Burg Eltz and the Mosel

I don't think the boat is an option. Take the hourly regional train from Cochem to Moselkern and start the hike there. Should take about 1 1/2 hour depending on your fitness level. You can get a VRM minigroup ticket for 21.80 euro for the entire region for the day, or 18.90 euro for just the sector between Cochem and Moselkern. That will cover everyone on regional trains and buses for the day after 9 am weekdays and all day weekends.

There is really NOTHING in Moselkern, but there are a few local taxis cruising around that will take you to Burg Eltz (in case you don't want to hike). I don't remember the cost.

Making the hike to Burg Eltz is about the cheapest solution, but of course more effort. There is Bus service to the Castle from nearby towns, but service is somewhat limited. Taxi is also an option but it will be somewhat expensive (about €50 one-way from Moselkern as I recall).

The Burg Eltz website has good information on all the transportation options.

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I've got a question about Burg Eltz too. Arriving in Cologne on Monday the 20th July at start of 10 day trip around Germany. Taking train to Cochem to drop bag at hostel then train to Moselkern, arriving 13:59. Originally read that the hike to the castle was 30 minutes - now after more research I see it's more like 90. Considering that I'll get to the castle about 15:30, and will have to wait for an english tour, and eventually will get back to Cochem around 19:00, then heading off at 9:00 the next day to the Rhine (staying at Bacharach), without having seen much of the Mosel or even Cochem itself, is it really worth it? Or would my time be better spent on the river and it's towns?

I know Burg Eltz is one of the best castles to be seen, and yes probably should have factored in more time, however, the day was originally for seeing Cologne, but cancelled that last night in favour of the Mosel, as aside from Kolner Dom, there didn't seem to be much to do, considering most museums shut on Mondays!

Any opinions?

Mike, you don't describe the whole trip, but you sound like a Rick Steves book that hits five big attractions a day. Burg Eltz is quite far from Cologne, so I don't think they go together. You didn't mention if you're taking a KD boat on the Rhine during this period of your trip. I think you should skip Burg Eltz and maybe visit a Rhine castle (see Rick's list of ... 4 ... ?) while you're on the river. If you are only in Cologne for one day or two nights, you should not be going to Burg Eltz. We had a car, but others report that the hike is not strenuous, except on a hot day. But it is heavily wooded.

Apologies, I did not make myself clear. I was going to be spending the first day and night of the trip in Cologne, but I have cancelled my hostel booking and made a new one for Cochem. I will be arriving from the UK in Cologne mid-morning, but except for a quick look at the cathedral from the outside, I'll be heading straight on to Cochem, dropping off my backpack, and taking the train downstream to Moselkern for Burg Eltz, if I decide to visit the castle.

The next day, I'll be taking the KD from Bingen to Boppard, then taking the train down to Bacharach, where I am staying at Burg Stahleck Hostel. Apart from the castle I am staying in, I won't have time to do any other castles on the Rhine. Day after that, it's on to Heidelberg for the afternoon, before taking the night train to Berlin.

FWIW, Cologne Cathedral is the most-visited building in Germany.

Yes I'm sure. And had I enough time then I would have visited it properly, gone up the tower and seen the whole place. However, there's not much else that would interest me in Cologne since most museums shut on a Monday, and I don't want to spend the first (or any) day of my holiday walking around wondering what to do. Plus in My Rick Steves Germany guidebook (I had it shipped from the USA), Cologne isn't listed as a place to visit in a three week trip. He may not have everything right, but I'm willing to trust him on this.

One of the problems of tight trip planning is that you can not predict the weather. If it is raining, the hike up to the castle will be slippery and rather unpleasant. If all goes to plan, you arrive at 15:30 and must leave when it closes at 17:30. Its downhill and you know the way now, so you might be able to make the 18:49 train back to Cochem, otherwise its another hour until the next one. Just something to keep in mind.

Thanks, yes the weather will determine whether I do the trek to Burg Eltz or not. I can still plan to visit, and have the backup option of visiting various places on the Mosel if the weather isn't good enough. Kind of thinking now that if the weather is suitable, I should make the trek, as I will be doing the boat trip and visiting small towns on the Rhine the next day. So I guess with your advice (thanks guys!) I've made up my mind to visit. As for the trains, I have all the departure times from Moselkern, so may leave a little earlier in order to catch that train.

mike,

Given the late time-of-day that you'll arrive in the area, I'd suggest that if seeing the Castle is important, it would be best to use some form of public transport rather than hiking. As you mentioned earlier, it's about a 5 kM hike each way and about 90 minutes. Unfortunately, the Burgenbus only runs on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, so that won't be an option.

