Today there is a post where you should be dizzy 😉 After first visiting the beautiful castle Eltz this morning, we drove about 30 kilometers to Mörsdorf, where one of the longest suspension rope bridges of Europe is located.
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The Suspension Rope Bridge Geierlay
Things to know about the bridge
The Geierlay suspension rope bridge, with its 360 metres of length until the construction of the Titan RT suspension rope bridge at the Rappbode Dam dam (Saxony-Anhalt) in 2017, was considered the longest suspension rope bridge in Germany. The Titan RT is again almost 100 meters longer (458 meters) and is thus even one of the longest pedestrian suspension bridges in the world. It is currently only surpassed by the 494-metre-long “Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge” in Randa (Switzerland).
The maximum height of the Geierlay Bridge is just under 100 metres above the Mörsdorfer Bachtal. The net weight of the bridge is 62 tons and the construction costs amounted to about 1.2 million euros. The width of the footpath is 85 cm and the bridge withstands wind speeds of more than 200 km/h, according to static calculations.
Location and directions
The Geierlay suspension rope bridge is located in the Hunsrück (Rhineland-Palatinate) between the villages of Mörsdorf and Sosberg. Most visitors go to Mörsdorf (Visitor Centre Geierlay, Kastellauner Straße 23, 56290 Mörsdorf), so the parking spaces here are quite full. However, the bridge can also be reached from the municipality of Sosberg, but there are also fewer parking spaces available here. You can view our map of the Geierlay Bridge here at Google Maps: View map.
Location of the Geierlay suspension cable bridge
Parking
There are a total of 5 parking spaces in Mörsdorf for visiting the suspension rope bridge. The main car park is located directly at the visitor centre. However, this is not large and therefore full quite quickly. The other parking spaces are rather located on the edge of the small town and are all well signposted. Parking is subject to a fee between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The first 2 hours cost 2 €, then each additional 30 minutes 0.50 €. Outside the designated parking spaces there are no parking facilities available in the village (only with parking card for residents).
The Visitor Centre
The visitor centre is quite small and consists of a foyer, the small restaurant “The Restoration” and public toilets. On the way or at the bridge you will not find any other sanitary facilities. Two televisions hung in the foyer provide information about the bridge and its creation.
Opening Hours & Admission
The bridge is open all year round (except in the event of storms and thunderstorms) and admission is free.
The footpath to the suspension rope bridge
The Geierlay suspension rope bridge can be reached both from the north (Mörsdorf) and from the south (Sosberg) on foot or by bike. There is no way to get to the bridge by car! You should plan at least 20-30 minutes for the easy hike. From the visitor centre in Mörsdorf, you walk first a little bit through the village and then across the fields. The 1.2 km long trail is mostly asphalted, only the last section is a gravel road. The footpath from Sosberg is slightly longer with a total of 1.9 kilometers.
The footpath from Mörsdorf to the geierlay suspension rope bridge
Of course, there are many more hiking trails of different lengths around and to the Geierlay Bridge. A very good overview can be found here.
Our pictures of the suspension rope bridge Geierlay
The entrance to the bridge is secured from both sides by a massive concrete structure.
Since we were here on a weekend during the holiday season, there was a lot going on on and on the bridge. But don’t worry, the bridge can carry a load of more than 70 tons, which would be almost 1,000 people at the same time. So many weren’t on the road 🙂
On the bridge it can sway back and forth with the appropriate wind and several people. Just 100 meters above the abyss we have seen one or the other one or the other who did not feel quite comfortable with it. But we found it funny and fortunately are also absolutely dizzy 🙂
Drone video from the suspension rope bridge
Here we found a very nice video with drone footage of the suspension rope bridge:
Conclusion of our visit
Overall, the visit of the suspension rope bridge Geierlay is definitely highly recommended and especially in fine weather a great and above all cost-effective excursion destination. Like us, this can be combined very well with a visit to Eltz Castle or trips to Cochem or the Moselle Loop. All in all, you should consider the visit incl. to plan the hike to the bridge for about 2-3 hours.
Walk over the suspension rope bridge Geierlay