Saar–Moselle–Rhine: Saarbrücken – Koblenz

Saar, Moselle and Rhine

Bike trail along Saar and Moselle from Saarbrücken to Koblenz

Two rivers with magnificent bike trails: Enjoy the Saar river with its French flair and industrial history, the Völklinger Hütte is part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage today. Then, marvel at the famous “Saar loop”, a spectacular loop in the course of the river. The landscape changes where the Saar river mouths into the Moselle as winegrowing becomes more and more prominent. Along the winding Moselle, the bike trail leads from the Roman town Trier to all the famous places on the Moselle. Follow the wide loops of the river enjoying a great time on your bikes as well as some worthwhile stops. You will discover Bernkastel-Kues, Traben-Trarbach and Cochem to test the light and fruity wines of the Moselle there. You will walk around the narrow streets of the small villages before reaching the “Deutsche Eck” in Koblenz to enjoy a magnificent view across the Rhine valley.

1. day Arriving in Saarbrücken

Loafing around in Saarbrücken, you will feel the French flair. The traces left by the changing affiliation of the town to either Germany or France can still be witnessed today, also in the local cuisine. For the local population serving escargots, shrimps, or paté and kir or pastis for appetizers is just normal.

The confectionaries with their sweet creations are a real paradise for anyone who likes sweets. The St. Johanner Markt with its numerous bars, bistros and restaurants is where the heart of the town beats. Here is the place to meet or to walk around the picturesque narrow streets situated around the market place. Noble boutiques and precious antique shops can be found in between old Baroque houses. We recommend arriving early in Saarbrücken, your bikes will be waiting for you at the hotel.

2. day Saarbrücken - Mettlach 59 km

From Saarbrücken, the Saar takes you through the former coal mining area and to the town of Saarlouis, still in the style of a French fortress constructed by Vauban today. A stop in Völklingen is an absolute must-do. The Völklinger Hütte is one of 33 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in Germany and in its importance equal to the Egyptian pyramids, the Chinese Wall, the cathedral of Cologne or the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Visiting the Völklinger Hütte is a real adventure. You will have the chance to walk deep into the dark corridors of the chargers’ hall as well as to climb high up to the viewing platform on the blast furnace. Afterwards, you will follow the splendidly constructed bike trail and the Saar through the beautiful landscape around Merzig until reaching the impressive Saar loop. Here, you should exchange your bikes for walking shoes and walk up to the vantage point ‚Cloef’. After only 30 minutes you will enjoy a spectacular view over the Saar loop and the surrounding landscape!

3. day Mettlach - Trier 42 km

On the Saar bike trail you will cycle through wooded landscape to Saarburg today. In Saarburg, the majestic castle sits enthroned high above the narrow lanes of the town. A coffee break in the very pretty Old Town will supply you with enough energy for the rest of the stage.

Accompanied by the vestiges of the Romans, you will cross Konz to arrive in Trier. Discover the historical Old Town on your own and do not miss out on the Roman thermal baths or the Porta Nigra.

4. day Trier - Piesport 46 km

Today, Roman past and contemporary viniculture will meet. The Moselle bike trail leads you to Mehring, where the Villa Rustica waits for your visit. ‘Villa Rustica’ is the designation for a manor in the Roman Empire. Today, the reconstructed walls and foundations can be visited again. You will now cycle to Trittenheim. Just before reaching today’s destination, you will pass Neumagen-Dhron, Germany’s oldest wine-growing place! You should stop here to taste some of that wine!

5. day Piesport - Traben-Trarbach 40 km

The two famous Moselle towns Bernkastel-Kues and Traben-Trarbach and the well-known wine growing resort "Kröver Nacktarsch" are today’s highlight! Marvel at the colorful and manifold half-timbered constructions seaming the market place of Bernkastel-Kues. In Traben-Trarbach, you should take a boat trip.

6. day Traben-Trarbach - Cochem 56 km

You will discover Enkirch today, a jewel of the Moselle region’s traditional half-timbered architecture. Later on, you will reach Zell, the wine-growing resort with the ‚Zeller Schwarzen Katz’ (‚The Black cat of Zell’). Take a relaxing break in the small town of Beilstein, proud of its surname „Rothenburg an der Mosel“. Then, you will reach Cochem with its picturesque centre and the ancient realm dating from the 11th century.

