Itinerary help - so many questions

If you are interested in German history and WWII then your journey shall start in Berlin and not in Munich. Spend 4-5 full days including visiting Sachsenhausen memorial before direct train to Nuremberg and heading on. People who liked Prague and udapest will likely like Berlin and its history as well.

Btw. experts assume that we still have 4,000 unexploded bombs from WWII in Berlin's grounds. Our latest 100 kg bomb was dismantled 3 days ago (German page and video).

...husband...intrigued by the WWII sites.

Once he becomes aware of the trip there is a web site he and the other couple should check out. It is named thirdreichruins.com and has photos of many places taken during or right after WWII. It then shows photos of how the same places look today.

I think you might have a bit too much ground travel altogether and too many major destinations for the time you have.

"Have never been to Bamberg and considering a day trip. ?? Worth it? Want to see a nice small Bavarian town so open to suggestions."

Small towns are a bit scarce in your itinerary. Bamberg is technically Bavarian but isn't really a "small town" - still, it's a worthwhile day trip from Nuremberg. I would in fact suggest that you drop Regensburg in favor of Bamberg this time (you've seen Regensburg and Bamberg is similar.)

"We also stopped in Nuremburg... we were rushed, and I'd love to go back and take our time. We never got to walk through the Old Town."

Nuremberg is a great choice and a very good travel base! Its old town is heavily pedestrianized and feels small relative to Nuremberg's actual size. I think you will like it. And I think you could easily spend 4-5 nights there when you include the WW II stuff and Nuremberg's many other charms and also toss in a day trip to Bamberg (only about 45 minutes by direct train) and another day trip to one of the other small and fetching Bavarian / Franconian towns nearby:

Iphofen (scroll for photos) is also only 45 minutes by direct train.
Bad Windsheim takes slightly longer but what a great way to see the local history.

(Würzburg and Bayreuth are also day trip options.)

"Perhaps Frankfurt is a better option than Munich? I'm not sure. So confused."

Flying into FRA often means savings. But IMHO the big advantage is not seeing Frankfurt but Frankfurt's proximity to the Middle Rhine Valley (medieval history and castles, nice half-timbered towns, day cruises, and of course wine.) It's Germany's most scenic train ride and most scenic river cruise - it's a UNESCO World Heritage site - and it would be a nice contrast to your other destinations. And it's only 1 hour by train from FRA airport.

Salzburg: You won't have enough time even for just Salzburg on a day trip, so with the Eagles Nest I think you need extra time. There are some charms just outside Salzburg as well if you have the tiime.

Budapest and Berlin: Both pretty big and time consuming, maybe another trip.

So I would revise your trip with nights booked as follows...

May 3-4: Arrive FRA, train to St. Goar (or other Rhine town.)
May 5-8: Nuremberg + 2 day trips
May 9-11: Salzburg + Eagles Nest
May 12-14: Munich + Dachau
May 15-17: Prague
May 18: Fly out of Prague

I think the itinerary you posted is very good and you should stick with it. You only have 14 days, you picked some great places with adequate time to see them. Now is not the time to start eyeing other items on the buffet table. Save Berlin for another trip, it is worth at least 4 days on its own. Unless you want to make it a 3 week trip, stick to your plan. Sure it can be tweaked, Munich to Salzburg to Berchdesgaden to Regensburg in one day is awkward. Spend one more day in Munich and one less in Regensburg, That way you can go the next morning and spend 2 nights there and you will not be rushed for a day trip to Salzburg and environs. Bus from Nuremberg to Prague is best and quickest as rail lines and schedules dictate that.

Airline tickets are not available for a year away, but in another 6 weeks you can start looking. Right now, from Miami you have good options with Lufthansa with plane changes in Frankfurt or Duesseldorf.

Flying involves time getting to/from the airports, checking in, getting through Security, etc, but a plane moves faster than a train. It looks like there are 3 flights a day on Eurowings from Nuremberg to Prague for less than €100 per person ... maybe an alternative?

It looks like there are 3 flights a day on Eurowings from Nuremberg to Prague for less than €100 per person ... maybe an alternative?

If you take into account the time to and from the airport and the time required for check-in and security, you will get about three and a half hours in both cases. And the prices for the IC bus start at €14.90 pp.

