Merzig to Cochem

This itinerary was a perfect combination of good bike rides on excellent pathways, interesting towns and villages and stunning scenery at every bend in the Mosel river.
The daily plan allowed for ample time to visit and explore towns along the route and the overnight stops. The fact that harvest was in full swing added an interesting insight into the central industry of the Mosel.

Climbing the very steep road through the vineyards to the view point.

The Mosel valley is a wonderful cycling locale. There are few hills, endless "cute" (ie scenic) storybook towns and villages, and of course vineyards climbing every hill in a patchwork quilt. There are hills on both sides of the valley, so it is protected from strong winds and the climate is very mild - after all, that's why the Romans lived there for hundreds of years and even moved their capital from Rome to Trier. As a North American I had never heard of the starting and ending towns, but they turned out to be easily accessible by rail from major cities. Being there the first week of September coincided with the wine festivals in pretty much every town. This was my second time cycling along the Mosel; there was little overlap between the two cycling holidays as the itinerary was quite different. And the boats were very different too. Even when we visited the same towns we saw different things. And we cycled one day from a volcano caldera down a rail-to-bike-path trail that descended 1000' in 55km, including almost-one-kilometre long stone tunnels through mountains. It is such a relaxing trip I would consider doing it again.

scenery along the Mosel, friendliness of local people, small group on board, lousy food amost every night..

This trip was beautiful, the countryside the little towns and villages were all wonderful to visit. The guides were excellent and certainly new their stuff. The barge itself was very comfortable and the food was fabulous. The crew were very easy to get along with and the captain of the Quo Vadis was very generous and friendly. We enjoyed every aspect of this bike/ barge.

This was a fantastic vacation. The bike and barge trip also include a few hikes to castles and other attractions. It was a wonderful surprise and great to break up the day. The tours were well organized to ensure everyone knew where to turn and no one was left behind with a sweep always watching. Every day was slightly different and the time flew by. Perhaps the most memorable were the people. The boat crew and guides were fun and easy going which made the whole experience very comfortable. The other quests were wonderful. Overall great experience.

The bike and barge along the Saar and Mosel (or Moselle) rivers is undoubtedly the most underrated journey in Europe. The biking was easy (I'm over 65, fit but no athlete, and used a regular bike) and would be a glide on an electric bike. The scenery and towns are wonderful, vineyards lining the hillsides and mostly small, charming towns. The biggest cities on the route, Trier and Cochem, are great spots to spend a day. A giant bonus were the crew and guides on the Quo Vadis- top notch all the way. A tip for future travelers- choose the route that ends in Cochem- it's all downhill!

Biking through the vineyards and small villages of the Mosel with the opportunity to stop for a coffee or pictures of this unique area made the trip memorable and unique. Also, the camaraderie of the staff of the Quo Vadis and their desire to ensure that all the guests were content.

Trip was great! Loved only having 24 on the boat; we knew everyone well by the end of the trip. Food was fabulous. Only suggestion for the tour guides would be to try to have the passengers back to the boat by around 4:30 every day, so the guests have time to shower and socialize over happy hour before dinner. Too bad the Quo Vadis will no longer be operating. They really did it well!!

We had a spectacular trip! The Quo Vadis was such a comfortable and welcoming home. Our guides were outstanding; our chef, captain, servers/boat assists couldn’t have been more accommodating and friendly. Food was fantastic. Most of all, our fellow bikers were so much fun and added so many lasting memories to our biking holiday!

The Guides and staff were awesome. The biking and routes we took were like biking in a fairytale. So incredibly Beautiful. The people I met were inspiring and so much Fun. Food was delicious and I would recommend this Trip to everyone. Best trip I've ever experienced.

The people on the ship, both the crew and the travelers were absolutely fabulous! I loved to rides and how knowledgeable our guides were.
A tip for others is that if you don’t bike regularly, then an e-bike is the way to go. Many on the trip said they would get one the next time. I loved the change in terrain and the hiking, too!

