The Moselle — in both directions
Rosé on the Croisette or a fish roll on the Elbe?
Both begin on your doorstep. Southward it is roughly 1,100 kilometres and 145 locks to the Mediterranean; northward roughly 1,000 kilometres and 24 locks to Hamburg. Enter your boat and you will see whether it fits and how long the journey takes at your pace.
What this planner does — and does not do
It calculates stages, not a route. The journey involves around 145 locks; we have stage figures, not the position of each one. The Canal des Vosges alone has 93 — we do not reproduce those from memory but point to the VNF charts. The Moselle is different: the actual locks are listed below with kilometre and radio channel.
On your route (Moselle km 229.5–242.2)
No known closures and no critical water levels on the Moselle section.
Covers the Moselle down to Apach. Beyond the French border (VNF area) we have no official notices — check the avis à la batellerie there. Water levels & floods · Locks & weirs
Your route in 3 stages
Schengen Marina Schwebsange
The last fuel berth on the Luxembourg Moselle. If you set off from here, leave with full tanks and fresh water — the next reliable supply is in France.
- Fuel
- Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00, closed Sundays
- Harbour office
- 1 April to 31 October, daily 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00
- Phone
- +352 23 66 44 60
Calculated with 6 cruising hours per day and 8 knots, plus twenty minutes per lock.
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1
Schengen → Apach
Mosel · LU / DE / FR
6 km 0 locks 1 days 0.4 hoursThe familiar part. From Schengen the Mosel becomes the Moselle, the border running down the middle. The last chance to refuel on the Luxembourg Moselle is Schwebsange.
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2
Apach → Metz
Moselle canalisée · FR
55 km 6 locks 1 days 5.7 hoursBeyond Apach, France begins at full gauge: wide chambers, self-service at many locks, industrial scenery around Thionville. In Metz you moor right in the city — the marina on the plan d’eau is one of the finest urban berths of the whole route.
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3
Metz → Neuves-Maisons
Moselle canalisée · FR
93 km 8 locks 2 days 8.9 hoursFrom Metz the canalised Moselle winds on southward, past Pont-à-Mousson and Toul with its ramparts. At Neuves-Maisons the large-gauge waterway ends — from here the Canal des Vosges takes over.
Your destination in detail: Nancy
The calculation ends at Neuves-Maisons — Nancy’s marina is only a short branch canal away, green and quiet yet within walking distance of Place Stanislas, one of Europe’s finest squares. With a week to spend, you cruise into Lorraine at ease.
Along the way, Metz is the stop that carries the trip: the marina lies at the foot of the old town, and the cathedral with its Chagall windows is visible from the pontoon. From Apach you are in VNF territory — vignette on board, and many locks operate in self-service.
For the French locks we deliberately keep no individual data — the official VNF charts and notices to skippers are authoritative. The VNF vignette is required from Apach onward.
Good to know
- Buy the VNF vignette online in advance — checks happen at the locks, and without it your French cruise starts with paperwork instead of Metz.
- Many locks on the canalised Moselle run by remote control or self-service — the télécommande is handed over at the first lock; read the instructions there carefully.
- The return runs with the current and is quicker than the way out — the time you gain is well spent in Metz.
Other destination AI-assisted
The calculation above goes to the chosen stage end. Beyond that — Marseille, Nice, Barcelona, Venice — you get an orientation here. It is expressly not a distance calculation.
Written by an AI and not verified. Deliberately without distances or times — they would otherwise sit beside the verified figures above without the same basis.
The Moselle in detail
For the first part of the route we have real data: every lock with kilometre, leisure-craft chamber and radio channel.
| Moselle kilometre | Place to call at | Leisure lock | VHF channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 242.4 | Apach Lock | keine | Channel 20 |
| 229.9 | Stadtbredimus / Palzem Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 20 |
| 212.8 | Grevenmacher / Wellen Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 18 |
| 195.8 | Trier Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 79 |
| 166.2 | Detzem Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 78 |
| 141.5 | Wintrich Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 22 |
| 123.8 | Zeltingen Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 20 |
| 103 | Enkirch Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 18 |
| 78.4 | St. Aldegund Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 82 |
| 59.4 | Fankel Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 81 |
| 37.1 | Müden Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 79 |
| 20.8 | Lehmen Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 78 |
| 1.9 | Koblenz Lock | 18 m x 3,30 m | Channel 20 |
From Apach upstream the VNF licence is compulsory in France. For the locks there and everything beyond you need the official charts — we deliberately do not reproduce them here.
Take it with you
As a PDF to print — aboard, paper helps where there is no signal. Signed in, you can open saved plans on any device, including on your phone underway.
Not passage planning
This calculation does not replace passage planning. Lock operating hours, closures, water levels, licences and the weather on the Rhône and the Mediterranean are yours to check. The figures are guidance, not promises.
Sources: WSA Mosel-Saar-Lahn — Mosel · VNF — Voies navigables de France · Canal des Vosges — Wikipedia · Rhône — Wikipedia