Trier, a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle River, is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC. Trier is near the German border with Luxembourg. It is the oldest seat of a Christian bishop north of the Alps. Trier’s neighbour is Luxembourg. The nearest large cities in Germany are Saarbrücken, some 80 km southeast, and Koblenz, about 100 km northeast. Trier lies in the Moselle valley. Wooded and vineyard-covered slopes stretch up to the Hunsrück plateaux in the South and the Eifel in the North. Its Roman linkage is evident with the magnificent 2,000-year old gate, the Porta Nigra. It has a population of 104,000 in an area of almost 118 sq km.
How to Get There:
Trier is well linked, for a small city. The nearest international airports are in Luxembourg (0:40 h by road), Frankfurt-Hahn (1:00 h), Saarbrücken (1:00 h), Frankfurt (2:00 h) and Cologne/Bonn (2:00 h). Trier has direct railway connections to many cities by train, like Cologne, Saarbrücken and Luxembourg and is linked with Koblenz, Saarbrücken and Luxembourg via autobahns.
What to See:
Trier is well known for its well-preserved Roman and medieval buildings, which include: The Porta Nigra, the best preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps; ruins of three Roman baths, among them the largest Roman baths north of the Alps; The huge Constantine Basilica, a basilica in the original Roman sense, being the 67 m (219.82 ft) long throne hall of Roman Emperor Constantine; it is today used as a Protestant church; The Trier Cathedral (German: Trierer Dom or Dom St. Peter); The Liebfrauenkirche (German for Church of Our Lady), which is one of the most important early Gothic cathedrals in Germany and falls into the architectural tradition of the French Gothic cathedrals; The Roman amphitheatre; The 2nd century AD Roman bridge (Römerbrücke) across the Moselle River, the oldest bridge north of the Alps still crossed by traffic; St. Matthias Abbey (Abtei St. Matthias), a still-in-use monastery in whose medieval church the only apostle north of the Alps is held to be buried; St. Gangolf Church was the city's market church that rivalled the Archbishop's Trier Cathedral and the church of St. Paulin, a prominent Baroque church.
Where to Eat:
Trier has over 160 restaurants. Some well known names are: Zum Domstein, Kartoffel Restaurant Kiste, Hauptmanns, Eurener Hof, Cubiculum, Krokodil and Weinstube Gehlen.
Hotels:
Trier has over 50 hotels, four B&Bs/Inns, three specialty lodgings and another 45 vacation rentals. Villa Hugel, Park Plaza Trier, Nells Park Hotel and the Mercure Hotel Trier Porta Nigra are in the luxury class. Casa Verde Hotel Restaurant, Hotel Deutscher Hof, Hotel Garni Casa Chiara, Casa Verde Hotel Restaurant and Hotel Paulin are mid-range, with the Casa Verde Hotel Restaurant specifically recommended.
