Favorite Concerts & Performances in Europe

When it comes to concerts and performances, Europe is like a chocolate box brimming over with artsy flavors. Venues in every city and town showcase a wide range of musical styles, from classical to traditional to rock.

In addition to music concerts, you’ll find plenty of theater and dance performances, along with festivals and special events.

Gregg and I reminisce most often about the many wonderful performances we’ve enjoyed during our European travels. Some of our favorite memories are of performances we stumbled across, often as a result of chatting with locals and fellow travelers, noticing posters and flyers, and checking out “What’s On” pages on local websites.

Gregg and I reflected in the ultra-modern façade of the Paris Philharmonie

Overview

While I’m always open to serendipity when it comes to choosing performances and concerts, I also believe in planning ahead. I suggest that as soon as you know the dates of your trip, go online and search for concerts, performances, festivals and other live events that will be on while you’re traveling.

A search for “musicals in London”, “classical concerts in Paris”, or “dance performances, Seville” should yield good results. You can also use generic searches such as “what’s on in Berlin” or “concerts in Vienna” and then narrow down the choices to focus on the music genres that interest you.

In this post, I share some of the memorable concerts and performances we’ve enjoyed, listed by city.

Amsterdam

One of Europe’s most beautiful concert halls is Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, located across from the Museumplein. Free lunchtime concerts are held on Wednesdays in the small concert hall adjacent to the main hall.

On a recent visit to Amsterdam, we enjoyed a lively performance by two vibraphonists. Check the website to find out what’s on when you’re in Amsterdam. You’ll join locals and very few other tourists for a marvelous (and free!) musical experience.

Exterior of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, a great place to see concerts and performances in Europe
The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam

Barcelona

The Ópera y Flamenco performance at the astonishingly exquisite Palau de la Música Catalana is not to be missed. Even if Ópera y Flamenco is not playing when you’re visiting Barcelona, check out the Palau de la Música Catalana website to see what’s on and, if possible, get tickets. A visit to the Palau de la Música will quite simply blow your mind!

The magnificent stained glass at the Palau de la Música Catalana

Built between 1905 and 1908 by the modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, the Palau de la Música Catalana is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you can’t get tickets to a performance, you can still take a tour of the building.

Berlin

If you’re a classical music fan, check out what’s on at the impressive home of the Berlin Philharmonic (Berlin Philharmoniker). The building itself is fabulous with wonderful acoustics and worth touring even if you can’t see a concert there. We enjoyed an awe-inspiring performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring performed by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.

Exterior of the Berlin Philharmonic, a stunning venue for  concerts and performances in Europe
The Berlin Philharmoniker

Check out the concert calendar and buy tickets from the Berlin Philharmoniker website.

Cologne

While we usually book tickets well in advance, we’re always open to attending concerts on the spur of the moment. One such memorable concert was at the Kölner Philharmonie, a magnificent concert hall a stone’s throw from Cologne’s famous cathedral and in the same complex as the wonderful Ludwig Museum.

We had just finished visiting the Romano-Germanic-Museum (a must-see!) and were walking past the Kölner Philharmonie when we noticed a poster for the evening’s concert. The programme appealed to us and so we inquired at the box office about tickets. The very friendly, English-speaking attendant told us that tickets were available and at a price we considered incredibly reasonable, at least compared to what we were accustomed to paying in Vancouver.

Two hours later, we took our seats in one of the most dazzling modern concert halls I’d ever been in. Built in 1986, the Kölner Philharmonie is constructed like an amphitheatre and provides near-perfect acoustics. Even the size and padding of the seats have been selected to ensure constant acoustics regardless of whether the seat is occupied.

Check the Kölner Philharmonie website to see what’s on.

Leipzig

Marvelous Leipzig is a must-visit for classical music lovers, particularly if you adore (like I do!) the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Read my post about our visit to the Bach Museum (I still swoon when I think of it!).

While in Leipzig, we attended a wonderful concert at the famed Gewandhaus where the young Clara Wieck (who became Clara Schumann and the inspiration for my second novel, A Woman of Note) debuted as a solo pianist in 1828. Many other famous musicians have played at Gewandhaus and for that reason I was curious to see a performance there.

