Instagram storybook: The Mosel Bike Path

Here’s a collection of enticing Instagram photos and videos with stories, sights, and helpful pointers from the Mosel Bike Path tour!

#Luxembourg City in stained glass – Gare-Central. Today is a holiday so the train station is eerily empty. Next stop: Trier, Germany for day 1 of my #MoselBikePath tour!

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on May 14, 2015 at 6:21am PDT

TIP: Luxembourg City Airport is the nearest airport to the start point of this tour (in Trier, less than an hour away by train). I highly recommend flying in at least a day before your tour starts so you can enjoy an overnight in this gorgeous city.

Luxembourg City’s bike share system is called – wait for it – Vel’OH! I’ll definitely be snagging the one-week pass for 1 euro to explore the city centre and lush parks around every corner. #bikeshare #luxembourg #explore #bicycle #travel #NatalieBikesTheGlobe #jetlag

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on May 13, 2015 at 9:36am PDT

Hi there! I’m Natalie, the vice president of BikeTours.com. I’m taking over the feed this week to share some sights and stories from the self-guided bike tour I did solo last year along Germany’s Mosel Bike Path. Here’s me preparing to cross the river for a little rest break and some strudel in that little village – just have to wait for the bike ferry to cross the river and pick me up. Stay tuned for lots of vineyard, river, and charming village shots. Oh, and wines. So much #riesling! #moselbikepath #whyibiketour #mosel #moselle #travelgermany #travel #germany #biketour #2wheels1world #vineyards #germanwine #worldbybike #adventuretravel #solotravel #travelgram #staffonthepath

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on Jan 19, 2016 at 3:08pm PST

Another #staffonthepath report from VP Natalie on the #MoselBikePath. The day has begun cool and drizzly as I’ve made my way out of Trier. My guidebook mentioned an excursion into the Ruwer Valley, so I hopped on a lovely, quiet rail trail to climb up through forests and quaint towns to Sommerau, the village shown here, and explore the castle ruins in the background. Stopped at the moment for a bite to eat on my way back to the regular route! #biketour #explore #nataliebikestheglobe #2wheels1world #europetravel #germanytravel

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on May 15, 2015 at 3:43am PDT

Made it to Trier, Germany today for day 1 of my self-guided #biketour on the #MoselBikePath. Had a smooth check-in at the hotel, where my rental bike was waiting for me along with a fat packet of maps and notes about diversions and points of interest along the route I’ll be riding for the next 4 days. Hotel Deutscher Hof, where many of our clients stay during this Mosel tour, extended a warm welcome with a nice note from the Weber family (the owners) accompanied by a fruit plate and BIKE PASTA! Excited to hit the bike path tomorrow morning! #2wheels1world #biketoursdirect #staffonthepath #nataliebikestheglobe #explore

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on May 14, 2015 at 12:52pm PDT

TIP: Apples and oranges are great to snag off the hotel breakfast buffet to have in your pannier for snacks during the day. (Strawberries? Not so much.)

Took the rental bike out for a spin this evening to explore Trier. It’s a holiday today in Germany (Pfingsten, or Ascension Day), so almost everything was closed. But everyone seemed out for a stroll in the old city, with a soundtrack of church bells. #staffonthepath #nataliebikestheglobe #explore #biketour #trier #MoselBikePath

A video posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on May 14, 2015 at 1:04pm PDT

Click above for video ^

Way better than a coffee break – how about a path-side wine booth for cyclists?! #heaven #MoselBikePath #germanytravel #2wheels1world #biketour #explore #nataliebikestheglobe #staffonthepath #explore #riesling #whitewine

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on May 15, 2015 at 12:18pm PDT

TIP: Keep your eyes peeled for the little plywood structures you’ll see occasionally along the path – they’re not lemonade stands! Leave your bike alongside the others lined up in the grass and let the pourer know if you prefer to try a Riesling that’s more trocken (dry) or süss (sweet).

