Mosel and Saar-Bike and Barge (and reverse)

Mosel and Saar

7 night guided bike and boat tour in Germany on Zwaan

This tour along the Mosel and Saar combines the best of the German "Bundesländer" Rheinland Pfalz and Saarland. While cycling from Cochem to Mettlach you'll discover the legacy of the Roman empire, go beyond your bounds and meet the "Queen of grapes."

Go back in time and visit the Roman villas and public baths along the two rivers. In Trier, you can visit the Porta Nigra. This ancient gateway is one of the most well-known monuments from the Roman era.

While cycling through one of Germany's greater wine-growing areas, this is an excellent occasion to try a lot of different wines and see where the grapes grow and how the wines are made. Get acquainted with the excellent but uncomplicated wines from the Saar and the so-called "Spitzenweinen" along the Mosel, like the "Zeller Schwarze Katz." The main ingredient for those wines is the Riesling, a white grape variety which dates back to the 15th century and is crowned as the "Queen of grapes."

Highlights

• Porta Nigra
• Saarschleife von Merzig
• Vineyards of Calmont
• Burg Eltz

Learn More

Learn more about guided tours or see more bike tours in Germany.

Daily program

This tour operates in two directions: from Cochem to Mettlach or from Mettlach to Cochem. Both itineraries are detailed below.

Day 1: Arrival to Cochem (9 miles/15km)
Embarkation between 2-3:00pm. Your tour starts in the beautiful city Cochem with a lot of shops and terraces. Cochem is famous for its wines and dominated by the old Reichsburg.

Day 2: Cochem – Zell (27 miles/44 km)
The tour starts with a nice ride to the beautiful village of Beilstein, décor of many movies. Through five remarkable bends, you’ll meander along the river to the famous vineyards of Calmont. The steepest slopes have a gradient of 65%, which makes it quite difficult for the farmers to tend their vineyards. Time for lunch on the banks of the river. The endpoint of today is the city of the black cat, Zell. The story goes that when a few wine merchants from Aachen had to choose which wine barrel they should buy a black cat jumped upon one of the barrels to defend it. Of course, this made it clear for them which barrel they should buy.
Overnight in Zell.

Day 3: Zell – Bernkastel Keus (25 miles/40 km)
The Mosel makes its way through a green and fascinating landscape with vineyards and forests. Just after leaving Zell you will bike to the “Marienburg” where you will be awarded by a splendid view over the Mosel Meander. Along the way you’ll find some beautiful towns and villages like the beautiful double city in Jugendstil, Traben Trarbach and the so-called ‘Winzerdorf’ Wolf. The final destination is Bernkastel-Kues, a medieval town with romantic narrow streets, remarkable half-timbered houses and picturesque nooks and crannies.
Overnight in Bernkastel Keus.

Day 4: Bernkastel Kues, Moselle-Maare cycling trail (34 miles/55 km)
In the morning the cycle bus takes you to Daun, to the start of the Moselle-Maare cycling trail, possibly the most famous cycling trail of the central Moselle. The track is built on an old railway line. There is no simpler way to cycle to the Moselle valley than on the former railway line through the Volcanic Eifel! The road runs through the landscape of volcanoes and crater lakes, along magnificent viaducts, and past old railway stations. Light as a feather, it continues to roll on the Moselle bike path to Bernkastel-Kues.
Overnight in Bernkastel Keus.

Day 5: Bernkastel Keus – near Trier (34 miles/55 km)
Along today's route, you'll find a lot of Roman villas and public baths but also relics of other ancient civilizations such as the Celts. All those historical buildings are placed on the slopes along the ever-winding river. "Special of the day" is the "Piesporter Goldtröpfchen," a lovely local blended white wine that we are going to taste in a local wine-bar. The visit to the town of Neumagen-Dhron is interesting for its many Roman remains. This used to be an old Roman fortress and the place where the famous Roman wine ship was found.
Overnight near Trier.

Day 6: Near Trier – Saarburg (22miles/35km)
During today’s tour we first take time to pay a visit to Trier, the oldest city of Germany, where you can visit some more Roman legacies like the Porta Nigra, the Basilica of Constantine the Great and the amphitheater. After lunch we leave the Mosel behind and go South along the Saar.

