Piesport: Wine, Hiking Trails and Culture on the Moselle

Piesport brings together themes that offer different focal points when planning a trip: winegrowing on steep slopes, hiking trails, culture and activities on the Moselle. Some paths follow the river, while others climb to a high terrace. There is also a cultural route with several stops and the history of winegrowing.

Vineyards and Tastings

With 413 hectares of vineyard area, Piesport is the largest winegrowing community on the Moselle. Area figures may change over time. Around 100 hectares of the vineyard area lie on steep slopes, where Riesling is the predominant grape variety. This brings two aspects of winegrowing into focus: the size of the vineyard area and the steep sites where this grape variety predominates.

Piesport wineries offer on-site tastings at wine events, courtyard festivals and other local celebrations. Specific opportunities and dates may change, so check in advance what is happening during your stay. This lets you include winegrowing as a theme without relying on a particular date.

Hiking Between the Riverbank and the High Terrace

The Piesport Moselle Loop is an easy circular trail covering 7.98 kilometres. It starts and ends at the Piesport community centre. Along the way, the route passes through the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen vineyard and follows the Moselle riverbank. Distance information may change if the route is modified.

The landscape along the Moselle Loop is also notable: in 2018, the area was designated a “Biodiversity Hotspot.” The steep vineyard slopes provide habitats for many plant and animal species, including species considered rare or endangered. In this way, the Moselle Loop combines vineyard scenery and nature within a circular hike.

The Rund um Zimmet hike offers a different perspective. It reaches a high terrace above the Moselle and provides views across the Moselle Valley. While the Moselle Loop follows the riverbank, this hike focuses on the elevated setting. The Piesport Heiligenhäuschen hiking car park is a starting point for the Piesport high-altitude trails RW1 and RW2, as well as the Römersteig and the Moselsteig.

Cultural Route and Notable Places

The Piesport Cultural Route has 23 stops featuring notable buildings, fountains, chapels and remains from Roman times. The larger information panels are in German, English and Dutch; the smaller ones are in German and English. The different language options help visitors understand the stops, whose themes range from architecture to the Roman past.

Three monumental ceiling paintings define the interior of St. Michael’s Church. They are known as the “Piesport Heaven.” A very different testament to the town’s history lies at the Moselloreley: this natural monument rises almost vertically from the banks of the Moselle. Copper and lead ores were mined in the rock massif from 1852 to 1872, and again from 1937 to 1939. The town’s history thus encompasses both sacred art and former ore mining.

More Activities and Getting There

Besides hiking, activities associated with Piesport include Moselle cycling routes, mountain biking, water skiing, kayaking, hang gliding and boat trips along the steep vineyard slopes. The range extends from water-based activities to cycling and hiking. You can combine whichever themes you want to focus on with the area’s cultural and winegrowing attractions.

You can reach Piesport by car via the B53 from Trier or Bernkastel-Kues. Nearby railway stations are in Salmtal, Wittlich and Trier. Check transport connections and route information before you travel.

Discover more destinations: Gornhausen, Ürzig, Kommen, Lieser, Longkamp, Graach An Der Mosel, Veldenz, Andel.

Go to the main travel overview: Bernkastel-Kues.