Therefore you may have to use a Taxi either from Cochem or one of the other towns, which will be the most expensive option. You may want to check the Burg Eltz website to see all the options. In addition to the Taxi firms shown on their website, you could also consider Taxi Ewald from the town of Löf (I'm not sure there's a Taxi service in Moselkern). The drivers may not speak much (any) English, so it would be a good idea to get a local that speaks English to arrange both the trip and a pickup time.

You could also contact the staff at the Hostel you'll be using, as they may have some good suggestions. Note that the Castle is open from 09:30 - 17:30 so you wouldn't have a lot of time there if you did the hike. Whether to pay for a Taxi will depend on how badly you want to see the Castle and how much time you want there. I didn't check on what hours the Castle tours run, but that's also a consideration.

Is there any possibility you could take an earlier train to Cochem?

Hi Ken, thanks for your input. I shall definitely contact the castle and ask how late the English tours run, good point. As for the train, I arrive by coach in Cologne at 10:15. The earliest train to Koblenz without chancing a missed connection is 10:53, with the train to Cochem at 12:06, arriving 12:41. Then I have to drop my bag and wait a whole hour for the milk run train to Moselkern. If only there was luggage storage there, or even in Cochem, I could shave off an hour.

As for taxis, if perhaps I was in a group, then fair enough, but I'm doing this trip on my own, and I don't really want to shell out on a taxi. Thanks for the suggestion, but I think I'll do some research on the tours as you say, and if it's possible, then I'll do it. Looks like a reasonably nice walk anyway. Worst case: I get to the Castle and there are no more english tours - I go along with the german tour and try to pick as much up as I can and enjoy the interior. Or if there's no tours left, then sure, a little disappointment perhaps, but it's being up close to the exterior of the castle which gives the wow factor, plus the natural setting, and I can pick up a stocknagel from the castle shop for my collection!

mike,

You may find this website useful.....

http://www.bensbauernhof.com/burgeltzfrommoselkern.html

Unfortunately given the circumstances your options are limited. Is there any possibility you could take an earlier coach to Köln?

Good luck!

Ah yes, I did happen to find that website, I'll be studying it properly no doubt the day before I leave.

As for an earlier coach, I'm afraid not - I'm coming from London on it, and I think it's the only one that day. It's booked now anyway, so is the train to Cochem, so I can't change it now.

Thanks anyway!

Is there any way you can rearrange your schedule so you do Burg Eltz on Saturday, September 26? On that day there are four buses starting from Tries-Karden Bhf at 9:02, 11:02, 15:02, and 17:02. After multiple stops in Treis-Karden, the buses stop in Müden, Moselkern, and Hatzenport on their way to Burg Eltz. The buses take about half an hour. There are also four buses back; the last one leaves Burg Eltz at 18:15.

" It's booked now anyway, so is the train to Cochem, so I can't change it now."

There are only regional trains to Cochem, which do not have reserved seats. Full fare tickets are open; they can be used on any regional train that day. Even if you are using a Bahn Savings Fare ticket, under the Conditions of Carriage provision called Vor- und Nach-Lauf, only the trains of the Bahn (ICE/IC/EC) are limited to the train on the ticket. You can use any regional train that day on the same route (Koblenz to Cochem). There's two trains an hour in each direction going through Cochem. (But then, if you are getting to Koblenz at a fixed time, you can't get to Cochem any earlier, just later.)

Hi Lee,
No, my trip is all planned out - not to the Nth degree, but since I have City Night Line trains reserved to Berlin, and from there to Munich, followed by a Euronight to Zurich, I'm rather set in what part of Germany I can be in at what time. I have considered changing my coach to the day before, so that I could do Burg Eltz on the Sunday when the buses are running, but came to the conclusion that I'm already going to be away for 15 days, and I'm spending enough as it is. Your tips on train tickets is helpful - but I am using the Sparpreis ticket, so there's not much flexibility that would help me.

To be honest I've changed my mind on the Mosel anyway, If I can get in to the hostel at Bacharach on the Monday, then I'll do that and have 2 days exploring the Rhine instead of one, giving me time to check out St. Goar and Rheinfels Castle - a ruin I know.
I'll just need a €10 ticket from Koblenz to Bacharach.

Hopefully I'll return and do the Mosel and Burg Eltz properly one day. Thanks to all who gave their advice - sorry it was all for naught!

Earlier in this thread Tim provided the sound advice that you now have taken - to stick with the Rhine. He also advised that you have a look at the other castles you can visit. Not sure if you did that, but MARKSBURG CASTLE was never destroyed; it is one of the best castles in Germany and nicely supplants your discarded Burg Eltz.

