Frankfurt - Amsterdam - Bruge - Rhine Valley Loop

Posted by jasonl2019 (USA) on 05/26/19 06:52 PM

Hi All. I am trying to figure out the best way to travel this loop. I think it will be all trains.

My wife and I are spending 2 weeks, flying in and out of Frankfurt. We'd like to spend a few days in Amsterdam, Bruges, Cologne?, and the Rhine Valley. Is there a rail pass that will cover this and be more affordable than point to point tickets? If i understand it correctly, the Benelux pass doesn't include Germany and the German pass doesn't include Netherlands + Belgium.

We'd considered renting a car too for the time after Bruges so we can get out of the cities.

Thoughts?

Thanks for your help.

Posted by Jazz+Travels

Chicago

05/26/19 07:07 PM

8166 posts

Trains FrankFurt to Bruges
Bruges to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to Cologne
Cologne to Frankfurt. (There is supposed to be a route that goes along the Rhine) or maybe that point you can rent the car.
I don't think you need a pass just point to point tickets

Posted by Tim

Wyckoff, NJ, USA

05/27/19 12:56 AM

7898 posts

You may wish to read some of our host's free pointers on European travel - blue menu top right, start with Travel Tips item.

If you possibly can, you don't want to fly in and out of the same place - it wastes precious vacation time. It's rarely more expensive to buy (assuming your home city has the possibility) into Frankfurt and home from (for example) Amsterdam. Note that Brussels and Cologne are very well connected by train, and you must change in Brussels to get to and from Bruges. In my example, you do Frankfurt-Rhine Valley-Cologne-Bruges-Amsterdam and home.

You did not give the month of the year - Rhine day boats for sightseeing don't run all year, and most posters here love them. (Search box top center, "middle rhine" for great discussions of what you may be looking for. This will also warn you that the Cologne part of the Rhine is NOT SCENIC.) Also, many train journeys are much cheaper if you buy two to three months in advance, assuming you dare to buy non-changeable, non-refundable train tickets.

Posted by jasonl2019 OP

USA

05/27/19 04:49 PM

10 posts

Thanks for your insights. We are traveling the first 2 weeks of July. In and out of Frankfurt is our only option for this trip. I think we will rent a car for the last 4 days to get us from Cologne to Frankfurt. This way we can explore the Rhine as we please. The rest will be trains, and from what I'm understanding, point to point will be the best option.

Posted by Russ

Paradise

05/27/19 06:08 PM

7077 posts

I think we will rent a car for the last 4 days to get us from Cologne
to Frankfurt. This way we can explore the Rhine as we please. The rest
will be trains, and from what I'm understanding, point to point will
be the best option.

I don't think anyone has advised you so far that a car is needed to see the Rhine as you please. Maybe you got some shady information elsewhere - or maybe you've assumed that small Rhine towns are not accessible by train - but the exact opposite is true. The Rhine is extremely well served by train. Even tiny towns have stations and frequent service, and on both sides of the river, between Cologne and Bingen. What makes getting around here even better are the inexpensive day passes. You can hop from town to town by train all day long.

http://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets/tickets/ticket-offers/leisure-ticket/
http://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets/tickets/ticket-offers/rheinland-pfalz-ticket/

This is a map with walking suggestions, but it also shows the railways on each river bank and the many towns they connect between Koblenz and Bingen (the part known as the "Upper Middle Rhine Valley" and the most scenic area on the Rhine - it's a UNESCO World Heritage site!)

For train users as well as others, St. Goar (or Boppard if you wish to visit the Mosel as well) makes a very good base town for a couple of nights.

You would still want to look into p2p "saver fare" tickets for your long trips (which are better done on high-speed trains) for travel between countries.