Thanks so much for replies already! Wow, the people on here are just fabulous. I've been lurking here for a while and so glad I finally asked..
Ok, I figured that the Salzburg/Eagle's Nest and then off to Regensburg may be a bit too much. I will definitely rethink that.

MarkK - I agree, Berlin is on my bucket list for sure. I just don't think it will be included on this particular trip unfortunately.

TC - I really appreciate the link! That's awesome and will definitely show him once he knows about the trip.

Russ -, I can definitely think about removing Regensburg and spending time in Bamberg. As I said, we loved Regensburg but I would also like to see another city/town I've never been to. Love the prospect of adding on another place such as Iphofen and/or Bad Windsheim so thank you! I think I may have to keep both Prague and Budapest on the itinerary as those are the 2 my husband would be most interested in.

Sam - I wish I could do three weeks. We may be able to extend by a day or so, but unfortunately not another week. I agree - I will save Berlin for another trip as I'd like to spend a week there, minimum. On the river cruise we did take the bus from Nuremburg to Prague and it was so much nicer than we had expected.

Cyn - For some reason, the other couple is intent on traveling via train/bus through Europe and doesn't want to consider any inter-Europe flights. Not sure why, but....

I'm going to rework my itinerary over the next week and, if you don't mind, will repost it for some more input.

While you are keeping it secret can you sneak a peek at his passport and make sure it is up to date? And yours? And make sure the other couple are up to speed on theirs?....

Unfortunately we get a fair few folk on here who miss that one and come here in desperation a day before their flight...

Hi Nigel, yes, great point. I know his is up-to-date for sure, but will certainly check with them. That would be a disaster! :-)

Have you considered renting a car within Germany (5-11 May)? Get an International Drivers License if required. Brush-up on driving in Germany signs and right of way. Providing this is not too stressful, a car would greatly expand your options to include several unnamed small Bavarian towns and sites. A good navigation device in the car or mobile with real-time traffic would help a lot. Your accommodations would have to support a parking place. You have to be ready for Park and Ride in Bamberg and P & R in Salzburg AT works great too (combination parking and bus for 4-5 people ticket). Avoid the Austrian Autobahn and the Vignette requirement by taking secondary roads. Plug in the P & R in the Navi and drive. Most large city transportation websites are also in English. People know enough English too and will help,

You mentioned your companion couple haven’t been to Europe before, and I’ll say there seems to be a long-standing image of Europe by train, what with once-prevalent Railpasses and images of train travel from countless movies. Our first few trips involved many trains, some which still had separate compartments for 4 to 6 people, with curtains or sliding doors separating the compartments from the main aisle along one side of the car. Now there are even some super high speed trains in places, but a lot of bargain airlines have also come (and some gone) over the past 2 decades, as well. As noted earlier, airport time can make a quick flight not so quick, overall. And some folks just like train travel. So how long is the trip going to stay a secret? Does your husband scan this travel forum? 😁

Munich to Salzburg and return from Brechdesgaden is 46 EUR with a Bayern ticket for the whole group as long as you leave after 9 am weekdays. Bus from Salzburg to Berchdesgaden is separate.
Munich to Regensburg is likewise a 46 EUR with a Bayern ticket on a direct train.
Regensburg to Nuremberg is also 46 EUR.
Nuremberg to Prague is a bus, buy discount tickets in advance, about 15 EUR per person.
Prague to Budapest is 6 1/2 hours on a direct train. Advance nonrefundable tickets about $33 pp.

"I think I may have to keep both Prague and Budapest on the itinerary as those are the 2 my husband would be most interested in."

