Mosel River cruises

Are there any cruise lines that travel the length of the river? How about barges? Have looked at the major lines, but except for Trier we have been to all the ports more than once, after 20 river cruises. Thanks in advance for any help. Pat

We took an Antwerp to Basel cruise that went up the Mosel as far as Trier. https://www.gct.com/trips/river-cruises/europe/romance-of-the-rhine-and-mosel/2015?icid=global:smallshiprivercruises:rivercruises:sab2015

Several lines have cruises that include the Mosel (or Moselle depending on your spelling preferences). All seem to cover the river from Trier to Koblenz where it joins the Rhine. Typical itineraries are Trier to Nuremberg (often billed as Paris to Prague with bus rides on both ends), Trier to Basel (Viking's Rhine Rhapsody), or Amsterdam to Basel with a side trip down the Mosel and back. I think that there may be some Paris to Amsterdam itineraries as well.

If you look on the various web sites, you should find several

We'll be taking Vantage's Switzerland and the Heart of the Rhine & Moselle cruise this August. It's a 14 day trip from Amsterdam to Basel.

FuelScience

Hello,

we have briefly discussed the upper Moselle in a different thread before where I pointed out that you could go further up the Moselle than Trier. For ease of onward travel it seems logical for companies to offer Trier as the last stop and then go on to Luxembourg or just turn back into the Rhine. I have not been able to find out yet why no company ( I have not found one yet) offers overnight stays further up the Moselle.

A little about the river: the source is in the Vosges mountains in France. The Moselle meanders past Nancy, which is the capital of the Lorraine region, and then through Metz. Nancy is on the Meurthe. Both the Meurthe and the Moselle are navigable for barges in that area. However, you will find that these are mostly canals off the old Moselle course or the Moselle itself looking like a canal. The Moselle then forms part of the border between Luxembourg and Germany, river cruise ships could navigate this section.

Perhaps logistical reasons - like a port or the possibility to turn the ship around - might keep companies from offering this stretch. I will try to find out more.

Here comes the surprise: CroisiEurope offers in its German brochure two trips that take you further than Trier and up the Saar. The Saar region is also famous for white wines and lovely landscape. The famous "Saarschleife" is a meander in the river with great views over the valley, well, if you are standing on the hill.

If you like, have a look at their English website, I automatically get their German one offered, so I will not give a link here.

notamermaid

Thanks NotaMermaid!

Not only do they the Saar, they also do the Nekkar! Worth considering for a novel route.

FuelScience

Dear Notamermaid,

Thank you your reply is just what I hoped for. We have taken one CroisiEurope trip thru Road Scholar and another one planned for this fall, Will definitely search their site to see if what they offer will appeal to ur friends. Again, many thanks. You and Steamboats are such a great help about Germany and most of Europe. Pat

Since my last post I have found an old thread regarding Remich and Metz from 2011! Apparently river cruise companies have used Remich as an embarkation port for a while.

On 4 September I wrote about Remich in Luxembourg in this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=47649413&highlight=remich#post47649413

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remich

Boarding in Remich gives you a ca. 40kms extra cruising on the river.

From Paris to Remich by coach it is 368kms, whereas to Trier it is 419kms (according to google maps).

However, the company Avalon does not transport you by motorcoach all the way but includes the highspeed train either to Metz or Luxembourg and then transfers you to the ship. Train is a more comfortable way of travelling for such a distance IMO. I mean superior to sitting on a coach for four to five hours.

Luxembourg is, of course, a capital and a great city to explore. Metz is in Lorraine and the region's capital, that is the region bordering on Luxembourg and Germany. The main station in Metz is famous for its German (!) architecture and the town is a history lesson par excellence. That you can look up on wikipedia if you are interested. If you go to Metz - brilliant Christmas market there, by the way - see the cathedral.

notamermaid

Since my last post I have found an old thread regarding Remich and Metz from 2011! Apparently river cruise companies have used Remich as an embarkation port for a while.

 

On 4 September I wrote about Remich in Luxembourg in this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=47649413&highlight=remich#post47649413

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remich

 

Boarding in Remich gives you a ca. 40kms extra cruising on the river.

 

From Paris to Remich by coach it is 368kms, whereas to Trier it is 419kms (according to google maps).

 

However, the company Avalon does not transport you by motorcoach all the way but includes the highspeed train either to Metz or Luxembourg and then transfers you to the ship. Train is a more comfortable way of travelling for such a distance IMO. I mean superior to sitting on a coach for four to five hours.

 

Luxembourg is, of course, a capital and a great city to explore. Metz is in Lorraine and the region's capital, that is the region bordering on Luxembourg and Germany. The main station in Metz is famous for its German (!) architecture and the town is a history lesson par excellence. That you can look up on wikipedia if you are interested. If you go to Metz - brilliant Christmas market there, by the way - see the cathedral.

 

notamermaid

Yes, we are on the Avalon Visionary coming up in November, and are ending our cruise in Remich. I have been told but I am not sure how my TA knows that we will bus to Metz then the group will take the high speed train into Paris. I have a rental car booked in Metz at the train station. We are going to drive to Verdun, then south to the Loire Valley to look at castles, staying in Troyes and Tours, before dropping our car in Versailles and then finishing off our trip with a couple of nights on the Champs in Paris proper before flying home. I hope my TA is correct because the rental car is well over half the price in France as oppossed to renting in Luxembourg City.

jc