This was our first bike and barge trip, and it far exceeded our expectations. "RJ", the owner and captain of Quo Vadis is committed to providing a top notch experience for his passengers. You see it in his attention to detail on his boat and in his selection of crew and guides, who share his commitment to excellence. The food, the accommodations, the people, the tour -- they set a very high bar for my next bike and barge trip.

What a wonderful trip! We were so excited to experience our first Bike and Barge trip and our trip aboard the Quo Vadis did not disappoint! We started our trip in Cochem and biked thru beautiful villages and countryside with wonderful views, with our guides, Wim and Roseanne. They went out of their way to make sure everyone was well cared for. The staff aboard the Quo Vadis was the best! They were so warm and welcoming, if we even "looked" like we may need something they made sure we were tended to! No one wanted to leave! We can't wait to do another bike and barge trip, so much better than a big cruise or tour. It really allows you to see the countryside and experience the smaller villages and really get to know the people in your group!

Beautiful countryside in the Mosel river valley with vineyards, variety of forest, and paths were smooth and easy riding. The staff on the boat were top notch! Excellent food and accommodations.

It was fun and relaxing riding bikes along the Saar and Mosel rivers. The vineyards climbed up the hills and ran down almost to the river. The many small villages were so attractive and Trier, a larger town, was interesting. The 20 passengers were great. The food could have been better.

Our trip down the Saar and Moselle Rivers was fantastic. The boat, Quo Vadis, was well equipped and our rooms very comfortable with ample room to move about.
We traveled with 7 couples that knew each other through a few of the people and that quickly built camaraderie. The others on the tour were included in all of our fun and we set up a WhatsApp group to share photos and experiences. The riding was relatively easy and the river sights continued to call for photo stops. We were fortunate that our guides were flexible and understood our desire to stop at nice coffee shops, pubs and restaurants for snacks and the occasional meal beside the cut lunch we carried.
The only reason we scored this trip as a 4 rather than a 5 was that the meals were far below our expectations. We had traveled on a previous trip on 'Sailing Home' at "comfort' level and our meals were of much better quality and quantity than this 'Deluxe' trip. This was unfortunate as we believed we were paying for a higher level again than the previous trip.

The biking from one picturesque community to another. Plus the marvelous people that were part of the group.

Everything about this tour was delightful. The staff created a cozy, warm welcoming environment that made it fun 24/7. The guides were great. Piet and Marcel. Rain or shine they were ready to go! I loved it even the afternoon it poured for 2 hours. (Having total rain gear is essential!)
I never thought I could ride 40 to 50 kms every day with arthritic hip problems, but it was easy!
Although, I’m not sure I’d call all moments on the routes easy. Sometimes we got lost and had to climb steep hills to cross bridges, but we did it! And the guides looked out for us constantly.
It was all part of the adventure.

I was on the Cochem to Merzig trip!
Would like to have returned to the boat earlier every day. Found 50km+ every day a bit too much. This would also give us more time to explore the communities.
Boat staff and guides were great.
Food was excellent.
The beautiful countryside was the highlight!
The bikes were very heavy, 55lb, causing many to topple over when stationary.

Cycling along the Moselle River on one side and the beautiful hillside vineyards on the other.
Our hosts were incredible - so warm and accommodating. A superb variety of three-course dinners on board.

Very friendly and knowledgeable crew. Easy routes but long days, often biking to 5 pm or later. Would prefer bike touring ended by 3 pm

The crew/boat was absolutely terrific but the scenery and wonderful bicycling infrastructure along the Mosel stole the show. It was my first time doing a bike and barge and I will definitely do it again.

Bicycling through the beautiful vineyards and the opportunity to visit picturesque towns.

This trip was amazing with great scenery and a great crew and staff who were so friendly and fun. The towns we rode through were small but very interesting and loaded with history. The barge was perfect and similar to the different barge we were on with 12 cabins which we think is a great size. Our group of 11 met 8 amazing people from Canada and 2 others from the states who just made the trip so much fun with a lot of laughter. Time to start planning the trip for next year.

