We have only 3 nights/2 full days in Cologne, & want to see at least 2-3 scenic, small villages along the Rhine/Mosel rivers, via trains &/or boats from Cologne, returning to Cologne by early evening. I know Rick's favorite castle is Burg Eltz, but am not sure if going there & taking the 45min. hike each way would give us time to see much else. Would it be more relaxing to stop at 2 or 3 of the villages & walk around instead? If so, I've heard Cochem on the Mosel is very scenic, as well as Boppard, Bacharach, Marksburg (also a castle), & Eiffel, & Linz am Rhein. So many places & only 1 day! Any suggestions?
Posted by
Paradise
6637 posts
"...want to see at least 2-3 scenic, small villages along the Rhine/Mosel rivers, via trains &/or boats..."
Marksburg Castle is more easily accessible and IMHO gives you a better picture of life in medieval times than Eltz does. Doing a short cruise is both possible and enjoyable.
I know nothing about the rest of your trip - where you'll be before Cologne, what time you might plan arrive there, where you're going afterward and when - but IMO it is somewhat wasteful in terms of cash and time to squeeze a Rhine/Mosel day trip into a single day where you must awake and and later bed down again in Cologne. You have 3 nights for Cologne - so why not just spend one of those nights (on either end of your trip) in one of those small scenic villages instead? If you want "relaxing", maybe without a stringent train/boat schedule, that's really the way to do it - and if you CAN do it that way I'd prefer to offer that sort of help. If so, please provide details, including number of passengers (any kids? ages?) and travel dates.
Posted by
Minneapolis
1216 posts
Hi Rita. With limited time, stick to the Rhine. On the faster trains, it's only about an hour from Cologne to Koblenz. From there, you can take a local train to / between any of the smaller towns, and sometime during the day, you can take a boat cruise for an hour or so, for instance, from Bacharach to St. Goar. Get Rick's Germany book at book store or library; he describes towns and transit options very well. See bahn.de (change to English) for full train info. Enjoy your trip!