Moselle cycle path - Mosel-Radweg

Logo Mosel 555-zGh.jpg

The Moselle rises in the Col de Bussang saddle (727 m above sea level) near the Lorraine local community Bussang in the Vosges, not far from the "inner French border triangle" Lorraine, Alsace, Franche-Comté. It passes the regional metropolis Metz and reached in Pearl German soil. In Germany, the Moselle is gaining in breadth, among other things through the tributaries of the Sauer, Kyll, Saar and Ruwer.

The Moselle at Alkene
Signpost at Thionville

Route profile

  • Length: approx. 300 km (Metz - Koblenz); in the upper reaches about 250 km
  • Signposting: Available from Metz and also quite conclusive. From Thionville under the name Mosel. In Germany standard-compliant with arrow signs and inset logo. There is only one route on either side of the river.
  • Slopes: Starting at Epinal, the route has a fairly low incline. There is a hill in the area of ​​the German-French border. The German part is completely undemanding from Konz at the latest and is therefore very popular with senior citizens.
  • Path condition: Mostly paved.
  • Traffic load: From Metz mostly free of traffic; Above Metz, the route runs in parts on back roads. In Germany, the cycle path is often next to one of the two federal roads, in rare cases also on the hard shoulder of the federal road
  • Suitable bike: Everyday bike with 3-speed (better 7-speed hub gear) is sufficient.
  • Family suitability: Above Metz, the participants should be "roadworthy", the Treis-Karden - Cochem section is not suitable as it is not always secured with railings.
  • Inline suitability: Between Bussang and Remiremont good, but with barriers. In addition to the federal highways, you can also skate.

background

The loop-rich journey of the Moselle begins in the French southern Vosges and leads on the edge from Luxembourg to Germany to the Rhine. The wine-growing region of the Moselle is characterized by many river meanders, numerous steep slopes and the typical terraced viticulture. The cycle route runs between the river bank and vineyards and leads through wine villages. Vineyards and numerous castles "populate" the valley. At Koblenz the river finally flows into the Rhine at the well-known Deutsches Eck.

The German Moselle is quite wide and largely fills the narrow valley. Wide streets (e.g. the B49 Koblenz - Treis cards - Cochem - Alf and the B416 Treis-Karden - Koblenz) and a railway line also have their place. There is no one left for an independent path for cyclists. The river is an important traffic artery and the valley, especially in Germany, is therefore not always calm.

A route called Moselle does not exist until Thionville. The previous sections are recommendations based on plausibility and experience. Alternative routes can be faster, for example.

The Charles le Téméraire cycle route, which partly ran along the Moselle, is in L’échappée bleue has been renamed. The international sections have been left out. [2018]

You can find out more about cycling in France here.

getting there

As an introduction to the German part of the Moselle Cycle Route Pearl and trier As an introduction to the French part, Bussang, Epinal, Metz and Thionville at.

Public transportation

  • The railway line Pearl - trier - Koblenz runs parallel to the Moselle valley. However, the route only follows in the area Pearl - trier as Cochem – Treis cards – Koblenz the Moselle valley. Traben-Trarbach is connected via a branch line. If you start the cycle path at the source in the Vosges, you can travel by train from Germany or Switzerland. You can take the train via Müllheim / Baden or Basel to Mulhouse / Alsace and continue by train in the direction of Kruth to Fellering at the foot of the Bussang pass. From there it is just under an hour on the busy road to Col de Bussang.

By bicycle

  • If you start the cycle path at the source in the Vosges, you can travel from Germany by bike. It goes via Müllheim / Baden or Basel to Mulhouse / Alsace and further into the Thur Valley on a well-signposted cycle route. The last (steep) kilometers to Col de Bussang have to be driven on a busy road (approx. 1 hour).

Route description with sights

stage Bussang - Epinal: 60 km (Height Vosges)

Source of the Moselle a little above Bussang
Forbidden for everyone except for cyclists

From Bussang to Remiremont, the cycle path runs on the good railway cycle path Voie Verte des Hautes Vosges. At intersections are barriers that are difficult to see! (Photo)

The section runs in the department Vosges.