Exterior of the Gewandhaus concert venue in Leipzig, Germany, a stunning venue for  concerts and performances in Europe
Gewandhaus concert hall in Leipzig, Germany

The ultra-modern Gewandhaus concert hall is nothing like the venue Clara played in, and is, in fact, the third concert hall to bear the name Gewandhaus, the first being built in 1781, the second in 1884 (designed by famed architect Martin Gropius), and the current hall in 1981.

We snagged tickets to a solo piano concert of music by Mozart and Chopin. What a treat, and, at less than $30CDN per ticket, probably the best value for a concert I’ve ever enjoyed. At the interval, we thought the concert was over. The pianist had played for so long that we couldn’t imagine he’d be able to perform any longer. As we prepared to leave, a local woman came up to us and told us in careful English that it was only the break and that we needed to stay for the second half. Gratefully, we returned to the concert hall to enjoy another ninety minutes of jaw-dropping music performed by the very hard-working pianist.

Check the Gewandhaus website to see what’s on.

Lisbon

When you’re visiting Lisbon, make time for a fado performance (or two). We favor the smaller clubs with intimate performances over the more touristy offerings.

A fado guitar; see fado performances while traveling in Portugal

Our favorite place for fado in Lisbon is Restaurante Canto do Camões on Travessa da Espera in the Bairro Alto. It’s low-key, with a friendly owner, good food, reasonable prices, and lots of fado. When we were there, singers dropped in, performed a few songs designed to rip our hearts out, collected a few euros from the proprietor, and then left, presumably to go sing in another place. Sadly, Restaurante Canto do Camões is now closed permanently; however, you’ll find other small restaurants that feature fado in the Bairro Alto and the Alfama.

You can also see fado performances in Porto and Coimbra. In Porto, we loved the performance at the Casa da Guitarra, which also included a glass of port. In Coimbra, fado is only sung by men. We saw a troupe of men who sing wearing traditional costumes at À Capella, a 14th-century chapel that includes a bar and tapas with the live fado serenades.

Skyline of Coimbra in Portugal, a great place to hear fado
Coimbra is a charming town and a great place to enjoy fado

London

The first thing I do after booking a trip to London is check out what’s playing in the West End and what’s on at the National Theater and the Globe. I’ve enjoyed so many memorable performances in London, starting in the 1970s when I was a student at Reading University, a 40-minute train ride from the bright lights of the West End. In those days, performances in London were so reasonably priced that even a student could afford them! Even now, I find that prices for musicals in the West End are far below what I’ve paid in New York.

View of a street in London's busy west end theater district; visit London to see plenty of awesome concerts and performances while traveling in Europe.
London’s busy West End has plenty of great theaters

Go to the London Theatre website, see what’s on and get tickets well in advance. You can also take your chances during your trip and purchase last-minute tickets, often at a reduced rate. However, I don’t recommend doing this for a performance that you really want to see.

But if you are flexible and open to seeing what’s playing, you could well get lucky. On a trip to London in 2018, I got a ticket for Mamma Mia on the day of the performance for just 40 GBP.

Before going to the theater, enjoy an early dinner at one of the many restaurants in the West End advertising pre-theatre menus.

And while planning your entertainment options in London, don’t forget to check out what’s on at venues such as the Albert Hall and the Barbican Centre. Another option is the lunchtime and evening concerts at the achingly lovely St Martin-in-the-Fields near Trafalgar Square.

Exterior of Saint Martins-in-the-Fields in London, a venue for classical music concerts
Saint Martins-in-the-Fields next to Trafalgar Square in London hosts classical music concerts

Paris

We love going to concerts in Paris. Spectacular venues such as the Opéra Bastille, the Paris Philharmonie and Sainte-Chapelle enhance the musical experiences, and the quality of the performances is always first-rate. Here are just a few of the venues to check out, particularly if you are a classical music lover.

Opéra Bastille

Seeing an opera in Paris is definitely a cool experience, and one that we hope to repeat as restrictions continue to lift. One of our most memorable opera experiences was seeing Götterdämmerung at the Opéra Bastille. Talk about mind-exploding!