Trip report from VP Natalie on Germany’s #MoselBikePath: Vineyards! Vineyards everywhere! Doesn’t get much more scenic than a leisurely bike ride alternating between hugging the Mosel River and pedaling through endless raw materials for #riesling! #staffonthepath #nataliebikestheglobe #germanytravel #whitewine #explore #biketour #biketoursdirect #2wheels1world

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on May 15, 2015 at 12:28pm PDT

Another #MoselBikePath #TripReport from VP Natalie – Today I hopped a passenger ferry across the Mosel to try out the opposite bank: the bike path is on both sides of the river, so it’s easy to explore whatever interests you on either side with bridge or ferry crossings every few villages. I spent the afternoon in the intoxicatingly charming village of #Beilstein. Half-timbered houses, cobbled alleys, lorded over by #castle ruins — a scene straight from a fairy tale! #staffonthepath #nataliebikestheglobe #explore #europetravel #germanytravel #2wheels1world #biketoursdirect #village #charming #moselriver

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on May 19, 2015 at 11:08am PDT

TIP: Do. Not. Miss. Beilstein. Carve out some time the day it falls along your route so you can walk up to the castle and enjoy the sweeping view over the river valley. And if you arrive to a big river cruise boat docked with the village swarmed with cruisers, hang back for a short while and the boat will be bound for the next brief stop. You’ll have back a quiet village with plenty of cobblestone alleys to roam in peace.

(Mosel bike tour report continued) One of my favorite parts about the Mosel bike path? The flexibility to take a break from pedaling with bike-friendly alternative transport. A day’s ride can be shortened by hopping on a train, ferry, or bike-bus along most segments between Trier and Koblenz. When the weather turned foul one afternoon, I rolled onto a ferry, propped my bike in a designated area, and enjoyed a leisurely river cruise from the covered deck with a glass of the region’s finest riesling. Another day I made a 2-village hop by train after getting a late start. Experiencing the Mosel Valley from a variety of paces and perspectives was great! (See my blog post on the how-to’s of hopping trains and ferries in the region – link to tour info in profile.) #moselbikepath #whyibiketour #mosel #moselle #travelgermany #travel #germany #biketour #2wheels1world #worldbybike #adventuretravel #solotravel #travelgram #staffonthepath #ferry #ferryride #europerail #trainride #germanflag

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on Jan 21, 2016 at 8:32am PST

TIP: Ferry ticket kiosks will be situated right on the river docks, alongside the bike path. Check the posted timetables and be sure to purchase a ticket for yourself AND your bike. See the post here on “How to shorten the riding on the Mosel Bike Path” for a guide to hopping a ferry, train, or bus with your bike.

#MoselBikePath #TripReport from VP Natalie: I had to condense the tour program to fewer days than normal due to my schedule, which has meant some longer-than-usual days of riding for me. Today’s slated 75km was far more than I was interested in riding, so I hopped a ferry to cut about 20k out of the middle. That was also a great way to see the landscape from a different vantage point. Here’s me about to board (ferry behind me). Enjoyed representing the @velovixens today with our fun jersey – as a member personally and for BikeTours.com being a sponsor of our hometown #Chattanooga women’s cycling and sports club and race team. #2wheels1world #biketour #explore #nataliebikestheglobe #staffonthepath #biketoursdirect #velovixens

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on May 16, 2015 at 1:25pm PDT

Another #staffonthepath report from VP Natalie on the #MoselBikePath. The day has begun cool and drizzly as I’ve made my way out of Trier. My guidebook mentioned an excursion into the Ruwer Valley, so I hopped on a lovely, quiet rail trail to climb up through forests and quaint towns to Sommerau, the village shown here, and explore the castle ruins in the background. Stopped at the moment for a bite to eat on my way back to the regular route! #biketour #explore #nataliebikestheglobe #2wheels1world #europetravel #germanytravel

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on May 15, 2015 at 3:43am PDT

