K-D Boats on the Rhine

Make sure you download the schedule for the month of the year of your trip. Once you have done that, you will see that the boats are not remotely as frequent as, say, city busses. I'm cynical about it, but I don't believe this is remotely equivalent to a hop-on, hop-off bus service in a European capital! They would love to sell you an all-day ticket, but it's not necessarily a good deal. Note that there is a same-day discount if you present a rail ticket. [I don't know if the rail ticket from Boppard to Koblenz that hasn't been used yet (!!!) is valid for this discount.] But the train is a zillion times faster than even this downstream boat ride.

We got on in Bingen and got off in Boppard, but there are other recommendations. I would never go as far as Koblenz because there is so little scenery for the latter part of the trip, and it's a waste of time (and maybe fare, but we only paid to Boppard.) Many posters here love St. Goar, BTW. Because of crowding and climate, you might mention the month if you post again. There are many backpackers on these boats, and imagine they have a bulkhead area where you pile your luggage. We didn't have luggage, and the passenger load was light enough that we had a good view from the dining area (partly open air) while we had beer and sausage. Note that there are many different sizes of boat, so your physical experience can vary from any one report you read here.

There is a sweet little winecellar cafe (years old report) right across the street from the Boppard train station, if you have the time and desire.

September 7, 2019 is when we will be taking the boat. Thanks for the input!

We took our luggage on board for the day. It was not a problem.

Where are you going afterward that you are taking your luggage? Boppard station is about 1/4 mile from the dock. At Koblenz, the station is across town, so taking a taxi might be in order.

I think I'll be taking a train to Bernkastel Kues (Wittlich Hbf) and will skip Koblenz. I'm still in the planning stage, so that might change as I learn more. We will visit villages along the Moselle, then on to Luxembourg, then onto Paris. Kind of a loop that started in Switzerland.

The first boat leaves Rüdesheim at 9:15, Bingen at 9:30. There are four boats following it all day, one, two, five, and seven hours behind it. If you take the first boat, you could stop at one place for an hour, in the next for an hour, in the third place for three hours, and get to Boppard just before 5 PM. Or stop in Bacharach for two hours and St Goar for three hours (my recommendation). Two hours in St Goar would probably not give you enough time to get to and from the castle and spend sufficient time at it.

I also would not take the boat between Boppard and Koblenz. In fact, I would only take the boat as far as St Goar (that's what I did) and go any farther by train.

Here (pg 21) is the KD boat schedule.

From https://www.k-d.com/en/faq/

There is no luggage office on board or at the wharf, therefore large baggage cannot be transported (max. hand baggage size). The passenger is responsible for transporting their luggage and other items brought on board to and from the ship. The carrier accepts no liability for luggage and other items brought on board.

Passengers are permitted to break their journey as many times as they wish after gaining prior written confirmation from the crew. Passengers who would like to break their journey at intermediate stations must inform the crew of their intention at least 10 minutes prior to the ship's arrival.

There may be deviations from the timetable due to high or low water levels, a high volume of passengers and other traffic obstructions resulting from breakdowns or malfunctions which are not the fault of KD and for which KD is not obliged to offer a replacement service. KD does not accept liability for any missed connections.

In order to avoid delays in the schedule, ships cannot wait for individual passengers. In the event of a late arrival, please go to the KD ticket office on site and take a later departure, if possible. We ask that groups that have booked a journey contact our KD head office to find out about alternative departure points/times in the event of a late arrival.

"There is no luggage office on board or at the wharf, therefore large baggage cannot be transported (max. hand baggage size)."

That surprised me!

Anyone here who knows if they actually enforce this policy?

1) Can I buy a ticket that let's me get off at any particular village, explore, then get back on one of the next boats and continue on, maybe two or three times before reaching my destination?

Yes - the KDRhine pass sold by a "middle man" vendor for €32 - but don't do it. A Bingen - St. Goar cruise with the train-ticket discount costs half that, to Boppard only a little more.

2) We will have our large backpacks and small bags with us, so I'm not sure if there's a way of storing or managing the luggage?

St. Goar's tourist info office will hold bags. But their lunch breaks and closing hours may not suit you. There are no lockers in these towns. For this reason, your plan definitely deserves an alternative Plan B.

"I think I'll be taking a train to Bernkastel Kues (Wittlich Hbf) and will skip Koblenz."

Couple things... Wittlich is a different town from Bernastel-Kues (which has no station - you bus to Berrnkastel from Wittlich station.) Also, you are skipping a lot more on the Rhine (and Mosel) than Koblenz. You'll have time for Bacharach and St. Goar's Rheinfels Castle (an interesting set of castle ruins, with a museum,) but it very much seems a shame that you are skipping all these other places on your sprint to Bernkastel...