Exterior of the Opera Bastille in Paris, a stunning venue for concerts and performances in Europe
Opéra Bastille in Paris

The Opéra national de Paris presents operas at two venues—the ultra chic and modern Opéra Bastille and the sumptuously decorated and historic Opéra Garnier. Check the website for the Opéra national de Paris.

Paris Philharmonie

The Philharmonie de Paris is just breathtaking! Located in Parc de la Villette in the northeast of Paris, the Philharmonie is a complex of buildings that also house exhibition spaces and rehearsal rooms. We attended a performance in the symphonic concert hall—a 2,400-seat über-modern venue designed by Jean Nouvel and opened in January 2015. It was a stunning experience.

Interior of the Paris Philharmonie

Check the website for upcoming performances and events.

Piano Concerts at Église Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre

Located just across the Seine from Notre-Dame Cathedral in the 5th arrondissement, the Église Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre is one of the oldest churches in Paris. Concerts featuring either solo piano or duos (e.g., violin and piano or cello and piano) are frequently held there—and they are well worth attending. We’ve been to several. Tickets are reasonably priced, the venue is deliciously ancient and atmospheric, and the quality of the playing is first-rate.

Exterior of Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre in the 5th arrondisement in Paris, across the Seine from Notre-Dame Cathedral. The church is a lovely venue for concerts and performances in Europe.
Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre is just across the Seine from Notre-Dame Cathedral

Check the website for upcoming concerts and keep an eye out for posters in the area (that’s how we discovered what was on).

Sainte-Chapelle Concerts

Fancy spending an hour or two staring up at sublimely beautiful stained glass supported by impossibly slender columns while listening to sublimely beautiful classical music? Then check out the website for Sainte-Chapelle’s concerts and purchase tickets for a performance. You won’t be disappointed!

Imagine listening to music surrounded by this view!

We’ve enjoyed several concerts at Sainte-Chapelle and have always been transported into ever higher planes of awesomeness. A favorite evening out is to enjoy the performance at 7 pm and then to wander starry-eyed through the cobbled streets of Île de la Cité to Île Saint-Louis and dine at one of the many small bistros in the area. Artsy traveling doesn’t get much better!

Seville

We’re firm fans of flamenco. See my post describing the flamenco performance we enjoyed on our first visit to Seville. In Seville, you can see flamenco at several venues. I recommend two.

A flamenco dancer dressed in red; a flamenco performance is not to be missed while traveling in Seville, Spain
A flamenco performance will captivate you!

Flamenco Museum

From the website, purchase the combo ticket that includes the museum and a late afternoon flamenco performance that will leave you breathless.

Los Gallos

Situated in a charming little courtyard in the heart of Seville, Los Gallos is an intimate venue with world-class talent. Sip the Sangria included in the ticket price and prepare to be blasted into the stratosphere.

Stratford-upon-Avon

Every time I visit England, I do my best to squeeze in a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon to see a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company. I have been fortunate to see many wondrous performances there, including productions of Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet that both starred the incomparable David Tennant.

Exteior of the main theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, one of the world's most famous venues for theater performances in Europe
Main theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon

When I was a student at Reading University, a two-hour drive southeast of Stratford-upon-Avon, I frequently made the trek to see a performance. I was studying for a degree in English Literature so taking in as many Shakespeare productions as possible was almost mandatory.

You can see Shakespeare productions at the Globe in London and the experience is highly recommended. However, I must admit that I prefer the productions at Stratford-upon-Avon. The seating is more comfortable, and the quality is top-notch. I liken seeing a production by the Royal Shakespeare Company as the auditory equivalent of looking at high-quality cut crystal. Every word and gesture is crisp and perfect.

When you go up to Stratford-upon-Avon to slake your Shakespeare yen, you also get the bonus of having time to wander the charming streets of Stratford. Sure, it’s a bit touristy, but so what? I love touring Shakespeare’s birthplace, paying my respects at his grave in the church, and watching the swans glide by on the River Avon.

Exterior of Shakespeare's home in Stratford-upon-Avon in England
Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon

In August 2022, I’ll be visiting Stratford-upon-Avon again, this time to catch a performance of Richard III. Although admittedly not my favorite of Shakespeare’s History plays, I know I’ll see a production to remember.

Visit the RSC’s website for details about upcoming productions in Stratford-upon-Avon and London.

