Moselle: short tour

The short tour: Quick ride through wide curves

The sportive 4-days tour through the valley of the Moselle.

Just a little longer than a weekend but feels like a complete holiday! This trip starts in Trier one of the oldest cities of Germany. Spend your short bicycle vacation in the most famous wine growing region of Germany along one of the most beautiful rivers and admire the "Kaiserthermen" (Emperor‘s hot springs) and the Porta Nigra - historical buildings of first rank in the Roman city of Trier. Discover famous towns like Bernkastel-Kues, Traben-Trarbach, Cochem, Neumagen-Dhron (the oldest German wine town) and Enkirch, a jewel of the regional medieval "Fachwerk" (Tudor style) architecture.

1. day Trier arrival

Individual arrival to Trier. There is plenty to see, you should arrive early.
You should take your time for the visit of the historical centre, the Kaiserthermen (imperial thermal baths) and the Porta Nigra. Arrival possible by German railway. If you arrive by car there a parking sites. The rental bikes will be at the hotel, if booked.

2. day Trier - Zeltingen 76 km

The bicycle path leads through wide curves along the Moselle to the wine village of Trittenheim and further on to the Old Town of Bernkastel-Kues. The framework houses present theirselves like a jewel-box and form nice with cosy pubs.

3. day Zeltingen - Cochem - Treis Karden 82 km

Cycle along Traben-Trarbach to the beautiful framework town of Enkirch. Enjoy a boat trip and discover Cochem with the Reichsburg castle. After only 11 km you will reach happily the wine town Treis Karden.

4. day Koblenz 42 km/58 km & departure from Koblenz (without overnightstay)

You should visit Eltz castle during a trip (+ 16 km). You follow the last curves of the Moselle through famous wine villages to the Deuschen Eck in Koblenz - a wonderful end of your journey (return of rental bikes/ receipt of luggage in one of our partner hotels starting late afternoon). 

You would like to explore the sights of Koblenz intensively?
In this case we recommend booking an extra night at the end of your bike tour. Our return transfer back to Trier is a quite comfortably way to come back to the starting point of the journey.

Worth knowing about your Moselle Bike Trip

Below please find more information about your bike trip. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us by phone: 0049 - (0)6421-886890.

Arrival by train

From Koblenz Trier is easily accessible by train. We recommend to take a taxi from the station to get to our partner hotels in Trier. Current schedule information and price information can be found at: www.bahn.de.

Train schedule information

Parking facilities at the hotel

Our partner hotels in Trier always provide parking possibilities. Sometimes even free, for the entire duration of your bike trip. There are always plenty of parking spots available, no pre-reservation is necessary. Detailed information on parking at your hotel, you will receive together with the detailed travel documents two weeks prior to departure.

Condition of cycle paths

The quality of the bike tail is very good. There are practical no unpaved or poorly developed path. The route runs almost exclusively on paved roads and is very well signposted. The volume of traffic varies, but between Trier and Cochem there is almost always a separate bike trail on the right or left shore side, off the main road. Only during your last day you have to cycle a section on a wide bicycle lane next to the main road. Detailed information about which shore side is best to cycle on, you will receive together with the detailed travel documents two weeks prior to departure.

Available rental bikes

If you choose to rent a Velociped-rental bike for the tour, we take it to your first hotel and pick it up at your destination. You can choose between ladies´and men's bicycles either with 7-speed gear shift and coaster brake or 27-speed gear shift and freewheel or electric bikes. All ladies' bikes have a low opening that makes mounting and dismounting much easier. The bikes are suitable for all ladies from 150 cm in height and for all gentlemen from 165 cm in height. You simply specify your wishes at time of booking.

Available rental bikes

Transfer back to the starting point of the journey

Daily at 9:00am there is the possibility to transfer back to Trier with a small bus (with bike trailer). Arrival at 11:00am. The driver comes to pick you up at your hotel and has much space for you, your luggage and if required your own bicycle. The bus takes you back to your first hotel, thus ensuring a perfect return service without transfer and the hassle of hauling luggage.

Please note that when booking the return transfer an extra night in Koblenz is mandatory. 

Train and bus in the Moselle Valley

In the Moselle Valley there runs not always a train. After Trier the train is leaving the Moselle Valley and the nearest station is not before Bullay. After only a few kilometres, the railway disappears in the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Tunnel and only reappears in Cochem. From Cochem the train runs completely in the Moselle Valley to Koblenz.

In the period from 1.5. - 31.10. a bus operates daily between Trier and Bullay with a max. capacity of 22 bicycles.

Bus schedule information

Boat trips on the river Moselle

From April to October there are many passenger ships on the Mosel. Boat docks are available in almost all places on both directions. Often tours are offered. Information about the exact departure times you find at the bulletin boards of the shipping companies.

