Hello, We are active couple in our 50s. We will be arriving at Frankfurt early morning in September. We would like to spend the next few days touring the middle Rhine valley by boats and trains. After 3 nights we will be heading to Berlin by train. We would like to stay in a city well connected by trains (and boats) but still charming with some nice restaurants. We are considering Boppard, St.Goar, Bacharach - which would be the best? And what would be the best way to proceed to Berlin?
Thanks!
Thanks, but we would rather take the train than go through the hassle of flying.
Hi,
Taking the Düsseldorf to Berlin route is a straight shot on the ICE without having to transfer. I did that last June since I was coming to Frankfurt to fly back to SFO in a few days.
Re: staying in city well connected local transport (Nahverkehr) and trains, Düsseldorf is the correct choice. Going to the airport DUS, you can go by S and U Bahn, regional, same as out to the small towns and suburbs of Düsseldorf, plus take the Rhine boat from Düsseldorf, and from Düsseldorf Hbf to any long distance cities, Frankfurt, Köln, Berlin, Duisburg, Amsterdam, Munich (on the CNL night train)...all direct without needing to transfer.
"...the best way to proceed to Berlin?" Take the train from Düsseldorf to Berlin Hbf or from Frankfurt Hbf. Both have direct connections. I prefer the train, rather not be bothered by flying upon arrival. Going from Köln to Berlin is fine too.
I stayed in Bacharach when I was there and liked it fine, it's very nice. But I think if I were to go again I would stay in Boppard - just a personal choice and I can't even explain why, I just really liked Boppard. Many posters here like St Goar a lot. Any of the towns along that section of the Rhine are pretty and quaint and nice to stay in so you just have to research each of them and see which strikes a chord with you. They are all equally easy to get to and from by train and boat. When done there, I took the train to Frankfurt and then to Berlin. The train from any of those towns to Frankfurt takes about an hour to an hour and a half, then train to Berlin is about 4 hrs. I agree with you about taking the train and flying would be more hassle and take almost as long.
Thanks so much for all the replies.
Nancy, I was leaning towards Boppard and good to know that they are all equally desirable. I will do some more research.
If anyone has any good accommodations to recommend in Boppard or any of the other river towns, that will be great!
I really like Eltville. Beautiful half-timbered buildings, castle, moat, wineries, ancient church, promenade along the river without a train passing in front of you. Close by is Eberbach Monastary, Kiedrich with St. Valentines church, Rüdesheim, and you can cross the river here by ferry and head up the left side of the Rhine. Mainz and Wiesbaden are also close by where you can catch your train to Berlin.
Train tickets are only 39 euro and it takes 4 hours from Frankfurt.
"Thanks, but we would rather take the train than go through the hassle of flying. "
A good decision IMO.
St. Goar is convenient for train travelers doing a short stay in the MRV - it's located mid-way between Bacharach and Boppard and not too far from Bingen (best place to board a Rhine cruise boat, IMO) and the St. Goar ferry gets you across the river to St. Goarshausen, where you can hop on a train for the east bank towns (like Rüdesheim) and Marksburg Castle.
However, besides Rheinfels Castle and a great view of the river, St. Goar offers less variety in terms of of eateries and activities than a place like Boppard. With 3 days, I think I'd go with Boppard. There's a ferry there as well (but a slightly longer walk to the Filsen station for train use on that side.) Boppard has some nice old-world buildings and a pleasant market square and a great riverfront promenade in addition to a lot of eateries - and a nice chairlift ride (great view from Gedeonseck terrace.) It's also better located for train outings to the Mosel River by train (Cochem, Burg Eltz, and the even closer wine town of Winningen.
Bacharach has the nicest collection of old-world buildings - stop there for a walk around town if you can. Oberwesel's old town wall walk is easy and enjoyable.
"Discount airlines would be faster and could be a lot cheaper than the Deutsche Bahn"
A common misconception. "Fly people" ignore most of the cost and time for flying.
Right now it is possible to get an advance purchase, SparPreis ticket from Boppard to Berlin for as low as 29€, downtown to downtown, and the total travel time is 6H20M.
It will take 2H12M to get from Boppard to Düsseldorf and then 2½ hr for check in, security, boarding, etc, then 1h05M for the flight. It's almost 6 hrs by the time you get off the plane in Berlin.
It costs 19€ for a non-refundable SparPreis ticket from Boppard to Düsseldorf.. At 33€ for the air fare, the total fare, before you pay for ground transportation to downtown Berlin, is 52€, already more than the Bahn fare from Boppard to Berlin Hbf.
It might be a little faster to fly, but definitely not less expensive.
In terms of which town to stay in, I really liked Bacharach. It's a smaller town with a nice character, and some nice restaurants and hotels. It also provides easy access to the KD boats that travel to St. Goar and other towns along the Rhine. It's easy to get from Bacharach to Frankfurt, where you can connect with an ICE high speed train to Berlin.
