KD Rhine schedule

Rick does not answer questions on this forum, it is all volunteer posters sharing their own experiences.

Trains run up and down the Rhine on both sides of the river, so this is how you would get from one location to the next, either before or after your ship ride.

Rather than start in Mainz, go to Rüdesheim and get on your ship there. Get off at Boppard. Train back to Eltville, though you will have to take a ferry across the Rhine at St. Goar or in Bingen. I suggest St. Goar.

Viewing the low season schedule at http://kdrhine.com/rhineschedule.htm#lowseason, I agree that there's no boat straight from Mainz to Koblenz. The only departure from Mainz is at 9:30 a.m, or 10:15 from Eltville. High season is the same but with one additional departure. There is also one daily return to either Eltville (arriving 19:25) or Mainz. Along the way, Rick especially likes visiting Bacharach or St. Goar. He doesn't recommend a whole day on this boat, much less two days. Why not return to Eltville by train on the same day, only 1h 15m from Koblenz?

"I intend to take the KD cruise/one day pass from Mainz to Koblenz, on October 3rd. THen, spend a night over Koblenz and return to Eltville on the other day, 4th."

Getting the cruise logistics right is tricky. First off, this is a great area to cruise, and you are at least cruising in the "right" direction on the 3rd, which is NORTH (with the current.) The current is so strong that cruising from north to south takes nearly twice as long.

But here are some suggestions for a good couple of days:

• Do not board in Mainz. Take a train to BINGEN (or to Ruedesheim, just across the river, as Jo suggests) and board there. This is where the great scenery begins, not in Mainz.

• Avoid overnighting in Koblenz, a mostly modern and relatively dull city. Stay in one of the old-world Rhine towns instead - perhaps in the town where you start or end your cruise, which is usually most convenient.

• End your cruise in either St. Goar or Boppard (as Jo suggests.) Do not cruise all the way to Koblenz, as the scenery deteriorates in that direction. The most intense scenery is between Bingen and St. Goar - a cruise of 1.5 hours. Here is a map of this section:
  http://www.bingen-ruedesheimer.com/images/map/rhine-valley290.jpg
  You can continue to Boppard by boat or train if you want to stay there instead of St. Goar, but IMO the additional river time isn't necessary - St. Goar is far enough. Either town is a good place to overnight. St. Goar has the best scenery of all the towns on the river IMO - check out the Rheinhotel St. Goar for starters.

• Do not do a round trip cruise. There's little point in wasting twice as much time again on the boat seeing the same scenery. Trains will get you around just fine. We can point you to some cheap local day passes to make the train trips or to regular train tickets if your trips are short. You can get to cool towns worth exploring like Boppard, Oberwesel, and Bacharach very cheaply and in just a few minutes by train from St. Goar.

• Do not buy a KD Rhine pass. It's overkill. The trip from Bingen to St. Goar costs just E16 (with a discount from KD for using the train to reach Bingen, that is.) Just buy your ticket at the KD dock in Bingen. The KD Rhine pass is a profit-enhancing waste sold to unsuspecting tourists who don't know how to cruise smartly and use their time well - but now you do.

Thank you all for the precious information.

Because of our long journey through Germany, we´ve decided to spend a night in Mainz because we´ll be arriving from Alsace Wine Route and the hotel will store our 2 big luggages. So, we will hop on hop off these cities you´ve mentioned without carrying them.
But, we can take a train to Bingen and board there, as you said.
1- We would like go get off at Bacharach, St. Goar, Boppard and end at Koblenz for the "Deutsches Eck".
Is it possible to hop on hop off these cities in a day?
What kind of boat ticket should we buy?
Is it sold at the KD dock in Bingen?

2-Then take the train back to Eltville, as you suggested, and overnight at the Kloster-Eberbach.
Is it worth it? We are willing to visit a winery-vineyard...

Anyways, we have 2 nights to spend over there before taking our flight in Frankfurt to Rio de Janeiro/Brazil.
It´s our first time in Germany!!!

"Is it possible to hop on hop off these cities in a day?"

Yes, but you would have only an hour in each of the first 2 towns, 3 hours in Boppard, and you would not arrive in Koblenz until 18:30. You'd then need a bus ride to the Koblenz station from the Deutsches Eck, after which you'd take a train ride of 1.25 hours more to reach Eltville. And you're leaving the next day to pickup your bags in Mainz - and then travel to and fly out of FRA??? I think trying to cover all this distance and all these towns will only just "cover up" your experience - no time to see a castle, enjoy a nice walk or a meal with a view, etc.

"we have 2 nights to spend over there"

1 in Mainz and 1 in Eltville - right?

The Deutsches Eck is on the whole just not all that interesting or overwhelming, IMO, that it justifies the minimal time you have for Bacharach and St. Goar.

I would advise seeing Bacharach (one 2-hour stop) and St. Goar (Rheinfels Castle) by boat and then crossing the river there by ferry (runs all day) to catch your train to Eltville. When you board your train for Eltville, you will have seen what is maybe the prettiest Rhine town, the best scenery on the river, and a mighty old castle. You might have a little time in Eltville that way.

Rather than stay in Mainz, why not stay in Eltville? You can leave your luggage there, ride the ship that leaves early in the morning up to where ever you want to go, then train back there.

The Deutsche Eck is a bit underwhelming, kind of like the Lorelai. It is there, but I would never make a special trip to see it, not when I was short on time. There are many other things to see along the Rhine that are far more interesting. Using the ship to get to your farthest point, like Boppard or St. Goar and then training back is the easiest way to see the castles and towns along the Rhine.

Eltville is a gorgeous little town, with lots of half-timbered buildings, lovely old church and a great promenade along the Rhine without a road or railroad track running along it blocking your view.
The day you leave for the airport, you would simply switch trains in Wiesbaden. It is a dead end station, so not a problem with switching platforms.

If you look at the boat schedule, you will see immediately it is not like an urban bus schedule where you can jump on and off anytime you want, because there are so many vehicles covering the route. Yes, you can select and purchase a multiple-ride ticket.

People are trying to tell you that there are long dull sections of the river. There are more and less interesting places you could visit. The only section (opinion) of the river worth cruising for the view is Bingen to Boppard, or the adjacent towns. Your precious time is better spent ashore for the rest of the day. Like Mainz, Koblenz is not the best you can find.

Edit: typo

I am wondering if I am getting this right. You want to spend one night in Mainz, where the hotel will keep 2 large suitcases for you. Then take the K-D boat to Koblenz and spend a night, then return to Eltville and stay at the Eberbach Kloster for a night, then to the airport and home. How will you get from Eltville to Mainz to retrieve the large suitcases before going to the airport?

At Koblenz, besides the Duetsche Eck monument, there is also a cable car over the Rhine up to Fortress Ehrenbreitstein with fabulous views of the city and surrounding valley. I would save visiting the Rhine villages for the next day when you can get a Rhineland-Pfalz ticket and truly hop-on and hop-off the local trains, working your way back to Mainz. But fitting Eltville into all of this would complicate matters. Can you get an extra day?

Edit - Answering my own question. I forgot to ask if you had a car, but I see it can all be done with public transportation. Return to Mainz 2nd day and retrieve luggage, then trains will get you to Eltville via Wiesbaden, then bus to Eberbach Kloster. Connection every hour from Mainz Hbf at 13 past the hour and journey time is 1 hour and 4 minutes.

What time is your flight? You can use the bus/rail combo to the airport from Eberbach Kloster in 1 hour and 43 minutes, but first arrival at the airport is at 9:14.