Marksburg tour information

It's in the town of Braubach, 10 minutes from Koblenz where you are scheduled to arrive at 11:46 on platform 4, correct? So shuffle over to platform 8 for the 11:54 departure (local VRM fare is €4.65) to Braubach (arrive 12:06) and see the town and the castle. (Alternatively, catch the 12:24 train after getting your ticket and a quick bite to eat at the station.) The Braubach TI office at Rathausstraße 8 is open 9:30 to 18:00 that day and will hold your bags for you. You can proceed to your overnight stop after the tour. If that's Bacharach, you can catch a train south to St. Goarshausen (20 min., €4.65) then ferry across to St. Goar and catch a second train from there to Bacharach (10 min., €3.70.) The ferry runs all day long and costs you €1.70 one way.

"If I can get in to the hostel at Bacharach on the Monday..."

If you were originally to arrive in Cochem on Sept. 25, then I think you now need a room on the Rhine for the 25th and 26th, right? And that's Friday and Saturday.

IMO the Bacharach hostel is a bad idea. Far too high on the cliffs to make coming and going easy over a couple of days. Little to do way up there but enjoy the nice view. But you can enjoy those views from Rheinfels and Marksburg castles. Suggest you stay in town somewhere instead and check out this place if you want cheap in Bacharach - or look into St. Goar instead.

Irmgard Orth's private B&B on Tripadvisor
Irmgard Orth's place at Bens Bauernhof

(Note the comment that a sister of Ms. Orth's also has rooms.)

You can find contact information for the Orths and for other private B&B's on this page. It's in German:
Bacharach housing page

Here is St. Goar's accommodations page.

I stayed recently at one of the Geissler apartments in St. Goar - cheap and perfect for one.

mike,

I agree with Russ on the point about the Hostel in Bacharach. While it's somewhat spectacular and unique, it's not exactly easy to get to. The biggest problem is that it's often booked solid for months in advance, so if you don't have a room now it may be difficult to get one, especially if you don't have an HI Hostels membership. I would also suggest getting a room somewhere in the town of Bacharach. The guidebook has good suggestions. You might have a look at Pension Lettie.

Wow, such detail - you guys are so helpful - thanks!

I was already booked into the hostel at Bacharach for the night of the 21st of July, and I have just had the confirmation back from Burg Stahleck for the 20th. I do get your point about the long climb up, but I should only need to do it once with my backpack, and I could do with the exercise! Besides, I like staying in youth hostels as you tend to meet lots of people and strike up some interesting conversations (I'm a member of the YHA in England), I have no problem sleeping in dorms, and to be honest, I've never been keen on B+Bs, thanks for the recommendations anyway.

I've stayed in some wonderful youth hostels in the UK and around Europe, I've stayed in an English castle, and I'm now looking forward to staying in a German Burg, albeit a reconstructed one.

I'll do Marksburg then Russ, thanks for the tip, and I'm really grateful for all the work you've put in to the connections there and on to Bacharach.

I've stayed at dozens of German (DJH) and YHA hostels; I know what you mean about meeting interesting people and I generally share your enthusiasm for the hostel experience. The Stahleck castle-hostel is "500 steps above Bacharach" as Rick's book points out. Those are stair steps, and the number is accurate. Walking up is the equivalent of ascending the staircase of a 28-floor building. You may be unique in needing that sort of exercise as you return to your room after hoofing it around the towns and castles along the Rhine. (Marksburg and Rheinfels are also a climb from town.)

Marksburg

I've stayed at Stahleck twice, but more often - probably 12-14 nights altogether - at the St. Goar hostel over the years. It's an old villa overlooking the river with some very nice common rooms, a place where I've met long-distance bikers and some other interesting individuals. It's under renovation right now, or I'd suggest it instead, as it's a gentle climb and a nice hostel. (Well, the modernization of DJH hostels usually destroys their character, so I'm not sure about that rec. anymore.)

In recent years, I've avoided using hostels, mostly because the clientele has changed dramatically. As the number of individual hostelers dwindled over the years, DJH, in order to keep hostels afloat, made a major push to attract school groups - which means dozens of pre-teen pupils on week-long outings. Sadly these groups tend to be weakly trained and supervised and destroy the atmosphere - as well as any notion you might have of getting some sleep at night. There are also more families in hostels these days as DJH works hard to market packages to them - free meals when they book a 3-night package in some areas, that sort of thing. Families aren't a bother at all - but they stick mostly to themselves of course. Anyway, I no longer stay in DJH hostels when school is in session - too many encounters with unruly school groups. Summer and winter vacation periods, when kids are with their parents, are OK times for DJH hosteling in Germany.

The hostel in Kaub, on the other side of the Rhine and not far from Bacharach, is at river level in an historical building - a really nice hostel used by hikers doing the Rheinsteig trail and a good place for anyone who wants to be on that side of the river.

