Heart of Europe Bike & Barge: Metz to Cochem​

VBT Air Package guests: Depart from the U.S. for Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight itinerary and airline tickets.

VBT Air Package guests: Upon arrival at the Luxembourg City airport, claim your luggage and clear customs. If your luggage is lost, fill out a PIR form before leaving the customs area—VBT representatives are not allowed into the customs area. (Please note: Also make certain your VBT luggage tags are affixed to your bag so your VBT representative can identify you.)

After exiting customs, enter the arrival hall and look for your VBT representative, who will be holding a VBT sign. You will transfer via taxi or minibus (approximately 20 minutes) to your hotel in Luxembourg City. If you arrive early, your hotel room may not be available until 2:00 p.m. You may store your luggage with the Reception Desk. The rest of the day is free for you to explore this wonderful city.

Dinner is on your own tonight at a city restaurant.

After breakfast, continue your exploration of the city. Your local guide will meet you at 10:00 a.m. in the hotel lobby for a two-hour walking orientation tour, during which you can get some inside tips.

Luxembourg City overlooks the Petrusse and Alzette valleys and sits high on a rocky outcropping. It offers a combination of cobblestone-arched narrow streets and small elegant palaces such as the Palais Grand-Ducal and the Chambre des Deputes. The beautiful Chemin de la Corniche is said to be Europe's most beautiful terrace, with a pleasant promenade that passes restored ancient homes. The Casemates du Bock, a defensive labyrinth excavated in 1745 in the rocks beneath the city, is partly open to visitors. Other remarkable places include the Place de la Constitution and the cozy Place du Marche, still used for weekly flower and vegetable markets.

Tonight, dine on your own. The city boasts more Michelin stars per square mile than any other and has a lively atmosphere in its many cafés, pubs and pizzerias. 

After breakfast on board, we cycle along the Moselle River on a quiet bike path. Then turn inland and cycle along a pleasant rolling route through small villages to Rodemack, known as Little Carcassonne Lorraine. This charming village offers marvels of construction, including fortifications erected over many centuries. Impressive ramparts and walls encircle the village, and there's a labyrinth of back streets and cobbled alleys to explore, as well as an impressive fortress.

After a picnic lunch, we'll have free time to wander through the village.

You may bike or cruise this afternoon. Dinner tonight is on the barge. Afterward, the captain speaks about navigation and our planned route. The barge moors in Remich, Luxembourg. 

We cycle from Remich to Nennig and its local museum, where you can admire Europe's largest Roman mosaic (remarkably, 90% of it is original and perfectly restored). Continue riding along the Moselle on an easy bike path. The river forms a natural border between Germany and Luxembourg. Our route, on the German side, has the best views of vineyards sloping down hillsides. This is the Route du Vin, or wine road, famous here for its outstanding Riesling and Cremant wines.

Stop for lunch on your own in Oberbillig, a pretty village. You may cruise or continue cycling from this point. If you cycle, then we pass by Konz, a small city at the confluence of the Moselle and Saar rivers, then continue into the Saarland along the more intimate Saar River. Wooded mountains, wide meadows, and farmsteads and villages alternate in harmony along the two rivers. Later this afternoon, we reach Saarburg, a medieval jewel at the foot of a castle that towers above the river. The town center boasts a roaring 65-foot-high waterfall. We spend the rest of the day exploring this lovely town, then dine tonight on your own in a romantic restaurant on the Leuk River. Savor the hearty food and viez, or apple wine, typical of this region. The barge moors in Saarburg.

This morning, we walk to the nearby former bell foundry and museum, Mabilon, which produced bells until 2002. From there, pedal along the Saar River back to our barge, where lunch awaits. In the afternoon, continue to bike along the Saar to Konz, where we rejoin the Moselle bike path and ride to Trier. (If you prefer, you may cruise from Saarburg to Trier.)

A slogan for Trier, a lively tourist and university town, claims that it is possible to see “2,000 years of history in 2,000 paces.” The Romans established their local capital here. In the Middle Ages, Frankish kings and the archbishops of Trier reigned. A local guide conducts a walking tour of the city center, where we learn about the Porta Nigra (“Black Gate”), a city landmark and largest city gate of the ancient world. Then, visit the Amphitheater, the medieval Main Market and Church of Our Lady (where you can see the throne of Constantine the Great), the rococo Electoral Palace, the Imperial Baths and extensive subterranean service passages. Trier's monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tonight, the barge moors in Trier. We enjoy dinner together in a centrally located restaurant.

After breakfast this morning, we leave Trier and cycle toward Bernkastel-Kues, passing Piesport and Trittenheim along the way. Both of these wine-making villages lie on scenic hairpin turns on the Moselle. See a reconstructed Roman winepress in Piesport. We stop for lunch in Neumagen, where there are more signs of ancient Rome. From there, shuttle to Bernkastel-Kues, or continue biking among vineyards and orchards, watching for swans and other birds.

On arrival in Bernkastel-Kues, we meet the barge, then rest or explore before dinner on board. Bernkastel and Kues, united in 1905, were once two small cities divided by the Moselle. The pride of this small city is the market square, with its picturesque timber-framed houses and decorated fountains, some dating to the 17th century.

After dinner, we stroll to the fascinating cellar of Josef Zimmermann via an elegant district of fine Jugendstill villas, many of which display winegut, or winery signs. The simple, fourth-generation Zimmermann operation contains a century-old cellar, wine barrels and an inviting tasting hall, where we taste four different wines.

This morning, we shuttle (approximately 45 minutes) through the Eifel Valley to the city of Daun. From there, take an exhilarating bike ride that starts out slightly uphill, then zooms downhill along a former railway track that is now a cycling path. The ride includes stretches through tunnels, over bridges and by small lakes formed from volcano craters, known as maars. We'll pedal past castles, vineyards and green forests before cycling through quiet villages.

On the way, we stop in Strohn for a visit to a small volcano museum. The region is scattered with “young” volcanoes about 12,000 years old. The typical maars here are actually volcano cones collapsed inside the earth. In Strohn, we stop to share a simple, home-cooked lunch with a local family.

Later, continue cycling to Bernkastel and relax before dinner on board.

Today, cruise out of Bernkastel to follow the Moselle downstream. After breakfast, we arrive in Traben-Trarbach, an architectural jewel of Jugendstil surrounded by woods and extensive vineyards. Traben-Trarbach was at one time the world's second-largest wine-trading center. At the turn of the 20th century, the city's wine merchants built a number of fine Art Nouveau buildings, many of which are carefully preserved and continue to operate as wineries. An entire range of Belle Époque splendor was attracted to Traben-Trarbach, making the city a favorite destination for lovers of the Baroque and Classical styles.

VBT Air Package guests: After breakfast, say farewell to the crew and one VBT Trip Leader, then walk into Cochem with the other. This characteristic Moselle town has steep vineyards, wooded hills, medieval buildings and a picturesque center with beautiful timber-framed houses. Hike or shuttle to the Reichsburg castle with a local guide, where you'll enjoy a tour and spectacular views of the Moselle valley and its vineyards. The fairy-tale castle includes seven rooms of fine furniture and objects from different periods and styles.

VBT Air Package guests: After breakfast, meet in the hotel lobby to transfer to the Frankfurt airport for your flight back to the U.S. Please be sure that you are waiting at the designated transfer time and location. Please confirm your transfer time with your Trip Leaders during the week.

Please note: VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you extend your stay beyond the scheduled program dates, return transportation to the airport will be at your own expense.

Note: For guests with early-morning departures, breakfast at the hotel may not be available. Please check with the Front Desk to verify the times that breakfast is served.