Budapest... Before last summer, DW and I had always been interested in Budapest, but never been. In our 4 days there, we were not lodged on a cruise ship - and we spent a lot of time with our boots on the ground. It came across more as a rapidly developing but "emerging" international crossroads - maybe like a wanna-be Berlin - but one with a level of noise, grime, human misery and poverty that we did not quite anticipate based on the sources we'd read. And the number of foreign visitors there was immense. I think our most memorable day there was the half-day we spent cruising to Szentendre. We enjoyed our 2016 visit to Prague much more, on the whole. And of all the destinations we chose last summer, the others, which included Porto, Nuremberg, and Salzburg, ranked somewhat higher than B'pest. While you arrived via the Danube, we arrived in Budapest by train from Salzburg (not an especially interesting route) and we flew out of BUD (which was a lengthy ride away to the not-so-convenient airport.) So I dunno in his/your/your friends' case... I'm wondering whether it's possible that you've already visited the shiniest and most interesting parts of Budapest on your outings from the cruise ship - and whether your cruise experience might have generally enhanced your experience there. It was not a place we would choose to return to based on our own, somewhat different, experience. You know him (and your friends) best of course, but as you firm up your plans, consider not just his stated interest in seeing Budapest, but also the fact that he can't say the same thing about Munich (since he's never been) even though he might like it even more (who knows?) as well as the things your husband (and your friends) generally enjoy doing (which can be different from things they are "interested" in.) And I'd consider as well the places you will need to leave off or to "shortchange" to accommodate B'pest properly.

Consider Mittenwald as a Bavarian town you could visit from Munich

Mchpp: I hadn't really thought about a car for part of the trip. My husband would be in his glory driving around Germany! He's an aircraft mechanic and anything with an engine is right up his alley! I hesitated to consider renting one because I wasn't sure if it would be more of a pain with the parking and traffic. Do you recommend any car rental companies? I assume you mean pick up a car at Munich airport and return in Nuremburg? I think we can get the International driving permit from AAA if I'm not mistaken. Something to consider for sure! Thank you!

Cyn: I have to keep this a secret until mid-December! It's so hard because the other couple are our best friends and we're together constantly. We are forced to "chat" about our plans on WhatsApp for fear of him overhearing us! LOL....Hopefully nobody will spill the beans before then. We want to have the overall plan set before we give it to him as a gift, and then we can tweak it once he knows about it.

Sam: Thank you so much for the ticket information. That's one area where I know I will have a number of questions. I've been reading all I can on seat61, bahn.de, here on the forum, etc., but it's still a bit confusing to be honest. I figure I'll get my itinerary situated and then start figuring out any trains/buses we need as, from what I understand, the prices can be discounted on some of the routes if I purchase the tickets 6 months out? I was actually playing around on the bahn.de site yesterday so I have a better idea of how it works once I get to that point.

Russ: Yes we visited Budapest as part of a river cruise. We actually flew to Budapest and stayed in a hotel right by the Chain Bridge for 3 days. At the end of the cruise we stayed in Prague for 3 days before flying home. Very different cities but loved both them. I do agree that parts of Budapest were a bit grimy but I admit that I was pleasantly surprised by many parts of the city, the history, etc., and we had some fabulous meals there. I am going to consider cutting out Budapest from our itinerary though. I just don't like the idea of wasting a good part of yet another day on the train, getting there from Prague.

I'm seriously considering tweaking the trip based on your proposed itinerary earlier.

As far as what him and our friend (the guy) ENJOY doing, that's an easy one. Anything that involves stopping for a beer! :-)
All kidding aside, the other couple is very easy going. They have just begun traveling in the last 2 years and will be happy just visiting another country, visiting some of the WWII sites, eating local foods (a must for us), etc. We're all pretty simple. Not looking to hike or go on long bike rides, and we are not really "museum" people as far as art museums and the like, but something like the Documentation Center is fascinating. Walking around the Old Towns, seeing the city walls, the old churches, learning the history behind historic buildings, a trip to Dachau, chatting with locals, and so forth. I hope that makes sense.

If you consider renting a car consider Sixt, Europcar or Avis. Hertz and most US companies do not have a well reputation here. Be sure to have a valid driving permission (official version) and to know our traffic rules, e.g. no turn on red (except green arrow) and German traffic signs. Be aware that German traffic can be hectic and stressy through rush hours at the wrong places and woderful and easy at the right time and places. In no case someone shall follow the fully wrong idea of "doing a race" or driving high-speed for fun on the Autobahn. Even in highly secure cars high-speed accidents end up deadly.

Talking about changing the plan I like to bring up Berlin again :-) Even if some people compare it somehow with Budapest but the openness, diversity and spirit of freedom and living is a real different one. Also compared to Munich you will find a huge variety of beer sorts in the city, also the Bavarian branches. For the engineers we have a huge tech museum as well as car racing and flight simulators.

