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Germany to Italy

Posted by on

I am looking for ideas on experiencing 1-2 cities in Germany before/while making my way to Rome. I hope to find places that are not too tourist-ridden for the probably-tourist-heavy dates of May 20-May 25.

The flight in is to Frankfurt on the 20th, so adventuring will start on the 21st and I hope to be in Rome via train by the 26th, preferably passing through or stopping for a day in Switzerland.

I'm looking to include some leisurely time on the Rhine, so traveling up-stream (South) for a slower journey doesn't trouble me. I've seen loads of info on ferry rides between Sankt Goar and Mainz, but I'm having some trouble finding options further south; are there any suggestions/resources for catching nice sights and castle-watching closer to Kehl, or further (or not quite that far—doesn't matter)?

It was my hope to stay in a somewhat happening city (not too major, but not too remote) for a few nights to explore on foot or by train, then to head south (possibly via the river) to stay in a small and less frequented location for a few days to explore before heading to or through Switzerland and then into Italy for Rome.

I mostly need help determining what cities are possible with my time frame, eventual destination, and being able to travel by train/boat/foot only.
It is my hope to stay in 2 cities maximum (not including stopping or staying in Switzerland) so that I may get lost, so to say, or explore those 2 areas for a few days each before heading into Italy.

Any routes or suggestions are appreciated!

(Things I wouldn't mind building into my adventure: Rhine, Library, Spa, Hike, Park...I'm not interested in shopping or wait-lines for "attractions" unless they are historical sites—I am indeed interested in historical locations that do not require a heavy admission fee.)

Posted by
20067 posts

The castles are north of Frankfurt, in the Rhine gorge area between Bingen and Boppard, including Bacharach and St Goar. Going the other way is flat industrial river. Lots of lovely chemical plants along the way, thus no tourist boats in that direction. Extended cruise ships do go that way in the middle of the night when the passengers are sleeping. So if you want to do a Rhine cruise, you could take a train from the airport if you land in the morning, and take an afternoon cruise down river (north) and see what everyone wants to see on the Rhine. You could continue by train to Cologne, which is a happening city IMO. It is going away from your ultimate destination, but trains are fast.

Take a train from there south to Freiburg, a university town near the Black Forest. From there you are just north of Switzerland. Then a train to Luzern for a bit of Switzerland. From Luzern you can get a train to Milan and change to a high-speed Freccia train to Rome. You might be able to get that in with your schedule, but you will still be shorting yourself timewise.

Posted by
6632 posts

Welcome to the forum.

"I've seen loads of info on ferry rides between Sankt Goar and Mainz, but I'm having some trouble finding options further south; are there any suggestions/resources for catching nice sights and castle-watching closer to Kehl..."

If your info comes from this forum, then you've probably read mostly about day cruise ships between St. Goar and Mainz rather than "ferries" (which do exist, but only shuttle passengers across the river in certain spots.) And the consensus among regular forum posters for cruising this section is basically that cruising to or from Mainz is a waste of € and time for most visitors; while 5 boats per day cruise between St. Goar and Bingen, only ONE boat per day serves Mainz in each direction - and that's for good reason. There is little demand for this part of the river as the scenery south of Bingen just isn't that great.

Coming from Frankfurt, a cruise like Sam suggests makes sense: from the airport, take the train to Bingen (or Rüdesheim and
"...take an afternoon cruise down river (north)..."
Then take the train wherever you're heading.

But... do you really want to just cruise past these castles, then rush off, having seen them only from an enormous distance? The views from the river are great, but it's a near-sin not to walk through or around at least one or two of them.

So I will suggest a different approach. I'll just address the first couple of days...

May 20, Day 1: (You never know how much time you'll have to do things on Day 1.) Local train from FRA to the university town of Mainz. Drop bags, see what interests you. There's a lot there. NO cruise today, just stay there and adjust your inner clock - it's a nice city.

Day 2: Train from Mainz to Bingen; cruise w/ KD (9:30) north to St. Goar (10:55) and tour Rheinfels Castle (if you wish - or hike around the castle and the hillside trails nearby for views.) Use St. Goar ferry to St. Goarshausen (runs all day) and catch 14:32 train north to Braubach (14:53) then walk the town and tour Marksburg Castle (genuine, intact medieval castle) on the 4 pm English tour. Return by train to Mainz in the pm.

Day 3: Depending on what you wish to fit in further south (Freiburg's not a bad town but there are other options too) you might want to stay a 3rd night in Mainz and do a full-day outing to Cologne and back by train (if Cologne appeals to you; again, not the only day trip option.) Then take a train the next morning for your southern Rhine base.

Posted by
14507 posts

"...interested in historical locations...." Where in particular? Along the Rhine?

How about seeing the Blücher Museum in Kaub am Rhein, Napoleon's inveterate enemy, Wellington's ally at Waterloo? Bad Ems?

Where the Rhine and the Mosel flow into each other at Deutsches Eck...the Prussian monument, ( Kaiser Wilhelm Denkmal. ) In Koblenz you can get an aerial view of Deutsches Eck from the fortress Ehrenbreitstein, the Prussian fortress built after the defeat of Napoleon to guard against a French resurgence, part of the "Die Wacht am Rhein." Ehrenbreitstein serves as the HI hostel

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