Saarschleife Table Tour

An interesting hike along the Saar River, or rather above it, over the mountains, with beautiful views, some of it rustic, and over the rocks. Experience a remarkable landscape. From the treetop walk, we get an impressive view of the Saar Loop. From the very bottom, with the ferry across the Saar, we experience a completely different perspective. The path leads up the next mountain to Montclair Castle. Today, in the warm afternoon, it was quite strenuous. The tour is definitely recommended. The cleanup, the full text, and the video will follow. Here's an insight into our Trier hike. https://youtu.be/it_xrHYQsJk

Today I wanted to do another dream loop. @Barbara had time, even though we started relatively late. It was a beautiful tour, and the time flew by with the two of us. Once we reached our destination, we took a quick look around Mettlach.

Yesterday, it was another dream loop. The Saar Loop had been planned for a long time, but last summer was somehow too short, and the ferry takes a winter break. We started at the church in Mettlach. After climbing the first few meters, we get the first glimpses of the Saar, mostly obscured by trees. The path is fairly flat all the way to Montclair Castle. For €2, you can visit two museum rooms with a few artifacts from the area, and you can climb the tower and enjoy the view. From the castle, the path leads to the Saar River, where you cross over to the other side with the Welles ferry. The following kilometers are the highlight of the tour. It climbs along the Steinbach stream and you are rewarded with a fantastic view of the Saar Loop from the Cloef. Unfortunately, we didn't see blue skies again until the evening, but even so, the view was beautiful. Last time, it was a foggy winter day. The trail then leads past the visitor center and treetop walkway before heading back toward Mettlach. The last few kilometers were once again some truly beautiful, rocky paths with a few great viewpoints, one of which even offered refreshments.

A concentrated load of highlights stretches over 18 kilometers. From Mettlach, you can hike a circular route with almost 500 meters of elevation gain, passing the famous Saar Loop. Not only that, but also Montclair Castle, the Steinbachtal nature reserve, the crossing with the Welles ferry, and the fantastic views of the Saar River round out this hike. However, we would also like to point out that this hike requires a high level of stamina and surefootedness, and it's best to do it in dry weather. We recommend stopping in Mettlach itself, as the restaurants around the treetop walk will take your money (ready-made cakes for €6.50 a slice!).

Today, in glorious weather, I completed what I consider to be the most beautiful dream loop in Saarland—besides the beautiful landscape, magnificent forests, and views of the Saar/Saar Loop, there's also Montclair Castle to admire and stop for a bite to eat, the river crossing on the Welles ferry, and the Cloef or treetop walk with views of the Saar Loop and a variety of restaurants. The combination is truly unique, I think👌

We've been wanting to go there for a long time! Yes, as Palatinate natives, to Saarland 😉, to the most beautiful river loop in Europe. We thought long and hard about where to start and, given the expected weather, decided on the Cloef (day tickets 6 euros). With the sky still almost clear, we first walked up the beautifully landscaped treetop path (13 euros per person) to the observation tower, where you have an unobstructed view of the entire Saar loop, unobstructed by vegetation. The long climb, however, is at the end of the tour. On the way down to Mettlach, you pass some beautiful and rocky paths. The marked trail leads through the forest, and at several points you have another view of the river. Through Mettlach (we skipped the authentic feeling of grilled Lyoner, but we did get an ice cream to go), the path then climbs to the Montclair Castle ruins. The courtyard was open, as was the castle (2 euros entry at the vending machine, bring coins for the vending machines; the bistro is usually only open on weekends). From the tower of the very well-kept castle, you have a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding area. To avoid having to swim across the Saar, the Welles ferry ferries hikers across for 2.50 euros (cash only). "Don't pay the ferryman" doesn't work 🙃! Then the climb through the Steinbachtal valley began. The stream was almost dry, but now the water was coming from above (and not a little...). So we hiked the last 3 km with an umbrella, took one last look at the Saar loop with its mystical haze gathering, and then the third day of our girls' getaway was over. After the tours in Luxembourg, the trails of the Tafeltour admittedly couldn't keep up with the standards of those across the border, but with the viewpoint and the still-blue sky, starting at the top was definitely the best decision. A fantastic three days with excellent company and superb planning! What are we doing next year @Juliet*???

We did the hike to Montclair Castle and the Cloef Saarschleife in two tours due to the weather conditions. This table tour Saarschleife with 17km length includes both hikes.

We headed to Saarland for a long weekend. Having booked long ago, we were incredibly excited – and we took our first beautiful hike on the way there. The circular trail was only 24 km from our accommodation. So: parked the car, laced up our hiking boots, and off we went. 👟✨ We started at the St. Lutwinus Parish Church in Mettlach, where we parked in the large parking lot. From there, we followed the signs with the little chef's hat – the symbol of the Tafeltour – and in no time at all, we were lost in the beautiful nature of Saarland. First, we took a leisurely walk along the ridge along the Saar River – with repeated, magnificent views of the valley below. After a few kilometers, we reached Montclair Castle, a medieval castle ruin that has been beautifully restored. For just 2 euros, you can visit a small part of the castle and enjoy the magnificent view of the Saar and the forests from above. In the courtyard, there is a small bistro with indoor and outdoor seating. Time for a break! It was much too early, but in this heat, something cool is always nice. Then we continued downhill through the forest in switchbacks until we reached the banks of the Saar. Another highlight awaited us there: the Welles ferry, the last hand-operated ferry on the Saar. For €2.50 per adult, we crossed to the other bank (closed on Mondays). We rang a small bell to alert the ferryman, and the "Welles" took us to the other bank. 🚤 The most strenuous section began on the other side: Over wooden bridges, narrow paths, and steps, we climbed through the beautiful Steinbachtal valley up to the famous Cloef viewpoint. From here, you have THE view of the Saar Loop – arguably one of the most famous panoramas in Germany. Of course, we took the treetop walk there. I'd been there before, when we hiked the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig. But a treetop walk like the one at the Saarschleife is always worth the experience. Once you reach the top, you enjoy a fantastic view of the Saarschleife and the surrounding nature. Whether the €13 entrance fee is worth it is up to you – we thought it was. 😉 Right at the entrance to the walk is a futuristic building with a restaurant, tourist information, and a small shop – perfect for a short break. And we can both say: The food there is really good. Lounge music in the background – everything just fit perfectly. The return journey took us down into the valley on varied paths, some very rocky, with small viewpoints. Here, the Traumschleife Tafeltour (Table Tour) splits with the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig (Steig Trail) for several kilometers. Finally, we strolled leisurely through Mettlach's pedestrian zone, ice cream in hand, back to our starting point. Conclusion: A truly entertaining tour full of highlights: the Saarschleife, Cloef, Montclair Castle, and the idyllic Bachtal valley. In between, there's plenty of quiet forest – perfect for unwinding, as we only really met people at the Cloef. A quick note on the trail conditions: Most of the trails were rather wide and perfectly easy to walk. The final section featured significantly more beautiful, narrow, and sometimes rocky paths – just the kind I love.