As far as what him and our friend (the guy) ENJOY doing, that's an easy one. Anything that involves stopping for a beer! :-)

Then they'll love Munich, Regensburg, Nuremberg, and Bamberg. But when they get to Prague, they will have struck the motherlode. Budapest is no slouch either.

As far as what him and our friend (the guy) ENJOY doing, that's an
easy one. Anything that involves stopping for a beer! :-)

Heh. Kindred spirits. A link for their reference...

Nuremberg pubs

Walking around the Old Towns, seeing the city walls, the old churches,
learning the history behind historic buildings...

And a link or two for that sort of thing...

Above ground
On your own
Sightseeing highlights
Underground

Love the prospect of adding on another place such as Iphofen and/or
Bad Windsheim

A VGN Tagesticket Plus is a day pass for the Nuremberg region which covers two adults round trip on these train outings for about €21. It is also valid for bus, train and subway transport within Nuremberg as you leave and return, if you need that. .

eating local foods (a must for us)

Sam and Audrey provide a lesson on the Nürnberger Bratwurst.

MarkK - thanks so much for that link regarding the driving permission. I saved the link. I also saved the link for the driving signs. That one may be printed and carried with us! Hectic and stressy traffic we're used to. We're from NY and live in Miami. Traffic is horrendous in both during rush hour, when there's an accident, etc. However, I definitely noted the part about the myth on the Autobahn. Interestingly, enroute to Prague last year, the guide on the bus was from Germany and he had a long conversation with my husband about the same thing - the dangers of it, etc.

I'll look into Sixt, etc., for sure!

No worries - I will be visiting Berlin! :-) This trip is too short though. I really don't want to go for a night or two so I'm saving that for another trip.

Sam - I'm laughing at your remark about Prague. I had to pry him away from those Czech beers. I'm not really a beer drinker, but even I loved them in Prague and drank my fair share of them. :-)

Russ: LOVE the link on the Nuremberg pubs! And the touring links are awesome!

And, Oh My Gosh! that video is fabulous! Wait until I show him. We ate so many sausages and pretzels last year on our trip and I still think of them. Just delicious. Love her idea about the sausage-themed roadtrip!

Thanks so much for the day pass info! I've added that to my "ground transportation" file.

We've been trying to figure out HOW to give him this trip as a gift and decided on a gift box with a few bottles of German, Czech and Hungarian beer (may nix that one though now), some WWII doo-dads, a converter and adaptors, etc., and let him figure out what's going on. I think I'm going to print the pages on all these links and add them to the box. I love him to death but he's pretty gullible so it may take him a while to figure out why we're giving him random bottles of beer (and of course a few cigars will be in the box), and other items. He's going to be thrilled when he does figure it out.

"...intrigued by WW2 sites."

Given the time in Prague, would they want to see the Military/Army Museum in Prague.

There is also the Military History Museum in Budapest on Castle Hill, featuring obviously the country's role in WW2..

I have not been to the one in Prague but twice to the museum in Budapest...well worth your time.

I would pick Berlin most definitely over Frankfurt and Munich but then I go solo.

Bamberg -- we did a quick walk-through as a stop between someplace and Munich. Booked a train and built in a 4 (?) hour stopover, left the bags in a locker at the station. Cute!

Fred: No, we didn't visit the Military Museum in Prague but that's something they would love. In Budapest we tried to find the hospital built into the hill, but for some reason we couldn't find it and then ran out of time. I'll add the museum to our list for sure. Thank you!

Laura B: Thanks for letting me know. I see Bamberg pop up a lot so I'm glad to know you liked it. :-)

Be sure to have a valid driving permission (official version)

MarkK, this is the first time that I have heard of North Americans requiring an IDP for a short journey to Germany.

Is that a recent change?

The web site linked by MarkK states:

Your driving licence is valid if your stay in the Federal Republic of Germany is temporary.
If you hold a valid domestic driving licence or International Driving Permit, you may drive all categories of vehicle indicated on your licence in the Federal Republic of Germany. If there are any conditions or restrictions on your driving licence, you must also comply with them when driving here.

