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2 night Rhine itinerary from Nuremberg by train

We are planning to travel by train from Nuremberg to the Rhine for 2 nights on August 3rd. We haven't booked our train yet. We have one night booked at Burg Stahleck in Bacharach on the 3rd and are looking for help with itinerary and place to stay on the 4th. We are staying the night of the 5th near the airport in Frankfurt (already booked).

We are a family of 3 (2 adults, one 8 year old child).

Is it possible to use a KD Rhine ticket over 2 days? Can we book from Bingen to Braubach and cruise from Bingen to Bacharach on the 3rd and Bacharach to Braubach on the 4th, or do we need to book separate tickets to do that? As I said, we are staying in Bacharach on 8/3. We would also like to see the Rhinefels and Marksburg castles. What would be our best itinerary? Any recommendations for where to stay on 8/4?

Thanks!

Posted by
6590 posts

It's a very steep walk up to the Bacharach hostel or a taxi ride. What time do you arrive in Bingen/Bacharach? If you head straight up to the castle once you're in bacharach, you are probably not going to want to walk back down and then back up again that same day, which sort of eliminates sightseeing options. And you have a bunch of those on your plate.

I suggest you take the boat from Bingen straight to St. Goar. Bingen-St. Goar is the most scenic part - continuing to Boppard isn't obligatory and may be a little repetitive anyway. Can you catch that 14:30 boat in Bingen? That would give you time to drop bags at the St. Goar TI office (free storage service) and see the castle. Return to the TI before 6 pm for bags.

If you are staying in Bacharach you can catch a train there (10 minutes) then taxi or walk up. Or you could just stay both nights in St. Goar. That's what I'd do.

The following day you can leave your bags in your St. Goar hotel room (if you stayed there the first night) to explore the other towns (Bacharach, Oberwesel?) OR... if you stay in Bacharach you could pack up, check out, head down into town and catch a train to St. Goar to drop bags at a hotel there (but it would maybe be a bit of a shame not to explore Bacharach a little, and how do you do that with bags?)

And that afternoon, you can cross the river in St. Goar (ferry) and take the train to Braubach for Marksburg (about 22 minutes from St.Goarshausen.) The 4 pm tour is in English.

I know, staying in a castle sounds romantic, but in fact the interior is sectioned off into dozens of modern hostel rooms. And this all works more conveniently from an in-town base, preferably St. Goar, for 2 nights.

Posted by
7 posts

Russ, thanks for the advice! We haven't booked a train from Nuremberg yet, but it looks like we should have no problem getting there in time for the 14:30 boat. Based on your advice, I'm looking for a place to stay in St. Goar from 8/3 to 8/5. Looks like there aren't many/any places that aren't booked. I agree that it would be much simpler to have a base and not have to deal with the luggage. Any recommendations on places that might have availability?

Posted by
6590 posts

Online booking through the local St. Goar tourist office is still a thing of the future. But the St. Goar tourist office listings are still the best source for hunting down an available room - some owners just don't do commercial sites like booking.com but rely instead on repeat business and the local TI office. "Holiday Flats" = apartments; these are normally inexpensive and a great choice for families, but expect to pay an additional convenience fee, maybe 10-20%, for a short stay of just 2 nights.

I have had good stays with the Geissler apartments listed there, also with the Loreley Apartments (which are no longer at the TI site.) I booked both on my own, directly with the owners, by email. Both have great locations.

You may not want to sift through all the above information yourself and then wait for responses by email... The TI office contact page lists booking assistance as one of their services. They may or may not charge a booking fee, IDK, but they know their town's apartments and rooms well and can likely help you find something that meets your needs. Be sure to inquire about the consequences if you must cancel, and to let them know you're looking for something within walking distance of the station for your outings:

https://www.st-goar.de/18-1-.html