Mosel Valley Skating Adventure: France, Luxembourg, and Germany
August 9-15, 2009

Our Mosel Valley Skating Adventure was new in 2008 and we brought 50 skaters and bikers there over two weeks. The results were fantastic. The following comments come from alumni with over five tours experience:

"The trip was spectacular! Each Zephyr Adventure outdoes the last."
"Thanks for the super tour, the best ever in my opinion."
"I'm still on Cloud 9 from the trip."
"Outstanding. Some of the best skating a person can do."
"It was one of our best ever."
"In one word - fantastic."

The Mosel River starts in France, runs along the border with Luxembourg, and then heads into Germany on its way to the Rhine. The area is beautiful, with great winding turns of the river, castles on the banks, cute villages every five or ten kilometers, and beautiful vineyards growing on the hillsides.

But it is the long paved path that runs along both sides of the river that got our attention for a skating tour. The total distance of paved, signposted path? 535.5 kilometers!

We start in France, meeting you at a specified hotel on the banks of the river in the city of Thionville. We skate for six days along the Mosel river, always heading gradually downhill alongside the river. The signposted path consists of a variety of types: smooth paved paths separated from any roadway; small agricultural roads used only by locals tending their vineyards; and paths along roads separated by striping. The great thing about this tour is that with paths on both sides and bridges frequently crossing the river, we can choose the best side of the river for skating as we head downstream. Finally, after six days, we reach Koblenz and the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers. Our final morning we make a change and do a short skate up and back along the Rhine, which has its own path!

Another great aspect of the area is we are able to supplement our normal van shuttle with the local boat ferry and train system. If you skate the long route, you will mostly skate from hotel to hotel. If you choose the medium or short routes, you will catch a ferry or train to a town farther along the river. It adds a great local cultural dimension to the tour.

The towns are cute little Germany villages, the people are friendly, and the scenery is beautiful. This is a fantastic tour, as our alumni can attest.

Accommodations
One nice aspect about this tour is we skate for an entire week in one direction along the river. You definitely feel like you are getting somewhere! The negative, of course, is we change hotels every night. Pack lightly!