(Mosel bike tour report continued) Lunch view from a riverside picnic table. Having snagged a sandwich at the previous village’s bakery that morning and picked a juicy pear along the way, I was all set to enjoy some off-bike relaxation by mid-day. A woman in her 60’s — also alone — pedaled up and asked if she could join me. We fumbled through bits of German and English to find a little meaning and more smiles. She was so tickled at a young American woman doing a bike trip in Europe by herself, departing with a pat on my leg and insistence that I drop by her favorite restaurant in my overnight destination — the schnitzel isn’t to be missed! (Link to tour info and stories in profile) #moselbikepath #whyibiketour #mosel #moselle #travelgermany #travel #germany #biketour #2wheels1world #vineyards #germanwine #worldbybike #adventuretravel #solotravel #travelgram #staffonthepath

A video posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on Jan 20, 2016 at 2:09pm PST

Click above for video ^

 

(Mosel bike tour report continued) The bike path and the local wineries are equally well marked throughout the Mosel Valley. You’re never far from a sign keeping you on track for the cycling route, or luring you off route to the nearest tasting room. Sample the region’s crisp, flowery whites in family-run operations, or take advantage of stalls erected conveniently ON the bike path to serve refreshments to passing cyclists. Like a lemonade stand….but for wine. #whyibiketour (Link to tour info in profile.) #riesling #germanriesling #moselbikepath #winetasting #tastingroom #winery #winerytour #wineglass #whitewine #mosel #moselle #travelgermany #travel #germany #biketour #2wheels1world #worldbybike #adventuretravel #solotravel #travelgram #staffonthepath #vineyard #sign

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on Jan 21, 2016 at 5:07pm PST

(Mosel bike tour report continued) It takes a global #bikevillage…. This little gal’s parents run a winery restaurant in the charming, castle-topped village of Beilstein, where she greets patrons and pretends to take orders while scribbling pictures on a server’s notepad. “Why do you speak funny?” she asked me (in German, of course). She’s referring to my heavy American accent on the bit of German I could exchange with her – she’s not used to foreigners in her village who can speak her language. She found it hilariously silly that a lady would fly on a plane across the ocean to ride a bike to her little town. We were fast friends, drawing puppies together on her server’s pad. #whyibiketour #newfriends #moselbikepath #whyibiketour #mosel #moselle #travelgermany #travel #germany #biketour #2wheels1world #worldbybike #adventuretravel #solotravel #travelgram #kidssaythedarndestthings #biketour

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on Jan 25, 2016 at 2:35pm PST

(Mosel bike tour report continued) Pro tip: Go in the spring. The weather’s delightful and it’s not yet crowded with tourists. But more importantly, it’s when many villages along the river have their “spring wine days” celebrations. Even the wineries not usually open to the public fling wide their cellar doors, host live music and dancing, and and serve plenty of their finest crisp whites. It’s entirely possible you’ll stumble upon a traditional band entertaining a square full of locals at picnic tables enjoying the festivities and spring weather. #whyibiketour #festival #moselbikepath #whyibiketour #mosel #moselle #travelgermany #travel #germany #biketour #2wheels1world #worldbybike #adventuretravel #solotravel #travelgram #biketour #staffonthepath #winetasting #tastingroom #winery #whitewine #oompah #villagelife

A video posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on Jan 29, 2016 at 7:37am PST

Click above for video ^

(Mosel bike tour report continued) Final destination: Koblenz! The “Deutsches Eck” (German Corner) is a fitting last stop on the Mosel Bike Path – you’ve reached the end of the Mosel where it meets the Rhine. Check out the confluence behind me here, where the brown and green waters mix in a squiggly line. Be sure to take the nearby cable car over the river to Fortress Ehrenbreitstein. The gardens and grounds offer a panorama of the city and rivers and a tranquil place for a stroll (or ride, if you buy the extra cable car ticket to take your bike along!). #whyibiketour #moselbikepath #whyibiketour #mosel #moselle #travelgermany #travel #germany #biketour #2wheels1world #worldbybike #adventuretravel #solotravel #travelgram #biketour #rhineriver #koblenz #germancorner #deutscheseck #river #ehrenbreitstein #laststop

A photo posted by BikeTours.com (@biketoursdotcom) on Jan 29, 2016 at 6:28am PST