I particularly enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the river and the little villages we stopped in.

Our week was the last week of the season and the ferry across the river to Luxembourg was closed. The guide saw how disappointed we were and offered us to bike an additional 14 km to be able to get to that country which was an unanimous decision by our group.

A couple of stands out . First the staff , they were friendly and welcoming. There was nothing they would not do to ensure your safety and enjoyment. They worked hard so we didn’t have to . The evening gatherings to discuss next’s days events . And the flexibility of the captain to make a few stops that to allow people to return or leave.
The bike route brought us through beautiful vineyards, gorgeous landscape, and river views. Biking downhill through the tunnels and stopping in a wine cave was exhilarating.
Tips take rain gear, forecast was for sunny skies everyday but we ran into thunder shows.

The ship Quo Vadis the boat and crew were great. Our guides Leah and Tami made the bike riding and stops along the way very interesting.

We loved biking thru the wineries and the different scenery each day. We also loved the evening meals visiting with new and old friends.

Great Guides and accomodation

Another great trip on the Quo Vadis!

Loved biking through vineyards and stopping in little towns with loads of history and sipping wine or coffee with the gorup. The crew and the guides were superb and very caring.

I truly enjoyed the trip. The Quo Vadis is a beautiful boat, lovingly maintained. The captain and owner, RJ, was unfailingly gracious. The food was terrific! Hats off to Martina, the chef. Guides Rocco and Jacks were pleasant and helpful, and the other guests were great as well. I think I could perhaps have managed a little more cycling each day, but what we did was certainly very pleasant.
All in all, really great trip!

Joy Goodman

We had a wonderful trip up the Moselle and Saar rivers. This was our fifth Bike/Barge trip and our second on the Quo Vadis. The trip does not disappoint! Capt RJ and his entire crew are most hospitable and the bike guides Japke and Rikko made our daily bike rides most enjoyable! The cycling was relatively easy on 80% paved cycling paths, with the balance either cobblestones or gravel pathways. The scenery was outstanding! My highlife of the trip was cycling down through the old train tunnels back to the Moselle! Epic!

We enjoyed all aspects of this trip: the clean, efficiently-laid out accommodations, the delicious food(especially the vegetarian options cooked specifically for us), the great bikes, fun staff, knowledgable tour guides, and the towns and scenery we rode and boated through. We brought travel slippers to wear onboard which we enjoyed and others commented they wished they had done so. We wore padded bike shorts which we thought helped us avoid sore bottoms from biking since we are not accustomed to long rides. Although we rented electric bikes, this is a mostly flat trip and I don't think you need electric if you are a reasonably fit biker.

Relaxing cycling through vineyards, watching the grapes being harvested and visiting the villages and castles aling the way

The entire trip was memorable , all 6 days of it , right from the moment we boarded till we disembarked everything was perfect, absolutely no complaints.
The Barge Merlijn, the owners, Coen and Christina and their entire team were par excellence ! Our guide , Lia was fantastic, with great sense of Humour and was prompt in taking care of any bike related issues . The food was exquisite, the most delectable vegetarian food we ate lovingly prepared by Christina. The bike paths thru the Vineyards and the varied landscapes were perfect along the river Saar and Mosel. It was in reality doing a leisurely tour on a bike. The hike up the mountain to view the Saar Loop was awesome , a perfect picture postcard scene . will definitely recommend this tour on the merlijn.

This was a great trip that the group from Spokane (Tom & Mary Kay R. Mike and Mary M., Jan and Mark B., John and Helen W. -UK) recommends to anyone interested in seeing a beautiful part of Germany. It was not just the scenery that was great, but also how the Merlijn ""crew"" always made you feel at home and took care of any problems. Special thanks to Jantien, Henk and Jacques!