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The Rhine, The Wine and All That's Fine Near Frankfurt

All this week Eric Rosen will be giving us ideas for some different day trips that you can take from Frankfurt. Any questions or suggestions? Let us know!

You might not have heard of the jewel-box town of Bernkastel-Kues, nestled on the banks of Germany’s Mosel River, but as home to some of the world’s most famous Riesling producers, it is one of the most visited wine destinations in Europe.

A Ride on the Autobahn:
To get there, you can take a two-hour train ride from Frankfurt to the town of Wittlich, about 13 miles away and hop on a bus from there…or you could just be lazy and rent a car at the Frankfurt airport and make the two-hour drive on the autobahn yourself. We’d suggest the latter, but just be sure to rent a car that’s on the small side since the cobbled streets in town are unbelievably narrow.

History Dork-Out:
The town derives its hyphenated name from the fact that it is actually two towns: Bernkastel and Kues. Bernkastel, which actually means “Bear Castle” thanks to a few folkloric legends, has been inhabited since before Roman times (even back then, they were making wine), and has all the picturesque trappings you could want, including a ruined castle that was once the seat of the powerful archbishops of Trier, half-timbered houses colorfully painted with pagan symbols to ward off goblins and witches, a sculpture of bears playing in a fountain, and even a building in the main square whose façade transforms into an Advent Calendar in December. Quaint!

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