Middle Rhine Valley, May 2026

Bacharach is nice, we like the Altes Haus restaurant there. But we prefer St. Goar. We've stayed at the Rhein Hotel in St. Goar, nice place, very close to ferries and railway. You definitely want to take a boat downriver, and probably take a train back up to St. Goar. Lots of castles, Deutsche Ecke, vinyards, etc.... Rudesheim is very interesting, lots to see there, but very touristy, may be very crowded. I wouldn't stay in Rudesheim. But from Rudesheim, there's a nice hike and/or chairlift toward Niederwald.

We really enjoyed Boppard, as it's right on the Rhine, has a nice energy, and is close to transportation connections. The Belleview Hotel is our favorite. And, we enjoyed the chairlift and view from the top.
Note that Bacharach is very tiny, and is back away from the Rhine, behind the railroad tracks.
Have a great trip!

And staying in Boppard you will get a guest card that gives a pass for your stay on all transport (regional trains and buses) in the VRM region.
https://www.vrminfo.de/fileadmin/data_vrminfo/Bilder/Kampagnen/2025/VRM_Schienennetzplan_2024.pdf

Take a look at Eltville. Big enough to have what you want, but still a small village feel. Nice promenade along the Rhein. Lots of good places to eat. The near-by Eberbach Monastery is a must in my opinion for anyone visiting the Rhein area. Hiking is near-by too. Trains going to Wiesbaden, Mainz and Frankfurt every hour, as well as the other direction to Rüdesheim, Koblenz, St. Goarshausen, etc.

"We like to hike, so nearby trail access would be a plus."

ANY Rhine town will provide this access. It's an absolute hiker's paradise. Same goes for the train stations.

But it does pay to be "picky" about scenery. All towns within the Rhine gorge are attractive on some level, but St Goar (travelerguy's tip) and Boppard are at the top of the list when it comes to river scenery. Both of these towns have riverfront hotels with great views across the river:

ST. GOAR: Rheinhotel St Goar (some rooms with balcony) and Hotel Rheinfels offer great views and good proximity to KD cruise boat dock and the station. AND to the ferry crossing to reach the opposite riverbank. You can see both the KD dock and the tip of the ferry boat in the photo below, taken from the Rheinhotel:

https://dynamic-media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/18/9e/0f/df/rheinhotel-st-goar.jpg?w=1400&h=-1&s=1

BOPPARD: Check out the Bellevue and the Ebertor (has both rooms and hostel rooms) for starters. There are others along the nicely-developed waterfront promenade as well, with several restaurants sandwiched in there as well. It's a slightly longer walk from the waterfront to the station in Boppard, but cruise boat docks and a ferry crossing are right there on the promenade as well.

The views in St Goar are better IMO. And Rheinfels Castle is right there in town. The ferry crossing there is a little handier than Boppard's since it's a short walk to the station on the opposite river bank for trips to Marksburg Castle, Rüdesheim, etc. AFAIK, there is just one small grocery store in St Goar (operated by the town.)

The Boppard waterfront is a fun, more active place with more options. Boppard is a larger town with multiple grocery stores and more going on including the Rhine's coolest chairlift. Visiting Rheinfels Castle is not hard from here since St Goar is only 10 train minutes away. Boppard has a much larger choice of restaurants in town. And as previously mentioned, the Guest Ticket is offered to every guest there once they've checked in. That covers most of your train/bus transportation needs during your stay, including trips you might make up the Mosel to Cochem and Burg Eltz, or further up the Rhine as far as Remagen. (Note that such trips, if you will be making them, will require a bit less time from Boppard than from St Goar.) Also: Boppard is served by direct RE train from FRA airport. Getting between St Goar and FRA will always require a change of train.

So generally, the game goes to Boppard, IMO, but St Goar is a great choice if you want to spend extra time just enjoying the river views from your hotel window or balcony.

Eltville and Rüdesheim: I rate these lower as travel base towns. Eltville lies outside the gorge (less natural scenery) and R'heim is a bit too touristy and generally less scenic as well than the other towns further north. Both are nice towns to visit if you have time.

Bacharach: A must-visit town for the half-timbered buildings there. But not really as scenic since the town is set back from the river too far for views, the exception being the splurgey Auf Schönburg Castle/Hotel at the top of the cliffs (not a good choice for train travelers, unfortunately.)