Venice

On one visit to Venice, we were strolling through the quiet streets after dark when we noticed a young man dressed in 18th-century garb and carrying a violin case hurry past. We caught up to him and asked if he was a musician. He told us he was on his way to play a concert of 17th- and 18th-century music in a church. Did we like music like that?

Is Vivaldi Venetian?

Yes!

We followed him to the church and half an hour later were sitting beneath a mural painted by Titian and listening to a selection of Venetian classical music favorites. Bliss! The orchestra was clad in 18th-century garb and the performance was obviously aimed at tourists, but that didn’t affect the quality of the musicianship or the depth of our enjoyment.

A mask and violin representing music in Venice, a place with many venues for concerts and performances
Hearing Baroque music in Venice just makes sense!

After the concert, we floated out into a warm evening to find ourselves moments later at the edge of the Grand Canal. A barge filled with another group of musicians in period dress slid past, the music wafting through the balmy air like the rustling of silk stockings.

Magical!

In Venice, several venues feature classical music concerts. Check out the Music in Venice website for programs and dates.

Verona

The Arena di Verona, the Roman amphitheatre in Verona, Italy, periodically presents operas to hundreds of fans who are mostly perched on the edge of very hard, very ancient Roman stone steps. We know because several years ago, we were such fans. To read about an evening that has become synonymous with disaster in our family, check out Meltdown in Verona.

Our experience aside, attending a performance at the Roman arena in Verona could be the magical experience we’d expected. The detailed RM Europa Tickets website contains information about all the opera festivals in Europe in 2022. You’ll find opera festivals in almost all European countries, along with a detailed list of venues and schedules, including the Arena di Verona.

The Arena di Verona, a venue for grand operas and other concerts and performances in Italy
Arena di Verona

Vienna

You can’t walk two feet in Vienna’s Stephansplatz without tripping over a bewigged young person trying to sell you tickets to a performance of Strauss, Mozart, or both. Vienna has several venues featuring tourist-oriented shows designed to showcase the oldie goldies of several of its most famous composers, particularly Johann Strauss.

The last time I visited Vienna, traveling solo, I attended a delightful string quartet concert at the gorgeous Sala Terrena, an intimate and heavily decorated venue in the center of the city. Mozart allegedly lived in the building in which the Sala Terrena is housed when he first came to Vienna as a young man. While you wait for the concert to begin, feast your eyes on the riotous Baroque frescoes and look out especially for the leopard! For more about my experience at the Sala Terrena concert, check out my post on Music in Vienna.

Interior of the Sala Terrena in Vienna, a charming venue for classical concerts and performances
Some of the frescoes at the Sala Terrena in Vienna

On the same trip to Vienna, I took the tram and then a bus out to Schloss Laudon (Water Palace) in the bucolic countryside surrounding Vienna to attend a concert that was part of the five-day Schloss Laudon festival. I discovered the festival while planning my trip to Vienna and was very glad I managed to snag a ticket for a performance that featured an early Beethoven piano trio in the style of Haydn and a marvelous rendition of Tchaikovsky’s piano trio.

Hamburg

In Hamburg, get tickets to see a performance at the ultra-modern Elbphilharmonie, one of the world’s most stunning concert halls.

Conclusion

Before you travel, check websites for venues and performance times and budget as much money as you can spare for live entertainment. You’ll be making memories that last a lifetime.

And keep a lookout for local folk performances that are often free, with some even encouraging participation. You’ll typically find these advertised in flyers and on posters. Watch a flag-waving demonstration by young people dressed in medieval garb in Siena, dance the Sardana in front of Barcelona Cathedral along with hundreds of locals and tourists, watch a concert featuring ancient instruments in a tiny chapel in Les Baux de Provence, and more!

Keep your eyes and ears open; you never know what’s around the next corner.

Statue featuring several figures dancing the Sardana, a traditional dance in Barcelona, Spain
Statue commemorating the Sardana in Barcelona

Have you attended concerts while traveling in Europe? Share your experiences and recommendations in the Comments below. Here are some more posts that feature information about concert-going in Europe:

View of castle in Germany

Exploring Favorite Regions in Germany for the Artsy Traveler

Germany has much to offer the Artsy Traveler–from the museums of bustling Berlin to the pastoral landscapes of the Rhine Valley and a lot in between.

