My Europe Base

11/02/2025

Great rail deals for 65+s in Belgium: 8.50 Euro one-way and day-return fares anywhere. Stops enroute are possible too.
Note Luxembourg has free public transport and Germany has 58 Euro passes per calendar month for all ages.
For fab fares in July-Aug high-season from Australia to Paris check out EvaAir, offering one-stop returns from under 1400AUD.

https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/senior-ticket

Are you over 65? You can enjoy return, same-day rail travel at a reduced fare. Buy you Senior Ticket here.

29/01/2025

Winter is a great time for travel deals and these are some we’ve just done:
15 Euros Ryanair Frankfurt-Hahn to Barcelona (plus 25E for 10kg bag)
37 Euros overnight sleeper train berth from south of France to Paris (admittedly we paid more to reserve the whole compartment)
39 Euros Eurostar Paris to London
39 Euros Eurostar London to Amsterdam
58 Euros for unlimited one month rail and bus travel in Germany
40 pounds for 72 hours Peugeot 208 car hire from London (unlimited kms)
20 Euros for 72 hours Fiat e500 car hire from Barcelona (unlimited kms but battery range is dismal)
Hotels are cheaper too and museums easier to get into!

29/01/2025

A January afternoon in Zell-Mosel.

19/12/2024

Another great map resource, showing the network of routes linking with popular cycle trails. These buses take bikes! And you can use them on the 58 Euro per month Deutschland Tickets.
Go to https://www.radbusse.de/ to explore the map and information in detail.

19/12/2024

For planning bike rides almost anywhere in the world, RideWithGPS.com/heatmap is a fantastic source to discover what routes are possible - and popular.

Germany's unlimited monthly travel pass (Deutschland Ticket) is now 58 Euros, with no extra cost for bikes. https://int.bahn.de/en/offers/regional/deutschland-ticket

08/10/2024

Museums passes combine well with DB Germany's amazing 49 Euro per month rail pass. This museum pass is 129 Euro, valid 12 months and covers 360 sites in the Upper Rhine area, across Germany, France and Switzerland.
Netherlands and Belgium have their own annual national passes.

https://www.museumspass.com/en/liste

Discover our member museums in France, Germany and Switzerland.

05/10/2024

UNREAL DEAL! Travel all of Germany for 49 Euros per month!
The new is a subscription phone app enabling unlimited local, regional and interstate train and bus travel all over the country. Like many other passes, IC and ICE trains are excluded but it covers the RE (Regional Express) trains that trundle frequently up and down all the legacy main lines.

Travel conveniently throughout Germany with just one ticket. With the Deutschland-Ticket– D-Ticket for short – you can travel easily by all means of local public transport from for just 49 euros per month.

29/09/2024

Consider a stay on the Mosel River, sooner rather than later! Autumn is ideal for hiking in the colourful vineyards and leafy forests of the Mosel Region - then Xmas markets are open through December.
Great flight deals from Australia to Europe for the remainder of 2024.
Paris to Zell by rail is 4+ hours via Luxembourg. Frankfurt is 2+ hrs.
See www.myeuropebase.com.au - for extended stays and come ‘n go deals at off-season rates.

07/09/2024

Translation: 12 cross-country certified long-distance hiking trails with a total length of 2,700 km, as well as 300 certified circular hiking trails with around 3,300 kilometers of adventure offer diverse nature enjoyment and opportunities to let the soul dangle.
©️ Rheinland-Palatinate Tourism GmbH
Source: Rheinland-Pfalz Tourism GmbH

Tourismus ist ein Plus für Wanderfans! 🥾🚶
Touristischen Investitionen verdanken wir unsere spektakulären Wanderwege. Davon profitieren nicht nur Touristen, sondern auch heimische Wanderfans, Familien und Naturgenießer.
12 länderübergreifende zertifizierte Fernwanderwege mit einer Gesamtlänge von 2.700 km sowie 300 zertifizierte Rundwanderwege mit rund 3.300 Erlebniskilometern bieten vielfältigen Naturgenuss und Gelegenheiten, die Seele baumeln zu lassen.
©️ Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismus GmbH
Quelle: Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismus GmbH

27/08/2024

Koblenz is enjoyable for a Fri-Sun weekend from Zell all year. Cruise the Rhine Gorges. Stroll to (confluence of Rhine and Mosel), ride cross-river on the cable car up to fortress. Visit the Electoral Palace and (rebuilt) Old Town. Nearby are castle (and many others), (confluence of Lahn and Rhine) and the historic spa resort .
Bus+train hourly takes ~90 mins, from 20E rtn.
Good city centre hotels from

Discover the fascinating sights in Koblenz, including the Altstadt, the impressive Deutsches Eck and much more!