@ colmcb...You're welcome. I am not sure of the exact name of the military museum in Prague but its focus is on tanks, and war history involving Czechoslovakia since its independence in 1918. If the museum in Prague is comparable to that in Budapest, then given your interest, you'll find it captivating.

Thanks Fred! :-)

I've never driven in Germany but in 2012 I bought a railpass (for convenience) and my daughter and I traveled from Salzburg to Munich to Rothenburg to Fussen and back to Munich and the trains were awesome. At the time, they were so on time that if I didn't understand the German name of the stops very well, I just got off at the appropriate time. And the DeuscheBahn app was amazing for seeing all the possible routings and platforms-I could sometimes pick a train that put me on the platform that was most convenient to my next train's platform. Of course, you do need to travel with light luggage since stops are often just a couple of minutes.

Thanks Cala! I've heard they're very punctual. If we're going to do this by train, with a number of trips, I definitely don't want to be hauling large bags on and off every few days, and then through the streets.

A question for those who are familiar with Eagle's Nest. We may have to change our dates to go a bit earlier now. I've read that Eagle's Nest tends to open mid-May and now I'm wondering if we should leave out Salzburg. The main reason to head there would be Eagle's Nest. We were discussing the itinerary last night. I think we are going to nix Budapest on this trip as well.

So, if it's too early to go to Eagle's Nest, wondering if maybe we should use those days in Germany. Maybe fly into Frankfurt instead if fares are better, and fly home from Prague - Is this reasonable??

Russ, based on your suggested itinerary, I'm wondering if I could squeeze in Heidelberg??

Frankfurt - Heidelberg/Rudesheim/boat ride to Boppard or St. Goar (3 days?) - Munich (4 days with Dachau trip - Nuremberg (3 days with side trip to Bamberg and/or Iphofen) - Prague (4 days)

I know Heidelberg and Rudesheim are in 2 different directions from Frankfurt but would we be able to see both and possibly Boppard or St Goar in 3 days and then head to Munich, or is this way too much?

That buffet table is getting bigger.
But yes, into Frankfurt and out of Prague works. There is a direct nonstop between MIA and FRA on Lufthansa.

Sam, you have no idea! LOL....if it were up to the other couple we would also include a few other countries! Clueless. They want to know if we can go to Switzerland and maybe even "a day somewhere in Italy"!!

Personally, I fear exhaustion as it is with all the traveling once we've hit the ground.

I know nothing about the Rhine Valley area nor Frankfurt. If we cut out both Budapest and Salzburg though, this would be an opportunity to maybe get a small taste of that area before heading towards Munich and Nuremberg.

If THIS proposed itinerary is feasible, opinions/suggestions are more than welcome as to the best order to visit with as little backtracking as possible.

Russ, based on your suggested itinerary, I'm wondering if I could
squeeze in Heidelberg??

Frankfurt - Heidelberg/Rudesheim/boat ride to Boppard or St. Goar (3
days?) - Munich (4 days with Dachau trip - Nuremberg (3 days with side
trip to Bamberg and/or Iphofen) - Prague (4 days)

I know Heidelberg and Rudesheim are in 2 different directions from
Frankfurt but would we be able to see both and possibly Boppard or St
Goar in 3 days and then head to Munich, or is this way too much?

Your second question answers the first, IMHO.

On your first day, one or more of you four will probably be drowsy and/or jet-lagged after a long red-eye flight. Add the rigors of security lines, baggage, ATM fiddling, attending to personal needs, and getting yourselves to Place #1 and checked in - then maybe some light sightseeing - and you will have had enough to deal with already.

So for a 3-night stay in the area, it's probably best to forego the trip to Heidelberg - head straight to the Rhine - and thus avoid the northbound backtracking to the Rhine as well as the necessity of booking 1 night here and 2 nights there. You "know nothing about the Rhine Valley area" but we can help you solve that... here's an outline for your time...

Day 1 (Arrive FRA ??When??) - Train to St. Goar for 3 nights. If time and energy permit, visit Rheinfels Castle (tour of ruins, museum.) Wanna do more and feeling peppy? Train to Oberwesel (5 minutes) and do the town wall walk.

Day 2 Morning train to Bingen; River cruise from Bingen to St. Goarshausen (area with the best scenery and castle-spotting,) then train to Braubach for Marksburg Castle (excellent medieval castle tour, English at 1 and 4 pm.) Enjoy (dinner?) Braubach's old town, then train back to St. Goarshausen and ferry across to St. Goar.