Oberwesel: Not as good a base town either... but a great hike exists from St Goar to Oberwesel along the clifftops, figure about 2.5 hours... and the remnants of the old town fortifications there make for a nice walk as well... use the Oberwesel train station to return to your base.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g198501-d2189241-Reviews-City_Fortifications-Oberwesel_Rhineland_Palatinate.html

EDIT: I ended up switching the reservations to Boppard based on the previous posts / feedback. Much appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks all! Extremely appreciated.

I've booked in St. Goar. Eltville looked very promising, and has a cruise dock. But, I can tell that it must be popular among Germans because all of the hotels I looked at there are already booked for the Saturday we land. Also, distance is a bit of a concern. Likewise, Boppard looks amazing --- and will be our backup plan in case of any reservation issues. We will definitely take the short train ride up to visit and take the chair lift. Kaub wasn't mentioned (probably due to its tiny size), but we really want to go there for a day trip. They've an interesting looking museum, and the island fortress of Pfalzgrafenstein.

One last question --- does anyone know if the VRM Guest Ticket adds any added value over the Deutschland Ticket? https://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets/tickets/leisure-tickets/vrm-guest-ticket/

We plan on traveling on our Deutschland Tickets on the Regional Trains (RE) out of Frankfurt to and from St. Goar, of course. But, while in the area, does the VRM Guest Ticket give us anything extra? Maybe ferry access across to the other bank on the Rhine?

Thanks again to you all.

The VRM Ticket is not for sale, nor is it automatically available to you if your base is St. Goar, where individual proprietors decide whether to offer it to you. Perhaps the place you booked DOES offer it. You can inquire. However, there is no additional transportation value to this ticket beyond the Deutschland ticket unless you have certain days which are not covered by the D-Ticket (which is valid only for a CALENDAR month.)

Neither the D-Ticket nor the Guest Ticket can be used with the St Goar ferry, AFAIK, though I have read that it's accepte on certain ferries to the north (Remagen, Linz, Koblenz.) Of course, if you end up with one, it never hurts to present the Guest Ticket just in case.

From St. Goar to Marksburg Castle: I may have implied that the ferry was necessary to reach Braubach (home of the intact, medieval Marksburg Castle and a stunning half-timbered town; just click on the link below for 3 pages of photos.)

The ferry is not needed. Just take the train from St Goar to Koblenz and change there for the 10-minute ride to Braubach.

https://www.stadtbild-deutschland.org/forum/index.php?thread/7322-braubach-am-rhein-und-marksburg-galerie/

Handy transport map for the area:

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

The trip to Pfalzgrafenstein is fun. Not much to see inside. If the river is low as it was when we visited, then you can walk some on the island. In May the river is more likely to be high and no island.

A nice hike I did last time in Bacharach ( and planning again for next year ) is to Burg Stahlberg ( not to be confused with StahlECK, the youth hostel castle above the town ). Stahlberg is located about 1 km inland above Steeg. It is a nice ruin with only a short uphill to it. There is also a longer route (12 km I think plus more uphills ) that also includes Stahleck.

Not a hike but a pleasant walk is the town wall in Oberwesel. If you go there, also visit the big red church by the train station the Liebfrauenkirche. My favorite German church.

If you should decide to take the cable car from Ruedesheim to the Niederwald Monument, then walk across and take the chairlift down to Assmannshausen.

"I ended up switching the reservations to Boppard..."

You will probably be a little unsure about how to do the cruise from here and how to get around on the VRM Guest Card. Feel free to return with questions.

An option for reaching Marksburg/Braubach not mentioned: There is a KD cruise boat which connects Boppard and Braubach directly in both directions. It's a 30-minute ride this way. Not included with the VRM Guest Card... buy tickets at the dock.

2025 KD schedule for your reference... expect a small change or two in 2026 from what you see here, but it should look mostly the same in May:
https://www.k-d.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/KD_Fahrplan_2025_web.pdf

I loved our stay at the Bellevue in Boppard. The view from our balcony was amazing!

We like to hike, so nearby trail access would be a plus.

One hiking option not mentioned yet is the Assmanshausen Tour on the Seilbahn Rudesheim in Rudesheim. It's a cable car up in Rudesheim, then see the monument and other hiking options up top, then a chairlift down in Assmanshausen which has a KD dock. Not very long either.

