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My Europe Base, Zell

5 s/c apartments on the Mosel River in Germany's Rheinland.

Zell an der Mosel

Zell by night

Saarburg near Trier

Bernkastel-Kues

Forest walking nr Manderscheid

Mosel cruise ship

Zell on Mosel

Activities, attractions:

The more we look, the more we find! On this page we'll try and give you an introduction to what you can do and see around the Zellerland region and beyond.

Follow the rivers: A natural theme that can combine different means of travel: walking, cycling, ferries, bus, rail and car hire. Along the way are quaint villages, wine-cellars, historic towns, castles, abbeys, ruins and churches. As well as the Mosel, you can rail to Koblenz then follow either the Lahn or Rhine Rivers. Or rail to Trier and follow the Saar or Kyll Rivers. Some of the smaller tributaries also make interesting trails.

Walking: Trails criss-cross the countryside, follow rivers and streams, through vineyards, across fields, forests and o'er hill and dale. Signposting is good and maps and itineraries are available from tourist offices. Some of the regional transport guidebooks have extensive descriptions of walks and bike rides (in Deutsch). Two walks need a mention: (1) The Mosel Hohenweg (High Walk) was marked in 1910 and runs 185 km from Trier to Koblenz. From Zell you can walk in a day to either Bielstein or Trabe-Trabach. (2) The Ausonius Wanderweg treks just over 100 km from Bingen in the Rhine Gorge to Trier – named after the Roman Consul, poet and author of 'The Mosella' who lived 310-395 AD.

Cycling: The 200 km Mosel River bike path from Trier to Koblenz is possibly the world's most popular cycle trail and Zell lies half-way. Ride up or downstream and come back on the other side of the river – or return by bus, ferry or rail. Bikes can be hired in Zell. Riding up and out of the Mosel Valley into the Hunsruck or Eifel regions multiplies the possibilities (and the effort). MTB riding is also popular in Zellerland with a lot of cross-country and downhill tracks.

River cruising: From Zell and Koblenz you can sail the best parts of the Mosel & Rhine Rivers on day cruise ferries. Koln-Dusseldorfer Line is the largest of the companies, see www.k-d.de/englisch/index . Kolb Brothers offers a greater choice for the Mosel www.kolb-mosel.com. Information is displayed at the Zell wharf booking kiosks. The season is May to October. Cruises are scarce over November to April. Canoes can also be hired at Zell.

Rail & bus, day passes: Buses criss-cross the countryside and shuttle to nearby Bullay where frequent trains to Koblenz or Trier take 40-60 minutes. Rail and bus are networked into regional and state systems. Many circular tours are possible from Zell. Day 'Lander' passes offer terrific value and let up to 5 adults explore regions for 15-20E, states for 25-30E and on Sat or Sun all-Germany for 38E www.vrt-info.de (Trier region) l www.vrminfo.de (Koblenz region) l www.der-takt.de (Rheinland includingTrier & Koblenz regions) I www.bahn.de (all Germany rail)

Day coach tours: From Zell to Rhine Gorges, Trier, Luxembourg, Koblenz, Saarburg etc. Prices are keen at 16-22E. On Saturdays 48E can take you on a trip to Paris and back. www.feuerer-reisen.de

Car hire: Cars can be economic to explore, especially if diesel and refuelled cheaply in nearby Luxembourg on the way back from a trip to Holland, Belgium or France. Diesel cars may rent for a bit more but can halve fuel costs per km. Nearby Hahn Airport has most major rental companies present. Good deals are often available for 3 day hire over weekends and periods of 7 days or longer. Parking outside My Europe Base is free, unrestricted and relatively safe. Sites like www.arguscarhire.com and www.carhire3000.com allow comparisons and are good to start browsing. However we often find better final deals on the company sites (Hertz, Europcar, Sixt, Avis, Budget etc). Avis is good for offering diesels.

One day trips: A few ideas to get you started...

Burg Eltz – rail to Moselkern and a 90 minute walk each way - through the village, then the path leads through woods along a little river to one of Europe's most picturesque castles. You could stop off at Cochem town and castle en-route.