Before you take ‘exit Saar’ we can take a detour and cross the border into the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. One thing’s for sure, you’re not the first tourist in the area. Around the year 365 A.D. the Roman teacher and poet Magnus Ausonius wrote his hymn Mosella: ‘Greetings, river, framed by perfumed vineyard-covered hills, Framed by grass; river of greenest shores. Your strong waters carry ships, flowing in easy waves. Along the stream, and a glittering lake your depths emulate.’

Tonight you’ll stay in Saarburg. Don’t forget to take a walk through the old town center with the famous waterfalls and pay a visit to the old city castle.
Overnight in Saarburg.

Day 7: Saarburg – Mettlach (22 miles/35 km)
From Saarburg you cycle south along the Saar. Around the little village of Saarhölzbach, you leave the Rheinland Pfalz behind and enter the Saarland. The history of this little village goes back to the year 802 and the government of Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, king of Franks, king of Italy and the first Holy Roman Emperor. Today we will have lunch in Mettlach, a little town along the Saar River where we will visit the famous Villeroy and Boch porcelain museum. Today’s highlight is the beautiful Saarschleife (Saar loop). You will have the opportunity to hike to a panorama-point where you can have a great view over the whole region. After this interesting hike we double back for a few kilometers to our final destination Mettlach.
Overnight in Mettlach.

Day 8: Mettlach
The tour ends after breakfast. Disembarkation by 10:00am. It is well worth the effort to take some time to look around in Mettlach to visit the Garden of Senses or the wolf park of Werner Freund.

Day 1: Arrival in Mettlach (9 miles/15km)
Board the ship between 2-3:00pm in the beautiful Saarland town of Mettlach, home of Villeroy and Boch, with a lot of shops and terraces. In the afternoon, we will make a short trip along the Saar River to a beautiful mooring-place near the Saarschleife (Saar loop).
Overnight in Saarschleife.

Day 2: Saarschleife – Saarburg (22 miles/35 km)
After breakfast, you will bike to the Saar-Canyon. Here, you have the opportunity to hike to an outlook site on top of the Saar-Canyon where there is a magnificent panorama over the faraway surroundings. The hike is not steep and takes 1 hour uphill and half an hour downhill. At lunchtime, you will arrive in the town of Mettlach where you will have lunch and can visit the town. Of course, we won't forget the biggest attraction of the town: The Villeroy and Boch porcelain museum including a cup of coffee in the beautiful Museum-Café. We will end this day-trip in the very scenic town of Saarburg with its huge waterfall in the middle of town.
Overnight in Saarburg.

Day 3: Saarburg – near Trier (22miles/35km)
During today's tour you switch rivers, leaving the Saar behind and follow the Mosel towards Luxembourg. One thing's for sure, you're not the first tourist in the area. Around the year 365 A.D. the river inspired the Roman teacher Magnus Ausonius to write his hymn Mosella: "Greetings, river, framed by perfumed vineyard-covered hills, Framed by grass; river of greenest shores. Your strong waters carry ships, flowing in easy waves. Along the stream, and a glittering lake your depths emulate."

We can take a detour and cross the border into the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In the afternoon, you'll ride on to Trier where you’ll stay for around 3 hours. This city is known for its Roman legacies like the Porta Nigra, the Basilica of Constantine the Great and an amphitheater. After this stop, you cycle one hour to the mooring-place of the barge.
Overnight in Trier.

Day 4: Near Trier, sailing to Schweig, and cycling to Bernkastel-Keus (31 miles/50 km)
Just like days past, the Romans are still present today. Along the route, you'll find a lot of old Roman villas, public baths and other relics of ancient civilizations. All those historical buildings are placed on the slopes along the winding river. Especially the town of Neumagen-Dhron is interesting for its Roman remains. This used to be a Roman fortress and the place where the famous Roman wine ship was found. The end point of today is the medieval town of Bernkastel-Kueswith its romantic narrow streets, remarkable half-timbered houses and picturesque nooks and crannies. There’s the opportunity for a wine-tasting-excursion in a winery.
Overnight in Bernkastel-Kues.

