, Germany has something to offer for everyone. This abundance of wonderful places to explore led us to seek out more and more areas to help people discover Germany on foot. 

From humble beginnings, we now send over 2000 walkers to Germany every year, each walking the route that excites them the most. We provide the freedom to choose your route, itinerary and travel companions and discover Germany at your own pace. 

We know how daunting it can be, setting off on an adventure of this scale and we quickly realized how important it was to have amazing partners on the ground in Germany to deal with any issues that you might come across.  We are proud to say that we work incredibly closely with all our accommodation suppliers and luggage transfer teams, and should you have the slightest issue, they will fall over themselves to help you out. 

We offer a flexible, tailor-made hiking experience that gets you comfortable, friendly overnight accommodation in local B&Bs and guesthouses. We carry your bags to lighten your load so you can concentrate on simply putting one foot in front of the other and enjoying the unique culture, food and scenery of Germany. No hostels, no leaky tents, no heavy bags on your back just a straightforward active holiday that you can book with confidence that we have it all covered for you. 

We want to showcase our expertise by giving you all the resources you will ever need.  We have free guides, comprehensive videos, and a host of staff with their own German experiences in the planning stage, waiting to answer your questions. On the route, we use high-quality digital mapping and the best maps and guidebooks to make sure you find your way.  

We love the diversity of walking in Germany, and our main aim is to make sure that you do too.