  • Source of the Moselle - above Bussang in a gorge
  • Bussang - This is where the railway cycle path begins
  • Le Thillot 10.2 km / km: 10 - there is an Aldi market here (almost next to the bike path)
  • Rupt-sur-Moselle 10.8 km / km: 21
  • Vecoux 6.5 km / km: 27 - around here you can branch off into the wooded Moselotte valley and the Route of the high Vosges keep following. Incidentally, the railway route is one of the longest in Europe.
  • Remiremont · 5.2 km / km: 33 - Recommendation from Remiremont: The D 42 on the right side of the Moselle. The autobahn-like national road also runs in the valley here. If possible, you should skip the section to Epinal and take the train to Epinal.
  • Mehachamp 4.5 km / km: 37
  • Éloyes 5.9 km / km: 43
  • Archettes 7.1 km / km: 50
  • Epinal · 9.7 km / km: 60 - from here accompanied the Moselle - from Dole coming - a new route called Véloroute "Charles le Téméraire", which from now on goes almost to Germany (the melodious name of Charles the Bold is unknown on site). You pass the place on cycle paths that have no direction signs. You have to look for the connecting canal to the Vosges Canal and then cycle on the right bank. In April 2013 this route was closed due to a landslide, so you had to use the left side.

stage Epinal - Nancy/Toul: 75 km

Between the Moselle and the Vosges Canal

The section runs in the départements Vosges and Meurthe-et-Moselle. The Moselle valley is quite wide and flat north of Epinal for about 50 km.

This stage is from Canal des Vosges (German: Vogesen Canal), on whose towpaths a good cycle path has emerged. You often cycle on the central island between the canal and the river (photo) and therefore only see a few places. The signage consists of a few arrows on asphalt. You can recognize the cycle path by the text "sauf Velo" under prohibition signs. The later closes Canal de Jonction (Embranchement de Nancy) that connects Nancy to the Vosges Canal. You will only cycle on its towpath if you decide to turn off to Nancy. Otherwise this stage ends in Toul.

→ Camping les Iles on the bike path. Behind the camping site, turn left into town.
Bad towpath at Richardménil
  • Socourt - approx. 32 km behind Épinal - unfortunately the upgraded route ends here and the path becomes worse (partly coarse gravel). Occasionally there is a parallel, asphalt farm road. An initially quiet country road is also available. The reason for the end of the upgraded route is the department border with the Meurthe et Moselle department, where people don't think much of cycling along the Moselle.
  • Crévéchamps
Signposts above and below. "Les Boucles" is written on the blue pole
  • Flavigny-sur-Moselle
  • Richardmenil - behind Richardménil you have to decide. Either on the Moselle or Nancy, which is on the Meurthe. The bike path you come across is called La Boucle de la Moselle (German the Moselle loop) and is an almost 90 km long circuit around Nancy, with the western part running along the Moselle. If you cycle west, you bypass Nancy and reach with
  • Toul the westernmost city on the Moselle. The circuit is usually well signposted (with its own logo) and largely paved.
  • Nancy · 5.2 km / km: 139 - if you stay true to the circuit, you won't see much of Nancy. But there is a signposted turnoff to the city center. If you follow the "Boucle" signage, you cross the Meurthe, the right bank of which you come to. There are no more Boucle signs. There are only cycle signs for Pompey on the left bank. The Meurthe variant is shorter and paved throughout.

stage Nancy - Metz: 63 km

Cycle path on the high embankment of the Moselle Canal behind Toul

The section runs in the départements Meurthe-et-Moselle and Moselle

This section forces you to improvise, as there is no signposting as a cycle route or cycle path in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department. There are also no corresponding ways. Therefore, you have to drive almost the entire route on roads with uncomfortably heavy traffic. If you are traveling with children, it is better to take the train from Nancy to Metz. As in the previous stage, there are small lakes and a canal, but also the noisy Autobahn 31. Fortunately, everything is getting better in the Moselle department. The expansion of the Nancy - Metz line is planned to begin this year 2017.

