Is my day too full?

Looks OK. If the cathedral is your only interest there, then heading to A'dam might be a reasonable move. The station has luggage storage service.

The 12th of which month?

I suspect you will need some advice on your 2 days prior to leaving Bacharach - what plans do you have and/or what is AI advising? Bacharach isn't necessarily an advantageous base town... depends on your interests, sightseeing plans and preferences.

For me yes it is too full... I personally like to linger in many places like Eltz castle to just enjoy being there. It also depends on perfect timing on the roads, finding parking, speed of lunch service - speed of car return, etc.

for me, yes. You're spending more time traveling than enJOYing Europe. Less is more. But, we all travel differently.

We will be arriving in the Rhine Valley traveling from either Heidelberg or Rothenburg on April 10th. I believe we spend two nights in Rothenburg and one night in Heidelberg. The schedule below doesn’t reflect that. Do you think Heidelberg is worth a night or just a day visit? Here is the 3 day itinerary. Feel free to comment on the best home base etc..

April 10th
8:30 Breakfast and depart Rothenburg ob der Tauber
10:30 Arrive Heidelberg
10:30–11:00 Walk through Old Town toward the castle
11:00–12:30 Visit Heidelberg Castle
12:30–1:30 Lunch in the old town
1:30–2:00 Walk the famous Old Bridge Heidelberg
2:00 Depart Heidelberg
3:45 Arrive Bacharach
4:00–5:30 Check in and relax
5:30–6:30 Wander through the medieval gate and town square
6:30–8:00 Dinner
Evening Walk along the Rhine river promenade

April 11, Rheinefels Castle/River Cruise
Time Activity
8:30 Breakfast in Bacharach
9:00–10:00 Explore Bacharach village and ruins of Wernerkapelle
10:15 Drive south along the Rhine
10:30 Stop to photograph Pfalzgrafenstein Castle
11:00 Arrive St. Goar
11:00–12:30 Explore Rheinfels Castle
12:45 Lunch in St. Goar
2:00–3:30 Rhine river cruise through the Upper Middle Rhine Valley
4:00 Return to Bacharach
4:30–6:00 Relax / wine tasting / scenic walk
Evening Dinner in Bacharach

The 12th:
Time Activity
8:00 Leave Bacharach
9:40 Arrive Eltz Castle
11:45 Leave
13:00 Arrive Bonn
13:00–15:00 Beethoven House + lunch
15:30 Arrive Cologne. Walk up the street to visit the very famous cathedral
16:30 Train to Amsterdam
19:15 (7:15 pm) Arrive Amsterdam

What are the details on the Rhine boat trip? I would leave the car in St. Goar, train to Bingen and sail back tomSt. Goar. Discount on the boat trip by showing train ticket

In Bacharach eat one dinner at Cafe Noy Bistro

April 10:

I don't see Heidelberg as important. The old town center is nice but not unlike other cities in Germany. The castle looks charming in the photos but it's just a set of ruins.

The route from Rothenburg to Bacharach (the one that passes by Heidelberg, that is) also passes by Heilbronn, where you can make a short detour to the town of Gundelsheim - where there's a castle tour you can take as well as a raptor exhibition - Guttenberg Castle:

https://burg-guttenberg.de/en/

It will be open 10-6, with a flight demonstration at 11, according to the website, on your travel date.

Not sure about your interests, but it's possible that the town of Speyer, also on your route to Bacharach, might interest you as a stop - there's no time for EVERYTHING there, but I think Speyer has something for everyone:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g198634-Activities-oa0-Speyer_Rhineland_Palatinate.html

April 11:

11:00 Arrive St. Goar
11:00–12:30 Explore Rheinfels Castle
12:45 Lunch in St. Goar
2:00–3:30 Rhine river cruise through the Upper Middle Rhine Valley

Rheinfels Castle, also a set of ruins, is currently under construction. It's hard to say what parts will be accessible. Normally, it's interesting, but it's nothing like Burg Eltz or Marksburg Castle (across the river, near Koblenz.) - https://www.marksburg.de/en/circuit/#/

Also, there is no 2:00 cruise from St Goar. And any cruise starting in St Goar will require nearly 3 hours to take you through the scenic part to Bingen.

I really think you need to re-do this day entirely.

To take a cruise, try this strategy... Starting in Bacharach...

• Catch one of the hourly trains to Bingen Rhein Stadt station (just 20 minutes from Bacharach) then walk to the dock and board a northbound K-D or Bingen-Rüdesheimer cruise there. Cruises are at 9:15. 11:15. 14:30, 16:30 for K-D, 11:15 or 14:00 for B-R.

