huckepack

Moselsteig

Length

365 km: the stated length (Mosellandtouristik).

Measured on our map line: 391 km, the route as OpenStreetMap maps it along the official track. The charts on this page run along the same line, and the search sorts trails by it, so lengths compare the same way.

365km

Ascent · descent

9,140 m up and 9,300 m down: the stated totals (Mosellandtouristik).

The 24 main stages in the stages table add up to 11,807 m up and 11,984 m down.

9,140m ↑9,300m ↓

Difficulty

How hard a trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days. Each is rated from Easy to Hard with the same thresholds for every trail, and takes its hardest measure. It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get.

  • Terrain: DemandingClimbing: 30 m per km
  • Climate: Moderate in Jun–OctHeat: 24 °C by day (August)
  • Effort: HardLongest day: 8 h 30 (stage 19)

All measures

Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Moderate in Jun–Oct; Effort: Hard
Suggested
24days

Per stage

The 24 main stages' totals over their number (Mosellandtouristik), so the averages come from one source.

16.4km· 490 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Land cover along the main route, from ESA WorldCover satellite data:

  • Forest: 72%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 14%
  • Farmland and villages: 13%
  • Water, snow and ice: 1%

Landscape along the route

Mostly Forest

Location

Country
Germany
Regions
Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz
Start
Perl (Dreiländerblick)
Finish
Koblenz (Deutsches Eck)
Route type
Point to point
Travel hubs
  • Perl station0.9 km by road · 2 min
  • Luxembourg Airport (LUX)26.1 km by road · 30 min
Managed by
MosellandtouristikOfficial website
Waymarking
Five yellow slate plates stacked, with MOSELSTEIG beneath
  • Trail
  • Start
  • Stage start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot? Rated over the whole main route. The rating takes its hardest measure.

Path grade: the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated.

  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6

Climbing: ascent of the main stages over their length.

  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more

Steep stretches: share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model).

  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more

Natural ground: share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own.

  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Demanding

  • SAC hiking scale

    Trails rate their difficulty in many local scales, or only describe it in words. We translate each rating into the Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard), so trails can be compared. It stays an estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather.

    This trail: T2 (our estimate). Mosellandtouristik rates the whole route "Mittel" and its stages from moderate to "schwer": vineyard and forest paths with steep climbs, and "auf einigen Moselsteig Etappen ist Trittsicherheit und ein Mindestmaß an Schwindelfreiheit erforderlich" (stage 21 has a ladder passage with a signed bypass). That is mountain hiking on good paths (T2).

    1. T1 · HikingWell-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    2. T2 · Mountain hikingA continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    3. T3 · Demanding mountain hikingThe path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    4. T4 · Alpine hikingOften no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    5. T5 · Demanding alpine hikingMostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    6. T6 · Difficult alpine hikingPathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club

    estimated T2
  • Climbing30 m per km
  • Steep stretches8 % of the way
  • Natural ground29 %

Climate

How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get? Rated for each month from 30 years of weather (ERA5). Without months picked (the search's When filter), the rating is for the trail's best run of at least two months in its season, and each measure shows its hardest month of that run; a pick re-rates it for your months. The rating takes its hardest measure.

Heat: mean daily high at the lowest point.

  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more

Cold: mean nightly low at the highest point.

  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C

Wet days: days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points.

  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more

Snow: days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point.

  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more

Wind: mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points.

  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Moderate in Jun–Oct

  • Heat · August24 °C by day
  • Cold · October6 °C at night
  • Wet days · July13 days
  • Snow · October0 days
  • Wind · October17 km/h

Effort

How long are the days? Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end. The rating takes its hardest measure.

Longest day: walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466.