In this post, I review some of my favorite regions in Germany and include recommendations for what to see and where to stay.

The map below shows the destinations I’ve visited and recommend for artsy traveling.

Map of Germany

Cologne and the Rhine Valley

Add Cologne and a short cruise along the Rhine to your Germany trip. Here’s a suggested itinerary for a week in this magical area.

Days 1 and 2: Cologne

Day 3: Bonn

Days 4 and 5: St. Goar to home base, then take a cruise down the Rhine to Bacharach (about an hour) and the local train back to St. Goar

Days 6 and 7: Stay in Cochem and explore the Mosel Valley for a day or visit Trier with its excellent Roman ruins.

Town of Bacharach in the Rhine Valley in Germany
The Rhine Valley at Bacharach is fairytale land

See more details about this itinerary in Exploring Cologne and the Rhine Valley.

Berlin

Gregg and I spent a week in Berlin when he had an exhibition there and so had lots of time to explore this remarkable city. The weight of history is heavy in Berlin but at the same time, the city is energetic and forward-looking.

From an artsy perspective, Berlin is up there with London and Paris as one of Europe’s premier cultural capitals.

Read my suggestions for enjoying up to a week in Booming Berlin: Your Artsy Guide.

Leipzig

This city retains some of its East German past—dreary apartment blocks, cheap tickets to music concerts, and Ampelmänn (Ampelmännchen in German).

When you travel in Germany, you know when you’re in a city or region that was once part of East Germany by the crosswalk signals for pedestrians. We first spotted the red Stop and green Go Ampelmännchen in Leipzig and again in Berlin when we were in neighborhoods that used to be behind the Berlin Wall.

Green Ampelmänn pedestrian go sign in Germany
Ampelmänn says Go
Red Ampelmänn pedestrian stop sign in Germany
Ampelmänn says Stop

I became rather fond of Ampelmänn and even bought a plastic walking man for my keychain. For a dizzying variety of Ampelmännchen schlock, visit the Ampelmänn shops in Berlin (see more in Booming Berlin: Your Artsy Guide).

The big draw in Leipzig is Johann Sebastian Bach. I’d always wanted to visit Leipzig because of its connection to Bach and finally got my wish in 2015. The Bach Museum has to be one of the world’s finest music museums.

Leipzig has a marvelous pedestrian area teeming with restaurants. Different varieties of beer from various regions all over Europe are featured. When I asked for a beer that was local to Leipzig in a restaurant that only served beer from Munich, I got a very frosty reception from the server. Apparently, it’s a faux pas to order Leipzig beer in a Bavarian-themed restaurant. Who knew?

The people of Leipzig are proud of their contribution to the dissolution of East Germany. The pivotal day of the Peaceful Revolution was October 9, 1989 when 70,000 protestors marched into the center of Leipzig crying “We are the People!” and “No violence”.

The young man at the hotel desk, who probably wasn’t even alive in 1989, was eager to tell us all about it when we checked in.

Munich

Like Berlin, Munich is a must-see city in Germany. Alas, I haven’t been back to Munich since our family trip in the 1990s which means I’m due for another visit.

Aerial panoramic view of Frauenkirche, Marienplatz Town hall and Old Town Hall in Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Aerial panoramic view of Frauenkirche, Marienplatz Town hall and Old Town Hall in Munich, Bavaria, Germany

I remember drinking excellent beer in the Marienplatz—the main square—while waiting for the famous Rathaus-Glockenspiel clock to chime the hour. Every day at 11 am and noon (and 5 pm in the summer), the clock chimes and carved medieval figures re-enact stories from the 16th century.

The dolls dancing in the clock of Marienplatz in Munich, Germany.
The dolls dancing in the clock of Marienplatz in Munich, Germany.

Don’t miss the massive Deutsches Museum that showcases over 100,000 objects from the fields of science and technology and is one of the most important museums of science and technology in the world. Exhibits range from atomic physics to the Altamira cave to a magnified model of a human cell as well as other displays from the Stone Age to the present.

Munich is also home to world-class art museums including the Alte Pinakothek and the Pinakothek der Moderne. The Neue Pinakothek is closed until 2025, with some of its masterpieces now being exhibited at the Alte Pinakothek.