Two completely intact medieval castles from the Middle Ages...
Marksburg Castle
Burg Eltz Castle

Boppard
Cochem

Perhaps your plan is to backtrack from Bernkastel to see these places, but Bernastel is well beyond these other places, and difficult to day trip from because of the bus - that seems pretty convoluted.

It's unclear to me how/when you will get to Bingen that morning.

One fix might be to book the NH Bingen (waterfront hotel) or other hotel for a night - drop your bags there in the morning for a bag-free cruise and exploration - then either cruise as planned with your stopovers in Bacharach and St. Goar, or just stay on the cruise boat to St. Goar... then hit Bacharach by train on your way back to your Bingen hotel.

Or... you could cruise from Bingen to St. Goar or Boppard with your bags, drop the bags at your hotel there, then use the trains to visit St. Goar and Bacharach. These towns are VERY close and easy to reach by train - 10 minutes between Boppard and St. Goar, 10 between St. Goar and Bacharach.

Russ,

My thought was to take the train from Boppard to Wittlich where we would stay two nights. We will definitely backtrack to Eltz Castle and Cochem. We might stay in Cochem instead. It's still in flux at this moment.

We will come from Strasbourg by train to Mainz, then I thought we would spend the late afternoon/evening in Rudesheim and hotel there or Bingen (knowing they're opposite each other).

Follow up question, what's the best Moselle River town to visit in terms of quaintness, shopping, etc. We don't want a vacant sleepy town that we can see in two minutes. We like to be able to go from shop to shop, have some ice cream/gelato, see beautiful buildings, and enjoy having other people around as well.

Same questions for the Rhine.

Modest proposal. It is actually quicker to go from Strasbourg to Bacharach. Then in the morning, take the train to Bingen Stadt and get on the KD boat there. Now, you've already covered Bacharach, so one less stopover.

Ps, Cochem fits the bill. The other thing to look for is some town that has a wine festival going on. It is the harvest season and these weekend events are a lot of fun. If you are doing your wine cruise on September 7, that a Saturday, so if you head to the Mosel district that afternoon, there will be stuff happening in the evening and the next day. Check the event planner at:
https://www.mosellandtouristik.de/en/wine-cuisine/wine-events/wine-festivals/

"We like to be able to go from shop to shop, have some ice cream/gelato, see beautiful buildings, and enjoy having other people around as well."

Yeah, you don't want Wittlich, I don't think.

I get your plan now. You aren't leaving much time for Mainz since you're unlikely to get there before 11 or so. As much as I like Mainz, it's not a small town and it requires some time; it might be better on the 6th to give Mainz a pass and just head to the Middle Rhine Valley. Rüdesheim and Boppard are your two choices for fairly lively and attractive Rhine towns. Boppard is the better overnight town for your planned sightseeing and cruise purposes. I suggest you do this:

9/6: Train from Strasbourg to Rüdesheim, arrive by 1 pm; have lunch, cruise w/ bags at 14:15 to Boppard (16:50.) If you think you can manage to visit Rüdesheim on foot with your packs for a couple of hours, go ahead, and catch the 16:15 boat instead for Boppard (18:50.) (Packing like Rick Steves suggests may enable you to do this easily enough. If not you can contact the R'heim TI office to see if they'll hold your bags for those 2 hours.) Enjoy evening in Boppard. Nice waterfront promenade there: http://schnuggel-elsje.de/upload/Bilder/IMG_0131.JPG

9/7: Check out, leave bags at front desk. Morning train to Bacharach. Afternoon train to St. Goar. Late afternoon train to Boppard to fetch bags (if you have the time, take the Boppard chairlift for an amazing view at Gedeonseck terrace.) Then take the tain to Cochem (the liveliest, shopping-est town on the Mosel.) With Cochem you have bypassed Burg Eltz but not by much. For an outing to Bernkastel from Cochem you can catch that bus in Wittlich and back; another, nicer, way is the train to Traben-Trarbach (change of train in Bullay) where you board one of several cruise boats to Bernkastel. Then take the bus + train back to Cochem.

This map shows the offshoot train line between Bullay (on the main Mosel route) and Traben-Trarbach (where the cruise boats for Bernkastel depart.)

Have ridden these ships from Rüdesheim to St. Goar about 100 times. People leave their luggage downstairs by the WC. There is no one watching it and there all sizes of bags here. No one cares what size they are. If it is a nice day, they will all be upstairs on the deck. If your back pack, etc. aren't that large, you can have it at your table. That is the plus of getting on in Rüdesheim, you have a better chance of getting a table. Be first in line to get on the ship and head up stairs right away. Find a table under the awning/roof. The sun can get quite bright. You can walk around taking photos. Get some drinks, maybe some fries.