The river Moselle infos and river cruising experiences

[Babcia7]

We visited Burg Eltz last summer while on our Crystal Bach cruise.  It was a highlight of the trip!  Such a beautiful castle!

[gnome12]

We visited Burg Eltz last summer while on our Crystal Bach cruise.  It was a highlight of the trip!  Such a beautiful castle!

I look forward to doing this trip just before my bike and barge trip, now rescheduled for September 2021.


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[notamermaid]

Eltz castle - just a short video to give you an impression of what it looks like. Please do not tell the Chinese it looks magical. And I hope the Japanese never put it in a manga comic .

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRD7hx_TDfE

 

Of course, you can also look up Rick Steve's video of the Moselle valley, in which it features Eltz castle.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

With the Moselle increasing in popularity for river cruising, Trier had reached docking capacity for the ships and had to turn down many requests to dock. In March, the town council approved the building of two more docking spaces. Those two will be managed by Trier town council, the other five along the banks are private. Here is the short article in German: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/trier/meldung-45158.html

 

A map on another website (subscription pages) suggests that the places will be in Trier-Nord, about 1.6 kilometers to walk to Porta Nigra and the old town. Completion date not known to me.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Let us return to Eltz Castle once more. Deutsche Welle's Rachel Stewart has visited and tells us a little about other German "Burgen" and "Schlösser", too: https://m.dw.com/en/once-upon-a-time-in-germany-castles-ghosts-royalty/av-53838295

 

notamermaid

 

[ural guy]

On 5/20/2020 at 9:10 AM, notamermaid said:

With the Moselle increasing in popularity for river cruising, Trier had reached docking capacity for the ships and had to turn down many requests to dock. In March, the town council approved the building of two more docking spaces. Those two will be managed by Trier town council, the other five along the banks are private. Here is the short article in German: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/trier/meldung-45158.html

 

A map on another website (subscription pages) suggests that the places will be in Trier-Nord, about 1.6 kilometers to walk to Porta Nigra and the old town. Completion date not known to me.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Thanks, I never understood why Vantage bused us to Trier from near Bernkastel for our day tour of the city, then on our 'free' day, the boat was parked in Schweich.  It made for a nice bike ride to Trier, maybe 20 km's on the bike path, but I'm sure that the people who didn't pay extra money to go Luxembourg would have rather walked off the boat in Trier, and not Schweich.

[notamermaid]

Let us have a look at the river in Luxembourg. I found this video on youtube. It is commissioned by the Luxembourg authorities, so essentially a business marketing video, but with lots of lovely footage of the river - and a few facts beyond what describes the transport waterway that I did not now. And a quick shot of the landing stage in Grevenmacher for river cruise ships as well as the port of Remich.

 

 

Enjoy.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Viva River Cruises have just announced that their new Moselle itinerary for 2021 will also stop at Traben-Trarbach. So let us have a look at this small town on both sides of the river: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traben-Trarbach

https://www.traben-trarbach.de/en/welcome_to_traben-trarbach.html

 

Famous is the distinctive bridge gate, together with its numerous Art Nouveau buildings that give the town a somewhat elegant feel and distinguish it from its more medieval neighbour Bernkastel-Kues. Its wealth reflected in the buildings stems from its former status as a wine trading centre. It still retains wine cellars and vineyards of note. The underground vaults in Advent and after Christmas are the setting for an unusual Christmas market experience that attracts people from the whole region.

 

Oh, and just in case you are wondering, it also has a castle. Two ruins in fact and a ruined fortress, that one designed by the the famous Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban.

 

notamermaid

 

[happy taveler]

Interesting town to visit as I have stayed overnight there several times while driving myself on a vacation but that was many years ago.  On a GCT cruise several years ago I skipped the optioned trip to Luxembourg and stayed on the ship to enjoy the time cruising which stopped at Traben Trarbach for a couple of hours to wait for the bus that took some of the people to Luxembourg so I got to revisit again.

[notamermaid]

Here is an unexpected "event" that had been postponed due to social distancing regulations: the annual maintenance of the locks on the Moselle and Saar rivers. Normally taking place in Spring, this year it is from 21 to 30 September. This is the German authorities' info: https://www.wsa-mosel-saar-lahn.wsv.de/SharedDocs/Kurzmeldungen/Webs/WSA/WSA_Mosel_Saar_Lahn/20200918_Schleusensperre.html;jsessionid=308838E6072D520750263A228298B23C.live21304

 

More importantly, you might be wondering about scheduled river cruise itineraries. This year is adjusting at short notice for everyone and I do not know when the engineers and relevant organisation decided on the new date. For normal years the maintenance schedule is published always two or three years in advance. River cruise companies have lots of time to plan accordingly.

