Dates
July 1st, July 18th, and August 2nd 2012
Itinerary
In this 14 night tour, we'll start out visiting the "city of lights", Paris, for 3 fun packed days doing as much as we can to see all the major sights. We'll do a city bus tour, a boat cruise on the Seine, a dinner /show at the Moulin Rouge plus much more!! After the Paris excursion we'll head off to Strasbourg France in Alsace for a day before starting our bicycle journey along the Mosel and the Rhine Rivers in Western Germany. We'll finish up with a visit to Rothenburg, Germany's best preserved medieval village and then finish with a night in charming Freising, Germany just outside of Munich.!
Day 1 - Paris
We'll greet you at Charles de Gaulle Airport, then journey into the city. Our hotel for the next 3 nights is situated in the Montmartre section of Paris, which is the only hill within the city and has some spectacular views. Montmartre is also the artist's section of Paris and I have found it to be a much quieter, full of good restaurants, and an excellent home base. Today we'll sightsee the area of Montmartre, visiting the Sacre Couer and strolling the many small lanes of this very unique part of Paris. www.montmartre-paris-france.com There's plenty of excellent shopping and many street performers and artists at work to keep us amused. Dinner tonight in Montmartre.(D)
Day 2 - Paris
Today, we'll take the Metro into the heart of the city, starting at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. From there, your 2 day Paris Pass will allow you to "hop on hop off" the city bus tour busses and see all of the major sights for FREE! For the complete list of what you can see and do, check out this link www.parispass.com. Dinner tonight on your own. (B)
Day 3 - Paris
Use your 2 day Paris Pass to explore the city. Dinner/Show tonight at the world famous Moulin Rouge. A great way to finish your Paris adventure! (B,D)
Day 4 - Paris to Strasbourg
After breakfast, we'll take the van and head east through the regions of Champagne and Alsace Lorraine to the beautiful city of Strasbourg, France. Situated right on the border of France and Germany, the center of Strasbourg is actually an island. Our hotel, situated in the very German looking part of the city called La Petit France, makes for the perfect spot to explore the city by foot. Dinner tonight on your own. www.otstrasbourg.fr/?lang=en. (B)
Day 5 - Strasbourg to Trier
Today, a short drive will take us into Germany and to the city of Saarburg, pictured above. After a short visit and lunch in Saarburg, we'll continue on to Karlsmuehle, just outside of Trier, a wonderful Inn/Winery and my home away from home! Dinner tonight at Karlsmuehle. (B,D)
Day 6 - Trier
After a hearty breakfast, we'll tour the city of Trier. With its Roman ruins, medieval cathedrals, and pedestrian only main street, Trier is a fun and lively experience. In their main square is a daily open air market with produce, flowers, and wine tastings. Late afternoon, we'll head back to Karlsmuehle for another "wunderbar" meal at their restaurant. (B,D)
Day 7 - Trier to Mulheim by bicycle, 31 miles
Ok, we're finally going to use those bicycles! Today's route follows the Mosel River passing through quaint villages and spectacular scenery! Our route is entirely on dedicated bike path and will cover about 31 miles of very leisurely bike riding. Our destination is Mulheim and Hotel Richtershof, a luxury hotel with an amazing wine cellar, where we'll experience a wine tasting featuring Reisling and Spatlese wines before dinner. Hotel Richtershof also has a wonderful spa so bring your bathing suits! (B,D)
Day 8 - Mulheim to Zell by bicycle, 30 miles
More amazing scenery as we pedal through vineyards and charming villages to Zell. Along the way we'll stop at the very picturesque town of Bernkastel and possible run into a festival or two along the way. It's harvest festival season and many of the small towns throw huge parties to celebrate the grape harvest, the region's main source of income. Dinner tonight at our hotel, Schloss Zell, a family run castle in Zell. (B,D)
Day 9 - Zell to Cochem by bicycle, 28 miles
More relaxing bike riding as we continue along the Mosel River to Cochem, stopping for lunch in Beilstein, one of the most picturesque villages along the river. We'll ferry across the river over to Beilstein, then, continue on to Cochem after lunch. This afternoon we'll visit the most majestic sight along the Mosel River, Burg Cochem, www.burg-cochem.de. Perched high on the hill above Cochem, Burg Cochem is a medieval fortress open to the public. We'll take a guided tour, hopefully sometimes in English. Dinner tonight at our hotel in Cochem. (B,D)
Day 10 - Cochem to Muden by bicycle, 10 miles
Just a short bike ride today so that we have time to do a very unique kind of German fun, a "planwagen". This is a covered wagon that seats around 16 people, pulled by a tractor. The tractor will slowly pull us through the village of Klotten, then, up through the steep vineyards to a wonderful panoramic spot overlooking the Mosel River valley. Your ticket includes a bottle of the winery's finest Riesling wine to enjoy along the journey. Dinner tonight at the hotel. (B,D)
Day 11 - Muden to Kamp Bornhofen by bicycle, 38 miles
Today is our longest bike riding day, about 30 miles, along the way we'll pass through Koblenz at the confluence of the Mosel and the Rhine Rivers. Then turning south, we follow the Rhine passing through small villages established by the Romans 2000 years ago. Our destination for the day is Castle Liebenstein, a beautiful old castle left in "romantic ruin" and situated high above the Rhine River. For those of you who want to ride up to it on the very steep road, you can, but, the bike trailer will also be there to take you up. I will request that all of our rooms overlook the Rhine River. Dinner tonight in the haunted castle! (B,D)
Day 12 - Kamp Bornhofen to Ruedesheim by bicycle, 25 miles
More breathtaking scenery as we pass countless castles along the Rhine and through charming half timbered villages to reach our destination of Rudesheim, what some call the prettiest village on the Rhine. Spend the afternoon exploring Ruedesheim before dinner at the hotel. Quite an amazing last day of bike riding! (B,D)
Day 13 - Ruedesheim to Rothenburg
Back in the van as we head to Rothenburg, about a 2 hour journey. Rothenburg is Germany's best preserved medieval village and has never been damaged in any war. It even dodged the plague during medieval times! Spend the day walking the ramparts around this walled fortress town, shopping, or just relaxing. Dinner tonight at our hotel, Hotel Eisenhut, situated directly in the main square and the finest hotel in town. (B,D)
Day 14 - Rothenburg to Munich(Freising)
We'll spend most of the day in Rothenburg, then, another short drive takes us to Freising, just outside of Munich. We'll have our farewell dinner at one of my favorite German restaurants, Huber Weisse, located in the "altstadt" the old city of Freising.
Day 15 - Munich Airport
We'll take you to the Munich Airport for your departure back home.
Price for this 14 night tour: $4190 per person based on double occupancy, single supplement $500
Wanderlust Bike Tours reserves the right to change the price based upon the euro/dollar exchange rate.
Fly into Paris(Charles de Gaulle) and out of Munich(Franz Josef Strauss)
What's Included
14 nights, 10 in Germany and 4 in France
All transportation by private vans
11 dinners (D), 13 breakfasts, (B)
Reservation at the Moulin Rouge dinner/show
2 day Paris Pass for all the major sights
Castle tour of Burg Cochem
Wine tasting at Hotel Richtershof
Planwagen vineyard tour
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