20 days in Germany - Question about buying a "Twin Flexi Rail Pass"

I think the German Twin Pass is a good choice for your 5 longest travel days, currently priced at $194 per person. That's especially true if you'd like the freedom to choose your departures as you go, rather than locking in specific times for advance discount tickets. The pass will give you a 20% discount on K-D boats on the Rhine and Mosel (discount does not use a travel day). Note that it covers you just to the border when you depart Berlin, so you'd buy a separate ticket for the Czech portion (about $20) either in a German train station or even onboard when the Czech conductor arrives. If you return to Germany via DB's direct Prague-Nürnberg bus, then the pass covers the whole route, except for a $5 seat reservation.

For your shorter remaining travel days, such as slower trains around the Rhine, you could get a regional Lander Ticket in the station. See notes and links at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/germany-rail-passes.

Where did you get the cost of point-point tickets? About the only place to see realistic prices is on the Bahn schedule and fare webpage. Pay particular attention to the Savings Fares. For instance, with sufficient (up to 3 months) advance purchase, you can get Bacharach to Berlin for 48€ for two people, Berlin to Prague for 58€ for two. Yes, it requires planning and a commitment to specific trains, but, IMO, the savings are worth it.

I last used a rail pass in 2000. Since then, for every trip I've priced out Savings Fare tickets and Länder tickets (day passes for regional trains), and a rail pass has never made economic sense.

BTW, KD gives you a 20% discount on the boat fare anytime you show them a Bahn ticket to the town, so, for instance, you could take the train from Bacharach to St. Goar and get the 20% discount on the boat back to Bacharach.

If you purchase a Bayern-Böhmen ticket (31,60€) while you are still in Germany, you can use it for one of the direct ALX trains from Pilsen to Munich (buy a Czech Rail ticket for Prague to Pilsen) and then on to Füssen, or, for as low 48€, the IC bus from Prague to Munich and a regional train to Füssen (if booked all on one Savings Fare ticket).

Greetings from Lake Mary! This comment is of no help to you, but we also plan to be in Germany (Berlin and probably Prague as well) in late May :) small world...

Thanks for all the quick replies! We do want to go to St. Goar too, as recommended by Rick Steves. I think in a couple of months we can firm our trip up. Just waiting for other family members to decide the Prague part of the trip. We could reverse some of it if necessary, as the only part we would be traveling with others is Prague.

"We plan to hang around Stuttgart for about 6 days and then off via train from Stuttgart to Koblenz (1 night), to Bacharach (2 nights)"

This doesn't seem logical to me. Why travel from Stuttgart right past Bacharach to Koblenz just to sleep, then return the next day to Bacharach?? If Bacharach is the goal, just go there. Koblenz is OK if you can't find a room elsewhere but IMO not worth the move when you can stay in one of the more attractive river villages.

Perhaps you were thinking, "We'll travel to Koblenz for overnight then cruise south (upstream) to Bacharach." If so, I'll suggest that you rethink this plan.

• If you are using a railpass day for this trip alone, that would waste a railpass day - better to cruise on the same day you use the train.
• Cruising upstream is dreadfully time-consuming. You'd spend 4.5 hours on the boat from Koblenz to Bacharach. Plan any cruise from south to north instead.
• Cruising to or from Koblenz means time wasted time on a mostly unscenic portion of the river; focus instead on the stretch between Bingen and St. Goar (or Bingen and Boppard.) If you stay in Bacharach, first take the train to Bingen to start the cruise - then when you disembark in St. Goar or Boppard take a train back to Bacharach (or wherever.) Bingen-St. Goar or Bingen-Boppard gives you the best part of the river in 1.5 - 2.3 hours.
• Consider staying in St. Goar or Boppard instead. Both are good places to end the cruise. Both are nice towns with great scenery and actually more central and better located altogether than Bacharach is for outings by train (ferry boats run all day long from these towns across the river so you can use trains on that side too.) With St. Goar as a base, Rheinfels is right there and can be visited whenever it's convenient rather than on an outing. Bacharach can be visited easily from St. Goar (10-minute train ride) or as a stopover on your cruise north from Bingen.

Thank you for all the great information! Sounds like St. Goar or Boppard are the best places to stay. We do have friends who live in Koblenz, but we could probably take the train to Koblenz and meet them for dinner. Or vice versa, they could come visit us in St. Goar. Now thinking 3 nights in St. Goar, 3 nights in Berlin, 2 -3 nights in Prague and 2-3 nights in Fussen and then return to Stuttgart at the end to fly back to the US. The info about the cruising upstream is very helpful, as we really don't want to waste time. We enjoy the smaller towns in general, the views of castles, wineries, etc.

"Views of castles" - St. Goar is good for this. Here's a shot from St. Goar looking across the river to Katz Castle (The Rheinhotel St. Goar and other inns in the same block have a similar view) -

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/78022484.jpg

From St. Goar's Heerstrasse (pedestrians-only main street) Rheinfels Castle is visible as well:

https://akihart.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/dsc_1515_800.jpg

Thanks for all the help! Wondering if we should stop at Heidelberg on the way to Bacharach and spend one night, skipping Koblenz per recommendations below.