7. day Cochem - Koblenz 49 km

Before the Moselle bike trail takes you to the neat wine-growing villages like Kobern Gondorf or Winningen and to the Deutsche Eck, you will have the chance to visit the medieval castle of Burg Eltz. Enjoy the wide view over the magnificent valley of the Rhine and be looking forward to a wonderful evening in Koblenz.

8. day Departing from Koblenz

Your bike trip ends in Koblenz today. Anyone who wishes to travel back to Saarbrücken should book our shuttle transfer. It will transport any luggage and the bikes as well. Departure will be at 9am, arrival in Saarbrücken around 1.30pm. If you wish to cycle even longer along the Rhine, you can prolong your trip to Cologne or Mainz.

Worth knowing

Below you will find specific information about the trip on the Saar-Mosel - bike path. If you have further questions about this trip, you simply call us: Phone: 06421 – 886890.

Arrival by train

Saarbrücken is easily accessible from all major cities in Germany by train. We recommend to take a taxi from the station to get to our partner hotels in Saarbrücken. 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 Saarbrücken offer good parking facilities for the entire duration of your bike trip. You will receive detailed information about the parking options at the hotel booked for your with the detailed travel documents two weeks before the start of your journey. 

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 seperate 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 woman’s 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

Sundays at 9am there is the possibility to transfer back from Koblenz to Saarbrücken with a small bus (with bike trailer). Arrival at 1.30pm. It is possible to leave the bus in between at many locations. The driver comes to pick you up at your hotel and has much space for you, your luggage and where required your own bicycle. The bus takes you back to your first hotel, thus ensuring a perfect return service.

Train and bus in the Moselle Valley

In the Moselle Valley 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 Moselle. 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

We will be happy to book additional nights during your cycling trip. The booking of additional nights is possible in every regular accommodation place. 

The addtional night rates are as follows: 

Hotel category A

EUR 79, - per person / per night in a double room
EUR 119, - per person / per night in a single room

Extra costs which are not included 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 days 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 7 days a week in case of emergency.

Passport and visa requirements, health regulations

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

Corona travel information:
Before booking your trip, please inform yourself about the measures in place to contain the Corona pandemic.

Information on current decisions of the German Federal Government can be found here:
https://www.bundesregierung.de/corona-these-rules-and-restrictions-apply

Current information on entry requirements to Germany can be found here:
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/coronavirus

You can also find more information on our website at:
Corona virus and holiday planning

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.

Ludwigskirche

The Ludwigskirche, the most prominent example of a "place royal" architecture, is the tireless architect Stengel's masterpiece.
It is considered to be one of the most stylistically and aesthetically perfect Protestant baroque churches in Germany, comparable to the Michel in Hamburg or the Frauenkirche in Dresden. 

Ludwigskirche

Saar loop

The Saar loop is one of the most famous place to be of the region Saarland. The nicest view you will find at the viewpoint Cloef in Orscholz. It is located 180 m above the river. But there are also very nice views from the bank side of the river.

Saar loop

Porta Nigra Trier

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

Imperial Baths Trier

Going to the baths was an important part of Roman life: Over 1600 years ago, the Romans built one of the grandest and most impressive baths in the world: the Imperial Baths. Today you can visit this gigantic bathing facility: go back in time to the Roman era, descend into the subterranean labyrinth and get a feel for history!

Kaiserthermen

Villa Rustica 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

Neumagen-Dhron

Neumagen-Dhron means fine wines, typical food and roman culture. Neumagen-Dhron calls itself the “oldest Wine town of Germany” because the roman wineboat has been found here. Around the town you will find a lot of roman history. 

Neumagen Dhron

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

Zeller Schwarze Katz

With a cultivated area of about 400 ha and approximately four million vines Zell is one of the largest wine-growing communities on the Mosel. The dominant grape variety is the Riesling, but also numerous other grape varieties are cultivated, such as Müller-Thurgau, Bacchus, Kerner and many more. 

Zeller Schwarze Katz

Eltz Castle

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!

Eltz Castle

Cochem Castle

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.

Cochem Castle

Deutsches Eck Koblenz (German Corner)

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

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress 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.

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

Boat trip on the Moselle River

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