Moselle and Saar by bike and ship

The Saar-Moselle bike trail by bike and ship

The Saar loop is a unique natural scenery known in the whole country. Cycle along the neat Saar-bike trail and walk up to the lookout point to enjoy at the awesome view. Discover Saarburg, the “Little Venice” of the Saar and visit the castle before reaching the Moselle with the historical Roman town Treves. You should not miss out on a visit of the Roman thermal baths, the Porta Nigra and the historical town centre. The Moselle-bike trail will impress you. You will roll along green vineyards and visit well-known places along the Moselle like Traben-Trarbach, Zell and Bernkastel-Kues. Further highlights of your guided tour will be impressive passages on the ship’s sundeck or a side trip to Burg Eltz, which will definitely not disappoint you! The last stage of your trip is Koblenz with the “Deutsche Eck”.

MS Patria

The MS Patria offers capacities for 66 guests in 33 air-conditioned cabins equipped with two single beds, shower and toilet. A cozy atmosphere and a friendly crew await you in the saloon and bar. You also have a partially covered sundeck where you can spend your time after the bike tours. The crew is an experienced team, supplying a familiar atmosphere on board.

1. day  Arriving in Saarburg

Individual journey to Saarburg. The pier lies close to the Old Town and the train station. Parking facilities at Brückenstraße (150 metres from the pier), 1 Euro per day. Embarkment starts at 4p.m. We recommend discovering the Old Town on your own. The small town is situated below the fortress of the Saarburg by the Saar. Vineyards and woods surround Saarburg. The Leukbach flows through it and established the basis for the early heydays of the local community life. “Little Venice” is how the ensemble of romantic rows of houses and small bridges crossing the creeks on the butter market was already referred to by the Berlin architect Schinkel.

2. day  Saarburg - Saarschleife, Konz / Trier 35 km

After breakfast, you will cycle from Saarburg upstream to the famous Saar loop near Orscholz. An excellent view point up by the Cloef invites for a nice break. The museum in Mettlach, documenting 250 years of ceramics manufacturing (Villeroy & Boch), is definitely worth a visit! The ship will already be waiting for you in Konz to drop its anchor either here or in Treves. If the night will be spent in Konz, it is nevertheless possible to participate in a guided tour around Treves, organized by the tour operator chaperoning your trip. Here, you will have the unique chance to follow 2000 years of history step by step. Visit the Porta Nigra, a Roman town gate of gigantic size, the basilica, the Roman thermal baths or the electoral palace.

3. day  Konz / Trier - Mehring 31 km

After breakfast, your route takes you to Neumagen-Dhron, the oldest winegrowing place by the Moselle. Marvel at the rock relief of the wine ship and at its beautiful remake. In a comfortable pace, you will reach Mehring on the even Moselle bike trail. There, on an acclivity above the Moselle, excavations of the Villa Rustica, a Roman manor, can be visited.

4. day  Mehring - Bernkastel–Kues 50 km

Today you will cycle into Trittenheim, where a nature trail informs over the work of the winegrower, local grape varieties and winegrowing, and from there to Pieport with its worthwhile Roman wine press. The community, known as the biggest winegrowing establishment in the Moselle-Saar-Ruwer-region, is surrounded by vineyards, woods and meadows. Already the Romans came here to enjoy the stunning landscape with its natural prosperity. The famous winegrowing town Bernkastel-Kues will be reached already after a short time of cycling through the vineyards. Neat small towns lie on both sides of the Moselle. Noble half-timbered houses seam the steep market place in Bernkastel. Enjoy the incomparable atmosphere of the picturesque Old Town full of history, discovering new details of the fascinating half-timber over and over again. The beautiful well system and the birthplace of Nikolaus von Kues wait to be discovered. There will be enough time to discover the whole place. If you are interested, your tour guide will organize a visit of the biggest winegrowers’ association by the Moselle.

5. day  Bernkastel-Kues - Zell 41 km

Today’s route leads through the famous winegrowing area "Kröver Nacktarsch“. You will be tempted to stop and taste the various wines. In Traben-Trarbach, it is time to take a relaxing break in order to explore the beautiful town. The next stop will be in Enkirch, whose half-timbered houses and narrow streets invite to walk around. You will not be back on your bikes for long before the next big winegrowing area comes up. The route leads past vines of the “Schwarze Katze” (black cat), into the middle of the small but beautiful town.

6. day  Zell - Cochem 35 km

Behind a narrow curve in the course of the Moselle lies the small winegrowing town Bremm with its winding lanes. Here you are going to pass the steepest vineyard in Europe, the “Calmont”. Another highlight of the day surely is Beilstein, whose heavenly townscape has served as the scenery for five movies. A perfect place for a nice break. Today’s destination is Cochem. The perfectly restored Old Town and the impressive castle watching over the town make Cochem the most frequented town by the Moselle. Your ship is waiting for you by the bridge over the Moselle with a great view over town and castle.

7. day  Cochem - Koblenz 37 km

After cycling through the valley for a few kilometres, you will reach Moselkern. Take a side trip by bike and foot from here to the famous castle of Burg Eltz. Full of impressions of this impressive castle, you will then continue through the Moselle valley on its last kilometers to the Deutsche Eck in Koblenz, where your ship will be waiting. Let your last evening fade out with a walk along the Rhine river promenade in the beautiful Old Town of Koblenz.

8. day  Departing from Koblenz

Your journey back home starts after breakfast. By train, it costs you 2 hours and about 25 ? to get back to Saarburg. Alternatively, you can take our shuttle with a minimum number of four persons. Costs: 60? per person (limited number of seats, reservation has to be made with the booking of the trip, payment on location).

Dates and travel direction

Saarburg - Koblenz: 05.05./02.06./30.06./14.07./11.08./25.08./22.09./06.10.2011.
Koblenz - Saarburg: 28.04./26.05./23.06./07.07./04.08./18.08./15.09./29.09.2011.

Please note:

All bike and ship trips may underlie spontaneous changes of the route due to certain weather conditions.
For this trip exist special terms of cancelation.