BIKING & BARGE FIVE COUNTRIES Tuesday 25 June - Monday 15 July 2019 20 nights CYCLING TOUR OVERVIEW A biking adventure which takes you on a number of paved rail trail bike paths and the Moselle River cycle path, crossing to and fro between the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Germany. This is the ultimate recreational cycle tour on a network of well-maintained, predominantly level cycle paths. Begin with an experience where you will feel like a local rather than a tourist! Spend a couple of days in your tour manager s home town and enjoy Dutch hospitality with Leen s family who still live there. This stay has the added advantage of giving you time to recover from jet lag before hopping on your bike in the south of Holland. You will then spend the next six nights staying in boutique hotels and biking in Holland, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. Your ride weaves through rolling countryside straddling the borders, now peaceful but fiercely-contested over the centuries and filled with history. In the second week, you board your comfortable barge and bike through the vineyard clad slopes of the lovely Moselle River and its tributary, the Saar River. This week will be characterised by verdant vineyards, medieval villages, fairy tale castles, well preserved half-timbered houses and Roman ruins in Trier, the oldest city in Germany. There is plenty of time to stop, to see the sights and sample the traditional cuisine, wine and ale of the five countries you bike through. Cycling will be on the Fen Railway Bike Path between Aachen and Monschau; the Sauer River Cycle route between Belgium and Luxembourg; the Saar River Trail; the Moselle River path and the Daun Bernkastel rail trail. Most of the riding will be relatively flat and easy but remember that it is possible to hire an e-bike. Tour route week one TOUR HIGHLIGHTS A unique combination of riding on rail trails and Bike & Barge on the Moselle River Cross the borders of the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France more than once Stay in local boutique hotels and on a comfortable barge Spend two nights in Noordwijk, your tour Manager s home town Enjoy wine tasting along the Moselle River and in the villages of Bernkastel-Kues and Cochem Visit Trier, the oldest German city founded by Roman Emperor Augustus and known as the second Rome A balanced tour: local culture and history combined with outdoor activity and nature
TOUR MANAGER Leen van Duin is the ideal tour manager for this tour. Leen grew up in Holland, makes frequent trips home and travels extensively in Europe. After 13 years with Air New Zealand, Leen joined Calder & Lawson House of Travel as an Owner/Director where he spent 25 years growing the corporate travel business. Leen is now a Director of Calder & Lawson Tours. Relaxed, caring, and friendly with a quick sense of humour, Leen aims to make his travel companions comfortable and at ease. From the moment Leen and his wife Diane meet the group at the airport, it is clear that every aspect of the trip has been taken care of. TOUR PRICE Ex Auckland Share twin per person NZD$12,499 Please contact Calder & Lawson Tours if you are interested in a single occupancy place. GROUP SIZE Minimum 10, maximum 17 VARIATIONS IN TRAVEL We can make arrangements for any travel you would like to do before or after this tour, or book business class seats for the flights. Please contact us. TOUR INCLUSIONS The services of an experienced New Zealand based Calder & Lawson tour manager Economy class airfares 1 night in Dubai, northbound, including airport transfers, breakfast and half day city tour 9 nights hotel accommodation, including breakfast 7 nights accommodation on board the barge including breakfast, packed lunch and dinner Comfortable Gudereith trekking bike, including helmet, panniers and water bottle. Electric bikes are available at an additional cost IS THIS TOUR FOR ME? You will need to be bike fit for this tour, cycling around 40 kilometres per day. Even though the cycling is considered easy to moderate, you might want to consider hiring an e-bike for the first week of the tour, to deal with the undulating hilly parts. Over the whole tour you will cycle about 500 kilometres - what an achievement! E-bikes are available at extra cost, and these really do take the strain. Before using an e-bike on the tour be sure to borrow or hire one in New Zealand to try it out. E-bikes require some different skills from conventional bikes, and it's best not to try and learn these while in a tour party. Local guides All transfers by train or coach Admissions as indicated in the itinerary Tips and gratuities for guides and drivers Pre-tour material TOUR EXCLUSIONS Airline taxes Personal expenses Travel insurance Meals not specified in the itinerary Beverages during included meals, unless specified Tour route week two Hotel porterage
