Koblenz to Merzig

Koblenz to Merzig

Day 1: Arrival in Koblenz, embarkation at 4 pm. Koblenz - Winningen 
Day 2: Winningen - Cochem, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 3: Cochem -  Beilstein | Traben Trarbach, 28 mi. (45 km)
Day 4: Traben Trarbach -  - Bernkastel Kues | Bernkastel Kues -  Mehring | Mehring - Trier, 28 mi. (45 km)
Day 5: Trier - Saarburg, 15 or 34 mi. (25 or 55 km)
Day 6: Saarburg - Merzig, 20 mi. (32 km)
Day 7: Departure from Merzig

* Parts in italics are undertaken on board.

Day 1: Arrival in Koblenz, embarkation at 4 pm and cruise to Winningen
The Merlijn awaits you in the port of Koblenz. Embarkation starts at 4 pm. The crew welcomes you on board and while you enjoy your complimentary drink you will get information about the ship, the daily routes, and the bicycles. The city of Koblenz consists of the Aldstadt (old city) and the Neustadt (new city). The Aldstadt is quite compact, in the shape of a triangle, with 2 sides consisting of the Rhine & Mosel rivers, and the third side, covered by endless hills topped with fortresses. From the new city, there is a wonderful view of the river. Before dinner, the boat cruises to Winningen, a charming wine village a little further on the Moselle river.

Day 2: Winningen - Cochem, 25 mi. (40 km)
After breakfast, you will start biking to Alken and Moselkern and then into the Eltztal to visit the castle. Sitting on top of a cliff, the romantic castle is one of the very few that has not been destroyed during its long history. Continuing on you arrive in Cochem where the boat will be waiting for your overnight stay. You may want to pay a visit to the famous Reichsburg or stroll through the meandering streets in this romantic city.

Day 3: Cochem -  Beilstein | Traben Trarbach, 28 mi. (45 km)
The ship cruises to Beilstein, a small medieval village,  as you enjoy a sailing breakfast. Once in the saddle, you follow the meandering Moselle River,  via Zell, famous for the Zeller Schwarze Katz vineyard, in the direction of Traben-Trarbach, the day's destination. After dinner you will have opportunity to enjoy a wine tasting at a local winery. Overnight in Trarbach.

Day 4: Traben Trarbach -  - Bernkastel Kues | Bernkastel Kues -  Mehring | Mehring - Trier, 28 mi. (45 km)
After navigation to Bernkastel Kues,  your bike tour begins. You will have some time for a tour through Bernkastel-Kues first. Later on, you will bike to the holiday resort of Mehring, passing Neumagen-Drohn. The Romans fell in love with this landscape more than 2000 years ago and built splendid country villas here. The Roman poet, Ausonius, wrote of the beautiful landscape in this area. In Mehring, you will board the Merlijn and cruise to Trier. Tonight you will enjoy your dinner in one of the many local restaurants in Trier.

Day 5: Trier - Saarburg, 15 or 34 mi. (25 or 55 km)
In the morning, you can further explore Trier during a guided city tour. Trier was a Roman government seat and is well-known for its Porta Nigra, a gigantic city gate. In the afternoon you will bike to Saarburg. The cityscape is embossed from narrow alleys, framework houses, Baroque constructions as well as colorful fishermen and sailor-houses. The master architect of Berlin, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, named the ensemble of romantic houses and small bridges on the Buttermarkt “Little Venice” in the 19th century. Tonight you will dine in one of the restaurants in Saarburg.

Day 6: Saarburg - Merzig, 20 mi. (32 km)
After a tour through Saarburg and a splendid view over the city and the Saar valley, you bike about 15 km to the Saar-loop near Orscholz, the renowned river bend of the Saar. More than any other region, it symbolizes the "rendezvous in Saarland", a junction of water and land. An excellent viewpoint over the landscape and the Saar loop is at the “Cloef” above. From here, it is only 10 km to today’s destination, the city of Merzig. On your way you may want to visit the village of Villeroy & Boch: Mettlach. In Merzig, a short city tour in the afternoon gives you a chance to have a look at structures dating back over eight centuries. There is also the opportunity to visit some museums.

Day 7: Departure from Merzig

Merzig to Koblenz

Day 1: Merzig
Day 2: Merzig - Saarburg, (32 km)
Day 3: Saarburg - Trier, (20 km)
Day 4: Trier - Traben Trarbach, (45 km)
Day 5: Traben Trarbach - Cochem, (35 km)
Day 6: Cochem - Koblenz, (35 km)
Day 7: Koblenz

Koblenz to Merzig

Day 1: Koblenz
Day 2: Koblenz - Alken | Alken - Moselkern - Cochem, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 3: Cochem - Beilstein - Zell on the Moselle, 24 mi. (39 km)
Day 4: Zell on the Moselle - Bernkastel - Kues, 27 mi. (45 km)
Day 5: Bernkastel - Kues - Neumagen - Schweich, 16 or 34 mi. (27 or 54 km) | Schweich - Trier
Day 6: Trier  - Wasserbillig - Saarburg, 23 mi. (38 km)
Day 7: Saarburg - Merzig, 22 mi. (37 km)
Day 8: Merzig

* Parts in italics are undertaken on board.

On the days that two cycling distances are offered, the tour leader, in conferring with the group, will choose to guide either the shorter route or longer route. Not all the highlights will be visited during the shorter route.

