The River Mosel (better known in English under its French name, Moselle) rises in the foothills of the Vosges in France. In its German stretch, it flows between the Eifel and Hunsrück massifs, entering the Rhine at Koblenz. It's best known as a wine-producing area, and vineyards crowd the south-facing slopes, with more rugged terrain elsewhere. The combination of wine and scenery, plus castles and history, attracts a lot of visitors, and in high season hordes of organized tour groups turn the most popular destinations - such as Cochem - into real hellholes. However, there are still a few corners which have managed to fend off coach-trip attacks and retain some of the atmosphere which so impressed the Romans , on the edge of whose world the Mosel valley was. They've left their mark all along the valley, particularly in Trier , which has some of the best-preserved remains of classical antiquity in northern Europe.