Bad Bertrich – 15kms to one of Germany's historic spa resort towns, local buses changing at Alf

Traben-Trabach and Bernkastel-Kues – ferry or bus to two of the Mosel's most famous towns

Nurburgring and Eifel Region – drive to the famous motor racing circuit and also see the Eifel's volcanic lakes

Trier – worth a full day to explore the Roman ruins, nearby Saarburg worth a detour

Luxembourg & castles – train via Trier and explore the little kingdom by local rail and bus

Trains – can also take you to Koblenz, Bonn, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Mainz, Weisbaden, Frankfurt, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Bad Ems, Nassau, Limburg, Marburg, Saarbrucken, Idar-Oberstein, Bad Kreuznach etc.

Bus/rail circles within zone of www.der-takt.de Rheinland pass (ferry extra cost):

Zell > ferry, bus or rail > Cochem > bus #500 > Daun > bus #300 > Manderscheid > bus #300 > Wittlich > bus #300 > Bernkastel > ferry or bus > Traben Trabach > ferr, bus > Zell.

Zell > ferry, bus or rail > Cochem > bus #500 > Daun > bus #500 > Gerolstein > rail > Kyllburg > rail > Bitburg Erdorf > bus #400 > Bitburg > bus #201 > Trier > rail > Bullay > bus > Zell

Zell > ferry or bus > Traben Trabach > ferry or bus > Bernkastel Kues > bus #311 > Morbach > bus #644 > Simmern > (a) bus #230 > Rheinbollen > ferry through Rhein gorges > Koblenz > rail > Bullay > bus > Zell. Or (b) bus #620 > Kastellaun > bus #620 > Emmelshausen > rail > Boppard (on Rhein) > rail or ferry > Koblenz > rail > Bullay > bus > Zell.

Some ideas for two day trips with one night away (suit car hire):

FRANCE: Alsace and Lorraine regions

GERMANY: Black Forest and anywhere 100-300kms away

BELGIUM/LUXEMBOURG: Ardenne region

Within 100 kms:

Castles, abbeys

The Rhineland has dozens, even hundreds, of castles (burg), manors (schloss) and abbeys. A good place to start browsing is Wikipedia.

Zell has a small castle tower on the hillside up behind the town. At Xmas it becomes a giant candle! For castle fans, here's our pick, keeping to the Mosel, Rhine and Lahn rivers:

MOSEL RIVER: 1. Burg Eltz in a steep valley about 4 kms from Moselkern (train stop and a long walk); 2. Cochem (above town); 3. Bernkastel (above town); 4. Metternich ruins (above the must-do village of Beilstein)

RHINE, LAHN RIVERS: 1. Marksburg, Braubach: 2. Nassau; 3. Limburg; 4. lots of castles overlooking the Rhine, some ruins, some hotels and some private.

Trier & Roman ruins

City famous for its Roman Ruins and 12thC cathedral. Make sure you see Porta Negra, Basilica, Roman Baths and Amphitheatre.

Spa Resorts

Just 15kms from Zell in a wooded valley that runs down to the Mosel, you'll find the resort of Bad-Bertrich dating from the 18thC. The healthy mineral waters are 32 degrees C and there is a large indoor municipal facility with pools, spa, sauna etc. Hotel Diana has an outdoor pool set away in the woods and open to the public. Day-spa treatments are available at a number of the 4 and 5 star hotels. www.bad-bertrich.de

Bad Ems on the Lahn River between Koblenz and Limburg was popular with Tsars. www.bad-ems.info

Luxembourg

Within 100kms of Zell, the nation of Luxembourg has a wonderful city and very scenic hilly countryside. And many more castles.

Rhine River

Western Europe's most famous river is joined by the Mosel at Koblenz. The spectacular Rhine Gorges are south of Koblenz. From Zell a 60km drive reaches the Gorge towns of Boppard and St Goar. Or take the train via Koblenz.

Koblenz & beyond

To the north along the Rhine are the big cities of Bonn, Koln and Dusseldorf. To the East along the pretty Lahn River are Bad Ems, Nassau, Diez and Limburg. To the south-east lie the big cities of Mainz on the Rhine and Frankfurt on the Main River.

Eifel region

This is the volcanic plateau on the north-western side of the Mosel Valley. Gerolstein, Daun, Manderscheid are of interest.

Hunsruck region

The plateau on the south-eastern side of the Mosel Valley. Kastellaun, Idar-Oberstein, Morbarch and Simmern are among the key towns. 40 km south of Zell is the Idarwald, an expanse of mountains (up to 750m) and woods.