BENELUX / Mosel

[dombrosk]

I'm planning a June/July tour from Amsterdam through Haarlem, Urk, Arnhem to Maastricht, then down Eastern Belgium and Luxembourg to Trier, Germany, finally along the Mosel Valley to Koblenz.  (taking trains with my bike back to Amsterdam for return flight)

I'd love to hear from folks who have experience with any parts of this tour, or general tips for European touring and getting my bicycle safely across as baggage on my flight.

[hem]

It has been sometime, 10 years now, that I rode from Den Haag, Utrecht, Arnhem, Venlo, and to Maastricht. I was there just as the tulips popped and it was awesome. You'll find that Arnhem to Maastricht will dispel the idea The Netherlands does not have hills. I have also done a bike/barge trip through some of the same area and enjoyed that as well. I like Arnhem.
I have also done the the Rhine from Düsseldorf to Koblenz to Trier and that is a very nice trip. I laid over in Cochem and enjoyed it. But that is the reverse direction of your trip.

The last time I went to Europe I flew British Air from Phoenix to London Heathrow non stop and used the CTC Bike Bag http://www.ctcshop.org.uk/cycling/p/CTC/22/CTC_Plastic_Bike_Bag/5360041697/
It worked great especially when I broke it down with the front wheel tapped to the frame center. Made a nice compact package to move around and handle. Seemed to had been handled properly too as there were no issues after flying both ways packed that way.

[kensamoil]

In 1996 my wife and I cycled from Luxembourg City to Trier, then along the Mosel to Koblenz, briefly down the Rhein to Lahnstein, and from there along the Lahn to Marburg.  (We then traveled by train to southeastern Germany for some more cycling.)  You can read about our experiences here:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/samoiltour1996

There are no photos in this journal (because I have not scanned my prints from that trip), and I am a better photographer than a travel writer, but you may be able to glean some useful information from my account. 

The Mosel is a great region for cycling.  Have a great trip!

[mathieu]

Hi. I am Dutch. I did the TransAm route in 2009 and met many helpful Americans. It is nice to give some help in return.
The Netherlands has a very dense netwerk of bike roads or quiet rural roads. To prevent that you have to consult the maps very often, you better select a few
"Landelijke Fietsroutes" (national bike paths). It is easy to follow the LF sign boards. Set your cursor on the LF number on the map in the following link and you see it highlighted

http://www.landelijkefietsroutes.nl/routes/
 
From Haarlem to Urk you might pass via Alkmaar to follow LF15 - Boerenland (Farmers land).
From Urk to Arnhem you follow LF3 - Hanzeroute
From Arnhem to Maastricht, follow LF4 - Maasroute.

A bike route from Maastricht to Luxemburg and Trier you will find in the guide "Onbegrensd Fietsen deel 1a - Maastricht - Luxemburg - Nancy" (last book on the page):
http://www.opdefiets.net/fietsgidsen/nederland.htm

I do not know if this route enters Liege, but this is certainly a very worthwhile place to visit. They have a new, spectacularly beautiful railway station designed by Santiago Calatrava.
I guess between Trier and Koblenz you can't go wrong by following the Moselle/Mosel.