6 Best Sights in Bernkastel-Kues, The Rhineland

Take a walk up to the hilltop ruins of this 13th-century castle for splendid views along the Mosel. It was here that Trier's Archbishop Boemund II is said to have recovered from an illness by drinking the local wine. This legendary vineyard, still known as "the Doctor," soars up from Hinterm Graben street near the town gate, Graacher Tor. You can sample these Grand Cru wines at the castle's excellent restaurant (though be prepared to pay for the privilege) or pick up a bottle in one of the many shops below. The restaurant is open Friday to Sunday only for both lunch and dinner.

Until the 1930s, Bernkastel was home to a large and well-assimilated Jewish community; although, as this cemetery reveals, they were still required to bury their dead far outside of the town limits. Ask at the Tourist Information to borrow a key to the cemetery, which is reachable by a scenic half-hour hike through the vineyards in the direction of Traben-Trarbach. Opened in the mid-19th century, it's home to around 30 graves, as well as a few headstones from a destroyed 17th-century graveyard.

Elaborately carved 16th- and 17th-century half-timber houses and a beautiful Renaissance Rathaus (town hall) frame Bernkastel's photogenic medieval market square. In front of the town hall stands Michaelsbrunnen (St. Michael's Fountain), just as it has for more than four centuries. At the beginning of September, the square and riverbank are lined with wine stands for one of the region's largest wine festivals, the Weinfest der Mittelmosel.

The Renaissance philosopher and theologian Nikolaus Cusanus (1401–64) was born in Kues. The St.-Nikolaus-Hospital is a charitable Stiftung (foundation) he established in 1458, famous for his library that contains more than 300 handwritten manuscripts from the 9th through 15th centuries, and it still operates today as a home for the elderly and a wine estate. While the library is only accessible by guided tour, you can visit the gothic chapel and wine museum for free.

This winery's presence in the Mosel includes vineyards in seven different villages and a grand villa in the center of Bernkastel, where a cozy vinothek (shop) is found inside the mansion's vaulted cellars. English-language tastings are available, but groups of five or more people should call ahead to book (for a large enough group, they'll even open Monday through Wednesday). Try the light and flinty Alte Badstube am Doctorberg Riesling.

A friendly husband-and-wife team run this winery, which has eight generations of winemaking tradition behind it. They make a special collection of Rieslings with labels designed by visiting artists, and have an unpretentious tasting room close to the river.