One day pre tour in Trier. Ideas?

Unless you are skilled, experienced bicycle riders, I would advise against a bike ride under the conditions of jet lag, etc. Just consider that any injury just before a tour would impact your experience negatively. I've considered bicycle riding in various places and decided the unfamiliar terrain, traffic rules, and strange equipment would not guarantee an accident-free experience! The experience of being ill or injured (I've experienced both) while traveling is really tough.

Point well taken Swan!

The commuter train to Luxembourg City is about an hour. That would make a great day trip.

A couple on my GAS tour last August did the Mosel boat ride and enjoyed it.

I arrived 2 nights ahead and spent my full day doing the Rheinisches Landesmuseum which is the Archeological Museum. I also went to the Roman baths, the Palace Garden, the Porta Nigra and walked around the pedestrian area.

The next day I spent time in the Konstantin Basilica and the Dom. Altho you will see these on the walking tour there is not enough time to see them as thoroughly as I like. I stumbled on a concert in the Dom, well worth the 2Euro!

Here is a link with some sights n Trier. There were a number of things I didn't get to as there was a heat wave when I was there! I really enjoyed Trier.

http://www.trier-info.de/english/sights-in-trier

Nice Suggestions! I will have one day next May so very interested in the ideas.

My answer to your heading question is: Drink Mosel wine, which is what we did on our short stay in Trier many years ago. We did take the boat from Trier to Bernkastel-Kues this next morning, but that was part of our continuing trip. It was beautiful, but it seems like it was too long a journey to go there and back as part of a day trip, although I can't remember the exact timing. Bicycling might be a good option if you can quickly get bikes and if there are good bike paths along the Mosel, but otherwise you can just take a walk.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Robert , we definitely look forward to sampling the local wine !

I think you have already gone on your trip, but for future readers I would suggest spending a few days in Bacharach - a beautiful half timbered village right on the Rhine. It is in between the airport in Frankfurt and your first tour city of Trier - so just plan your train trip to stop here. So easy! I loved walking the beautiful village, climbing up into the hillside vineyards, climbing the old towers that were part of the town fortifications. One day I rented a bike and went on an amazing ride along the river banks (dedicated paved bike/walking path). Another day I took a boat trip up the Rhine to St Goar to walk through the castle ruins. Quaint restaurants and cobble streets uncrowded by tourists - such a fun intro to Germany. One of my favorite tour memories were these solo pre-tour days in Bacharach!!

We did pretty much the same thing except we spent 2 nights in St Goar before continuing to Trier. We explored Rheinfels castle and then hiked to a local winery. We took a train ride to Bacharach, walked through the town and the hills covered in vineyards. We also rode the ferry across the Rhine and visited the Lorilei. On our way to Trier, we stopped at Koblenz and saw the point where the Rhine and the Mosel Rivers meet. We have fond memories of our time spent in the Rhine River Valley and consider it one of the highlights of our first RS tour.

Here's another vote for stopping in St Goar instead of Trier. We spent 3 nights / 2 days in St Goar before heading to Trier. We took a day trip up the Rhine River to Assmanshausen one day and a trip down the Rhine to Koblenz. It was a great way to get over jet lag. St Goar is an easy stop on the railroad after leaving Frankfurt. The Mosel is beautiful also. You travel up the river on the way to Burg Eltz. It is lovely. You'll love the GAS tour. We took it in September also. It was fantastic. Enjoy the planning process. It's half of the fun.