Trier

Travel times from Koblenz:
Train – 1 hour, 30 mins.
Car – 1 hour, 15 mins.

A trip to Trier will make you feel like you’ve been transported far back in time. As Germany’s oldest city, it began as a metropolis of the Roman Empire and enjoyed prosperous medieval and Renaissance eras as well. Today the city’s glorious history can be witnessed at every step on a stroll through the bustling Old Quarter that’s made particularly inviting for the holidays.
The Trier Main Market and the Cathedral present themselves as a picturesque backdrop for the annual Christmas Market. Traditional scents of spices and red and white mulled wine waft through the air from the 95 lovingly decorated wooden booths. It isn’t just the local vintners offering their products; numerous regional specialties, sweet or savory, will add their aromas to the festive atmosphere and beguile hungry visitors.  Woodwinds and brass choirs spread the merriment as they perform on two special holiday stages. Children’s choirs, puppets, and marionette theater entertain kids as well as adults, making a visit to the Trier Christmas Market a delight the entire family.

Make time to explore Trier’s Roman roots back to its founding in 16 B.C. under Emperor Augustus. The city expanded as an imperial residence and became the capital of the Western Roman Empire.  It grew to such unprecedented proportions that it was known as Roma Secunda. The ancient city’s most famous relic is the Porta Nigra, the beautifully-preserved fortified gate from the great age when the city was known as Augusta Treverorum. Trier contains the largest collection of ancient Roman buildings outside of Rome itself, all concentrated in a centralized and pedestrian-friendly area.

Visitors can gaze in wonder at the size and majesty of the Basilika, used in the early 4th century by Emperor Constantine as an audience hall and throne room, and housing the largest unsupported room of antiquity. They can explore the expansive ruins of the Imperial Baths, remodeled during the 4th century as a barracks for more than 1,000 soldiers. And in the Amphitheater, they can sit in the same terraced seats occupied by fans cheering for gladiator and animal fights some 2,000 years ago. Be sure to visit the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, an outstanding archaeological museum with Germany’s most extensive Roman collection.

While the stunning ancient architecture is the city’s strongest draw, travelers should also take in buildings like the baroque St. Paulin’s Church and the Church of our Lady, Germany’s oldest Gothic church. Behind the medieval façades of the Cathedral, architectural styles from the 4th through 18th centuries can be seen. Trier’s expansive Electoral Palace, built as a “wing” to the Basilika, is considered one of the finest examples of Rococo style in Germany, and its Baroque Palace Gardens are a peaceful green oasis in the middle of the city. Another popular attraction is the Karl Marx Haus birthplace and museum. Perhaps one of Trier’s most charming areas is its former Cathedral City, a mostly intact medieval district. A warren of narrow alleys runs between medieval houses in this former city-within-a-city.

Trier is considered the cradle of German wine culture, a tradition begun by the Romans when they established the still-active Mosel vineyards. There is a Wine Teaching Path that winds through Trier’s vineyard-dotted surrounds to the village of Olewig, where local vintners offer tours of their wineries and wine cellars, tastings and light food.