Berg Eltz

On Saturday, Sunday or holidays you can reach the castle by public transport. From Koblenz' main station, take the train to Hatzenport, and the Castle Bus from there. Use Koblenz Hbf and Burg Eltz, Wierschem as start and end stations at the DB website and it will provide both train and bus connections.

https://reiseauskunft.bahn.de//bin/query.exe/en

Oddly, the bus seems to be available on the random weekdays that I just checked. Perhaps there's a change of policy for that bus. Here's the bus schedule alone:

http://burg-eltz.de/images/stories/doc/burgenbus_en.pdf

And you may need to catch a bus to the Koblenz station in the first place from the boat dock.

If you visit Eltz on a day the bus isn't operating... take the train from Koblenz to MOSELKERN instead and walk from there (about 1 hour each way; price is the same.)

So if the bus is running the trip will take 1.5+ hours each way - then you have a castle tour in between and maybe lunch. And there are only 4 buses per day, so the bus may or may not be ready to leave when you are. My guess is you'd be into 5+ hours for this trip. The transport costs only €23 with a VRM mini-group day ticket.

A much better alternative IMO is to visit Marksburg Castle in Braubach (which is a mere 12 minutes by train from Koblenz Hbf!) The train to Braubach is €4.90 each way per person. Once in Braubach it's a 20-30-min. hike to the castle, or the Marksburg Express shuttle.) Marksburg is every bit a real, intact medieval castle. Try to hit the 1 pm or 4pm English tour.

Braubach's old town is a really nice place for a meal as well.

I believe Marksburg is one of the optional tours Viking offers while in Koblenz.

Russ, I was probably the first person to notice the bus to Burg Eltz and post about it. This year I noticed something I don't think was there in past years (but I can't be sure). If you look on the Bahn schedule under details, at "further information", it indicates that the bus is a Rufbus, which I interpret as meaning it runs a set schedule, but only if someone calls (anrufen) and orders it. It gives the number, 0261-29670388, and says to call 60 min before departure, 4:00 to 20:00 weekdays (since the bus only runs on Sat and Sun that would be 60 minute before) and 4:30 to 12:00 (noon) on Saturday. I seriously question if the person answering the phone will speak English.

One the other hand, the VRM website seems to indicate it is only groups (of how many?) that have to arrange in advance.

Google Translate interprets rufbus as "Paratransit" with the note keine Mitnahme von Elektromobilen , Rampe vorhanden as "no electric vehicles, ramp available".

A "Rufbus" is exactly what @Lee says. However, the number quoted by him (0261-29670388) seems to concern local traffic within the communitiy of Wittlich, which is approx. 60km SW of Burg Eltz.

If you search for transport to Burg Eltz on workdays there is no result, for weekends there comes up the well known Burgenbus (line 330) which runs on a regular schedule. So I believe that the "Rufbus" entry is a bug.

Hm. I must have missed your previous posts, Lee, and I did not check the notes/details. The DB schedules previously omitted any and all weekday options for Burg Eltz. I have never used Rufbus services, but that seems like a real advantage for international tourists visiting Eltz on weekdays. Maybe this weekday Rufbus option is a "bug." If not, it seems authorities would just as soon keep the Rufbus a secret... it would NOT have been much trouble to translate that handful of German words into English for the American, Asian, Dutch, Belgian, and other international visitors who might want to Rufbus their way to Eltz!!

Any Rufbus for Burg Eltz would be within the VRM zone. You want to try this, happy traveler?? The VRM website says (in English) on its "Special Travel Offers" page that "...contact telephone numbers can be found on the relevant VRM timetables" if you want a "call bus."

The number on the English-language Castle Bus route schedule is 02671 / 8976
http://www.vrminfo.de/fileadmin/data/pdf/fahrplanbuecher/2018/330.pdf

I certainly would hope that after the invitation ala English to contact them, they'd be able to handle a call in English.

The linked VRM page above also says... "You will usually have to give a day’s notice for your journey..." So plan accordingly.

"Is it worth the trip?"

IMHO not for €130, and probably not in light of all the transport time the trip would take, especially in light of Marksburg Castle's proximity and ease of access. But that's your call.

If Marksburg is a Viking day tour option, I wouldn't know. I only know it's very easy to do inexpensively on your own.

If Burg Eltz is your heart's desire, the sensible thing would be to rent a car. It's less than 40 km from Koblenz and requires only a 45-minute drive.

If not, it seems authorities would just as soon keep the Rufbus a secret...

On the contrary, local authorities can do nothing better than propagate the Rufbus. If the average minimum number of travelers is not reached, the transport authority of the respective land will cancel its support for it after two years at the latest. Same for reactivated train lines. From the fact that there is no information issued by the Burg Eltz administration about a workday Rufbus we may safely conclude that there is none at all.

h-t, you probably know the Marksburg Castle tour is included (no extra cost) in the Viking itinerary. But are you sure the ship stays docked in Koblenz for that whole time - long enough for your side trip? I ask because there are other excursions that day further up-river, ending in Rudesheim.

If you are in reasonable shape and it is a nice day, hiking to Burg Eltz is an option. On a week day, earliest start using a VRM Minigoup ticket is the 9:25 train from Koblenz Hbf. Get off at Moselkern at 9:57. It is a 2 mile hike to the castle and should take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours at a very leisurely pace. The first mile is along a road, Eltztal, and you will come to a small hotel, the Landhotel Ringelsteiner Muehle. Stop in for a coffee and a snack if you like. The next mile is by a "mountain" path uphill through the forest. Sturdy shoes will help, and you will come to Burg Eltz. Up the stairs (a lot) to the entrance, pay and sign up for an English language tour (the only way to see it). By the end, it will be time for lunch at the very nice castle terrace restaurant. Then time to hike back to Moselkern. The trains back to Koblenz from Moselkern go at 1 past the hour. So you should be able to make the 3:01 or 4:01 pm train back to Koblenz, arriving at 36 past the hour.

Thank you all for the valuable insight. I think I have to give up on that dream - Stan is right the Viking cruise is only in port for half a day before moving to Rudesheim. We will just go to the Marksburg castle. It is included. I think the trip to Berg Eltz would be too much stress worrying about missing the boat. The Ehrenbreitstein Fortess is not included - they charge $49 each for the tour. I think we will do it ourselves - it is E13.80. 5 of us traveling 😀

"Maybe this weekday Rufbus option is a "bug." If not, it seems authorities would just as soon keep the Rufbus a secret..."

sla019: This was my "tongue-in-cheek" way of saying that IF the Rufbus mention is NOT a mistake, their failure to put the details in English on the English-language pages will have this effect. (I was not accusing them of deliberate subterfuge.)

happy traveler: Best wishes for a good time in Braubach. Marksburg is actually a lot more authentic-feeling IME. Burg Eltz has an over-groomed, museum feel to it.

The Gondola/Cable Car to Ehrenbreitstein is only 9.90 EUR pp round trip, so if you have the time, you can do that on your own.

Loved Burg Eltz. We were driving and made a couple wrong turns getting there, but we found it and were favorably impressed. 2.5 hours there is probably about right. Believe the tour was an hour. If you get there right after a tours begins you’ll have a wait. There is a coffee shop there.