Day 3 Visit some nice west bank towns. Boppard is very nice and has an amazing chair lift ride - and is 10 minutes north of St. Goar. Bacharach and its attractive half-timbered buildings are 10 minutes south. Remagen has a great WW II Museum that covers the struggle for the bridge there and is a lovely town as well.

With 3 nights you probably won't find time for all of this but you really cannot go wrong here. You buy cheap small-group day passes as you go for the trains; pay separately for the river cruise. Here's a map of the rail and cruise boat stops on the Middle Rhine Valley route:

http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/walking-hiking.php

Sadly, Rick Steves' coverage of the Rhine tends to be dismissive and incomplete. Many get the impression that it's really only about the cruise - but there's much more if you have the time.

If this sounds mostly alright, return here to the forum later for nitty gritty details.

I didn't mean to ignore your interest in Rüdesheim in my previous post - sorry.

I'm not sure whether you were thinking of staying there or just visiting. R'heim is right across the Rhine from Bingen and could be visited from a St. Goar base on one day, possibly in combination with Marksburg Castle in Braubach. You'd take the St. Goar ferry across to St. Goarshausen; train 20 minutes north to Braubach for the castle and town there; train south to Rüdesheim for the late afternoon/evening; and return in the evening to St. Goarshausen, making a river crossing to St. Goar prior to 22:30 (final ferry.)

It might be feasible, by heading out early on this day, to include the Rhine cruise to St. Goarshausen (train first to Bingen) instead of doing just a morning ferry crossing. Just depends on how long a day you are up for. If not, a cruise can be squeezed in somewhere else no doubt. Some people don't mind doing the cruise on Day 1 - on the way to their Rhine base from the airport - with their bags - if they aren't too beat up after the long flight. That's a nice way to see the river for the first time.

Rüdesheim can be an enjoyable place to visit but it can also get crazy busy with tourists (often day trippers from Frankfurt) and tour buses, especially on weekends. It depends on the day you happen to be there. Because of its location and a couple of other factors I don't think it's the best place for a base town for 3 nights.

St. Goar is not the only possible base town, but it's convenient for train travelers and probably in the most scenic spot on west bank of the Rhine; you won't be in your room the whole time, of course, but for those times when you are, the views from the waterfront hotels that overlook the river (Rheinhotel St. Goar, Hotel Rheinfels and others for example, where some rooms have balconies) are quite good. Boppard has several nice waterfront establishments as well (nice view from the Hotel Garni Günther.) Rüdesheim, Bacharach and Oberwesel, not so much, as the railway separates these towns from the river. In St. Goar, the above-named hotels are located near the church with the tall spire that you see near the top of this drone photo.

WWII history buff here. I absolutely loved Remagen. I found the town interesting, but the highlight was definitely seeing the ruins of the bridge that US troops used to cross the Rhine (only the towers on the banks remain -- no span is present) and the museum (mentioned above by Russ) inside its west bank towers. There was also a large US-run camp for captured German troops nearby; there is a chapel near the bridge that memorializes the camp and has as its centerpiece a madonna made from mud of the camp by one of the prisoners.

There is a notice on the website for the museum that it is closed right now for maintenance. A re-opening date is not given.

Russ, thank you, thank you!!! So much information to digest and I truly appreciate it!

Ok, I will forego Heidelberg in favor of seeing some of the Rhine for sure. Also, concentrate on a base in St. Goar. Yes, I definitely prefer a light day the day we land.

I'll definitely look into the hotels you listed.

As of now we would be landing on a Monday, possibly a Sunday. So, if we do decide to keep a visit to Rudesheim in the itinerary, we'll be sure to do that on a weekday. And if we can see Boppard and perhaps another town or two, all the better. Then travel to Munich from St Goar, correct?

This is probably an ignorant question but.......The difference between St Goar and St Goarhausen is they are just on opposite sides of the river, correct? St Goar is where I would want to see/stay, and the train comes and goes from St Goarhausen? St Goarhausen is not as scenic but would need to take the ferry over and back for the trains? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

As for the river cruises, is KD the company I want? I've read some about them but I'm not sure if there are other companies and if so, which is the best one.

