Germany: Mosel Valley Biking Adventure

DAY 1

We meet this morning in the town of Trier, a beautiful town founded by the Romans and considered the first or second oldest city in Germany. After introductions to our bikes and to each other, we start our ride up the Mosel (one of the only times we bike upstream) before before branching off to the Saar River and following this tributary to our destination of Saarburg. The Saar River bike path is a little wilder and less populated than that of the Mosel and the town of Saarburg is a very cute lunch stop with a castle and famous waterfall. After a relaxing lunch on your own, the route returns back to Trier. Our hotel – where we will be for two nights – is smack-dab in the middle of old town, right next to the large Roman city gate, which makes it easy to explore this lively city by foot after parking your bike. Tonight’s dinner will be right in our hotel. Biking mileage options: 21 KM (one way to Saarburg) or 43 KM (returning to Trier).

DAY 2

Today, we bike to Luxembourg for lunch! Although we bike upriver, you will find the biking nearly flat and fairly easy. Germany does an outstanding job of keeping hundreds of kilometers of bike paths both sign-posted and well-maintained. Our destination in Luxembourg is the village of Remich, right on the Mosel with a beautiful river-side promenade, restaurants, and shops. There are also several wineries with shops in town that offer tastings. We again return to Trier after lunch on your own. In addition to its Roman ruins, Trier has a large university and downtown pedestrian walking area that makes for great exploration. Our three-course dinner is at a local restaurant in the main square of town that specializes in dishes made from original Roman recipes. Biking mileage options: 42 KM (one way to Remich) and 84 KM (returning to Trier).

DAY 3

Today is usually the favorite day of our trip participants. We are now fully into wine country! The frequent hillside vineyards offer even more stunning views from the sublime riverside pathways. The short route goes directly from our hotel in Trier on the Mosel bike path to our next hotel in Neumagen. The medium and long routes explore the nearby Ruwer-Hochwald bike path, which follows an old railroad line and shoots off from the Mosel. The medium route will turn around at Sommerau, a picturesque village situated beneath the restored ruins of an old castle. The long route will continue on a loop to Kell am See, a lakeside resort town with plenty of options for lunch. Tonight’s town of Neumagen-Dhron is considered the oldest wine town of Germany because of the nearby grave of a Roman wine trader dating to 220 AD. We’ll participate in a pre-dinner wine tasting conducted by a local vintner and have one of the best meals of the trip at our hotel, known for its cuisine. Biking mileage options: 43 KM, 57 KM and 100 KM.

DAY 4

The short route today begins with a ferry ride, as much to enjoy the scenery from the deck of a boat as to shorten the bicycling. For those skipping the ferry ride, the medium route takes you door-to-door along the Mosel. We are again in the heart of wine country but equally appealing are the many small towns we pass through. A stop in the town of Bernkastel is a must: an adorable, medieval market town with tall church spires and jagged roof lines. It is right out of a fairy tale! On the long route, we head off a bike path along the Lieser, a tributary of the Mosel, to the small town of Wittlich. Tonight, our twin towns of Traben and Trarbach (across the river from one another) offer something for everyone: historic and modern buildings, the ruins of a fortress, a castle, a thermal spa and plenty of shopping. Biking mileage options: 30 KM, 46 KM, and 82 KM.

DAY 5

The paths through the vineyards today are some of the most beautiful areas we see the entire week and include one long stretch inaccessible by car as the path follows a big curve in the river, the 12-kilometer long Zeller-Hamm loop. The short route finishes in the town of Alf for lunch, followed by a shuttle by train to our ending in Cochem. This is optional but another great way to see the Mosel Valley. The long route continues all the way to our hotel in Cochem, an extremely lively town with tons of shops, cafes, and sights. We have not planned any additional biking mileage this day because in the afternoon we will walk up to the Reichsburg Cochem Castle that sits above town and drink in the views of the surrounding green countryside. If we have time, we can take a Sesselbahn (like a chair lift) even higher up the mountain. Tonight we will walk across the bridge to the old part of town and in in Akropolis, which has excellent Greek food.

DAY 6

The biking is beautiful but short today, with a 17.5 kilometer ride down the Mosel to the village of Moselkern. There, we park our bikes and take a five-kilometer round trip hike up to the famous Burg Eltz, an outstanding medieval castle, via a lovely forest path along a creek. You can opt to take a guided tour of Burg Eltz to learn about the family's uninterrupted 900 years of living in this castle. There are several options to eat lunch after the hike and then it is back on your bike for the 17.5 KM ride back to Cochem. Tonight, we’ll celebrate with a farewell dinner at Zom Stüffje, which offers traditional meals in a building from 1642. Activity today is 35 KM biking and 5 KM hiking.

DAY 7

This morning we will bicycle to not one but two ruined castles in the area. Our 15 KM route takes us first to Burgruine Winneburg and then Burgruine Coraidelstein. Most of the biking is along the Mosel and so flat. If you so choose, you can do a slightly different, one kilometer longer, and much hillier route making it a loop ride for the morning. Back in Cochem, we will shower, check out, and walk to the train station while our luggage is shuttled. You can catch a train from Cochem to most anywhere. Biking mileage options: 15 or 16 KM.