 

notamermaid

 

[steamboats]

Heard about this too. The river level is lowered by 1.5 m. Not sure whether this is still enough water for the river cruise ships.

 

steamboats

[notamermaid]

On 9/22/2020 at 8:04 PM, steamboats said:

Heard about this too. The river level is lowered by 1.5 m. Not sure whether this is still enough water for the river cruise ships.

 

steamboats

It is not enough depth for most river cruise ships as the guaranteed depth is 3.00m, so it leaves 1.5m. But the lowering of the water level is only one section around Lehmen. As the locks are officially closed hardly any ships sail - cruise or commercial barge - during this time. It is not possible to have a proper itinerary as it affects more or less the whole river at the same time.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

While the Moselle valley is undoubtedly a very appealing landscape all year round, many people say it is loveliest in early Autumn. We are not quite there yet for Autumn colours, but the peaches were already ripe and the vines full of grapes getting close to harvesting when Deutsche Welle went cycling to Traben-Trarbach and Cochem: https://m.dw.com/en/cycling-along-the-moselle/av-55050589

 

notamermaid

 

[HoneyJan]

Thanks for the link, a perfect way to do some armchair traveling. I have in fact rented a bike in T.T. and biked along the Moselle, though not as far as Cochem. Brought back great memories.

[gnome12]

7 hours ago, notamermaid said:

While the Moselle valley is undoubtedly a very appealing landscape all year round, many people say it is loveliest in early Autumn. We are not quite there yet for Autumn colours, but the peaches were already ripe and the vines full of grapes getting close to harvesting when Deutsche Welle went cycling to Traben-Trarbach and Cochem: https://m.dw.com/en/cycling-along-the-moselle/av-55050589

 

notamermaid

 

If all goes well, I'll be on a barge and cycle from Cochem to Metz next September. Some barge travel between places, but cycling along the Moselle. We also have a day to do the rail trail (Maare Mosel) from Daun to Bernkastel-Kues.

Edited October 1, 2020 by gnome12

[notamermaid]

On 10/1/2020 at 9:57 PM, gnome12 said:

If all goes well, I'll be on a barge and cycle from Cochem to Metz next September. Some barge travel between places, but cycling along the Moselle. We also have a day to do the rail trail (Maare Mosel) from Daun to Bernkastel-Kues.

 

It is such a pity that you could not sail this year, I was really looking forward to your comments and possibly a review on your trip. I really like the itinerary. We have talked about your plan of doing the cycle path before, it is an attractive one through a nice landscape and an unusual one at that because of the volcanic lakes called Maar(s): https://www.mosellandtouristik.de/en/cycling-hiking/cycling/cycle-paths/cycle-paths/maare-mosel-cycle-trail/

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

I bought a jar of peach jam at a market last week and thought of that lovely cake in the video by Deutsche Welle again. It would be nice to get to Cochem but I fear the cake will be all gone by now.

 

It is so long ago that I posted about the vineyard peaches that perhaps those that are new to this thread or the area might appreciate this article and short video: https://www.ferienland-cochem.de/en/wine/metropolis-of-the-red-moselle-vineyard-peach

 

notamermaid

 

Edited October 14, 2020 by notamermaid
clarification

[notamermaid]

On 5/20/2020 at 3:10 PM, notamermaid said:

With the Moselle increasing in popularity for river cruising, Trier had reached docking capacity for the ships and had to turn down many requests to dock. In March, the town council approved the building of two more docking spaces. Those two will be managed by Trier town council, the other five along the banks are private. Here is the short article in German: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/trier/meldung-45158.html

 

A map on another website (subscription pages) suggests that the places will be in Trier-Nord, about 1.6 kilometers to walk to Porta Nigra and the old town. Completion date not known to me.

 

notamermaid

 

On a trip along the Moselle towards the Saar river in September I went through Trier. I think I saw what was already the preparation for the refurbishment of the area and embankment to accommodate the river cruise ships. On the map, if you want to look this up, go to the town centre and follow downstream to Nordbad, google maps further on shows you a Shell patrol station. The dock will be about there. The busy dual carriageway "Zurmaienerstraße" cuts the embankment off from town and I must say it is not an attractive area. I would hope that river cruise companies use shuttles to get you to town, but I am sure they will to give you that bit of extra time in town. I have found an older newspaper article that outlines the plans. The dock will be able to accommodate up to four river cruise ships and at the time of going to press was planned to be ready for Summer 2021.

 

Other companies probably have this too, but I give you here the page from nickocruises with the docks they currently use. You can see that in town they also use the Viking landing stage. Not an ideal situation of course, as Viking will quite naturally give priority to their own ships.