You can also choose to ride self-guided utilizing maps available on board. GPS tracks will be sent to you 4 weeks before the tour start date.

Day 1: Koblenz
The Flora will be moored and waiting in Koblenz.  It is possible to bring your luggage on board at 11 am but the cabins will not be ready for check-in. At 2 pm the crew will offically welcome you on board. You will spend the first afternoon and night in Koblenz, an inviting city to explore. “Koblenz” is a corruption of the Latin word confluentes, which means confluence. The Romans gave that name to the camp they built around the year 14 AD, at the spot where the rivers Rhine and Mosel converge. In World War II the town was almost entirely destroyed, but a number of precious monuments are still worth a visit, such as the Deutsches Eck, the Romanesque basilica of St. Kastor and the Kurfürstliches Schloss.

Day 2: Koblenz - Alken | Alken - Moselkern - Cochem, 25 mi. (40 km)
Your day begins as the Flora sails to Alken where, following the distribution of bicycles, you will cycle to Moselkern. The village of Moselkern is world-famous for its Burg Eltz. This stronghold is one of the most impressive medieval buildings of Western Europe. It’s not easy to reach though, you need to hike the last section to reach the castle. After visiting Burg Eltz, you continue the bike tour to Cochem, one of the Mosel region’s most frequently-visited wine towns. Cochem is a cozy, characteristic town with wine cellars and half-timbered houses.

Day 3: Cochem - Beilstein - Zell on the Moselle, 24 mi. (39 km)
After breakfast you will cycle to Beilstein, one of the best-preserved historical villages along the length of the Moselle. The ruins of Castle Metternich sit towering above the village, and you’ll have the opportunity to explore them. After leaving Beilstein you will pass Europe’s steepest vineyard – with slopes inclining between 50 and 55 degrees – at Bremmer Calmont. Today’s tour ends in the wine village of Zell on the Moselle, well known in the industry for the wine “Zeller Schwarze Katz”. In Zell you should take the opportunity to get to know the good wines of the Mosel.

Day 4: Zell on the Moselle - Bernkastel - Kues, 27 mi. (45 km)
First stop of your cycling itinerary from Zell, is the romantic village of Traben-Trarbach, located on the left bank of the Moselle and famous for its Jugendstil (art nouveau) architectural style. From there you pass through the wine city of Kröv – well-known for its popular Kröver wine, to Bernkastel-Kues, your destination for the night. The grand half-timbered houses that surround Bernkastel-Kues’s marketplace date back to the Middle Ages, and are a photographer’s delight. You will reach the barge in Kues after a tour through town.

Day 5: Bernkastel - Kues - Neumagen - Schweich, 16 or 34 mi. (27 or 54 km) | Schweich - Trier
Upstream from Bernkastel lovely vineyards stretch out in many places. This area’s white Moselle wine has become a household name both locally and abroad. 

Piesport and Trittenheim are both well known. Piesport produces a number of beautiful white wines. The “Piesporter Goldtröpfchen”, in particular, enjoys great popularity. Trittenheim lies in a sharp hairpin bend of the Mosel. It is surrounded by mountains covered with extensive vineyards. The Laurentiuskapelle, with its gothic choir, is located right in the middle of the vines.

From Schweich, you’ll rejoin the barge to Trier, an interesting and lively city, the oldest in Germany. According to the Romans, Trier was founded around the year 15 BC by Caesar Augustus under the name of Augusta Treverorum. As a trading town and administrative center, Trier flourished during the late imperial age.

This Roman golden age has left Trier with a fair number of impressive monuments. Most authentic is the city gate Porta Nigra, which was built around 18 AD.

Day 6: Trier  - Wasserbillig - Saarburg, 23 mi. (38 km)
You will follow the Saar river to your next destination, Saarburg. Saarburg is an intriguing old town situated in the most beautiful part of the Saar valley, where the river banks are densely forested. The castle of Saarburg was built here in the middle of the 10th century. In the town’s center, you will encounter a 20-meter-high waterfall. At the foot of this waterfall, there is an old mill driven by a stream. Most of the old houses in this part of town are fully intact and date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, giving Saarburg a picture book look. Dinner this evening is out on the town and the crew will be happy to assist with suggestions of where to go.

Day 7: Saarburg - Merzig, 22 mi. (37 km)
Your last cycling day takes you first through the Saarschleife, a natural wonder at Orscholz. From the top of the Cloef you can take in this beautiful river loop as the Saar meanders through the densely forested valley. Later you continue to Mettlach, where you can visit the famous ceramic factory of Villeroy & Boch. Back on the barge in Merzig, you can enjoy your last evening on board and enjoy a celebratory dinner.

Day 8: Merzig

Merzig to Koblenz (2020)*

Day 1: Merzig
Day 2: Merzig – Saarburg, 22 mi. (37 km)  
Day 3: Saarburg – Wasserbillig (Lux) – Trier, 16 or 19 mi. (27 or 32 km)
Day 4: Trier – Neumagen – Bernkastel, 16 or 34 mi. (27 or 54 km) 
Day 5: Bernkastel-Kues – Traben-Trarbach – Zell on the Moselle, 27 mi. (45 km) 
Day 6: Zell – Beilstein – Cochem, 24 mi. (39 km) 
Day 7: Cochem – Moselkern | Moselkern – Koblenz, 26 mi. (42 km) 
Day 8: Koblenz

*2021 itinerary will be slightly different