Nuremberg

This city in south central Germany has a lot to recommend it. We stopped there on our way north from Italy en route to Leipzig and Berlin.

You’ll find an attractive old town with plenty of half-timbered buildings, pedestrian-only streets, the Nuremberg Castle which miraculously survived allied bombs, and my favorite, the Albrecht Dürer House (see Artsy Favorites in Germany below).

Stroll the medieval streets and enjoy a dinner of German sausage and beer. Here are two views of Nuremberg.

View of Nuremberg in Germancy
Nuremberg and bridge in Germany

Trier

We spent a night in Trier and really enjoyed its laid back atmosphere, attractive town square, and its Roman ruins. It was a convenient night’s stopover on our way from Amsterdam to Italy.

For us, the attraction of Trier was its Roman ruins. As you’ve probably already guessed if you’ve spent any time on this website, Gregg and I are suckers for a good Roman ruin and usually go out of our way to find them.

The Romans lived in Trier for over 500 years, and in the 4th century the city was the favored residence of Roman emperors, including Emperor Constantine. In Trier, you’ll find lots of Roman ruins including a complex of Roman baths, a large amphitheater and the mammoth Porta Nigra (Black Gate).

The Porta Nigra (Black Gate) - a 2nd-century Roman city gate in Trier, Germany
The Porta Nigra (Black Gate) – a 2nd-century Roman city gate in Trier, Germany

When you’re done with ruins, visit the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, a large archeological museum with an excellent collection of Roman artifacts.

Once you’ve had your fill of Roman ruins, spend the evening strolling Trier’s pedestrian main street lined with half-timbered houses, admire the market cross that dates from 958 in the market square, and enjoy a dinner accompanied by plenty of local wine.

Attractive half-timbered houses in Trier, Germany

When we were in Trier in 2018, the town was gearing up to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx. Strores were filled with Karl Marx rubber duckie, replete with a copy of Das Kapital clutched under one wing and a quill pen in the other.

Photo Credit: Vaaju.com

I didn’t buy one and am now kicking myself since I doubt I’ll be around for the 300th anniversary.

Exploring Cologne & the Rhine Valley

Visit the Rhine Valley with its castles and charming villages to steep yourself in fairy-tale Germany. Take a cruise along the most scenic part of the Rhine between St. Goar and Bacharach, catch a concert of medieval music at the castle in Bacharach, and dine on spaetzle and local white wine while watching the Rhine boats slide past.

Spend a few days enjoying lively Cologne with its awesome cathedral and world-class Roman museum, hop over to Bonn to visit Beethoven, and meander up the Mosel to cute Cochem and beyond to Trier. You can easily spend a week or longer in this scenic area of Germany.

Getting Around the Rhine Valley

The Rhine Valley is easiest to enjoy with a car. Distances are short, and the driving isn’t too frantic, although the traffic in Cologne and Bonn can be heavy. On a recent trip to Bonn, we had to abandon our plan to revisit the Beethoven Museum because we couldn’t find a parking spot!

Public transit is efficient in this area. Take a train from Cologne upriver to Bonn, then another train to St. Goar. From there, take a short Rhine cruise to Bacharach or as far as Bingen. Catch the train back to where you plan to stay (Bacharach and St. Goar are great choices).

If you’re driving and want to experience a short Rhine cruise, stay the night overlooking the river in St. Goar, then catch the K-D Rhine boat to steam upriver to Bacharach. After checking out this impossibly adorable town, hop on the train for the short trip back to St. Goar.

By boat, the journey from St. Goar to Bacharach along the most scenic stretch of the Rhine Valley takes about an hour. By train, the trip takes about 15 minutes.

Suggested Itinerary

If you’re driving, I suggest spending two nights in Cologne, three nights in Saint Goar or Bacharach to enjoy a Rhine cruise and to explore local castles, then either two nights in Cochem to explore the Mosel Valley or a visit to Trier with its excellent Roman ruins and charming town center.

If you’re traveling by train, explore Cologne, take the train to Bonn, then continue to St. Goar. Take the boat down the Rhine to Bacharach, stay a night or two, then get back on the boat to travel to Koblenz. From there, catch a train to your next stop in Germany.

