Back Roads Germany (Dk Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

DRIVE 13: Roman Ruins and Fine Wines 143

Left Porta Nigra, Roman gateway into Trier

Below Entrance to Kaiserthermen, Trier

EAT AND DRINK IN TRIER

Zum Domstein moderate

Dishes with a regional twist, such as

trout in Riesling sauce, are served here.

Hauptmarkt 5, 54290; 0651 744 90;

http://www.domstein.de

Palais Kesselstatt expensive

Formerly a count’s residence, this

restau rant’s Baroque decor matches

its gourmet menu.

Liebfrauenstrasse 10, 54290; 0651 411 78

Other options

Many restaurants in Trier have

lively wine bars in the basement.

One such is the Zur Krim moderate

(Glockenstrasse 7, 54290; 0651 739 43),

a restaurant-cum-bar.

DAY TRIP OPTIONS

Trier is a good base along this drive.

Visitors can also consider stay ing in

atmospheric Bernkastel-Kues. This

tour can be covered along the

A1 highway on a two-day trip

from both these places.

Fantastic thrills

Unmissable for those travelling with

children, the Nürburgring 4 offers

plenty of motor-racing excitement and

has an excellent visitor center. Then

head to the fantasy castle, Burg Eltz 5.

From Trier, follow signs to Koblenz and

drive north to the end of the A1. Follow

signs to Nürburgring.

Enchanting Mosel Valley

From Burg Eltz 5 , drive to Cochem

6 , then drive back along the Mosel

river to visit Bernkastel-Kues 7.

Wine lovers should consider heading

straight to the twin-town via a cruise

from Trier 8 to sample the wines

without having to drive later.

From Trier, follow signs to Koblenz

but leave the A1 at exit 123 to take

the marked route to Bad Bertrich, then

head to Cochem.

A block east of the Hauptmarkt lies
Trier’s Romanesque Dom St. Peter 3
(open daily). Techni cally the oldest
church in Germany, it was once a
basilica, but since the late 3rd century,
it has been a bishops’ seat. The current
building originated in the 11th cen-
tury and contains a robe believed to
have been worn by Christ at his
crucifixion, though this has not
been scientifically authenti ca ted.
Housed in the extravagant
Baroque Heilumskammer, the
robe has not been on display

since 1996.
North of the church, the
Bischöfliches Dom und
Diözesanmuseum (Nov–Mar:
closed Mon) is famed for an
early 4th-century Roman fres co
removed from the palace that
once stood where the Dom
does today. Turn left then
right for a walk down
Liebfrauen strasse to the
Konstantinbasilika 4 (Nov–Mar:
closed Mon). It originally pro vided a
throne hall for Emperor Constantine

in the 4th cen tury but later became a
Protestant church for the prince-
electors who resided in the Baroque
Rokoko-Palais 5 next door. The for-
mal gardens beside the palace lead
to the Rheinisches Landesmuseum 6
(Nov–Apr: closed Mon), a Roman

archae ology museum

with many beautifully

presented treasures,

includ ing coins and

mosaics. A walk south

through the pretty gar-

dens leads to the

Kaiserthermen 7 (open

daily), once the largest

baths in the Roman

world. Their foundations

remain intact, making it

easy to visual ize the scale of this

4th-cen tury com plex. The scale also

impres ses at Trier’s Amphitheater 8

(open daily), a well-marked ten-min-

ute walk south east along Olewiger

Strasse from the under pass at the

southeast corner of Kaiserthermen.

This 20,000-capacity arena was built

for gladiatorial and animal fights

around AD 100, mak ing it Trier’s

oldest Roman struc ture.

Return to the Kaiserthermen,

turn right along Weberbach,

left down Wechselstrasse, right

again on Neustrasse, then left

on Viehmarktstrasse to arrive at

the Viehmarktplatz. The glassy

cube in the center protects the

Viehmarktthermen 9 (closed

Mon), the smallest and oldest

of Trier’s Roman baths. From

the opposite side of

Viehmarktplatz, turn right

down Stresemanstrasse, then

left down Brückenstrasse to

Karl-Marx–Haus 0 (Nov–Mar: closed

Mon) where this political philoso pher

was born and grew up in the 19th

cen tury. Now a museum, it focuses

on Marxian philo sophy. From here,

turn left and walk along Fleichstrasse

to the Hauptmarkt. Return via

Simeonstrasse to Porta Nigra and

turn left along the alley to the

Simeonstiftsplatz parking lot.

Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under €20; moderate, €20–€40; expensive, over €40

Sculpture, Trier’s

Electoral Palace

CRUISING THE MOSEL

For cruising the Mosel by boat,

visitors can opt for the Mosel-

Schiffs-Touristik (06531 82 22;

http://www.moselpersonenschifffahrt.de),

which operates out of Bernkastel-

Kues, while Personen-Schifffahrt

Gebrüder Kolb (02673 15 15; http://www.

moselfahrplan.de) sails from Trier.