by Anthony Shaw

Created on: August 17, 2010

When compared with other German cities, Koblenz, with its population of just over 100,000 people is relatively small. As a tourist centre, however, it ranks second to nowhere else in the country.

Koblenz owes its fame to its extremely fortunate geographical setting. It was first built in 8 BC as an outpost by the Romans at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Mosel, (now known as the "Deutsche Eck" – the German Corner) and also finds itself at the northern end of the Rhine Gorge, which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The scenic beauty of the area has become a lure for thousands of tourists from both inside and outside Germany, and they have the opportunity to use the city as a base to explore the many attractions of the area.

Getting there, whether from Europe or North America, will normally require taking a plane to Germany’s major international airport at Frankfurt, and taking a train on Germany’s excellent railway service from there. Trains in and out of Koblenz are regular, punctual and usually very comfortable.

As might be guessed, given the relatively small size of the city, competition for accommodation is always intense. Advanced bookings for hotels is strongly advised, the city’s tourist site gives the potential visitor the opportunity to seek appropriate accommodation according to their specific needs – please see www.koblenz-touristik.de/en (for the English language version) for details.

Visitors to the area will, though, discover that there are several alternatives, which will satisfy their needs in this respect.

It is possible to rent a holiday home for example.

For adventurous young people, a youth hostel is available.

Camping and caravanning are also very popular choices. There are two sites in the city to meet the needs of people who wish to spend this type of holiday in the area, the Campingplatz Gülser Moselbogen and the Campingplatz Rhein-Mosel. Although nominally campsites, caravan spaces are also provided. The Campingplatz Rhein-Mosel has a particularly advantageous position overlooking the Koblenz Old Town area, the Deutsche Eck, and the Ehrenbreitstein fortress.

Koblenz is not a particularly large place, and walking round the city is often the best way to get to see everything that you would wish to see. Public transport facilities do exist, though, and advice will be gladly offered on this, sightseeing possibilities, and other matters of concern to visitors, at the tourist information

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