Cycling on the Moselle River

It runs the length of the Moselle River, from its source in the Vosges Mountains in eastern France to its confluence with the Rhine at the town of Koblenz in western Germany. The well-marked route reaches historic Nancy and Metz, crosses Luxembourg and continues through the spectacular Moselle Gorge, where the river cuts a winding path between the Hunsrück and Eifel mountains.

From the easily accessible source near the Col de Bussang, the Moselle cycle route descends more than 650 metres to the Rhine in Koblenz. In Koblenz (Koblenz), the route can be linked to the Rhine cycle route..

READ ALSO: The Rhine Route by bike: from the sources to the sea through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands". 

Practical guide

When to go?

The route can be done at any time of the year, but is best done between April and October.

Difficulty

An easy cycle route, mostly off-road, on well-surfaced cycle paths with little gradient. Suitable for cyclists of all levels of experience, the 512 km route is well signposted and most of the way is on well-surfaced cycle paths. Where roads are used, they tend to be quiet country roads. This guide divides the route into 14 stages, averaging just over 36km per stage. A fit cyclist, covering 2 stages per day, should be able to complete the trip in a week.

Suitable for all levels of cycling, on all types of bikes, although racing cyclists may wish to use an alternative route to avoid a few short gravel sections.

Not to be missed

1. The Vosges Mountains
2. Lorraine (France)
3. Luxembourg
4. The Rhine
5. The big cities of Nancy and Metz
6. The spectacular Moselle Gorge
7. The Hunsrück and Eiffel mountains.

Cities & Services

Accommodation and places to eat and drink along the route are plentiful.

Route from Col de Bussang to Koblenz via Nancy, Metz and Trier, with additional excursions from Konz and Koblenz.

Stages

14 stages of 512 km. In addition to the main route, excursions are described to visit Toul in the Boucles de Moselle, Luxembourg Ville in the Duchy of Luxembourg and through the Saar and Rhine Gorges.

• Stage 1 Col de Bussang to Remiremont
• Stage 2 Remiremont to Épinal
• Stage 3 Épinal to Charmes
• Stage 4 Charmes to Nancy
• Stage 4a Charmes to aul
• Stage 5a Toul to Pont-à-Mousson
• Stage 5 Nancy to Pont-à-Mousson
• Stage 6 Pont-à-Mousson to Metz
• Stage 7 Metz to Thionville
• Stage 8 Thionville to Remich
• Stage 9 Remich to Trier
• Stage 9A Remich to Trier via the city of Luxembourg
• Excursion 1 Konz to Merzig: The Saar Valley
• Stage 10 Trier to Leiwen
• Stage 11 Leiwen to Bernkastel-Kues
• Stage 12 Bernkastel-Kues to Zell
• Stage 13 Zell to Cochem
• Stage 14 Cochem to Koblenz (possible link to the Rhine cycle route)
• Excursion 2 Koblenz to St Goar: the Rhine Gorge

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