Is this a realistic day along the Rhine?

Posted by Gregory on 07/14/15 04:29 PM

I know someone else has a similar thread going right now, but I have a conundrum of my own planning a day along the Rhine and could use some advice please. I will have a car and I will start my day departing Heppenheim and would like to see the Cathedral at Worms, but don't really need to see anything else there. I want to make a stop at Wörrstadt to visit the Jewish cemetery and have a quick look around town (genealogy reasons,) and I need to finish my day arriving at my hotel at Beilstein.

Is it realistic to think that will give me the better part of the day to visit the towns along the Rhine between Bingen and Boppard? If I want to take a cruise, should I park my car at Bingen and cruise up and then train back? or vice versa by parking at Boppard?

Additionally, later in the week the last day of my trip will involve driving from Cologne to Mainz so I will basically have part of another day to pass through this area as well. Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.

Posted by Russ

Paradise

07/14/15 04:49 PM

6643 posts

"Is it realistic to think that will give me the better part of the day to visit the towns along the Rhine between Bingen and Boppard?"
You'd have some time - the better part?? That depends on the time you spend in those preliminary places, so who knows?

"If I want to take a cruise, should I park my car at Bingen and cruise up and then train back? or vice versa by parking at Boppard?"

The cruise to Boppard will involve 2.3 hours. I'd suggest getting off in St. Goar instead for 1.5 hours of the very best scenery - that leaves a little more time for other things. It might be best to drive north to St. Goar first - that way you could stop over more easily in Bacharach and/or Oberwesel, the most worthwhile stops in between, IMO. Your schedule is quite tight and you're already having to work around one train and one cruise ship. A car makes stop overs easier when you're in a rush.

From Cologne to Mainz: You might have time drive the other side of the river and to tour Marksburg Castle in Braubach. For all the centuries it has stood there, Marksburg has never been destroyed by the French or anyone else. Kaub (Pfalzgrafenstein toll castle, on an island in the river) and Rüdesheim are good stops to make as well.

MARKSBURG

Posted by Gregory OP

07/14/15 06:43 PM

13 posts

A car makes stop overs easier when you're in a rush.

Thanks for all the info. So it sounds to me like you're suggesting I skip the boat/train element altogether since I have a car? I'm not wedded to the idea of a boat trip anyway, but just want to make sure I'm reading that right.

Posted by Russ

Paradise

07/14/15 06:59 PM

6643 posts

"So it sounds to me like you're suggesting I skip the boat/train element altogether since I have a car?"
NO. I suggested a shorter cruise from Bingen to St. Goar. What I meant was that when you're in a rush, it's easier and faster to DRIVE to Oberwesel and/or Bacharach (the towns worth seeing in between Bingen and St. Goar) on your way north, look around, then get back in the car when you're done, than it is to jump off and back on the next boat or train. RE the cruise - just stay on the ship from Bingen to St. Goar. If you feel you don't have the 1.5 hours for the cruise + the fairly short train ride (25 min between St. Goar and Bingen) then I guess you can skip the cruise altogether, but it is a fun way to see the river.

Posted by Gregory OP

07/14/15 07:04 PM

13 posts

Perfect. Thanks for the clarification. The 1.5 hour cruise is back on the schedule again!