Long Distance vs. Regional Train Frankfurt Airport to Boppard

where are you looking?

There are no direct trains for this journey on that date because of track work in the final few miles, regional trains are running to Oberwesel and there is a replacement bus onwards to Boppard. But the normal range of regional tickets is on sale and won't sell out because they aren't reserved. They don't really need booking in advance.

The long distance train option (every 2 hours) is diverted around the work, takes you all the way to Koblenz and then you come back to Boppard on a regional train arriving from the opposite direction to normal. This is slightly slower than some of the train/bus combinations. If booked NOW the fare for one or two people is slightly cheaper than the regional fares but the ticket wouldn't be flexible in case of late flight arrival.

Sequence is:

• 09:24 "fast" regional train/bus combination
  
• 09:59 long distance via Koblenz option
• 10:24 slower regional trains/bus combination

and pattern repeats 2 hourly.

Thank you, that is very helpful! I'm looking on the Rome2Rio site.

Road2Ruin!

use www.bahn.com for info, you can book with them but for this I suspect the flexible regional options will be better and they don't need booking in advance. Check prices by including the actual number of people, regional fares are discounted by group pricing not advance booking/ fixed itinery.

You could also take a train down the right bank to St. Goarshausen, then take the KD boat to Boppard. Or take the ferry across at St. Goarshausen and the replacement bus from St. Goar to Boppard.

Too bad the Boppard ferry is not working or you could take the train to Kamp Bornhofen, then the bus to the right bank ferry stop near Filsen, then the ferry to Boppard.

As noted previously, there ARE direct trains between FRA's Regionalbahnhof station and Oberwesel at the following times: 7:10, 9:24 11:24, 13:24 and 15:24. (In between, there are options which require an additional change of train - so shoot for one of the above travel times instead.) This train ride takes about 1 hour.

Once in Oberwesel, you get off the train and transfer with the other passengers to the TRAIN-REPLACEMENT BUS (SEV Bus) - which is covered by the FRA > Boppard train ticket you bought at the airport for 32.80 Euros each. This bus ride takes about 23 minutes to reach the Boppard train station.

This will be your quickest and simplest travel option.

Will you be doing day trips from Boppard? Please use the DB site for identifying your travel options during this time. The VRM Guest ticket which you receive from your host in Boppard should cover most or perhaps all of your train and bus travel on subsequent days.

Russ, that is very helpful. We will be tired: 3 hour drive to Toronto and then an overnight flight to Frankfurt. We are looking for the simplest way to get to Boppard. We will be in Boppard for 2 nights before joining our Best of Germany, Austria, Switzerland tour in Koblenz.

What flight are you on? I see 3 operated by Air Canada/Lufthansa and 1 operated by West Jet/Condor.
A Quer durch Lands Ticket for 2 people is 63 EUR. Any regional trains and replacement buses work for that ticket. July 5 is a Sunday, so there are no time restrictions.

So your tour begins July 7 and will include some time in Koblenz, Beilstein, and Burg Eltz. Looks like there are plenty of Boppard > Koblenz trains that day. Your VRM Guest Ticket will still be valid after check out and will cover this trip.

When you search the DB site for schedules, you should avoid the journeys with "notifications" if you wish to ride a train instead of a replacement bus. Most of those trains - the RE trains - stop in Koblenz only at the Koblenz Hbf (main station.) Others - the RB trains - stop at the Hbf and then continue to a second Koblenz stop, the "Stadtmitte" or city-center stop... I see a 12:30 RB train as well as a 14:30 and another at 16:30. Where is your Koblenz hotel located? You probably want to be as close as possible when you step off the train, so select your station and train accordingly. That said, since your VRM Guest Ticket also covers regularly-scheduled city buses, it may be possible to TRANSFER to a city bus that stops even closer to your hotel from either train station.

Assuming you'll spend the remainder of July 5 in Boppard, that leaves July 6 open. The Boppard chairlift is fun. Perhaps you plan to take a Rhine cruise that day? Or do you have something else in mind? Feel free to re-post if you'd like some help figuring out the logistics for that day.

Sam, I have never heard of that and will look into it. We arrive at 6:30am on Air Canada.
Russ, we're staying at Bellevue Rheinhotel. We got a package that includes dinner and a cruise. I'll look into the chairlift.
This is all so helpful. I knew I could count on RS traveler's to guide me in the right direction.
If I do book the train ahead, should I book it on the DB site? Is there any need to book it ahead?

"Russ, we're staying at Bellevue Rheinhotel."

I was asking about the KOBLENZ hotel's location since you need to get there on the 7th.

"If I do book the train ahead, should I book it on the DB site? Is there any need to book it ahead?"

It is not possible to book the trains that serve Boppard in advance. While it is POSSIBLE to buy a ticket in advance, doing so for the RB and RE (regional) trains does not help you in any way... seats on these trains cannot be reserved, so you cannot get guaranteed seating on these trains or a better choice of seats just because you bought a ticket earlier. These trains are similar to municipal buses back home in that purchasing a ticket in advance might be possible, but you will just have to sit wherever there is a seat, or stand if no seat is available.

Also tickets for regional trains are usually non-refundable. Sam suggested buying a "Day Ticket for Germany" (or the Quer durchs Deutschland Ticket in German) at 63 Euros instead of the two one-way tickets I suggested - that strategy does save you a couple of Euros, so I would take Sam's advice.

https://int.bahn.de/en/offers/regional/day-ticket-germany

But I would buy it on the day of travel, as it is non-refundable if something comes up (like a flight cancellation or re-routing which forces you to arrive on the next day) and you can't arrive at FRA on your scheduled date.

Tickets for regional trains are valid all day long - you can use them on ANY regional train or trains that take you on the direct route from FRA to Boppard.

BTW, Having to take a replacement bus is a minor inconvenience. It is only a 23 minute ride from Oberwesel. I've had to do it, and you just go with it. Everywhere I go this summer, there are road closures and detours. Same applies to rail roads.

If you arrive on time, you have a chance of making the 7:24 train, which requires a connection at Ingelheim. The 8:24 also requires a connection at Ingelheim, but the 9:24 is direct to Oberwesel.

Russ, we are at Sander Hotel in Koblenz.

OK, so the Koblenz Stadtmitte station will be closest to the Hotel Sander. If you're packing as Rick advises, the 10-minute walk should easily be doable from there. The "station" is really just a couple of long concrete platforms on the west side of the Löhr Center shopping mall.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koblenz_Stadtmitte_station#/media/File:Koblenz_im_Buga-Jahr_2011_-_Er%C3%B6ffnung_Haltepunkt_Koblenz_Stadtmitte_1.jpg

You can use the Rome2Rio site to check the best walking route from Koblenz Stadtmitte to your hotel, which is on the east side of the newish FORUM center.

If you end up for whatever reason at Koblenz Hbf, a real train station, it is a pretty long walk with bags to the hotel. You might take the bus from the bus plaza out in front of the Hbf station to the Zentralplatz/Forum, Koblenz stop, which is a walk of only about 200 meters from your hotel. Use the DB website to search for the bus journeys between these two stops. Bus 3,5,8 and 13 will get you there within a few minutes. Others will too but take slightly longer. The DB site will tell you which bus stand to use, A B C etc., and what time the next bus leaves.

Again, the train and bus rides are free as long as you still have your VRM Guest Tickets with you.

And when boarding the bus in Koblenz, check with the driver just to be sure it stops at the Zentralplatz, pronounced...
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