1/2 day South or North River Cruise Tour Middle Rhein?

Posted by awilliamson on 04/05/15 04:04 PM

When we first arrive Middle-Rhein in June (staying in Bacharach), we have about half a day to get a jump start on sightseeing (between Boppard and Rudesheim). I please ask for advice which is more "doable" via a local river cruise from about 1pm to 5pm/about half a day:

Boppard south to Bacharach (We would take train from Bacharach to Boppard and Ferry the way down visiting the towns) or
Bacharach south to Rudesheim (We would take Ferry south and train back to Bacharch at end of day)

We will have time to see it all in a few days, but with the extra half day, I want to get as much in as we can with wine tasting, exploring, scenery, etc.

Thank you so much.

Posted by Ms. Jo

Frankfurt, Germany

04/05/15 04:34 PM

8938 posts

Train south and ride the ship north. Best sites are between Bingen and Boppard. You can always train back to Bacharach, St. Goar or Ober Wesel after your boat ride. Leave early in the morning if you can. The ships take a bit of a break around lunch time, so there may be not ships between 11:30-14:00 or so. Check the schedule on the KD website to see.
https://www.k-d.com/en/kd-scheduled-cruises/kd-rhine-timetable/#c572

Posted by awilliamson OP

04/05/15 05:14 PM

2 posts

Thank you so much, that is perfect.

Posted by Lee

Lakewood, Colorado

04/05/15 08:04 PM

19092 posts

Expanding on Jo's comment, the Rhein River flows to the Northwest and has a strong current. South, or more properly Southeast, is UP the river and takes much more time. For instance, the trip from St. Goar to Bacharach takes 70 min; the opposite direction takes only 40 min. Although there is more to see in that stretch that any other similar length stretch, there's not that much to see. Take the quickest direction.

Note, Rüdesheim to Boppard takes about 2½ hours not counting stops. Boppard to Rüdesheim takes almost 4 hours. Also take a close look at the schedule. There are not that many boats in a day. You probably can't make more than two stops, maybe 3, on the way.

Lastly, if you take the train to your starting point and show them the ticket, you'll get a 20% discount off the regular fare. So, if you are staying in Bacharach, take the train to Bingen (same side of the river), get your discount, take the boat to St. Goar, Boppard, or Braubach (Marksburg), and take the train back to Bacharach.

Posted by Ken

Vernon, Canada

04/05/15 08:55 PM

32198 posts

I've taken the KD boats between Bacharach and St. Goar, and it's a beautiful trip. I travelled both ways by boat, but agree with the others that taking the shorter trip downstream and then returning by train to Bacharach would probably be the best idea (unless of course you want to enjoy the longer time on the boat, and if that's the case travel upstream).