Cycle path behind Pagny-sur-Moselle, be careful with oncoming traffic! ;-)
  • Malzéville - Bridge over the Meurthe, which can be used to change sides. The route on the left bank is more varied (here is Nancy first). the right one a little nicer.
  • Liverdun - City with steep alleys on a slope and a gate.
  • Custines - now a stretch again. It goes to the country road D 40
→ the railway cycle path Voie Verte de la Mauchère starts on rue de la Gare. Cyclists who want to get to know this path can expect about 15 km of sandy stretches across the country.
  • Blénod-lès-Pont-à-Mousson - Coarse gravel farm road next to the railway line, partly newly laid and paved bike path
  • Pont-à-Mousson - Behind the place comes a gravel pit, whose trucks also use the gravel service route.
Aqueduct in Jouy-aux-Arches
  • Pagny-sur-Mosell · 10 km / km: 181 - there follows a narrow but paved path through a partly dense forest and hedge landscape.
  • Novéant-sur-Moselle, Moselle · 6.1 km / km: 187 - another department and there are bike signs. The name Charles Le Téméraire appears on display boards and the cycle path continues to be of high quality.
  • Jouy Aux Arches · 5.2 km / km: 193 - the valley is crossed by a Roman aqueduct from the 2nd century, which can be seen on the right from the bike path. It can be easily reached from the bike path.
  • Metz · 9.9 km / km: 202 - cycle path first on the right bank of the Moselle, later on the left and then an island is reached over a cyclist bridge. The signage ends here again. After crossing the Moselle again, the port area (zone portuaire) must be passed. This section is noisy, busy, and uncomfortable. The port company is resisting a cycle path.

stage Metz - Pearl: 64 km

The section runs in the department Moselle

This section lacks a valley, the landscape is rather wide. However, as soon as you have left Metz behind you, the cycle path is very well developed and signposted. The noise of the motorway accompanies the cyclist.

Small avenue with large trees behind Thionville

From Thionville, the path is usually well signposted on both sides of the Moselle, close to the Moselle (as "Chemin de la Moselle") and leads on back roads or asphalt farm roads. Since the passage over a weir is blocked by a locked gate in the Cattenom area, it is better to choose the right side. Otherwise you cross the river below the weir on a small road, but on the right side you immediately reach the bike path. The country around Thionville to the border is also called "Le Pays des Trois Frontières" and there are display boards for cyclists.

  • Cattenom · 9.5 km / km: 245 - left of the Moselle, Cattenom nuclear power plant with 4 cooling towers, the train stop is in Koenigsmaker, on the right-hand side of the Moselle.
  • Malling, Train stop, 5.4 km / km: 251
  • Contz-les-Bains · 9.6 km / km: 260 - left of the Moselle, border communities in front of the Luxembourg state border
  • Sierck-les-Bains, Train stop · 1.8 km / km: 262 - right of the Moselle; The area on the left, right on the border to Luxembourg, also belongs to Sierck.
  • Apach - on the right of the Moselle: the end of the French railway with a large freight station on the left, 500 m before the state border Germany.
  • Pearl (D), at the state border France, across from Schengen (L). The place is on the mountain above the route. Only the train station is on the Moselle and on the bike path.

stage Pearl − trier: 69 km

The German section up Top cheap runs largely near the railway line and away from the busy main road. The Moselle flows again in a valley and there are grapevines on the slopes.

  • Pearl - right on the bike path (quality cobblestones and then asphalt) is only the train station, the main town is higher up.
  • Nennig - Museum with Roman mosaic, a little off the bike route
  • Palzem - This is where the Rhineland-Palatinate section of the Moselle cycle path begins.
  • Top cheap - across from the Sauer estuary. There is a ferry connection (car ferry) to Wasserbillig.
  • Conc - Located at the mouth of the Saar, the open-air museum is well worth seeing.
    • There are at least 4 DB breakpoints in Konz. From here the route is part of D-Route 5, which is rarely signposted.
→ Connection to the Saar cycle path

North of the Moselle:

  • Langsur is the German border community north of the Moselle, east of the Sauer.
  • Hedgehog - has a train station

Alternative stage Schengen - Water cheap in Luxemburg

The Luxembourg alternative section bis Water cheap runs largely next to the Luxembourg N 10 (partly shared route). It is designated and signposted throughout as a cycle path (as "Piste cyclable de Trois Rivières" [1]).

→ Connection to the German Sauer cycle path
→ Connection to the PC 3 (Lower Sauer Cycle Path) to Echternach.
→ Circuit 5 valleys route above Minden an der Sauer, Bitburg, trier.

stage trier - Bernkastel-Kues: 67 km

Several, rather short sections run along the route of the former Moselle Railway.