DAILY ITINERARY Tuesday 25 June 2019 Auckland Dubai Meals: In flight Overnight: Dubai Thursday 27 June Dubai - Amsterdam (NL) - Noordwijk(NL) Meals: B/in flight Overnight: Noordwijk Friday 28 June Noordwijk (NL) Overnight: Noordwijk Saturday 29 June Noordwijk (NL) Limburg area (NL) Sunday 30 June Epen (NL) Maastricht (NL) Cycling: Approx. 51 km Monday 1 July Epen (NL) Aachen, Germany (DE) Cycling: Approx. 34 km Tuesday 2 July Aachen, Germany (DE) - Monschau (DE) Meals: B Cycling: Approx. 44km Overnight: Monschau Wednesday 3 July Monschau (DE) - St. Vith, Belgium (BE) Cycling: Approx. 45 km Overnight: St Vith An evening departure for your overnight Emirates flight to Dubai, arriving early in the morning of Wednesday 26 June. Explore Dubai with a tour in the afternoon. An early flight to Amsterdam and transfer to the town of Noordwijk for two nights. A free evening. Spend time in the historic fishing village of Noordwijk where Leen grew up, and meet his family. Your welcome dinner will be held this evening. You will enjoy Dutch hospitality in a way that tourists would not usually experience. In the afternoon, transfer to the hills of Limburg, to an old village close to the Belgium and German borders, where you ll stay for three nights in a village hotel. Settle in with the remainder of the day free to rest and relax. No biking today, but you will be fitted to your bike after a tour briefing. Cycle through rolling countryside dotted with castles and breweries. Visit the impressive Holland/American WWII cemetery in Margraten and follow an easy route to the region s capital city Maastricht, an ancient and important bridge crossing for getting food and grains from France to the Roman garrisons on the Rhine. Explore the beautiful square surrounded by grand cafés, shops, museums and a pair of magnificent churches. Streets and alleys form a medieval labyrinth atop which Sint Pieter fortress crowns the city s medieval defense system, linked via an underground network of tunnels. The best place to try spicy Indonesian food is in Holland thanks to their seafaring and spice trading routes in the East Indies. Follow the emperor s road to Aachen, Germany s westernmost city and former imperial residence of the Carolingian Dynasty. For 600 years, 30 German kings and 12 queens were crowned in the cathedral Charlemagne built in 796 which is now a UNESCO world heritage site. His royal remains are interred here and it has been an important pilgrimage destination on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Aachen is also a famous German spa town, Roman legionnaires soaking their battle-weary bones in the 30 hot springs that bubble up. The Gothic Rathouse (town hall) is also worth a visit with its 50 life-size rulers guarding the facade. Cycle the Fen-Railway bike path, the industrial line built in 1882 to transport iron ore and coal to the steel works in Aachen and 100 years later, it was converted to a rails-to-trails cycleway. Cross viaducts and tunnels, cycle alongside various rail signal installations and huge water pumps that once filled steam locomotives. Climb at a 2% grade through a forest where you can well imagine Hansel and Gretel would have played. The air is pine-scented along the German-Belgian border through towns like Roentgen - first to be liberated by American troops at the end of WWII. Descend into a narrow forested valley to Monschau, arriving at your historic hotel in the village with meandering cobblestone streets, craggy cliffs and a 12th century castle. Ride through the high fen (moor) straddling the Belgian-German border heading south. With a unique variety of grasses, heathers and birdlife, this area is not only a National Park but also a massive watershed for two major rivers. Pedal through the peaceful Belgian countryside, with views sweeping across rolling green pastures as far as the eye can. St. Vith is where you ll stop tonight. After centuries as a market town and then an important railway junction, the town appears new, and it is. At Christmas 1944, St Vith
was obliterated, the fate of so many border towns throughout the ages. It s the tiny part of eastern Belgium that speaks German. Thursday 4 July St Vith (BE) Clervaux, Luxembourg (LU) Meals: B/L Cycling: 33 km Overnight: Clervaux Friday 5 July Clervaux (LU) - Trier area (DE) Cycling: 49 km Overnight: Trier area Saturday 6 July Trier (DE) - Metz, France (Fr) Sunday 7 July Metz (Fr) - Remich (LU) Cycling: Approx. 34 km Monday 8 July Remich (LU) - Saarburg (DE) Cycling: Approx. 49 km Tuesday 9 July Saarburg (DE) - Trier (DE) Cycling: Approx. 28 km Wednesday 10 July Trier (DE) - Bernkastel (DE) Meals: B/Packed L Cycling: Approx. 42 km Today s ride offers a chance of wild animal sightings field rabbits, falcons, red stags and wild boar. Arrive in Luxembourg, the world s only Grand Duchy and its language is a mélange of her two powerful neighbours, France and Germany, resulting in a unique language called Luxembourgish. Board a train to your overnight destination in Clervaux, a village overshadowed by a 12th century castle and Benedictine abbey. In the afternoon, relax or spend time in the 4-star hotel s wellness centre. There s also a side trip to visit the Battle of the Bulge War Museum in Bastogne. Take a train to Ettelbrück in Luxembourg, where you ll cycle along the Sauer River, the final leg before reaching the vineyard clad slopes of the Moselle River. Pass Diekirch, home of the famous Luxemburg beer. Have lunch in the town square of Echternach, the oldest town in Luxembourg. The town developed around the Benedictine monastery which Willibrord, the Patron Saint of Luxembourg, built in 698 AD. This is another important pilgrimage stop for Catholics. Arrive at the German Mosel River, famous for Riesling wines, dramatic scenery and Imperial Trier, the ancient