  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Hard

  • Longest day · stage 198 h 30

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
5–24°C
Nights in season · highest point
−2 to 13°C
Wet days a month
10–15
Daylight
8.1–16.4h
SeasonDay high and night low−10 °C0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °CWet days, at the highest point51015Daylight8.5 h10.0 h11.7 h13.7 h15.4 h16.4 h16.0 h14.5 h12.5 h10.6 h8.9 h8.1 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January4.9 / 0.42.9 / -1.713.44.119.38.5
February6.9 / 0.84.8 / -1.312.22.817.110
March10.4 / 2.48.3 / 0.413.21.613.611.7
April14.6 / 5.312.4 / 3.2120.35.513.7
May18.6 / 9.516.3 / 7.51400.215.4
June22 / 1319.8 / 10.912.10016.4
July23.7 / 14.921.5 / 12.713.30016
August23.8 / 1521.6 / 12.812.50014.5
September19.8 / 11.717.6 / 9.510.40012.5
October15 / 8.513 / 6.412.40.11.310.6
November9.2 / 4.57.1 / 2.313.61.48.28.9
December5.7 / 1.53.7 / -0.614.64.217.28.1

Climate by month

Averages for 1995–2024 from ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, at the trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to each point's elevation. Bars span the mean night low to the mean day high; wet days have at least 1 mm of rain, snow days at least 1 cm of snow. Daylight runs from sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month. The shaded months are the trail's season.

Stages

RouteDistanceAscentDescentElevationTime
1Perl Palzem23.7 km412 m ↑428 m ↓150 → 160 m7 h 00
2Palzem Nittel16.4 km330 m ↑340 m ↓150 → 140 m4 h 30
3Nittel Konz22.5 km570 m ↑575 m ↓140 → 140 m6 h 30
4Konz Trier21.1 km538 m ↑541 m ↓140 → 140 m6 h 00
5Trier Schweich19.9 km650 m ↑650 m ↓140 → 130 m5 h 00
6Schweich Mehring12.4 km400 m ↑400 m ↓130 → 130 m4 h 00
7Mehring Leiwen14.5 km570 m ↑570 m ↓120 → 130 m4 h 10
8Leiwen Neumagen-Dhron14.1 km325 m ↑332 m ↓130 → 120 m4 h 00
9Neumagen-Dhron Kesten/Osann-Monzel18.0 km565 m ↑575 m ↓120 → 120 m5 h 00
10Kesten/Osann-Monzel Bernkastel-Kues14.7 km436 m ↑435 m ↓110 → 120 m4 h 00
11Bernkastel-Kues Ürzig17.0 km590 m ↑500 m ↓120 → 200 m5 h 30
12Ürzig Traben-Trarbach15.1 km295 m ↑392 m ↓210 → 120 m5 h 00
13Traben-Trarbach Reil15.2 km435 m ↑415 m ↓100 → 130 m5 h 00
14Reil Zell (Mosel)12.4 km405 m ↑425 m ↓120 → 100 m3 h 30
15Zell (Mosel) Neef19.9 km648 m ↑644 m ↓110 → 110 m6 h 00
16Neef Ediger-Eller11.4 km425 m ↑445 m ↓110 → 90 m4 h 00
17Ediger-Eller Beilstein16.0 km525 m ↑530 m ↓90 → 100 m5 h 00
18Beilstein Cochem14.3 km450 m ↑455 m ↓90 → 90 m4 h 45
19Cochem Treis-Karden23.9 km830 m ↑830 m ↓90 → 100 m8 h 30
20Treis-Karden Moselkern13.6 km527 m ↑532 m ↓90 → 80 m4 h 30
21Moselkern Löf13.8 km625 m ↑630 m ↓80 → 80 m4 h 00
22Löf Kobern-Gondorf13.7 km537 m ↑610 m ↓80 → 80 m4 h 30
23Kobern-Gondorf Winningen13.9 km434 m ↑435 m ↓80 → 80 m5 h 30
24Winningen Koblenz15.3 km285 m ↑295 m ↓70 → 60 m4 h 00

Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
447m high62m low

Gradient

The steepest 500 m of the trail in walking direction, uphill and downhill. On this trail the steepest climb is 27 % (15°, 135 m up over 500 m) on stage 20, the steepest descent −38 % (21°, 191 m down) on stage 16.