Once I've had a chance to rework the basic itinerary, yes, I will show you and would appreciate the "nitty gritty details".

You're a wealth of information and I truly appreciate it. Maybe YOU should have your own travel show!! :-)

Dave - That's awesome! I've saved the information about the bridge, the statue, etc. Thank you so much!

KD is the biggest operator with 5 scheduled runs every day running both directions.
https://www.kdrhine.com/
The main deck of the ship is essentially a giant restaurant. Upper deck is open for sight seeing.

Ok, good to know. Thanks Sam! :-)

St Goarhausen is not as scenic but would need to take the ferry over
and back for the trains?

That's not quite right.

The two towns are right across the Rhine from each other. Each side of the river has its own railway. Here's an aerial photo of the two, taken from the St. Goarshausen side of the river:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Sankt_goarshausen.jpg/1024px-Sankt_goarshausen.jpg

The view from either side is scenic. St. Goar is the better place to stay in part because it has more to offer and also because it's on the west bank railway where there are some nice towns to visit; from there it's very easy to reach Oberwesel, Boppard, Bacharach, and Remagen by direct train. Map of west bank railway with all the towns:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Netzkarte_MRB_26.jpg

The view of St. Goarshausen from St. Goar is very scenic (Katz castle on the hillside.) St. Goarshausen itself isn't terribly worthwhile, and doesn't have a lot of places to stay or dine... although there is (was?) a wine tasting room in the old city tower at the south end of town, and it's a starting point for hikers on the Rheinsteig trail.

You would likely use the ferry crossing from St. Goar to St. Goarshausen only to board the east bank trains when you visit Braubach (Marksburg Castle) and Rüdesheim. Both towns are right on the east bank railway.

East bank railway map with Braubach, St. Goarshausen and Rüdesheim:
http://www.vias-online.de/data/9_netzplan_rhg.jpg

As for the river cruises, is KD the company I want? I've read some
about them but I'm not sure if there are other companies and if so,
which is the best one.

Bingen-Rüdesheimer covers Bingen to St. Goar / St. Goarshausen too - just two cruises per day, but one (the 13:00 cruise) is offered in that big 11:30 - 14:30 gap between KD cruises heading north. That might be handy to know

I don't know that one is better than the other but KD does offer a 20% discount to those arriving by train (show train ticket.)

Ok, now I understand. Glad I asked. Thanks so much for clarifying that. :-)

Hi again - over the past few weeks we've had a chance to digest and discuss all the information I received on here and we've revamped our trip. Again, thank you so much for the insight and the expertise! Still so many questions but I think we have a better plan now... let me know what you think.

First, travel dates are changed as our friends can't go until September of next year rather than May. That's ok though - it just gives me more time to get our ducks in a row and make plans.

We're also going to be able to add an extra 5 days to the trip by doing that, which I'm thrilled about. However, we are going to use that time to fly to Paris/see Normandy, and then take a train to Frankfurt to begin the rest of the trip, limiting ourselves to Germany and a short visit in Austria in 13 days.

This is what we've narrowed that portion down to:

Day 1: Train from Caen to Frankfurt and then on to St. Goar (long day but....)
3 nights in St. Goar, KD boat ride from Bingen, visit Boppard, Bacharach, etc.

Day 4: Train from St. Goar to Nuremberg
Late afternoon arrival and 4 nights in Nuremberg - we want a day in Old Town and a day to explore the Documentation Center and hopefully the court, as well as day trips to Bamberg and Iphofen

Day 8: morning train from Nuremberg to Regensberg
1 night - not thrilled with doing a 1-night stay but we really want to see a bit more of Regensberg as we only had 1/2 day last time.

Day 9: morning train Regensberg to Salzburg
2 nights in Salzburg - hoping to get out to Berchtesgaden and Eagle's Nest

Day 11: afternoon train to Munich
3 nights in Munich with a day trip to Dachau

Day 14 fly home from Munich

I keep reading about how nice Ulm is, but couldn't figure out how to squeeze that in. I originally thought we could get to Ulm from St. Goar and then on to Nuremberg with one less night in Nuremberg, but it seems a bit complicated??!!

Thank you!