Map of the Rhine and Mosel Valleys

Refer to the map below as you plan your Rhine and Mosel itinerary.

Days 1 and 2: Cologne

We really enjoyed Cologne (Köln). Situated on the Rhine River, the city has a walkable old town, an impressive cathedral, a state-of-the-art concert hall and art museum, and our favorite Roman museum.

The city was pretty much bombed flat in the war, with most of the city rebuilt in modern style and one neighborhood—the old town a few blocks south of the cathedral—rebuilt in the old style. We stayed in this area, steps from the walkway bordering the Rhine.

Buildings in Cologne alongside the walkway bordering the Rhine
Buildings in Cologne alongside the walkway bordering the Rhine

On our visit to Cologne, we were invited to a family birthday party for an artist friend of Gregg’s. Everyone spoke English, and copious glasses of Kölsch were downed (especially by me).

Kölsch is a local beer brewed only in Cologne and served in a tall and skinny 20-cl “Stange” glass. I’m not a huge beer lover, but I did enjoy my (many) glasses of Kölsch at that birthday party.

When you’re in Cologne, make sure you sample a glass or three of Kölsch.

A glass of Kölsch in front of the Rhine River and the Hohenzollern Bridge and Cologne Cathedral

Cologne Cathedral

If you arrive in Cologne by train, you can’t miss the cathedral. Step out of the station and look up, waaaay up, to see Germany’s largest Gothic cathedral looming above you. During the Second World War, the cathedral was hit by 15 bombs, but, remarkably, the medieval structure more or less held.

Lots of stained glass and a massive 140-foot tall ceiling are gasp-worthy. Entrance is free.

According to Rick Steves, the one-hour English-only tour is “reliably excellent.” It runs Monday to Saturday at 10:30 am and 2:30 pm and on Sundays at 2:30 pm only.

Romano-Germanic Museum

I highly recommend the Romano-Germanic Museum (Römisch-Germanisches Museum). The collections are stunning, in particular the large collection of Roman glass vessels, jewelry, and mosaics.

In addition to Roman artifacts, you’ll see displays chronicling the archaeological heritage of Cologne from the Palaeolithic period to the early Middle Ages.

Museum Ludwig

The sleek, modern building next to the Romano-Germanic Museum is the Museum Ludwig. The museum holds an extensive collection of Pop Art, the third-largest Picasso collection in the world, seminal works from the Russian avant-garde, and an important collection of German Expressionists, including Otto Dix and Oskar Kokoschka.

Kölner Philharmonie

Get tickets for a performance at this modern concert hall located in the same complex as the Romano-Germanic Museum and Museum Ludwig. We visited the box office in the afternoon and purchased tickets for that evening’s performance of symphonic works.

Days 3 to 5: Rhine Valley

Leave Cologne in the morning and head to the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl, about a twenty-minute drive from Cologne on the way to Bonn. I write more about the museum in the Artsy Sightseeing section of the Germany page.

If you’re in the area, stop by to enjoy the excellent collection and lovely grounds.

Gregg Simpson next to a Max Ernst statue on the grounds of the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl
Gregg next to a Max Ernst statue on the grounds of the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl

Pop into Bonn for lunch and a visit to the Beethoven Museum. Here, in the place where the maestro was born, you’ll get a strong Beethoven vibe. This museum is one of the world’s most popular music museums.

The museum features Beethoven’s manuscripts, a music room for regular concerts on historic keyboards, and a special area for temporary exhibits. The museum is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm.

If you’re traveling by train, you’ll easily be able to tour the Beethoven museum before getting back on the train to travel upriver to St. Goar.

Spend two or three nights in one of the towns along the Rhine. We stayed in St. Goar at a place overlooking the river.

An equally adorable choice is the town of Bacharach. I first stayed there when I was 18 in a tiny B & B with the date 1492 carved into the lintel over the door.

St. Goar

Splurge for a place overlooking the bustling Rhine. We spent a lot of time on the balcony of our riverside hotel, watching the little car ferry go back and forth across the rushing river.

The ferry set off bravely from the St. Goar side to be gripped seconds later in the watery clutches of a ferocious current. With a tremendous burst of power, the ferry turned 360 degrees across the river in a graceful arc and docked on the other side.

