Hallo, Reisende!
A travel companion and I are planning a trip to Germany in early September. We will be in the Frankfurt area and plan a day trip on a Sunday on the Rhine. Looks like it's possible to get an early DB train from Frankfurt to Boppard, spend a couple hours there in the morning, take the 11 AM K-D boat upstream to Bacharach, spend the afternoon there, leave Bacharach at 5:20 and take an evening train back to Frankfurt. Looks do-able if the timing of the connections works, yes? Danke sehr fuer Ihre Empfehlungen!
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19093 posts
If you think you want to spend a lot of time on a boat, seeing the same things for a long time, then Boppard to Bacharach, or any trip in that direction, is the way to go. That direction is against a strong current - boooring!
I made that mistake in 2004, from St Goar to Bacharach, and before we got to Bacharach I really regretted my decision. The trip took 1H10 vs 55min the other way.
And, I don't think the part of the Rhein between Boppard and St Goar is all that interesting, and Boppard to Bacharach takes 2½ hours.
I think the general agreement would be that the most interesting part is between Bingen and St. Goar. I'd take the train from Frankfurt to Bingen (Stadtbahnhof) and take the boat from there, with the current to St Goar. That will take 1:40 to 2 hours, and you will get to see the more interesting part from Bingen Stadt to Bacharach. You should have time after the boat trip to visit Rheinfels castle in St Goar.
Posted by
Paradise
6647 posts
Looks like it's possible to get an early DB train from Frankfurt to
Boppard, spend a couple hours there in the morning, take the 11 AM K-D
boat upstream to Bacharach, spend the afternoon there, leave Bacharach
at 5:20
That should work OK if that's all you wish to do. But I agree that your cruise should also include the Bingen > Bacharach segment.
If I were going all the way to Boppard, however, I would probably want to include the Boppard chairlift ride, which opens at 10:00; catching an 11 am boat would not allow for that.
Your current plan skips both Rheinfels Castle (ruins + museum) and Marksburg Castle (which is an entirely intact medieval castle with tours at 1 and 4 pm in English.)
Something else that might interest you are the September WINE FESTS. If there is one going on on your particular weekend, maybe in Oberwesel or Boppard, there'll be afternoon stuff to do on Sunday. Without knowing which Sunday, it's not possible to suggest where to spend any time you might have.
HIKING is really good on the Rhine if you are into that as well.
A good cruise like Bingen > St. Goar takes only 1.5 hours. So at this point I would look into the above ideas and other options... and just recommend that you schedule your Rhine cruise around the OTHER things that interest you most.
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2409 posts
I did the Ruedesheim to Bacharach last fall ( I have done Bingen to Boppard and Mainz to Cologne among other stretches previously ). I really enjoyed it and I really recommend doing ths stretch.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you for your advice. I've just realized that I really want to see the Hildegard of Bingen exhibits in, of course, Bingen -- so it makes sense to start there in the morning, and take the boat to Bacharach to explore there. then the train back to Frankfurt. No Rhine castle tours this trip. Boppard and Oberwesel, usw. will have to wait for another trip. So much to see in a short time!
Posted by
10 posts
maya, while I've not taken this trip my reading completely aligns with other folks' recommendations of the Bingen to St Goar segment. My family of 4 (2 adult kids, 2 old folks) is planning to do exactly that.
Side question for those who've taken this Bingen to St Goar trip (and apologies for hitchhiking my question on maya's conversation!) - which boat would you choose between KD's MS Boppard vs RMS Goethe? I know Boppard is more sleek & modern while Goethe is a paddle boat, but I don't really care about that. Just wonder about the comfort, view space, etc. Any opinions? Thanks!