Mike,

It's great to hear that you've got reservations at Burg Stahleck. The views of the Rhine are incredible, especially if you have a "cool one" in hand.

Getting to the Castle won't be as much of a problem once you drop your luggage there. I don't recall any Taxi services in Bacharach so hiking up there will be the only option. As I recall, there's a trail up through the woods that starts behind the large church. You first walk up some stairs to the ruins of an older church (upper right in the photo). The steps continue uphill and then turn into a winding trail up through the woods. It's not difficult and if an old guy like me can do it, I'm sure you won't have any trouble.

"The Stahleck castle-hostel is "500 steps above Bacharach""

500 steps must be estimated by dividing the elevation gain by the height of the average step. I was in Bacharach in 2004, and I did not see a lot of steps on the way up to Stahleck. Although there were actually steps (looked like wooden railroad ties) coming up past the Werner Kapelle, these were closed off for repair. It did not look like taking a rolling suitcase up the stairs would be fun. And the rest of the way up was just a dirt path, not very practical for a roller, either.

Russ - yes at 16 stone I have the need! Then again I'll probably pile it back on with ice cream.

I shall be sure to limit the times I need to go up there to 2 or 3 at most! I'm packing light with just a large backpack, so no need to pull anything up the steps. By the way, is the route from the church past Werner kapelle the best one to take? Anyone tried the path starting near the Bahnhof, alongside the old town walls?

As for hostels, I know what you mean. I usually go in the summer anyway, and no exception this time, so miss the schoolkids. Families can be outgoing or insular. Was on a hostelling trip in 2012 when the Olympics were on - I'm not a sports fan but I really enjoyed watching them and cheering Team GB on together with people I didn't know. I have fell out with the YHA before when they started up summer camps for kids that took up whole youth hostels for weeks in prime locations, with members having to choose different hostels to the ones preferred.

Ken - yes I'm looking forward to seeing the view from the top. Not really a beer drinker though, I'm more into Cider, though I doubt they have it over there. Maybe I'll have a Radler.

Thanks again for the tips guys!

I'm not aware (except for the maps) of the path coming up from near the Bahnhof. The Bahnhof is well south of the main part of town. Perhaps the path coming up from the Bahnhof has the steps. I arrived on the K-D boat, which lets you off near Marktstrasse, just north of the Kranenturm . I was looking for the Kapelle, missed the steps from Obergasse to the Kapelle next to Peterskirche, and went around to Burg Weg, which starts up near the Malerwinkel. Part way up the hill, the path split, with one part, still dirt, going up to the hostel, the other part to the Kapelle and the steps. If you were arriving by train, you might want to start up the path near the Bahnhof, but to get to and from town, the path that goes by the Kapelle would be best.

mike,

If you like Cider, hopefully they'll have some Scrumpy available.

Regarding getting to the Hostel, the Google map shows a different route than the one I described. I'll have to explore that one further next time I'm in Bacharach. Have you contacted the Hostel to ask about the easiest way to arrive?

Ken - I doubt they'll have scrumpy, but I've just found out that Germany has it's own version of Cider, produced mainly in the Hesse area, known as Apfelwein, which is more sour than French or British types. Worth a go, let's hope they sell it!

Not contacted the hostel, but have been looking at the path from near the Bahnhof. It's marked on Google maps starting at a place marker for Statdrundgang Bacharach (city tour). Flicking between map and earth, you can trace the town wall and most of the path leading alongside. Looks shorter than the route from the church, could be steeper I guess, but in my RS Guidebook, it marks the track past Wernerkapelle as being a steep trail, there's nothing marked that way on the city walls route. Both tracks meet up at the hostel anyway, so as I'll be coming by train, I'll go that way, then perhaps nip down the Burg Weg to explore Bacharach once I've booked in and left bag.

I guess I'll add my two cents:

The hike to Burg Eltz from Moselkern was as easy as it could possibly be, the trail is easy to follow, pretty and fairly flat. The forest isn't thick but it is shady. The only steep part was the last little bit up to the castle, it wasn't steep in the treacherous sense, just more climb than walk.

I was there in September (about the same time of month) and it was beautiful, warm days/cool evenings.

I don't believe it took 90 minutes but I didn't really think about it. I probably arrived in Moselkern early afternoon (kids were coming home from school on the train - a little earlier than our kids get home). The hardest part IMO was finding the trailhead. No problem, I asked the schoolkids and a group of them walked me to the trail (with a few suspicious looks from locals in their front yards).

Burg Stahleck is awesome. It's the best run hostel I've ever stayed at and is usually packed with German groups. Yes it's a steep hike up from Bacharach, but I try to stay at Stahleck every time I'm in the area - without reservations, you won't get in.