 

https://www.nicko-cruises.de/service/anreise-anlegestellen-hotels/anlegestellen/anlegestellen-trier/

 

A report on my pleasant short land trip to the area will follow at another time.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

A land trip to the Saar via the Moselle part 1

 

With the absence of holiday plans and opportunities to travel far, a trip closer to home was in order. In September my travel companion and me headed to the Saar river, a large tributary to the Moselle. The Saar meets the Moselle at Konz near Trier. So, a trip within the German borders it was going to be - actually not quite, but more on that later.

 

We decided to hit the river in the middle Moselle area and follow it upstream, then go to Konz and our destination: the area around Saarburg. The area is still Rhineland-Palatinate, but the state of Saarland is just a little upstream from Saarburg. First, a quick lunch in Bernkastel-Kues was in order. I do not recall having been to the small, but famous touristy town when I was young, so needed to check it out. In short: it is small and touristy. The weather being sunny and warm, the place was full. We found a café in Kues, the younger part of the double town on both banks of the river. Over the bridge with a splendid view over the vineyards and river cruise ships we went and were greeted by cars and people in abundance. A river cruise ship docked in Bernkastel:

 

The large Ferris wheel on the embankment seemed a temporary measure, it did look good there, shining in the midday sun:

 

We decided that the town was a bit too full for our liking and "escaped through the back alley" :

 

 

Next, it was Trier. I was looking forward to the city, I mean here the approach to it, as there is a lovely bend in the motorway before you get there, one of my favourite motorway stretches that I have ever been on. Going into Trier, we were stuck in the usual traffic on the dual carriageway, so I had time to look around from the passenger seat and took in the building site which I believe is the area where the town council is building the new dock (see post above). The slower roads we had taken meant we were too late in the day to appreciate Trier and went straight to Konz to turn South, going upstream along the Saar to our destination near Saarburg. Time to relax, take in the vineyard scenery and have a splendid meal with some good regional wine in the garden of the restaurant.

 

To follow: our whirlwind day of vistas, old stones, a very fast animal and a different supermarket experience.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

 

[jpalbny]

You had lovely weather! On the day we visited Trier, it was cloudy and rained in the afternoon. Luckily we found a restaurant with good strong umbrellas and enjoyed a great lunch from a dry spot.

[notamermaid]

The weather really was nice, we could sit outside while eating, certainly a bonus and the people where in a good mood, especially in Saarburg. Bernkastel was just a bit too small and we quickly felt crammed, but I did go to the tourist information centre to get some brochures for inspiration of things to do in the area. I wrote that Kues is younger than Bernkastel, which might have given a wrong impression. In the grand scheme of centuries both parts are medieval (and go back further into the distant past as dwellings) but Bernkastel is the more "windy narrow streets" version whereas Kues developed wider streets and managed to build grander in the 18th and 19th centuries it seems. Kues has the railway station which is a neat little example of an Art Nouveau building. It is disused and was turned into a restaurant years ago. All in all I found Kues more inviting for further exploration than Bernkastel, but that is based on first impressions on a rather busy late Summer's day.

 

@jpalbny certainly a pity about your rainy day in Trier. What would we do without restaurant umbrellas, I do not know. There is something special about Trier, not just the Roman ruins, the town kind of draws me in with a good feel to it. I sort of prefer it to Cologne which is not really a fair comparison. But that's the way it is. I have felt drawn to that part of the Moselle ever since I had the pleasure of exploring it in detail during a Latin class school trip. Got fed up with Latin will not get fed up with Trier. 😁

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

A land trip to the Saar via the Moselle part 2

 

The following day took us first to Saarburg, a town right on the river and true to its name with a castle perched on the top of the hill. Saarburg itself is a hilly town surrounded by vineyards and the river Leuk flows through it, the Saar kind of round it. Saarburg is known for its spectacular, somewhat man-made waterfall. In the Middle Ages, the Leuk river was diverted to create the waterfall of 18m to serve two mills.

 

Here is a photo:

 

 

The castle is more or less a ruin, but a part of it has been turned into restaurant with outdoor seating. This is the view upstream:

 

Down at the river dock you can see the local excursion boat called "Saarstern". River cruise ships dock nearby, a length up to 110m is allowed.

 

In the castle grounds we met a very fast animal: a small lizard was bathing in the sunshine on the old stones. Unfortunately, it was too fast for me and my smartphone, so no photo of the photogenic creature. For a September day it was really sunny and warm already at lunchtime. It was time for us to grab some lunch. After a sumptuous breakfast a sandwich was all that was needed and a very friendly assistant in a bakery provided that.