• Buy a cruise ticket at the K-D dock with a 20% discount by showing your train ticket. The "RNN" Train ticket costs €5.80 each, and your cruise discount will be just about the same amount! (No train-ticket discount with the B-R cruise company.)

• Note that you can take photos of the Pfalzgrafenstein and other castles from the cruise boat.

https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/burg-pfalzgrafenstein-binnenschifffahrt-mit-st%C3%BCckgutfrachtschiff-durch-das-schloss-ein-mautschloss-auf-der-insel-falkenau-159175822.jpg

• use the train to return from St Goar to Bacharach (DB Ticket = €6.30 each.)

There will still be a lot of day left once you reach St Goar... What else are you interested in seeing/doing? How about stepping off the train on the way to Bacharach in the town of OBERWESEL and walking the old town wall there? You can take a train back to Bacharach a couple hours later from Oberwesel on the same ticket:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g198501-d2189241-Reviews-City_Fortifications-Oberwesel_Rhineland_Palatinate.html

https://www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/en/route/urban-walk/oberwesel-city-wall-circular-route/56218092/

The Liebfrauenkirche in Oberwesel is nice too:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g198501-d6854221-r724496351-Liebfrauenkirche-Oberwesel_Rhineland_Palatinate.html

Alternatively, you could just take the train all the way to Bacharach and then drive back to these places.

The Günderodehaus (restaurant / museum / terrace) is just north of Oberwesel, surrounded by vineyards high on the clifftops, with a great view of town and the river gorge. I've hiked up there from town... but there's also a city bus which will get you there, or, if you have your car with you, you can just drive up:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g198501-d1886472-Reviews-Gunderodehaus_Filmhaus_Heimat_3-Oberwesel_Rhineland_Palatinate.html

If you were staying in St Goar rather than Bacharach... The cruise would be simpler... 1 train to Bingen, cruise to St Goar, where your car and hotel are. You could then spend a couple of hours in Bacharach - it does have some fine half-timbered buildings. I often have chosen to stay in St Goar in part because there are several hotels that line up along the waterfront there and offer fabulousl views of the Rhine Gorge. Here's a view from the Rheinhotel St Goar, right in front of the boat docks (see the KD flag?)
https://dynamic-media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/18/9e/0f/df/rheinhotel-st-goar.jpg?w=1400&h=-1&s=1

Bacharach's hotels are all set back quite far from the river behind a railway el.

I am taking everything into consideration. We have not booked a hotel yet…so I think St. Goar is a good home base per suggestions. I like the hotel suggestion! Looking into it. Thank you for organizing my river cruise. i appreciate that. :). I also appreciate the suggestions for towns to visit rather than spending too much time in Heidelberg. Also on the 12th, Perhaps spending the night in Cologne and then leaving early the next morning will be more relaxing. Love getting information from seasoned Germany travelers. Thank you!

I think St. Goar is a good home base per suggestions. I like the hotel
suggestion! Looking into it.

Next door to the Rheinhotel is another option, Hotel Rheinfels. Similar views and convenient location.

The St Goar ferry crossing is right out front as well. Runs all day long between the two river banks. Very handy for exploring the opposite riverbank towns (Rüdesheim, Braubach/Marksburg Castle, others) whether by train or by car. If you don't find the room you're hoping for in St Goar, then St. Goarshausen (across the river) might work for you. The cruise boats stop there as well.

If you do end up staying on that side of the Rhine, you would catch a train to Rüdesheim, on the same riverbank, and cruise back north to St Goarshausen.

St Goar Map: https://www.rheingucken.de/goar/stadtplan-st-goar.html

St Goarshausen Map: https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=820x10000:format=jpg/path/sd67acee2a63c85f6/image/i59f4e1787010b221/version/1527493774/image.jpg

I think Heidelberg is wonderful. There is much more than just the castle. The Apothecary Museum is up at the castle and IMO, pretty interesting. Riding the funicular is fun. The view from the castle is fantastic. In the old town, the church is beautiful and the nearby Jesuit church is lovely too. My favorite place to visit is the Student Prison. For those who are into Kathe Wolfahrt, her store here is quite large. Read Mark Twain and gain a different perspective on Heidelberg.
I would much rather spend 2 days in Heidelberg than 2 days in Rothenburg. There is more to see and do here, and a more fascinating history.

I don't disagree with Jo about 2 days in Rothenburg. For me, half a day in Rothenburg was adequate.

If you do end up spending 2 nights there... then take a drive on one day to one or more of these places - they always get overlooked by the tourist horde that huddles in Rothenburg:

1) Bad Windsheim + the Franconian Open-air (outdoor) Museum... where you get to see how the locals lived here across 5-600 years.

2) Sommerhausen... Marktbreit... Ochsenfurt... Main River wine towns with charm and personality, not so many tourists

Your day 12th personally would be too full for me.