A gradient is height per distance: 20 % means 20 m up for every 100 m forward. Percent and degrees don't grow alike: 100 % is 45°, not 90°.

GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: short pitches within them, such as steps and ladders, are steeper.

27% ↑−38% ↓

Steep stretches

How many kilometres of the main route climb or descend at 15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), measured in 200 m stretches: on this trail 16.2 km up and 15.1 km down, the darkest parts of the profile. Such stretches are slow going uphill and hard on the knees downhill.

31.3km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 29%, 110.2 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 47%, 182.6 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
  • Paved: 24%, 92.7 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.

29% natural47% gravel24% paved
200 m400 m447 m1234567891011121314151617181920212223240 km385.4 km

Terrain along the route

Heights from the Copernicus terrain model (30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route); it measures the treetops in forests, so heights may differ from signposts by some metres.

The profile colours each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: the steeper, the darker, climbs warm and descents violet, from level ground to ±30 % and beyond.

The strip under the profile shows the ground underfoot, from OpenStreetMap; for the 38% of the route without a surface tag, the type of way decides (footpaths natural, tracks gravel).

Landscape

Forest72%Grassland and shrubs14%Water, snow and ice1%Farmland and villages13%1246810121416182022240 km385.4 km

Landscape along the route

Land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m satellite map), every 100 m along the main route; each point takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground. Its eleven classes are folded into the six groups shown. It says what the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there.

Sleeping

Wild camping is restricted. In Rhineland-Palatinate, tents in the forest need the forest owner's consent (Landeswaldgesetz § 22 (4) no. 3); the vineyards and fields are private land. There are no trekking sites on the trail; campsites lie along the river.

16 km without a bedCamping48Huts2Hostels10Rooms4761246810121416182022240 km385.4 km

Places to sleep along the route

One tick per place to sleep along the main route, from OpenStreetMap: 48 campsites, 2 huts, 10 hostels, 476 guest houses within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail). Hotels and day shelters are left out. The shaded column is the longest stretch without any, from km 5.5 to 21.5. The map may miss places or list ones that have closed, so book or check locally.

Water & Supply

Clean water

61 fountains, taps and springs marked as drinkable in OpenStreetMap within 500 m of the trail, and 8 places to sleep OpenStreetMap marks as having drinking water. Clean water also counts the 331 huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m where hikers usually fill a bottle: guests come first, and many close out of season, so ask, and carry a little more than the gaps need. Places OpenStreetMap marks as without drinking water are left out. The counts include the approach and variant; the chart shows the main route.

Rated by the longest stretch of the main route without clean water: frequent up to 10 km, regular up to 20 km, scarce beyond. Here: from km 39.3 to 57.3, stage 3.

18kmRegular

Any water

Clean water, and the 28 springs within 500 m of the trail whose water is of unknown quality: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer. Here the longest stretch without any water runs from km 5.5 to 23. Rated like clean water: frequent up to 10 km, regular up to 20 km, scarce beyond.

17.5kmRegular

Shops

181 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol stations with a shop in OpenStreetMap, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail). Small village shops are often missing, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one. Here the longest stretch without runs from km 313.1 to 343.4.

30.3km
Water · 17.5 km withoutPublic drinking water · 30 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 83.7 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 18 km withoutShops · 30.3 km withoutSupermarkets · 30.3 km withoutConvenience and general stores · 69.2 km withoutPetrol station shops · 123.7 km without1234567891011121314151617181920212223240 km385.4 km

Water and shops along the route

One tick per place along the main route, from OpenStreetMap: drinking water and springs within 500 m, refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m, shops within 1 km or 3 km of a stage's end. The shaded band in each lane is its longest stretch without; "Water" counts every kind, and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own. The map may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally.