Mosel Valley Cycling

Wonderfully flat laid back cycling with flexible rail/riverboat options to shorten/extend routes to suit Luxurious *** and **** boutique hotels throughout; swimming pools 5 nights out of 10 Postcard-pretty wine villages, fairytale châteaux, riverside restaurants for long, leisurely lunches! Interest-packed days brimming with historic, cultural and architectural treasures; excellent bird-spotting Fabulous family-cherished vineyards, vaulted cellars and tasting opportunities at every turn!

Tucked away on Germany’s western border with Luxembourg, the Mosel is a wonderfully intimate region of half-timbered riverside villages, Rapunzel-like hilltop castles and sun-drenched vineyards extending as far as the eye can see. Blessed with a lovely temperate microclimate, and pancake-flat cycle paths, it’s prefect for exploring by bike, and this holiday, new for summer 2010, would be a great choice for novice cyclists, first-timers or families with active children.

Our route begins in the UNESCO heritage city of Trier, littered with ancient Roman gates and crumbling amphitheatres, where you’ll spend two nights. You then head off upriver, passing lush vineyards, to the tiny wine village of Trittenheim, where you’ll overnight before continuing on to fairytale Bernkastel Kues - manacles for captured highwaymen still hang on the walls of the town square here! After two nights, you’ll head off to picturesque Traben Trarbach - a revitalising splash in the hot springs will give you the energy to reach the final stop in Cochem! Here the soaring spires of a Disney-like castle dominate the jumble of medieval streets, and you’ve the option of cycling to the fortress city of Koblenz at the junction of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers.

With frequent rail and boat links throughout the entire river valley, you are free to make days longer or shorter as you wish. The cycling is on a mixture of dedicated surfaced, flat cycle paths and country roads, and there are virtually no hills. Days off can be spent swimming, discovering castles and museums, and, with so many pretty riverside villages to choose from, you can easily schedule stops for elevenses, lunch and even afternoon tea! In the evenings, we’ve included dinner on 4 nights, and left the others free for you to choose as there are so many local restaurants close to where you will be staying.