Beilstein, Germany: Girls Wine Weekend (with a 1 year old)
My friend Karen took a trip with her aunt last year to the tiny town of Beilstein, Germany. As soon as she got back she started hounding us all that we needed to make a girls trip happen. We hemmed and hawed, I wasn’t sure if my little little would still be breast feeding. Finally, we just bit the bullet and booked ourselves a weekend in mid-October, before we knew it, it was four girls and a baby heading to the coziest corner of Germany.
I cannot believe we almost did not take this trip. Karen did not undersell Beilstein. It was the perfect girls weekend. Beilstein was quiet and relaxed, with just enough entertainment to keep us occupied. Hotel Haus Lipmann was completely charming. A day trip to Cochem filled the day with sightseeing and wine tasting. We finished off the trip with a visit to Berg Eltz.
The photos really sell the trip. I’m going to let them do the talking with just a few pieces of info to help you plan your trip. Some of the photos were taken by my talented friends Karen, Larissa and Kathryn. (Follow the links to their Instagram profiles if you want to see more of what they are up to.)
Beilstein
Beilstein is a little gem on the Mosel River. Walk through the town and try to stop yourself from feeling like you’re in a movie.
Spend your time here walking through the vineyards up to the castle.
We found hidden statues around every turn, so keep your eyes peeled.
Don’t miss St. Joseph’s Catholic Church at the top of the hill. It is home to a 12/13 century. Black Madonna likely coming from Spain.
There is a restaurant just outside the church whose balcony provides stunning views.
Hotel Haus Lipmann is completely charming. We e-mailed them for reservations and continued to update them as we added people to the trip and changed the room arrangement. I don’t think they have a bad room in the place. Rooms are well appointed, with comfortable beds and stunning views. 
The valley was in the height of its fall fruit fly invasion. It happens just after the grapes are harvested but before the temperatures drop long enough to kill them. The fruit flies were everywhere but largely left us alone.
We were there in the wrong season to utilize the hotel’s outdoor spaces, but they looked lovely. I can just imagine sitting out here enjoying a glass of wine.
The hotel breakfast buffet is included in your room rate and was delicious. I didn’t snap a photo because I spent most of the time chasing my new little walker around. They provided him with a high chair and his own cup, bowl, plate, spoon and fork. This was the greatest thing ever for him… plus the German pretzel.
Do not miss dinner at Haus Lipmann even if you are not staying there. The menu is full of German specialities but they are incredible. I’m typically not a big German food person, but I try to eat the local specialities and am typically not disappointed. Kathryn is mostly a vegetarian and the restaurant went out of the way to make sure she had a great meal option.
There is plenty of wine to be had as well.
Literally across the street from the hotel is the town’s winery and where we spent both evenings, Zehnthauskeller. This wine cellar dates from 1577 and is the perfect place to hang out in Beilstein.
Friday night we had a reservation for a wine tasting. This included a tour of the Wine Museum of the Lipmann family in Germany and then a tasting with full pours, accompanied by plates of cold cuts, cheeses and vegetables. It was enough for a meal.
Saturday night the Zehnthauskeller turns into a disco. You’ll want to come early to grab a table and drink and dance the night away. We had such a good time here enjoying dancing, music and wine. We found everyone extremely friendly and made friends on both nights.
Cochem is the tourist draw on the Mosel river so you’ll want to make some time to check it out. It is much more crowded but offers lots to do. Everyone in our group found something they enjoyed from short hikes to shopping and wine tasting. We easily spent a full day here. We took the bus to Cochem from Beilstein and returned by boat.
Don’t miss the Historic Mustard Mill. You can stop in for a free tasting or take a guided tour. Mustards are sold in ceramic pots with rubber lids and last one year on your counter.
There are plenty of other stores in Cochem worth exploring. Town gets crowded though so try to do your shopping early to avoid the crowds.
The town is beautiful and full of half timbered houses and old fountains.
The Little Little enjoyed spending some time walking around out of the carrier.
We also enjoyed some fun statues set back on the quieter streets, like these people making and tasting mustard.
This gorgeous textured mural is in the main square under the bridge.
We walked up the hill to Reichsburg Cochem. The walk is steep but the views are stunning and in the crisp fall air it was a great way to get our blood pumping. We did not tour the castle instead just enjoyed the views and walked back down through town. We found a number of lovely little chapels on our walk, so keep your eyes peeled.
We also took a walk down the river for a change of view. The river has several playgrounds on it as well if you need a place to let your little ones stretch their legs.
We popped into Emily’s Wein-Cafe on the main square for some lunch. They have a nice wine selection and flat bread pizzas. They are perfect for a little light lunch.
We also took a walk down the river. This was a great way to stretch our legs before our boat ride back. You can walk down both sides of the river, crossing at the bridge. We found the walk to be scenic but a bit windy. The best views of the town and castle are from the opposite side of the river.
One of the best ways to see the region is to travel down the Mosel River by Ferry. The boat is slow and you can enjoy a drink at one of the tables. You pass through one lock on your way from Cochem to Beilstein. You can go out on the front of the boat to watch the boat rise.
Burg Eltz is just a 40 min drive from Beilstein and worth a stop. It is one of Germany’s beautiful fairytale castles, dating back more than 850 years. You park in a parking lot (€2) and take a short but steep hike into the woods to visit the castle. There is a shuttle available (€2), but the walk is beautiful and adds to the magic. We did not tour the inside of the castle (check the webpage for tour availability) but enjoyed surveying it from the outside. The castle was never attacked and has remained under the care of the same family. There are longer hikes available to the castle as well.
The Little Little even walked a bit on his own, but he mostly enjoyed sitting on my feet and trying to go in the other direction.
We were all pretty exhausted on the drive home. Sundays in Germany can be hard to find food so we just grabbed lunch at a rest stop. Expect typical German food that is fine but nothing special.
I highly reccomend this as a girls getaway. There is just enough activity for a weekend but you’ll still feel relaxed.
Sounds like it was a great weekend! We did the long hike (recommended in the Rick Steves book) to Burg Eltz with our 18-month old in September, and I cursed that man the entire way. Wish we would have know about the shuttle on the other side! 🙂
My family, father mother, brother and my wife had been to Belgium to visit my grand fathers grave from WW2 at Henri-Chapelle and had to visit Germany and we had done more of less the exact places you went. We had great time as you did. And the Burg Eltz castle is a fary tale castle. Thanks for your little adventure as we did.