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5 nights 4 full days in Boppard, how to get around most efficiently?

Posted by (Westland, MI) on

Greetings, my subject line says it all. I have 4 full days in Boppard in September (arriving late in the evening on Tues Sept 19 and leaving the morning of Sunday Sept 24) and I would like to do and see a lot of things. What do you think is the best and most efficient way to use my time?

*Seeing St. Goar and Rheinfels Castle as well as Braubach and Marksburg Castle,

*A river cruise,

*Seeing a few towns along the way such as Bacharach, Oberwesel, Rudesheim, (someone here in the forums mentioned taking a cable car from Rudesheim up and over to another small town and back?) That sounds like fun..

*A day trip to the Mosel (Zell? Too far? I have had wine from there before and I didn't mind it. I'm really not a drinker, but one glass while I'm in the region may be in order. ) and a visit to Burg Eltz (someone NOT here in the forum suggested to me that I CAN do this by bus on a week day. I have heard of this day trip BY BUS only on a weekend) If Zell is out of the question, then Cochem?

*IF I could get to Cologne to see the cathedral, that would be a bonus. Extra points if I could manage to squeeze in a quick trip from Cologne to Aachen to view the cathedral there as well. But I'm thinking that's too far for a day trip...

*Saturday the 23rd is fireworks night in Boppard and I want to be back for that. Lots happening there that weekend and I don't want to miss it. We're leaving early in the morning on Sunday the 24th so I would prefer to have my last day with little travel if possible. If the only bus to Burg Eltz is indeed on the weekend only, then Saturday would have to be the day for that. I would like to do that hike to the castle but I'm not fooling anybody... a bus will be the best bet for us. Especially if I want to be back in Boppard for the fireworks.

What would be the most logical (and economical) order for these outings? Thanks for any replies!

Posted by
2903 posts

Hi,

Zell is really out of the way for nothing much of interest. We liked Cochem. Stayed for 4 nights. Getting to Berg Eltz by car would be the easiest and quickest way to reach the castle from Boppard. We stopped briefly in Bacharach. Cute but not much there of interest. Marksberg was wonderful. As with Eltz, never destroyed and original.

Posted by
416 posts

I wasn't sure about Zell, I only thought of it because of the wine. I had it before and enjoyed it, and thought it would be nice to say, I visited the town that had the wine. Lame, I know. Lol. I can certainly strike it from the list.

Posted by
20074 posts

The "Burgenbus" only runs on weekends from Treis-Karden.
http://burg-eltz.de/images/stories/doc/burgenbus.pdf

But if it is a nice day, it is a not-too-strenuous hike from Moselkern station.

Sept 22 & 23, there are winefests in various villages along the Mosel. One is in Neef, just two stops on the train past Cochem. You need to take a bus from Bullay to get to Zell, but Neef is on the rail line and a Strassenweinfest is something to experience.
http://www.mosellandtouristik.de/en/wine-cuisine/wine-events/wine-festivals/ev/20170922/Strassenweinfest_Neef1/deskline.html

A lot of day trips can be done with VRM day tickets. A personal one is 18.80 EUR per day, or a 3-day for 37.60 Eur. there is also a daily Minigoup ticket for up to 5 traveling together, but it is restricted to after 9 am weekdays for 22.10 EUR.

To go beyond Oberwesel to the south, like to Bacharach or Ruedisheim, you will need a Rheinland-Pfalz Ticket for 24 EUR for the first person and 5 EUR for each additional person up to 5 traveling together, after 9 am weekdays, all day weekends.

Posted by
6634 posts

"Saturday the 24th is fireworks night in Boppard"
That should be the 23rd.

"a bus will be the best bet for us"
It was all "I" up to here. How many are "us?" Two?

Zell is on an attractive part of the river and is nice enough but you'd need to catch a connecting bus to get there and back to Boppard on top of the train rides.

"If Zell is out of the question, then Cochem?"

Oh, Cochem is far more diverse and diverting. And it combines with a visit to Eltz. You can find train + bus connections for Saturday at the DB itinerary page. Use the destination "Burg Eltz, Wierschem." This schedule shows you it's just a Sa, Su, and Holiday bus. The ticket you need for this day for 2+ adults is a "VRM mini-group ticket" at €22.10. It covers Boppard - Eltz (both trains and bus) - Cochem - Boppard; buy it from a ticket machine with the VRM logo at Boppard station.

