How to visit the Geierlay suspension rope bridge in Germany

For one and a half years, the Geierlay suspension rope bridge was the “longest suspension rope bridge in Germany”. The title had to be handed in in 2017, which is why the Geierlay is known today only as the “most beautiful” suspension rope bridge in Germany. Nevertheless, the breathtaking rope bridge attracts several hundred thousand visitors annually. In the first two years after the opening, 400,000 people made it into the otherwise unknown region.

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Facts about the Geierlay rope bridge

• The Geierlay suspension rope bridge was built in 2015. With a total length of 360 meters, it was Germany’s longest suspension rope bridge until 2017. However, the rope bridge then had to hand over this title to the Harz Mountains and the Titan RT Bridge, at 483 meters, was the longest suspension rope bridge in the world for two months.
• The model for the construction was a Nepalese concept, which was also used for the longest suspension rope bridge in the world (Trift Bridge in the Uri Alps in Switzerland).
• The maximum height above the ground is 100 meters. So the bridge is not for people with fear of heights or dizzy spells.
• The own weight of the bridge is 62 tons; the load-bearing structure consists of four lower, closed spiral ropes with a diameter of 40mm and two spiral ropes running at the top and 32mm thick. Anchors are cemented into a rock up to 25m deep. Security was therefore taken care of.
• The bridge carries a maximum load of 76.5 tons – this corresponds to about 950 people with an average weight of 80kg. It can therefore hold more people than the Titan RT in the Harz Mountains.
• The bridge got its name from the district on which it is located. A rocky slope called Geierslay was its namesake. This district got its name because numerous birds of prey live near the rock.
• In the first week after opening, 45,000 people visited it. The hanging rope bridge receives an average of 200,000 visitors annually.

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Directions | Arrival

The Geierlay suspension rope bridge is located in Hunsrück between the two villages of Mörsdorf and Sosberg. There are visitor parking spaces in the two villages, although they are much better developed in the village of Mörsdorf, as there is a visitor center and several other parking spaces, as well as bus contact points.

The bridge itself can only be reached on foot or by bike along a 1.8 km path. However, the bicycle may only be pushed on the bridge. Please do not drive on the bridge under any circumstances.

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The bridge also crosses the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig between stages 19 and 20 and is part of the two Geierlay circular routes, which are 3.6 km and 5.5 km long.

Geierlay Bridge itself can be walked for free and is open all year round, except during storms and thunderstorms. Parking at the visitor center costs €4 for 2 hours and a further 15 minutes or part thereof is charged at €0.50. The more distant parking spaces cost €2 for 2 hours and €4 for 4 hours.

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Tips for visiting the suspension rope bridge in Germany

It is best to find out about the best time to visit on the Internet beforehand. On Google you can see in the live ticker whether it is more or less full. You can also filter according to certain times, so that you hopefully have a somewhat empty view of the bridge.

In my opinion, the best time is in the early morning or evening, so that most visitors are already on their way home. It is best to come during the week, since it will of course be significantly fuller at the weekend. It is even more popular on public holidays and in the summer months.

However, the parking lots are only open from 7am to 10pm. You should keep this in mind when visiting because the parking spaces are equipped with a barrier. This measure is intended to protect residents from noise pollution.

However, you could also view the Geierlay bridge on a webcam that even counts daily visitors. Please keep in mind that the webcam does not provide live pictures.

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Our opinion about the Geierlay suspension rope bridge in Germany

Since we do not live incredibly far away, but also not directly around the corner, we were unsure about our visit. The footpath to the hanging rope bridge leads only briefly through the village and then over a paved road surrounded by nature, but honestly we had wished for a bit more forest and forest floor. Especially since this path is part of the hiking trail, we find the forest floor to be nicer.

The route to the bridge takes about 20 minutes, so you can count on an hour on the bridge if you take the 2 hours to park.

When crossing the pedestrian cable bridge, you cross the Mörsdorfer Bachtal at a maximum height of 100m. The view is really impressive, but we would probably not go to the bridge a second time.

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Conclusion

For anyone who really wants to see the bridge, a visit is definitely worthwhile. However, you need to know that the bridge is really very far out and nearby sights are rather rare.

The 30 minutes away Cochem and Burg Eltz are the only possibilities to combine a visit to the Geierlay hanging rope bridge. Therefore, I would generally recommend you to visit the bridge in autumn, because then you can also benefit from the delicious wine of the Moselle region and there are fewer visitors on the bridge, which increases your chances of a nice visit.

Here are some other posts I think you might like:

• A visit to fairytale Burg Eltz
• Monreal in the German Eifel
• Romantic Monschau, a beautiful day trip from Cologne
• How to visit the tulip fields in Germany
• Cologne Itinerary – How to spend one day in Cologne

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