Biewer & Ehrang – Trier's quiet side, right on the river.

North of the old town, Trier turns village-like. Biewer and Ehrang are two districts on the banks of the Moselle where we have four of our apartments – and, honestly, they're the ones where our guests sleep best. No old-town bustle, but river, cycle path and vineyards, free parking at the house and still a city you can reach by car, bus or train in a quarter of an hour.

Biewer: the linear village by the river

Biewer lies on the left bank of the Moselle, around four kilometres downstream from the Porta Nigra. The village stretches out in classic linear fashion along the Biewerbach, which flows out of a side valley into the Moselle here; behind it rise the red sandstone cliffs you'll know from Pallien. Biewer was first mentioned in 929, and the parish church of St Jakobus is a reminder that the Moselle Camino, a Way of St James, passes through the village. Since the bypass took through traffic away from the village, it's remarkably quiet here.

Our house in Biewer is at Im Litzelholz 7, slightly above the village – from the Deluxe Suite you look out over the Moselle valley from the large panoramic balcony. Three apartments share this roof: the Deluxe Suite with two bedrooms (king-size and double bed), digital piano, smart TVs in every room and Nespresso machine; the Soho Home, a studio for two with a stylish bathroom and kitchen; and the Studio21, also for two, with a sun terrace and hammock. Booked together, Haus Biewer is our largest: up to eight guests, one address, three self-contained apartments.

Ehrang: village centre, station, cycle paths

Ehrang lies seven kilometres north-east of the old town, where the Kyll flows into the Moselle. It's Trier's largest district by area and was a town in its own right until 1969 – you can tell from the listed historic centre around the parish church of St Peter, and from the shops, schools and bakeries a village of this size has. For cyclists, Ehrang is a hub: the Moselle cycle path and the Kyll cycle path meet here.

Our Boho Home is at Hochstraße 9c: a bright, boho-style apartment with balcony, one bedroom with a double bed plus a sofa bed in the living room for up to four guests, kitchen, Nespresso machine, smart TV and free parking. For families with one child, for couples and for anyone looking for a base for the Eifel and the Moselle, it's the right apartment.

Getting here and getting around

By car, Biewer and Ehrang are the most convenient locations we have: close to the A 64 towards Luxembourg and the A 602/A 1 towards Koblenz and Cologne, and at all four apartments you park for free right at the house. The city centre is around ten to fifteen minutes away, depending on traffic.

Without a car works too. Ehrang station is a proper junction: regional trains on the Eifel line, the Moselle line and the line to Luxembourg all stop here, and it's around eight minutes to Trier main station. City bus line 8 runs through Biewer from the main station via the Porta Nigra and Pallien on to Pfalzel; in Ehrang, lines 17 and 87 also stop at the station. And by bike you're in the old town in a good half hour on the Moselle cycle path – flat, along the water.

Who Biewer and Ehrang suit

Families who want space and quiet and are travelling by car. Cycle tourists on the Moselle cycle path who'd rather not stay in the middle of the city. Groups of up to eight who want three apartments in Haus Biewer to stay together and celebrate in Trier. Contractors and project workers who need to be on the motorway quickly in the morning and want peace in the evening. And relatives of patients at the Brüderkrankenhaus or Mutterhaus Nord – both are in the north of Trier, on the way between our apartments and the city centre; see University & hospitals.

For longer stays from one month, both houses are also available through MonatsMiete+. And everything about the city itself – Roman monuments, food, day trips – is in the Trier travel guide.