7 cycling days, 9 nights, 342 km - 214 miles

Arrival

In the evening we will meet at a restaurant in Saarbrücken for a get-together dinner. We will be sleeping in the IBIS hotel.

1st Day       47 km - 30 miles          From Saarbrücken to Merzig

After every person has been fitted with the appropriate bike, we will leave as soon as possible. You will be spoilt for choice: Either you go for a city tour with our guide or - if you are interested in technical devices - you cycle along the Saar river to the World Heritage Site “Völklinger Hütte”. Each tour is interesting and will take about 2 hours time. In any case, we will meet again at the “Völkinger Hütte”.

Together we will have lunch in the old fortified town of Saarlouis; of course there will be time to go for a walk in the pedestrian precinct and in the picturesque old town. We will pass the weir “Rehlingen” and get to Merzig, the capital of the cider production in Saarland. There you will have time enough for strolling along the town before dinner too.

2nd Day       51 km - 32 miles          From Merzig to Trier

Today you will cycle round the Saar loop. If you like, you can make a trip to Montclair castle where you will have a magnificent view of the Saar river. We will meet again at the Villeroy & Boch museum for exquisite china. Mettlach is worth a visit too.

In the afternoon you will enjoy the famous waterfall in the beautiful town of Saarburg, while having tee or coffee. In Saarburg you can choose a mountainous route to the temple district of Tawern or you cycle along the river valley to Konz, where you will have dinner at a pretty hotel.

3d Day         Off

We will use the day to visit the open-air museum “Roscheider Hof”; there you will find originally restored and furnished houses of the Hunsrück area, dating back to the 16.-18. century. Today we will also visit the city of Trier and take a tour with the “Römer-Express”.

4th Day         49 km - 31 miles          From Trier to Mehring

In the morning you will see Germany’s oldest stone house in Pfalzel; the foundation walls date back to roman times. Afterwards we will make a trip to the remains of Ramstein castle, where we will have lunch.

In Longuich-Kirsch you will see an ancient roman Villa Urbana. Finally you will arrive in Mehring, where you can use a sauna and have a wine tasting in the evening.

5th Day         55 km – 34 miles          From Mehring to Zeltingen-Rachtig

Today we will pass the weir “Detzem” and cycle along the winding river to Neumangen-Drohn, the oldest wine village in Germany. There you can have a look at roman excavations too. You will use a car free road, watching the vineyards rise higher and higher, to get to Piesport via the sleepy little village of Ferres; there you can visit a roman wine press. We will have lunch at a restaurant with a beautiful view of the Moselle river.

In the afternoon we will visit the interesting little town of Bernkastel-Kues, characterized by its half-timbered houses. Enjoy the afternoon while going for a walk through narrow alleys with beautiful cafes. We will pass the lovely village of Graach and finally reach the baroque village of Zeltingen-Rachtig, where we will stay overnight.

6th Day          50 km - 31 miles           From Zeltingen-Rachtig to Bremm

Soon you will reach Kröv, one of the most famous wine villages in Germany (“Kröver Nacktarsch”). There you can choose again between two routes: either you take the more exhausting route across the vineyards, including beautiful views of the Moselle loop or you take the easy road along the valley. We will meet again in Traben-Trarbach to go for a walk through this pretty art nouveau village.

In the afternoon you will pass the beautiful village of Enkirch and the idyllic village of Pünderich with its old ferry house; finally you will reach the village of Zell, which is known for its famous vineyard “Zeller Schwarze Katz”. After lunch we will visit the Alf castle, where you will have an extraordinary view of the surrounding landscape. At the end of the day you will get to Bremm, a lovely wine village with narrow alleys. The “Calmont-Klettersteig” is a pass over Europe’s highest vineyard and you shouldn’t be afraid of heights. But don’t worry – you don’t have to climb up.

7th Day            50 km - 31 miles          From Bremm to Moselkern

You will pass through Ediger-Eller with its many well preserved houses dating back to the 16.-18. century. The next village you will see is Beilstein, which was already used as set for five films. If you like you can visit roman tombs in the near vineyard beforehand.

In the afternoon you will see the village of Cochem and the Reichsburg castle; there you will have enough time for a walk through the village or the castle. Via Treis-Karden you will get to Moselkern. We will stay overnight at the bottom of the castle Eltz where we will have a barbeque in the evening. If this is not possible due to unpredictable reasons, you will stay the night at a deluxe hotel in Treis-Karden.

8th Day             40 km – 25 miles         From Moselkern to Koblenz

You will climb the hill to visit castle Eltz. It is known as the most beautiful castle at the Moselle river and truly looks like the set for a fairy tale. The guided tour lasts about one hour and you will marvel at the original furnishings and the treasury. Your guide will take your bicycles to the castle during your tour, so you can start from the spot and cycle downhill to the Moselle river.

Before reaching Koblenz, your guide will take you for a tour through the historic towns of Kobern-Gorndorf, where you will find Germany’s oldest half-timbered house, and Winningen. At the German Corner (“Deutsches Eck”), you will see the joining of the Moselle and the Rhine. There we will conclude our journey with a farewell dinner.

9th Day             Departure

After breakfast you can arrive by train the Frankfurt-Hahn, Frankfurt or Cologne airports within a short time