Hi all,

I have a hole in my itinerary of one week, 13-20 October -- my river cruise has fallen through. I'll be coming from Montreux, CH, and going to Paris for my flight home. I'm having trouble deciding between an apartment in Riquewihr for 350E or a hotel in Beilstein for 525E.

I won't have a car -- don't like to travel with them. I like to plant myself somewhere and explore on foot and on bike (I know I'll need a taxi to get from the nearest train station, but I don't mind that). I love to see green and rolling hills and beautiful countryside.

Any thoughts??

Thanks!

s

No experience with Riquewihr, but on Beilstein... the Mosel is terrific, and Beilstein a lovely town, but too tiny IMO for that length of time - no train service, very few options. Suggest instead an upstream town like Zell, which is very close to the Bullay train stop and on one of the most scenic of the lazy Mosel bends, or Bullay itself, a simple but attractively situated town with a ferry over to Alf and nearby hiking options (Marienberg, w/cafe; Arras Castle - Onkel Tom's Hütte for winetasting.)

The map at the bottom of this page shows the bend and the town locations as well as the trails.

http://www.mosel-reisefuehrer.de/wan...andernC15.html

Also, the bike path between these towns saddles up to the river and is quite pleasant.

Hi Russ,

Thanks SO much for your help and your insights -- and the map!! It really helps me to see the area (though I have excellent Hallweg maps, these villages don't show up!).

I've found a nice inn in Zell, but it's not as utterly charming as the Haus Lipmann in Beilstein, and for that reason I am still leaning toward Beilstein. I'm also favoring those river views -- I'm a sucker for water & water views. I just love small villages; I spent a month in Mittenwald Dec 06-Jan 07 and loved it. I would spend about 4-5 days each week hiking or taking excursions to nearby towns, and it was ideal. I didn't have a car then either.

Anyway, thanks for your help!

Anyone else have comments or insights?

s

Haus Lipmann does get many favorable comments from travelers to the region.

Bike rentals in Beilstein?? Perhaps HHL has bikes available for guests, as many hosts in the area do. If nowhere else, you can find a bike at the Bullay train station, a good starting point for a bike ride anyway.

The Gebrueder Kolb boats run from Beilstein to Cochem throughout October, as I recall. You'd probably enjoy Cochem's ambience and the views along the way. There's a fascinating falconry show at Cochem's Reichsburg Castle, and the castle tour itself is good. Try the chairlift to Pinnerkreuz peak high above town - what a view.

Hike from Traben-Trarbach to Bernkastel: the river is so windy here that it's something like 20 km if you follow the river but only about 4-5 if you hike over the saddle between these towns. It's quite a nice hike, and Bernkastel (no train station) is a must-see. You could bike or train to Traben-Trarbach first. Buses connect all the Mosel towns pretty well if you get pooped.

The cluster of buildings on the HHL homepage photo constitutes Beilstein in its entirety, so be prepared for a uniquely quiet week. Mittenwald is a metropolis in comparison.

If HHL doesn't work out for some reason, you shouldn't have much problem finding accommodations as the wine festivals are pretty much over with by mid-October. Here's another place on the river in Bullay I've wandered by a few times:

http://www.tibo-ferienwohnungen.de/d.../gb-bullay.htm

Enjoy your time there - one of the nicest times of the year to visit.

Thanks again Russ -- what a great source of information you are! I'll definitely make notes from your suggestions -- they sound just right!

I also found those apartments in Bullay and actually bookmarked them! Maybe I'll end up there --

Thanks again!

s

S - you better scratch *that* part in my email

We have stayed in the Tibo in Bullay three times now and have booked our fourth stay. Each apartment has an incredible view of the Mosel - right on the Mosel - next to the bike trail.
http://www.tibo-ferienwohnungen.de/d.../gb-bullay.htm

Another vote for the Hotel Haus Lipmann, though I don't know that I'd stay there for a week. Burg Eltz is not far away--my favorite castle.

It's a tossup. You'll get green and rolling hills in either area and hectare after hectare of vineyards. I think that the hiking and cycling in Alsace would be better--you're more off the beaten track, and much of the Moselle valley consists of very steep slopes planted with vineyards with a thin strip along the river shore with fairly busy roads on each side.

The Moselle is a lovely valley and Beilstein is a pretty village. I've stayed at Haus Lippman and it's nicely situated.

Riquewihr, while still small, is larger and in my opinion more interesting and picturesque than Beilstein. It's not on the Rhine, which in any case is not very interesting at this point in its course. The Route du Vin in Alsace has many very pretty wine villages within biking distance of Riquewihr. As for castles, Burg Eltz on the Moselle is certainly spectacular, but Alsace has Haut Koenigsbourg which is in my opinion its equal, although it was heavily restored in the 19th century so is not perhaps as "authentic".

On balance, I'd go for Riquewihr.

Hi S,

Re Riquewihr:

We liked Alsace so much last May, that we are going back this May.

Riquewihr is touristy, but you will be there after the buses have gone for the day.

Easy bike rides to Kientzheim, Kaysersberg and Ribeauville.

Excellent restaurants and fantastic wines.

You can ride the Route du Vin by the back roads.

You could bike or take the bus to Colmar and train to Strasbourg and other major towns.

www.le-maximilien.com in Zellenberg has gotten VVG reviews here.

Enjoy your visit.

Hi All,

You folks are incredibly kind and generous with your knowledge & sharing. Unfortunately, the trip has been OBE (overcome by events!).

I had chosed Riquewihr and an incredibly lovely little studio apartment and paid my deposit. This trip was to come at the end of a three-month trip including a few days in Paris, two weeks in an apartment in Chateau d'Oex (Switzerland), two months in an apartment in Montreux (Switzerland), the free week, and another few days in Paris. I left for the trip on 1 Aug.

Unfortunately, the trip came to a screeching halt in mid-August when I got to the Montreux apartment. It was very dirty (paper towels in contact with the kitchen floor came up black) and the apartment house was dark and smelly. My landlady and I had a few unpleasant exchanges, and I left the apartment about ten days later. My landlady (incredibly) refunded almost all my money.

I was pretty much in shock and decided to cut short the rest of my trip. The original intent was to experiment with daily life there and to take some language classes; with the way things turned out, I decided I didn't like living there and didn't want to take language classes.

So, I got a flight home with ff miles, cancelled my apartment in Riquewihr, and spent another 10 days in a budget hotel in Montreux's old town. I flew home on 12 Sep.

The good news is that I'm investigating a move to Germany based on my ideal month in a ferienwohnung in Mittenwald. From Germany, I'm sure I'll be able to explore both great places, Riquewihr and Beilstein. The landlady/landlord in Riquewihr said I could use the same deposit on a future visit, so I hope to do that.

Thanks again for your continuing input, but unfortunately I won't be using it for this trip!

s

"had chosed"????

ye gods, I'm going to fire my typist!

s

Hi swan,

Thanks for the update.

Maybe you will get to Alsace another time.