Roman city where Constantine the Great ruled during the late Classical period. Our morning starts with a guided city walk in Trier, before travelling by train to Metz, an ancient city strategically situated on a Roman trading route. Metz is full of stunning architecture, flowers and great cafes. In the afternoon, embark on your barge, your floating hotel for the next week. Meet the crew and enjoy dinner on board. Leave France behind and look to Luxembourg and Germany. For centuries, this territory has been French then German, German then French. The historic centre of Thionville shows the medieval ramparts, lovely gardens, old streets and St. Maximin Basilica which houses one of the finest organs in the world. The route is French countryside, riparian landscapes and tiny villages. We end our day in Remich, on the Luxembourgian side of the Mosel, Germany on the other. Discover a hidden gem today, a great story of historic preservation a tiled mosaic floor dating back 1,600 years. The floor, which lies in its original place, was once the centerpiece in a palatial Roman villa. The scene reveals gladiator games in the amphitheatre. Cycle towards Luxembourg, and important finance centre and EU administrative city. Make a stop in Schengen, where the European Union created the Schengen Agreement, enabling European free traffic. We ll finish the day in Saarburg, its name meaning fortress on the river Saar. The ruins date back to the 10th century, a summer palace for the Archbishops of Trier - powerful men and power brokers in the Holy Roman Empire. There s a natural, steep drop between the upper and lower towns, but they are connected by a high waterfall. Town fathers back in the 1300 s diverted a local river to run through the centre so they would have access to water to fight fires quickly and have continual energy to run their mills. It s medieval German engineering at its best. Cycle on to Trier, leaving the Saar river and following the Mosel again, into this lively university town, powerful Arch-diocese, and Imperial Residence of Constantine the Great. Trier was described as the second Rome in the third century. Cycle past Trittenheim, one of the big names in the wine world, which lies in a sharp hairpin turn on the river surrounded by grapes. Cycle past Piesport, Brauneberg and finally reach Bernkastel, the jewel of the famed middle Moselle and Valhalla for Riesling aficionados. The castle ruins on the hill are base-lit at night, and an evening stroll along the river is a must.
Thursday 11 July Daun (DE) - Bernkastel (DE) Cycling: Approx. 62 km Friday 12 July Bernkastel (DE) - Cochem (DE) Cycling: Approx. 49 km Saturday 13 July Cochem (DE) - Dubai Meals: B/meals in flight Overnight: Dubai Sunday 14 July Dubai - Auckland Meals: B/meals in flight Monday 15 July Take a coach up to an agricultural region called the Eifel. Have an exhilarating ride downhill along a rails-to-trail path, through German forests and former train tunnels, over bridges and around small lakes formed from volcano craters. Stop in a farming village along the way; the last place you d expect to find a volcano museum. Cycle to Traben-Trarbach, a town that features world-class Art Nouveau architecture. Following the river upstream, cycle past the steepest vineyards in the world to arrive in Zell, a hamlet where the river slices through slate mountains in dramatic oxbows and S turns. Zeller Schwarze Katz (black cat) is a legendary Moselle wine. Follow the river downstream passing a last lock and dock in Cochem, a bustling and characteristic Moselle town with steep wine-clad mountains, wooded hills, an impressive castle and a picturesque square with timber-framed houses and cafes. After your last breakfast on board the Iris, transfer by fast train to Charles de Gaulle airport and your onward flight to Dubai where you will spend the night at an airport hotel. A mid morning departure for your flight to Auckland. Arrive Auckland mid morning. YOUR BARGE - IRIS Iris, is a refitted freight barge and can accommodate 24 overnight passengers. The Iris has two decks - on the upper deck there is a lounge, a comfortable sitting area with wide screen TV, a cozy bar and a sun deck. There is central heating and air-conditioning. Below deck, there are 12 spacious and comfortable guest cabins (10 m², single beds). Each cabin has a private shower, toilet and basin, and you will find a small safe and hair dryer. All cabins have central heating and air-conditioning. HOW TO SECURE YOUR PLACE ON THIS TOUR A deposit of $1,000 is required to secure your place on the tour. When minimum numbers are reached, the tour will become a confirmed departure. At that point we will advise when the full tour payment will be due. Click here to complete the online registration form, pay the $1,000 deposit and your spot in this tour is secured. Or you can complete a paper registration form. You can down load one from the website www.calderandlawsontours.co.nz, or give us a call and we will email or post one to you. TERMS & CONDITIONS Can be found on the website www.calderandlawsontours.co.nz, on the back of the paper registration form or on the summary page when you complete an online registration. VARIATIONS This itinerary is Version 3 dated 08/10/2018 and is subject to change. Exchange rate fluctuations may result in a change to the tour price.