Every time the ferry crossed, we held our breath thinking it wouldn’t make it. Hours of fun!

St. Goar ferry crossing the Rhine against a swift current.

The big attraction in St. Goar is the Rheinfels Castle (Burg Rheinfels). Its grey and turreted bulk broods on a hill high above St. Goar.

Some consider it the best of the Rhine Valley castles. On a sunny day, the view is spectacular. If you visit, leave a comment below and let other Artsy Travelers know what you think.

Rhine Boat Trip

Go down to the dock for the Koln-Dusseldorfer (K-D) line and purchase a ticket to take you to Bacharach. You can check schedules and pre-purchase tickets online.

Buy the ticket that includes your train trip back to St. Goar. If the weather’s fine, sit on the open top deck and watch the castles go by.

On the day we took the cruise, the misty, drizzly weather was very Germanic-romantic.

Carol Cram & Gregg Simpson on the deck of the K-D Rhine boat on the Rhine River.
Enjoying our cruise down the Rhine on a damp April day

On the stretch between St. Goar and Bacharach, you’ll pass the famous Lorelei Rock, a sheet of slate towering over the narrowest point of the Rhine. You’ll hear the legend on the boat, so I won’t spoil it!

The boat provides indoor seating if the weather is iffy, and hot drinks and snacks are available.

Bacharach

What a cute town! Wander around the cobbled streets, admire the half-timbered houses, do a spot of shopping, eat a meal, and chill.

Aerial view of Bacharach from Postenturm, Germany

The castle on the hill overlooking Bacharach is a youth hostel and hosts a medieval music evening. Check local schedules for performance times.

Costumed performers showcase medieval instruments, and at the end of the performance a large portion of the audience gets up to shuffle through a guided version of an old German folk dance. I had a ball!

The Rhine Valley includes many more castles and the charming towns of Bingen (of Hildegard von Bingen fame) and Koblenz.

Days 6 and 7: The Mosel Valley & Trier

After exploring the Rhine Valley, consider traveling a bit farther southwest to the Mosel Valley. Wine from super-steep vineyards is the thing here. Drive along the twisting Mosel River, visit Burg Eltz, and stay in Cochem.

Burg Eltz is a medieval castle in the hills above the Mosel River
Burg Eltz is a medieval castle in the hills above the Mosel River.

Burg Eltz is one of the superstars of German castles. Set in the middle of a forest, the castle is every kid’s dream of a foreboding fortress preparing to defend itself against marauding bandits.

The castle is over 850 years old and is largely intact, with the same family owning and caring for it since it was built. Tour sumptuously decorated rooms containing many original furnishings and check out the Treasury and Armory.

Another highlight of the castle is its location in the Eltz Forest, a nature reserve intersected with numerous hiking trails.

The castle gets crowded during the middle of the day, so consider visiting in the early morning or after about 3 pm when the tour busses start to trundle away. The castle will reopen on April 1, 2020.

Cochem

Cochem boasts a gorgeous castle (the Reichsburg Cochem) and lots of narrow streets lined with half-timbered houses. It’s pretty darned cute and a good place to stay while exploring the Mosel Valley and sampling the local wine.

Row of houses on the river in Cochem, Germany
The lovely town of Cochem

Have you stayed in Cochem? Share your experience with other artsy travelers in the Comments section below.

Trier

If you’re into Roman ruins, drive a little farther to Trier, which is Germany’s oldest city and the birthplace of Karl Marx.

The town center in lovely Trier

When we were in Trier in 2018, the town was about to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx on May 5, 1818. A hot item in the stores was a yellow rubber duckie decked out like Karl Marx, complete with beard, a copy of Das Kapital clutched under one wing, and a quill pen in the other.

Photo Credit: Vaaju.com

I wonder how the father of socialism would have felt seeing his birth so celebrated. On the other hand, I’m sorry I didn’t buy one.

Where to Stay in the Rhine Valley

For accommodation suggestions in Cologne, St. Goar, and Trier, see Where to Stay in Germany: My Best Picks.

Cologne Walking Tours

GuruWalk lists pay-what-you-please walking tours that connect tourists with tour guides all around the world. Check out their tours of Cologne!