Bacharach to Burg Eltz?

Boat takes too long for transportation - 3 hours to Koblenz, vs. 40 minutes by train. Figure 35 minutes by train from Koblenz to Moselkern Station. Then you have a long (but pleasant) walk to Eltz and back:

walk to Burg Eltz

If you want to make a day of it, you'll want to visit the truly charming town Cochem, just a little ways beyond Moselkern, for your dining, shopping, strolling around.
Cochem
Cochem from opposite river bank
Cochem from nearby lookout

For this trip, the 5 of you can get to Moselkern, then Cochem, then back to Bacharach, for €39 total on a daypass:
Rheinland-Pfalz ticket daypass

sean,

That's a very easy day trip from Bacharach, although a bit of a long day. Here's the method I'd suggest.....

• Train from Bacharach to Moselkern (about 1H:50M each way).
• When you arrive in Moselkern, you can hike to the Castle in about an hour. As I recall, there are direction signs right at the station.
• Allow at least 2 - 3 hours to see the Castle. Note that no photos are allowed during the "official" tour, but you can take photos in the Treasury and other locations around the Castle. There are a couple of nice (but touristy) beer garden restaurants at the Castle where you can stop for a "cool one".
• Retrace the steps for the return to Bacharach.

A few points to note.....

1. If your trip will take place on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday from May to October, you can use the Bus to get from the station in Treis-Karden to the Castle, as shown on THIS website. It will drop you in the car park at the top of the hill and from there you can either make the steep walk down to the Castle, or take the Shuttle Van (€2 pp). My suggestion - walk in one direction so you can take pictures of the Castle as there's a good vantage point about half way up the hill. Take the Shuttle in the other direction.
2. With a group of five, if you'd prefer to take a Taxi (which will probably be a mini-Van), you could use one of the services listed on THIS website. I used a Taxi from Löf on my visit which was a very interesting experience in many respects (and also very expensive), but that's another story.

You may find that a visit to the Castle is enough for the day, but if you're energetic you could stop in Cochem for a visit after touring the Castle, and then take the train to Bacharach from there. That should fill your day out nicely.

One other possibility is to decide that Burg Eltz is not, in fact, the difference between a successful trip to the Rhineland and a failed one. You could use that travel time for other priorities you have on your list.

http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/three-rhineland-castles

http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles.php

http://www.germany.travel/en/leisure-and-recreation/walking/rhine-castles-trail.html

etc.

"One other possibility is to decide that Burg Eltz is not, in fact, the difference between a successful trip to the Rhineland and a failed one..."

Eltz is pretty cool and in my opinion very worthwhile, even if a bit time-consuming from Bacharach.

What's hard for me to grasp is why so many visitors opt for Bacharach as a base for outings to castles and other towns and sights in this area when Bacharach's location for such trips is relatively inconvenient. Staying north of there in Boppard knocks 40 - 50 train minutes off the round trip to Moselkern or Cochem. From Boppard, you would also be much closer to Marksburg Castle, and just as close to Rheinfels Castle, as you would be from Bacharach. On top of that, Boppard is a terrific town with a good number of half-timbered buildings, a nice chairlift ride to a superb lookout over the river, a river promenade, a nice town square with outdoor cafes, some Roman ruins, numerous dining and lodging choices, and fewer problems with train noise. And Boppard is connected to FRA and Frankfurt by DIRECT regional express trains (Bacharach normally requires 2 separate trains.)

Bacharach is surely worth visiting - but from Boppard you can do that very easily on a day trip that includes St. Goar as well.

Plenty of good advice above. I would plan to spend a full day along the Mosel, such as adding Cochem and/or Beilstein in the afternoon, but only using a boat for a short, scenic portion, since it does take longer than a train.

You can't get to Beilstein by train. There are buses from Cochem (and maybe Karden).

In the summer, when the castle ruins above Beilstein are running tours, there might be something to see, but it is a very small (yet charming) town. I think you could see everything besides the castle in an hour.

We will have a car and staying in St Goar so will spend a day driving up and along the Mosel stopping at Burg Eltz and Cochem. Thanks for all the great ideas!

I didn't read the post above. If you have a car that is the best way. If not, when you take the train it drops you off in the middle of no where. You have to hike to the nearest bar, order a beer and call a cab to take you to the best castle in Europe.

Jeremy: It's actually an easy walk to Burg Eltz from Moselkern's train station - no need for a taxi unless you have walking difficulties:
Burg Eltz walk