 

Sometimes when doing holiday research one comes across a place that one makes one exclaim: "I have got to see this!" This is what happened with me and Kastel-Staadt. It proved an elusive place as road closures necessitated a complicated detour from Saarburg but we found it eventually and were amply rewarded with a plateau with a remote church, a most unusual structure and magnificent views.

 

This is the view downstream:

 

This is the view upstream with a river lock:

 

And this is the chapel with memorial:

 

The place was a hermitage and became the resting place of a king. You can read about it here: https://www.mosellandtouristik.de/en/moselland-von-a-z/is/Eingang-Klause_Kastel-Staadt/deskline.html

 

It was truly different and we had the place almost to ourselves. But that was not all. The info system told of an amphitheatre that had been unearthed by chance a few years ago which we had a quick look at. The plateau has been of significance for 2,000 years on and off, but it is completely secluded and hidden behind a small village. Fascinating.

 

A trip to the region would not be complete without a stop to the famous Saar loop and that is where we headed next.

 

Still to come: another vista, the supermarket of difference and a few tips for things we had to leave out on this trip.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by notamermaid
wrong word

[notamermaid]

A land trip to the Saar via the Moselle part 3

 

We could not really leave the area without seeing the Saar loop. A famous landmark, it was full of people as expected, but the atmosphere was still laid back and people were considerate. It is a bit of a walk from the car park but on even ground as the area is much developed with a forest playground, conference hall, large shop and restaurant with outdoor area.

 

This is the loop:

 

After the walk back uphill we treated ourselves to an ice-cream (it was still very warm late in the afternoon) and headed back to the main road. It took us back towards Trier but we had a little detour and saw the huge quarry for the red sandstone that is so typical in this area. In the late afternoon sun it was particularly red and looked quite amazing. It is even more impressive from within the works as a small wall has been kept close to the road, so much of the quarry is hidden from view. It you want to roam around google images look for roter Sandstein Saar Taben-Rodt. It was time to look for some food - dinner would be late that evening - and petrol from a supermarket so we took a left turn and headed down to the Moselle. On the other side is of course Luxembourg, in this case the small town of Grevenmacher. Grevenmacher and its neighbouring towns and villages are curious places. While they are in Luxembourg, they also have a slight French air to them (France is basically just down the road) and they also are a tiny bit German in that the German influence from across the river and the constant coming and going of commuters and (shopping) tourists can be felt. It is standard to speak three languages and I am sure some are very capable of speaking in English if needed. So, our supermarket experience was at the same time familiar but quite different in what the place stocked. A section full of coffee bigger than in some specialist coffee shops in a standard size supermarket identifies Grevenmacher as a shopping haven for Germans looking for cheap coffee (the tax difference). The chilled aisles for food attracted our attention most so we filled our cart with quiche Lorraine and similar stuff. We saw something that is so typical of this area and that a German supermarket is unlikely to stock: choucroute ready-made to warm up, the complete works with potatoes, Sauerkraut and meat! Not for us this time, although I quite like it. If you ever get to a supermarket in the area, have a look around...

 

The car full of shopping and the tank well fed with petrol we headed home.

 

Here are a couple of places we could not see this time:

in Kues I would like to visit the birthplace of Nikolaus of Kues, a Medieval philosopher and man of much esteem in religion. The Zylinderhaus nearby is a modern building which looks like an old factory. It houses a great collection of vintage cars in a museum setting and also has a restaurant. It has been recommended to me.

Mettlach and the works of Villeroy & Boch. Known in Europe for the china and also bathroom supplies is a place I have been to and would like to revisit as the museum there has been enlarged.

Further into the Saarland, Völklingen ironworks is an enormous industrial site that I would like to see.

 

This was a great trip out to an area I had not been to for some years. Too short, if you want to get a feel for the Saarland and the Western end of Rhineland-Palatinate. It deserves more than a fleeting mention on a Moselle river cruise in my opinion.

 

And I should also mention: cruises on the Saar are available with Nicko Cruises and CroisiEurope. Some of those start or end in Saarbrücken, the state capital. Mettlach and/or the Saar loop may be excursions on a few river cruises available with other companies.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

 

[Ritabob]

Notamermaid,  I wish I could have seen the Saar bend as you saw it, but this is what we ended up seeing.

[notamermaid]

Oaaarh (sound of disappointment). Yes that is a pity. You saw great landscape in fog but lost the "loop experience". We were fortunate to have such good weather in September.

 

Forgot to mention in my last post that the castle on the hill in the middle of the loop can be visited: https://www.saarschleifenland.de/en/Media/Attraktionen/Montclair-Castle

 

notamermaid