My question is if we take a boat down the Rhine river and follow Rich Steves's rhine river blitz can you get off and back on the boat and how long does it take. We want to try and tour Rheinfels Castle, Marksburg Castle, and Burg Eltz. We have about a day and half to do this, but I would like to do it in a day. Thanks
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
I hope you understand that Burg Eltz is near the Mosel, not the Rhein, and it is so far from the river that it takes about 2 hours walking each direction to get there.
Second, as for hop off, hop on, you should also understand that there are only about four boats up and four boats down the river in a day. Once you get off, you're there for a while.
Third, the trip down the river, from Bacharach to Koblenz, takes about 3 hours, with the current. Up the river, from Koblenz to Bacharach, against the current, takes 4½ hours. Find the K-D schedules here.
On the other hand, there are hourly trains on each side of the Rhein.
Bottom line, if you ditch the boat and take the trains, you could probably get in both Rheinfels and the Marksburg in a day. You might even get in a short boat ride (like Bacharach to St. Goar, in that direction). But all three castles plus boats in between, never. I think Burg Eltz is going to take more than half a day, by itself.
Posted by
OP
Stockton, ca
2 posts
Thanks that was very helpful. Katrina
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
If you only have one day, get to Rheinfels first thing in the morning, break for lunch, then head to Marksburg.
Trying to include Burg Eltz isn't feasible.
If you want to do Burg Eltz, train into Trier first thing in the morning. Tour the Roman ruins, break for lunch, then head up to Burg Eltz.
Both are busy but doable days IMO. However, they need to be seperate days.
Posted by
San Diego, CA
344 posts
Katrina, I cannot comment on the length of time you will need, but I was at Rheinfels Castle last month and thought I'd give you some feedback. Rheinfels is large, but it is truly in ruins. We liked that, as we were traveling with children who never could have been interested in a true tour of a castle. If you are looking for a rustic experience, then Reinfels is it. If you are looking to be "in" a castle, you might want to take Rheinfels off your list. PS You also want to make sure that there is an English tour at the castle of your choice, if that is important to you. There is no tour at Rheinfels, although there is a handout and Rick does describe it in his book. Have fun!