For your time in Heidelberg, are you planning on walking up to the castle or taking the funicular? If the latter, there may be a wait which will definitely cut in to your allotted time. I think we had to wait about 20 minutes each direction to board when we were there in October. Maybe April is less busy though.

How are you traveling? I'm going to assume by car as there's no way your planned travel can be done by train, any of the days.

April 10th
It's a minimum 2 hour drive from RodT to Heidelberg and you'll spend 15-30 minutes finding parking anywhere near the old town. Depending on where you park it's going to take more than 30 minutes to walk to the castle. And a sit down meal at the hour planned is likely going to take all of that, and probably more, just to find a open seat and get served. It's the Spring Break and very touristy.

It's also a minimum 2.5 hour drive from Heidelberg to Bacharach. A61 is going to have @20 miles of construction. And the train is going to be faster and even that will be over 2 hours, with a 50% chance you'll not make the connection for the quickest trip.

April 11
The route along the river will move at about 30 kph for most of the drive. The road is one lane each direction, very busy, and everything from busses to tractors to tourists uses it. The speed is mostly set by the towns, because that's the speed limit in them, and they all have cameras. Driving is all well and good, but you need to plan time to find parking in what are very small, popular, towns. Add 15 minutes, minimum, to every planned stop just for this. (Maybe even more if you can't figure out how to pay for parking.)

The 12th:
If you leave Bacharach at 0800 you may get into the first tour of the day at Burg Eltz, but I wouldn't bet on it. Plan on 30 minutes walking from the parking to the castle (it can be steep). And you don't have enough time planned for the drive to Bonn, or from there to Cologne. You simply are not going to be able to get through the cities as fast as you're planning, and parking is time consuming. And the train from Cologne to Amsterdam is a 3 hour ride, at best. If you plan to drop off your car you'll need to add an hour for that and getting to the train station.

You have planned to spend three days traveling with no time to really see, or visit, some of the most touristy places in Europe, over a weekend, during school holidays. It's just not practical. And that's if the weather is good. If it rains (50/50 chance) you'll need to add even more travel time.

KGC: They are driving...

Once in Cologne, we will turn in our rent-a-car

yvettepz:

The schedule is aggressive on the 12th, but since you have chosen to leave the following morning for Amsterdam, and since the Cathedral will be open for visitors until 20:00, it's not critical that you arrive in Cologne by 15:30 (which would be 4.5 hours prior to closing.)

Burg Eltz Parking > entrance: 800 meters on the map, which most people can cover in around 12-15 minutes, I should think. See map:

https://burg-eltz.de/files/cto_layout/img/Bilder%20Home/Burg-Eltz_Karte_quer_Holl%C3%A4ndisch.jpg

If this were my day, I wouldn't plan on a sit-down lunch. Pick up some picnic supplies or sandwiches for the journey, lunch when the moment is right, and have a nice dinner in Cologne later.
Cologne before turning in.

Yes, we will be traveling by car.( PS… To make the 12th doable I believe we will spend one night in Cologne and then head to Amsterdam. ) Can you give me an idea of how much walking, hiking is involved in visiting the sights along the Rhine River etc? We are planning on walking a lot, however one person in our group had an ankle surgery a while back and needs to take breaks. They would to know i how much walking to expect generally. They are ok with 1/2 hour of walking and then need a break. They are are prepared to make adjustments. Thank you! I also appreciate the heads up about road construction and spring break traffic! We were aware of spring break. It is what it is! Here are the main sights i am aware of:

Rheinfels Castle
Town of Bacharach
Marksburg Castle
Rheinstein Castle
Oberwesel medieval wall
Oberwesel Liebfrauenkirche
Burg Elz

9:40 Arrive Eltz Castle
11:45 Leave

Take 30 minutes off of this for the walk (to and from) from the Parkplatz. Tours are every 20 minutes, so plan on getting tickets and then waiting. There will be several tour groups in line when the castle opens. Tour takes 30 minutes, more or less. With this schedule you have no time to walk around the castle, into the valley, or anything else. I've been there several times, and never got back to the car in less than 3 hours.

I would skip Rheinstein and probably Rheinfels as well in the interest of time management.

You would need around 25-30 minutes on foot - and uphill - to Marksburg. "Funk-Taxi" in Braubach might be a good option if ankles are a consideration.

If you are in St. Goar, then please go to the church located next to the train station. It is well worth a visit, with painted ceilings and walls. One of the most beautiful churches along the Rhein.

The walk up and back from the Marksburg is quite steep. If you have someone with a walking problem, you will need to take a taxi.

Even though Burg Rheinfels is being renovated, the tunnels are still open if you book a tour. Coolest thing ever!