→ Connection to the Kylltal cycle path. On this route it goes into the Eifel.
→ over the bridge to Readers - Connection to the Maare-Moselle cycle path to Wittlich in the Vulkaneifel
  • Bernkastel-Kues - Departure of the bicycle buses to Daun www.regio-radler.de - The regional cyclist has to make a reservation; an additional booking fee of € 1.50 is charged for 5 bikes. The transport costs per bike are: € 3, children's bikes: € 2.

stage Bernkastel-Kues - Cochem: 77 km

  • → Urzig - small streets and corners as well as old patrician and half-timbered houses from the 16th and 17th centuries.
  • → Kröv - Three-gabled house
  • Zeltingen-Rachtig
  • Graach
  • Traben-Trarbach - Railway station
  • Enkirch
  • Briedel
→ Reil - An abbreviation can be taken between Pünderich and Alf. Saving: 7 km. The Moselle cycle path also goes over the loop in part to the north over a hill with an ascent of 40 m, but without traffic to the Kaimt von Zell district. Since from here the cycle path runs next to the busy main road, it is advisable to cross the bridge again on the right-hand side over the beautiful main town of Zell and then continue over Bullay to Neef.
  • Pünderich - Pünderich Marienburg, Altes Fährhaus (1621), Old Town Hall (1548), numerous half-timbered buildings from the 16th century, Prinzenkopf observation tower.
    Shortly before Zell the main path changes to the left side of the Moselle with heavy traffic. Alternative: drive on the right side via Bullay to Neef and there over the bridge.
  • → Cell - Zell Castle (no interior visit), Marienburg (no interior visit)
  • Alf - Bridge to Bullay
  • → Bullay - Rail connection to the main lines RE 1 and RB 81 Trier - Cochem - Treis-Karden - Koblenz.
  • → Neef - train station
  • Bremm - Stuben monastery ruins
  • Nehren - bridge
  • Ellenz-Poltersdorf
  • → Beilstein (South side with car ferry) - tiny, historical town
  • serious - bridge
  • Cochem - Much-visited wine town with the famous Reichsburg. Rail connection to the main lines RE 1 and RB 81 Trier - Cochem - Treis-Karden - Koblenz.

stage Cochem - Koblenz: 54 km

Castle von der Leyen in Gondorf with cycle path and federal road
Vineyard and motorway bridge near Winningen
The mouth of the Moselle at the Deutsches Eck in Koblenz: on the left, the Moselle joins the Rhine on the right. The "watershed" can be easily recognized through the darker waters of the Moselle

From Cochem you almost only drive next to the main road. The cycle path is occasionally separated from the road by a strip of cobblestones or a strip of grass. The other side is not passable because of a nature reserve. Sometimes there is no demarcation from the river, so you should drive very carefully. It is not a bad idea to take the train on this section.

  • Treis cards with Treis Castle. Here the Moselle side is changed.
- Departure of the bicycle bus to Burg Pyrmont and Burg Eltz www.regio-radler.de · Timetable 2017, Sat and Sun
- Departure of the bicycle bus to Emmelshausen to Schinderhannes cycle path · 2017 timetable, 2 trips a day
- Rail connection to the main lines RE 1 and RB 81 Trier - Cochem - Treis-Karden - Koblenz
- Ship line Treis - Brodenbach - Alken - Kobern-Gondorf - Winningen - Koblenz. Timetable schiffstouren-treis.de
  • Kobern-Gondorf (In Niederfell the Moselle side is changed) also with a castle complex, which is divided into an "upper castle" and a "lower castle". Both are also referred to as castles (Liebieg Castle and von der Leyen Castle). The historic facility was first divided by the railway and later a federal road was built through it and of course a cycle path as well. This makes it easy to visit castles.
  • Winningen - here you have a path for approx. 10 km that is led by roads behind the railway line (see photo). Sometimes you cycle through vineyards, but sometimes also through localities.
  • Koblenz - The mouth of the Moselle at the Deutsches Eck into the Rhine

Note: If you are familiar with the route, you are invited to continue working on the route description. You can find instructions on how to do this here . An example of a fully developed cycle route with stages is here to find.

trips

Events

GPS data

  • Route profile with GPS data and Google Earth KMZ file in Bike tour wiki.

References to literature and maps

  • Route of the German Moselle Cycle Route Openstreetmap
  • Bikeline guide "Mosel-Radweg" 1: 50000 (section Metz - Koblenz) - see Esterbauer publishing house
  • Bikeline Guide Moselle Cycle Route France: From the source to the German border, 240 km. Radtourenbuch 1: 50 000 [paperback] - see Esterbauer publishing house (New in April 2013)
  • Moselle cycle path. With a trip to the Saar loop and a 3-country tour to Thionville, Compact spiral 1: 50,000, BVA Bielefelder Verlag 2010, ISBN 978-3-87073-462-6

Web links

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