A regular ferry traffic exists between Trier and Treis Karden.

Boat schedule information Moselle

Additional nights during the tour

Of course it is possible to book additional nights in every regular town where you will stay.

The prices for these extra nights are (prices of 2023):

Category B

EUR 55,- per person and night in a double room
EUR 78,- per person and night in a single room

Category A

EUR 66,- per person and night in a double room
EUR 91,- per person and night in a single room

Extra costs which are not inculded in the price

A possibly applicable city tax is not part of the travel price and therefore has to be paid at the hotel locally.

7 day hotline service

In case of chain breakdown, flooding or other bad surprises that makes a continuation of your tour impossible: no problem, we also work during weekends and you can reach us 24 hours-round-the-clock in case of emergency.

Passport and visa requirements

For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.

Travel insurance

The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.

Guided city walking tour Trier

Welcome to the oldest city in Germany! This romantic and historic city with its imposing buildings from the Roman era has a lot to offer! Marvel Trier with a worthwhile tour. 

Tourist Information Trier

Porta Nigra

For the newly arrived guest, the Porta Nigra is the best place to begin a tour of Trier. The gate dates back to a time (about A.D. 180) when the Romans often erected public buildings of huge stone blocks (here, the biggest weigh up to six metric tons).

Porta Nigra

Konstantin-Basilika Trier

The so-called Basilika, Constantine's throne room, is the largest surviving single-room structure from Roman times. The Romans wanted the architecture to express the magnificence and might of the emperor.

Konstantin-Basilika

Villa Rustika Mehring

Take a break in Mehring, at the Roman villa. Villa rustika is a country house or estate in the Roman Empire. With its corner towers and the colonnaded hall, the villa reflects the Roman residential culture of the 3rd century. The villa is open all year and freely accessible.

Roman villa Mehring

Bernkastel-Kues

Immerse yourself in the thrilling atmosphere of an old town that is full of history and culture. Savour the celebrated Moselle wines in a tasting session or on a tour through the famous steeply terraced vineyards of the Middle Moselle. Bernkastel-Kues is absolutely perfect for hiking or cycling, while no Moselle experience is complete without taking a boat trip on the river! 

Bernkastel-Kues

Reichsburg Cochem

The contours of the neo-gothic building rise more than about 330 ft above the river Moselle on an outstanding hill. The silhouette of the towering hill seems to continue in the building which is topped by the slate roof of the massive keep. As for its structure, Cochem Castle belongs to the category of castles protected by height that had to be protected all around. Romanesque fragments found in the well indicate a reinforcement of the castle around 1056.

Reichsburg Cochem

Burg Eltz

You are cordially invited to Eltz Castle and Eltz Forest - welcome! We have been here for more than 850 years and are doing everything within our means to preserve our ancestral home. Experience the Middle Ages and nature in its purest form! We are proud of our fairy tale in stone and take pleasure in sharing it with you!

Burg Eltz

Deutsches Eck Koblenz

The establishment of the Teutonic Order at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle in 1216 gave this historic site its name, the “Deutsches Eck” (“German Corner”). Koblenz also owes its name to the meeting point of the Rhine and the Moselle - from “Castellum apud Confluentes”, Latin for “fort at the confluence”, which over time became the current name of Koblenz.

Deutsches Eck

Fortress Ehrenbreitstein Koblenz

At 118 metres above the Rhine, the fortress has the most fantastic views over Koblenz and the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. The Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, the second largest preserved fortress in Europe, was constructed in its present form between 1817 and 1828. Its origin dates back to the year 1000. Today the fortress is home to the Landesmuseum Koblenz with its diverse exhibitions (e.g. the technical history and archaeology of the country, fortress history with over 20 exciting stations, multimedia presentations and much more), and is also home to the Ehrenmal des Heeres army monument and the Koblenz youth hostel.

Fortress Ehrenbreitstein

Shipping on the Moselle

The Moselle travels a total of 520 kilometers from its source at the Col de Bussang in the Vosges to its mouth at the Deutsches Eck in Koblenz - the airline between the source and the mouth is only 278 kilometers - overcoming a gradient of 676 meters. As a true European river, it flows through France for a distance of 278 kilometers, then forms a natural border between Luxembourg and Germany over 36 kilometers to flow into the Rhine after 206 kilometers in Rhineland-Palatinate. The Mosel can be navigated from Thionville in Lorraine to 392 kilometers, but 15 barrages with locks are necessary to compensate for the difference in altitude. The "White Fleet" in the Moselle region offers very special experiences: behind each bend, there is a new view of steep vineyards, romantic villages and historic sights. From the tour over extensive day trips to the romantic evening ride with music ranges the range of steamers and excursion boats.

Shipping on the Moselle