27/08/2024

Luxembourg is easy to visit for a Fri-Sun weekend from Zell anytime of the year. Lots of sights, museums (many free and a walk between), castles 'n culture.
Bus+train hourly via takes 2 hours, 40E rtn.
Good hotels from ~100E a night (eg Doubletree Hilton).
Free public transport throughout Luxembourg since 2020.
https://www.visitluxembourg.com/experience-luxembourg/culture/art-museums

Luxembourg has over 60 art and history museums, galleries and cultural heritage spaces. Wander around, choose what you fancy, and relax into the experience.

22/08/2024

Trains, Planes and Fire Engines; a weekend excursion from Zell-Mosel to Hermeskeil and on to Trier.

Bike, drive or take public transport. This trip suits 3-days Friday to Sunday, April to September.

The mid-sized town of Hermeskeil lies 25kms south of Trier, surrounded by woods on the Hunsruck Plateau.
With museums for fire engines, locomotives and aircraft, this place is a treat for kids of all ages. Entry fees are modest.

In the town centre, the Feuerwehr Erlebnis Museum houses an extensive collection of restored vintage fire trucks, paraphernalia and nostalgia. Open Tue-Fri 2-5pm and Sat-Sun (and public holidays) 10-4pm. https://www.feuerwehr-erlebnis-museum.de/

Next, the Rail. Once you’ve doused the fire engine enthusiasm, a walk 500m to the west is the Dampflok Museum, just open on weekends (and public holidays) April-September. It features a roundhouse and two dozen plus steam locomotives, in varying condition, many of WW2 build. Open Sat-Sun (and public holidays) 10-4pm, April to September. https://www.dampflokmuseum-hermeskeil.de/

And the Air. Take a bus or walk/ride 3kms north along the 327 road to arrive at Flaugausstellung P. Junior. Established in 1973, on last count the site has 119 aircraft, both military and civil, on display indoors and in the open. Our favourites are the Lufthansa Super Constellation and Vickers VC10. Amongst the other airliners, there’s also the Comet 4C, DC3, DH104 Dove, Junkers JU52, Vickers Viscount, Ilyushin 14 and 18, and Tupolev 134. Lots of fighters and helicopters too. We won’t trumpet their Concorde – it’s an oversize replica housing the cafe.
Open daily 10-5pm, April to October
https://www.flugausstellung.de/

Cycling Zell to Hermeskeil: Many routes are possible from Zell, around 65 to 70km, via combinations of Mosel River, back roads and/or forest roads. Gravel buffs can include 40km in the Hunrsuck-Hochwald National Park. https://maps.app.goo.gl/yvvZh848G4wsqMGz6

Ruwer Rail Trail: A delightful tarmac run, all on an old rail line, mostly gently downhill following the river from Hermeskeil to Trier. https://hochwald-ferienland.de/biken-mit-fun/ruwer-hochwald-radweg/?lang=en

Of course there is much to see in the ancient city of Trier too.

Accommodations
The impressive youth hostel and Hotel Jakobs are in the Hermeskeil town centre.
https://www.diejugendherbergen.de/jugendherbergen/hermeskeil/
Along the rail trail, about 10km to the SW is the town of Kell and nearby Keller Stausee (lake) with a number of 3 and 4-star hotels.

Transport: Bus 200 from Trier hourly, takes 47 mins. Rail from Zell (Bullay station) to Trier takes 45-60 mins.

16/07/2024

Zell-Mosel is a great base for cycling. As well as the Mosel River path, back roads and forest trails create circuits and countless possibilities. From Zell to this aircraft museum/airpark near Hermeskeil is around 70km, with long stretches through forest.
Lots of small hotels and bnbs in the Hermeskeil - Kell am See area. Onward to Trier is under 60km, taking the rail trail along the Ruwer River. Then Trier back to Zell along the Mosel riverside is 100km (or train).

local hotel - jaegerhof-reinsfeld.de
lake with hotels
https://www.flugausstellung.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flugausstellung_Peter_Junior

The Flugausstellung Peter Junior, previously the Flugausstellung Hermeskeil, is a private aviation museum in the town of Hermeskeil in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

27/02/2024

Spring is on the way to Zell an der Mosel bringing double-digit daytime temps. It's a fab time for touring, hiking and cycling sans the crowds.
We're open and ready to welcome you!
Grab a flight deal, stay a while and make Zell your base to explore from.

is nearby for flights all over Europe. It's a hub.

Some deals via Skyscanner for Mar/Apr return flights from Americas and Australia/NZ.:
* USA-Frankfurt from ~500USD
* Australia-London from ~1070AUD
* NZ-Amsterdam from ~1400NZD


Ferienregion Zeller Land Stadt Zell - Mosel