Based on the skimpy bus schedule to Eltz you will get stuck there for 4 hours if you try to go there first. So I'd suggest this plan, which keeps it under 3 hours. Maybe try the restaurant there with the extra time.

Boppard (8:40) - Cochem (9:41)
Cochem (14:44) - Eltz (15:38)
Eltz (18:15) - Boppard (19:26.) Fireworks should begin around 20:45.

On a separate day.... Train to Bingen; cruise north to St. Goar. Visit Rheinfels Castle. Train south to Oberwesel and Bacharach (only 5 minute rides) and then return to Boppard in the evening. Use the Rheinland-Pfalz ticket for this day (€29/2)

On a separate day: Train to St. Goar, ferry across Rhine, train to Rüdesheim, Seilbahn ride + (maybe) walk to Jagdschloß for ride down to Aßmannshausen (may or may not be too much for you??) OR return on Seilbahn or walk back into R'heim. Then take train from R'heim (14:06) or Aßmannshausen (14:10) north to Braubach (14:53.) See town, walk up or shuttle up to castle for 16:00 English tour. Return to Boppard by train via Koblenz. Use the Rheinland-Pfalz ticket for this day (it covers the ferry also.)

On a separate day, a day trip to Cologne for just the cathedral (next door to station) and/or to Aachen and back is possible but you should get an advance-sale saver fare to use the faster long-distance trains and reduce the total travel time. It probably won't be very cheap.

Alternatively there is an excellent open-air museum in Bad Sobernheim you could reach by train + a mostly flat walk to the museum. OR - if you don't mind a long train ride along the Mosel, pay a visit to Trier (Roman history.) The R-P tickets will cover these trips.

Posted by
416 posts

Wow Russ Thank you. That was a very thought-out and detailed answer and I appreciate it. I edited to say the 23rd instead of the 24th. And, yes, it is 2 people, I do mostly say "I" but it is most definitely a "we". Just a bad habit..

I will check out the website for tickets to Cologne and Aachen and back. I'm sure I will be back with more questions. How would I search for that? As 2 separate tickets?

Posted by
416 posts

Sam thanks. I liked the wine fest photos. It looks like a fun thing to do.

Posted by
6634 posts

How would I search for that? As 2 separate tickets?

Yes, there's a day pass for the REGIONAL trains that would cover the trips there and back - but there is no day pass for high-speed trains.

If you were not going as far as Aachen, say only Cologne... I would definitely consider the regional day pass for Germany instead. You have more scheduling flexibility with the day pass than with the saver fares for high-speed trains. You'd be on the trains for about 4 hours round trip. (To Aachen and back, it would be 6 hours.) The day pass is valid from 9 am on weekdays, not before - so it would be trickier to fit those six travel hours into your day. OTOH, if you don't mind getting back to Boppard really late...

https://www.bahn.com/en/view/offers/regional/day-ticket-for-germany.shtml

When you search for trips using this ticket you must check the "only local transport box" under "Connections." Leave Boppard 9:12, arrive Cologne 11:02. Make sure you don't board any IC, ICE or EC trains.

If you want to stop off in a second small town for a look around in between Boppard and Cologne... check out Linz am Rhein (east bank) or Remagen (west bank.) Linz is an old world town similar to the others you will see. Remagen is too - but the WW II museum there is quite worthwhile - it does a good job of showing the conflict over the bridge there through the eyes of the locals.

Remagen: http://www.stadt-remagen.de/Tourismus-_-Veranstaltungen/Stadtrundgang/
Remagen walking tour map with numbered sights: http://www.stadt-remagen.de/images/Tourismus/Info/Faltblatt_rundgang_kulinarisc...pdf
Remagen WW II museum: http://www.bruecke-remagen.de/index_en.htm
Remagen, US troops, 1945: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4xADFx_BgJ4/T1f8mYqcKGI/AAAAAAAACfg/WqYCG3HVE7Q/s1600/450307+AA+Troops+Protect+Bridge+at+Remagen.jpg

Linz brochure: http://www.linz.de/pdf/Linz_Prospekt_2007.pdf

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