Day 5: Bernkastel Keus – Moselle-Maare cycling trail (34 miles/55 km)
In the morning the cycle bus takes you to Daun, to the start of the Moselle-Maare cycling trail, possibly the most famous cycling trail of the central Moselle. The track is built on an old railway line. There is no simpler way to cycle to the Moselle valley than on the former railway line through the Volcanic Eifel! The road runs through the landscape of volcanoes and crater lakes, along magnificent viaducts, and past old railway stations. Light as a feather, it continues to roll on the Moselle bike path to Bernkastel-Kues.
Overnight in Bernkastel-Kues.

Day 6: Bernkastel Keus – Zell (25 miles/40 km)
As if it had imbibed a drink or two, the Mosel makes its way through a green and fascinating landscape with vineyards and forests. Along the way, you’ll find some beautiful towns and villages like the so-called ‘Winzerdorf’ Wolf and even further around the next curve you’ll be surprised by the beautiful double city in Jugendstil, Traben Trarbach. Just before Zell, there will be another hiking opportunity that leads you to the “Marienburg” where you will be awarded by a splendid view over the Mosel Meander.

The ship waits for you in the city of the black cat, Zell. The story goes that when some wine merchants from Aachen had to choose which wine barrel they should buy a black cat jumped upon one of the barrels to defend it. Of course, this made it clear for them which barrel they should buy.
Overnight in Zell.

Day 7: Zell – Cochem (22 miles/35 km)
The day starts with a ride to the almost vertical vineyards of Calmont near Bremm. Here you can take a hike up the slopes and see yet another wonderful bend in the Mosel river. After lunch we ride on to the beautiful village of Beilstein, a backdrop of many movies. After the stop, we cycle the last part of the trip along the Mosel to Cochem, the final destination of this cycling week. Cochem is famous for its wines and dominated by the old Reichsburg.
Overnight in Cochem.

Day 8: Departure from Cochem
After breakfast, the tour ends. Disembarkation by 10:00am.

Surface and terrain

The quality of the bike paths on this tour are very good. The cycle path follows primarily flat asphalt roads, without any noteworthy climbs. You can also choose to stay on board the ship at any time throughout the tour.

Boats

• Zwaan

Zwaan (Comfort Plus class)
Full boat details and photos >

How to get there

Tour start and end
Cochem
Nearest airport: Frankfurt am Main Airport (FRA), Germany
Nearest train station: Cochem, Germany

From the airport you can take a train directly to Cochem. The ticket will cost about €30 per person, and the trip will take approximately 2.5 hours. For more information about departure times and duration see: www.db.de.

From the train station in Cochem, you can take a 5-minute taxi ride to the mooring place.

Mettlach
Nearest airport: Luxembourg (LUX), Luxembourg or Frankfurt am Main Airport (FRA)
Nearest train station: Mettlach (Saar), Germany

From the Frankfurt am Main Airport you can take a train directly to Mettlach. The ticket will cost about €35 per person, and the trip will take approximately 2.5 hours.

From the train station, you can take a 10-minute taxi ride to the mooring place for approximately €10.

Tips for getting to and from your tour

Dates

Prices

Included services

• 7 nights accommodation on board (including linens and towels)
• Breakfast and dinner on board
• Packed lunch on the road
• Coffee and tea on board
• Tour guide, cycles with group
• Minimum 3 city walks with tour guide
• Route information (1 per cabin)
• Ferry fares on the route
• GPS tracks (upon request)

Bike rentals

Bikes available to be rented (in advance at the time of booking) include:

• Hybrid touring bike, 24-speed
• Electrically assisted bike, 24-speed unisex*
• Children's bikes, child seats (rear of bike), tag-alongs (one-wheeled bicycle attached to the adult hybrid bike), and tow-behind bike trailers

*More about electrically-assisted bikes >

All above bike rentals will be equipped with the following at no additional charge:

• Helmet
• Pannier bags
• Lock
• Water bottle
• Repair kit (upon request)

Bike Protection:
Bike protection can be purchased at the time of booking. You can read more about that HERE.

Pedals:
The bikes will have flat pedals. If you want to bring your own pedals, please bring your own shoes and also the necessary equipment to change the pedals.

Helmets:
Helmets are included with your bike rental. Alternatively, we recommend bringing your own helmet for safety and hygiene reasons.

Tour Company