In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Trier
Give Trier one full day and one night on foot: nine Roman sights sit inside a 2 km loop, and the Moselle wine villages are the reason to stay longer.
Trier is Germany's oldest city, founded by the Romans as Augusta Treverorum, and its UNESCO-listed Roman monuments — the Porta Nigra gate, two bath complexes, an amphitheatre and a basilica — are packed into a walkable centre on the Moselle. Most travellers see the Roman core in a day; add a second day for the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, the Karl-Marx-Haus and a vineyard walk, or use it as a base for the Moselle Valley.
- Country
- Germany
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, few events), late Dec
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–95 excl. bed · Mid €95–160 excl. bed · High €160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Fire and ambulance 112 · Police 110
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €2.50–4 |
| Kebab or sausage in bread | €4–7 |
| Main course, mid-range restaurant | €12–20 |
| Glass of Moselle Riesling (0.2 l) | €5–8 |
| Viez (0.4 l mug) | €4–6 |
| Museum entry (Landesmuseum, Karl-Marx-Haus) | €6–12 |
| Porta Nigra entry | €5–8 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LUX · Luxembourg Airport
- About 50 km; bus or train via Luxembourg city, roughly 1.5–2 h door to doorAbout 31 mi; bus or train via Luxembourg city, roughly 1.5–2 h door to door
- HHN · Frankfurt-Hahn
- About 75 km east; roughly hourly Flibco buses to TrierAbout 47 mi east; roughly hourly Flibco buses to Trier
- FRA · Frankfurt Airport
- About 210 km; train about 3 h via Koblenz or SaarbrückenAbout 130 mi; train about 3 h via Koblenz or Saarbrücken
- SCN · Saarbrücken
- About 100 km; hourly trains to Trier Hbf, about 1 hAbout 62 mi; hourly trains to Trier Hbf, about 1 h
Typical fares
- Trier Hbf → Hauptmarkt, taxi
- €10–15
- Trier Hbf → Luxembourg City, train
- about €10–20, 50 min
- Trier Hbf → Cochem, train
- about €15–20, 1 h 15 min
Get around
Walk. The Roman core is flat and compact: Porta Nigra to the amphitheatre is about 1.5 km. City buses cover the station, Olewig and the outlying sights; buy a single ticket or a day pass from the driver or a machine. Taxis queue at Trier Hbf. A car only helps for the Moselle villages and the stadium.Walk. The Roman core is flat and compact: Porta Nigra to the amphitheatre is about 0.9 mi. City buses cover the station, Olewig and the outlying sights; buy a single ticket or a day pass from the driver or a machine. Taxis queue at Trier Hbf. A car only helps for the Moselle villages and the stadium.
See and do
Known for
- Porta Nigra
- Roman baths and amphitheatre
- UNESCO Roman monuments
- Karl-Marx-Haus
- Moselle Riesling and Viez
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Cochem and the Moselle Valley | Regional train from Trier Hbf along the Moselle, about 1 h 15 min | About 1.5 h |
| Traben-Trarbach | Moselle line train from Trier Hbf, about 1 h 30 min | About 1.75 h |
| Treis-Karden | Moselle line train from Trier Hbf, about 1 h | About 1.25 h |
| Konz | Train from Trier Hbf, about 10–15 min | About 30 min |
| Luxembourg City | Train from Trier Hbf, about 50 min | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Altstadt / Hauptmarkt
- Roman core on foot: Porta Nigra, cathedral, Hauptmarkt and most restaurants within 10 minutes. Best for a one-night stop.
- Porta-Nigra-Platz and north of the centre
- Hotels facing the gate and the Moselle bank; quiet at night, 5–10 min walk to the market.
- Olewig
- Wine village 2.5–3 km east, near the amphitheatre and the Weinkulturpfad; bus or a 30-min walk into town.Wine village 1.6–1.9 mi east, near the amphitheatre and the Weinkulturpfad; bus or a 30-min walk into town.
- Zurlauben
- Riverside strip north of the centre with guesthouses and wine taverns; 10–15 min walk to the Hauptmarkt.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Guten TagGOO-ten tahk |
| Thank you | DankeDAHN-kuh |
| Please | BitteBIT-tuh |
| The bill, please | Die Rechnung, bittedee REKH-noong, BIT-tuh |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kahn ikh mit KAR-tuh TSAH-len |
| Where is the toilet? | Wo ist die Toilette?voh ist dee toy-LET-tuh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- Trier Hbf area can feel rough late at night; keep to the lit forecourt and take a taxi after midnight.
- Many restaurants close one weekday (often Monday or Tuesday) and stop serving food by 21:00–22:00; check before you walk.
- Sunday: most shops shut; museums and churches stay open.
- Porta Nigra and some Roman sites charge entry and have shorter winter hours; check the official site before a late-afternoon visit.
- Moselle Valley trains are hourly and thin on Sundays; plan the return leg before you leave.
Trier is a low-risk city; the real issues are the station area after dark, uneven Roman paving, and riverside taverns with no posted prices: ask the total before you sit.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Trier yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Porta Nigra
- Roman baths and amphitheatre
- UNESCO Roman monuments
- Karl-Marx-Haus
- Moselle Riesling and Viez
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Trier official tourism site: www.trier-info.de/
- City of Trier: www.trier.de/
- Deutsche Bahn timetable and tickets: www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml
- Wikivoyage: Trier, revision 5277110 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5277110
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Trier
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No US consulate in Trier; the nearest is in Frankfurt, with the embassy in Berlin. UK, Canadian, Australian and Irish travellers: embassies in Berlin.
Tipping: round up or add 5–10%, said to the server as you pay.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/trier). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.