Discover Rhineland
at the Heart of Europe
The state of Rhineland-Pfalz is both an ancient and modern crossroads of Europe. Neighbors are Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the French provinces of Lorraine and Alsace - and the German states of Saarland, Hessen, Westfalen and Baden-Wuttenberg.
The Rhine and Mosel are the key rivers but there are many more within a day's return rail trip: Saar, Sauer, Kyll, Lahn, Nahe, Ahr and Main, all with walking and cycling paths.
Separated by the Mosel are two plateaus, the Hunsruck (southern side) and Eifel (northern side). Altogether they make up much of the Rhineland countryside.
As well as the main roads, quiet back roads criss-cross the landscape. Public walking trails go everywhere.
At either end of the Mosel Valley are the cities of Trier and Koblenz with many choices for further journeys. From Zell's local station Bullay, RE and RB trains along the Mosel line take just 45 to 65 minutes to reach either city.
STAY 5 NIGHTS, TRAVEL 3 DAYS:
We offer special rates for 5-night stays from Sunday to Friday, enabling 3-day trips away, Friday to Sunday. You can leave your big bags behind, travel light and do so much more!
Trier & beyond in a day
Trier's Porta Niagra city gate, Baths, Amphitheatre and more Roman relics
Trier's Town Hall, Cathedral, Basilica and Market Square
Hermanskeil aviation, rail and fire engine museums
Kyllburg, scenic castle town
Bitburg, home of the popular beer
Saarburg town and waterfall
Saarbrucken city on River Saar
Idar-Oberstein gem town and region
Gerolstein, famous home of the springwater brand
Luxembourg city and countryside
Luxembourg's Vianden Castle
Koblenz & beyond in a day
Deutches Eck confluence of Rhine and Mosel Rivers
Koblenz Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and cable car over Rhine
Koblenz rebuilt old city
Rhine Gorges by rail, bike or cruise
Lahn River, Nassau and Bad Ems spa town
Medieval city of Limburg, castle and cathedral
Bad Kreuznach spa town
Rail/bus passes
Regional passes offer many options at exceptional value.
For example, VRM passes are valid from Zell and centred on Koblenz. Their website offers an assortment of passes including one-day, 3-days and small groups. They also offer Rhineland passes for travel much further. At 2024 these are 28E per day for one person and just 7E per extra persons.
https://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets/tickets/leisure-tickets/
To the west, the VRT pass is centred on Trier and the 1 day price is similar. Conveniently, Zell and nearby Bullay station are on the border of the VRM and VRT passes.
National day passes are another possibility and are often much cheaper than point to point tickets (but you can't ride the faster IC and ICE trains).
THE BEST DEAL OF ALL: Look into a monthly subscription for the phone-app Deutschland Ticket, 58 Euro per month in 2025.
Ideas for 3 days away from Base
Luxembourg's museums and countryside (free public transport within Lux)
Paris (from just 4 hours by rail)
Cologne, Bonn and Aachen
Mainz, Frankfurt and Darmstadt
Ruhr cities of Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Essen, Bochum
Heidelberg, Speyer, Mannheim, Worms (see below)
Strasbourg, Nancy, Metz and Luxembourg
Ride the Rails around all Germany with day tickets 46/55E for 1/2 persons
Cheap flights from nearby Hahn Airport, direct to places like London, Dublin, Malaga, Ibiza, Crete, Thessaloniki, Majorca, Bergamo, Gerona, Budapest or Portugal.
Stay 5 nights, have Fri-Sat-Sun travelling
The 'Home & Away' deal enables a lot of travel possibilities.
Book 5 nights for 70% of our weekly rate.
Or book 10 nights starting Sunday with a weekend away for 120% of the 7 night rate. Store your luggage, have Fri and Sat nights away travelling lightly - and come back to a fresh apartment.
Weekends are an excellent time to visit and stay in the cities.
Book 15 nights on this pattern for 170% of the 7 night rate.
Book 20 nights on this pattern for 220% of the 7 night rate.
See our Rates page.
Heidelberg & Speyer in 3 days (stay 2 nights in Mannheim)
This excursion follows a circuit by rail, including the cities of Trier, Saarbrucken, Kaiserslautern, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, Speyer, Heidelberg, Worms, Mainz and Koblenz. It also features a ride through the Rhine Gorges.
Arrange a Rhineland day pass in advance for Friday and Sunday (28E one person for a day plus 7E per extra persons).
FRIDAY:
Take the frequent bus from Zell to Bullay Station (eg 721 at 0905). Trains run at least twice an hour along the route Bullay - Trier - Saarbrucken - Homburg - Kaiserslautern - Mannheim. There is a possibility to go right through without changing, on the RE1 departing Bullay at 0951, arriving Mannheim at 1320. Or stop and explore at one or more of the interesting towns and cities enroute.
With a combined population of half a million, the cities of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim are on opposite banks of the Rhine River. This is the recommended base for Fri and Sat nights. City-centre 3-4 star hotels are around 100E per night, much more affordable on weekends than Speyer or Heidelberg.
SATURDAY:
The local S-Bahn rail runs Mannheim to Speyer (28 mins), Heidelberg (16 mins) and in between (40 min). A 5-zone pass on the VRN network is 13E for 1 person, 17E for 2 persons.
Founded by the Romans on the west bank of the Rhine, Speyer is most famous for its UNESCO-listed Cathedral (Kaiserdom, dates from 1030, burial place of 8 Holy Roman Emperors and Kings), the extensive Technik Museum and Palatinate Museum.
On the Neckar River, Heidelberg needs little introduction and is one of Germany’s must-see destinations. The University dates from 1386 and the city is a scientific research hub.
Return to the hotel in Mannheim.
SUNDAY:
Use another Rhineland Day Pass to return, exploring Worms, Mainz, the Rhine Gorges and Koblenz. The rail legs can add up to less than 3 hours, using local S-Bahn and RE (Regional Express) services.
Note that Trier and Koblenz are easy day trip destinations from Zell. Going away for the 3-days, we suggest to focus on the further destinations and save Trier and Koblenz for day trips.
Links
https://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets/tickets/leisure-tickets/rheinland-pfalz-ticket/
https://tourismus.saarbruecken.de/en
https://www.kaiserslautern.de/tourismus_freizeit_kultur/tourismus/index.html.en
https://www.britannica.com/place/Saarland
https://www.visit-mannheim.de/
https://www.germany.travel/en/cities-culture/ludwigshafen.html
https://www.heidelberg.de/english/Home/Visit.html
https://www.speyer.de/en/tourism/experience-speyer/tourist-attractions/
https://www.speyer.de/en/tourism/experience-speyer/tourist-attractions/the-speyer-cathedral/
https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/
https://www.worms-erleben.de/experience/entdecken-und-staunen/sehenswuerdigkeiten/
Find out more
about exploring Europe from Zell