St. Goar is compact, with easy ferry/train access and good hikes to castles like Rheinfels. Rudesheim is worth a visit but can be crowded for a base. Enjoy your restful adventure.

Thank you everyone! All of this information is extremely appreciated.

What would be a nice KD cruise out of Boppard? I see Russ mentioned Boppard to Braubach to see Marksburg Castle. That is a pretty cheap boat ride! Would it be worth going south from Boppard to see the Lorelei from a cruise, or can you also see the Lorelei from the train on the other side of the river? I ask because we'll have our train tickets well covered, and might want to save a little on KD cruise costs.

Also, is Rudesheim a "must see" while in the area, despite the crowds?

I especially appreciate the hiking suggestions, and the mention of the church in Oberwesel. Thanks again.

"Russ mentioned Boppard to Braubach to see Marksburg Castle." Yes, I suggested the K-D cruise option for this route, but just as an interesting and alternative way to get to Braubach/Marksburg - not as a core "cruise experience."

"Would it be worth going south from Boppard to see the Lorelei from a cruise, or can you also see the Lorelei from the train on the other side of the river?"

The best cruise experience takes a little less than 2 hours and includes nice views of the Loreley - not just the Loreley, but also the most scenic section of the Rhine Gorge, the part between St. Goar and Bingen... From Boppard, here's how to do this efficiently...

Step 1: Train south to Bingen Rhein Stadt station (you may want to hop off in Oberwesel or in Bacharach on the way south for a foot tour of the town or a walk along Oberwesel's old town wall fortifications. Hop back on later and continue to Bingen.)

Step 2: Walk to the dock in Bingen (a few minutes away) and buy tickets for the cruise to St. Goar (maybe visit Rheinfels Castle here if there's time.)

Step 3: Catch the train back to Boppard from St Goar (roughly 10 minutes away.)

This cruise offers views of numerous castles, villages, and vine-clad cliffsides as you move north; you'll reach the Loreley just prior to St Goar.

This page from the Bingen-Rüdesheimer cruise outfit has a map on the right which shows the cruise route.

Now, it is also possible to cruise all the way to Boppard from Bingen (which would skip step 3.) The cruise is longer so it costs a bit more, and there is only ONE boat per day (no boat on Mondays!) for this option - the 16:30 boat from Bingen, which pulls into Boppard at 18:50. This would work out well for you if you plan to hop off the train in Bacharach/Oberwesel for sightseeing as suggested. You just need to work with the schedules (which are not yet out for the cruise ships... all times shown here are from the 2025 season, just for examples.)

We did a round-trip cruise between Boppard and Bingen. It was a relaxing day after traveling there all the way from northern Minnesota the day before.

When we left Boppard a few days later, we took the train to Frankfurt. We had planned to enjoy the scenery from the train, but it was so jammed packed that we had to stand for the first 90 minutes . I was glad we had traveled as far as we had on the boat

"Also, is Rudesheim a "must see" while in the area, despite the crowds?"

Not necessarily. It's the gateway town to the Rhine Gorge for those coming from FRA airport, Frankfurt, and the other urban areas which lie to the south, so naturally, it's a good place to get on a day cruise boat... and/or a must-pass-through town if they are traveling to Marksburg, to hiking trailheads for the Rheinsteig Trail, or other points along the "right" bank... so naturally, many do stop/visit/stay in R'heim. It's an attractive town that does its best to entertain tourists, but I'd place most of the other places mentioned a bit higher on the ladder of "must-sees."

"We did a round-trip cruise between Boppard and Bingen."

I've heard of people doing it like this. Sample schedule:

Boppard > Bingen, 11:00 - 15:15; Bingen > Boppard, 16:30 - 18:15.

As the schedule shows, it takes twice as long to cruise southbound from Boppard. And of course the return trip, while faster, merely repeats the scenery. You'd have a 45 minute layover in Bingen (nice scenery there too, but one of the less interesting towns) but obviously, you'd need to be in the mood for a very long sit on the cruise boats; it would not be possible to fit in a walk around Bacharach or a Rheinfels Castle tour or anything else with so many hours tied up in the cruise.

Also, is Rudesheim a "must see" while in the area, despite the crowds?

I might be a bit biased as I used Rudesheim as a base because my main attraction in the area was the KD cruise and I wanted to take that north then slowly train back. Besides the cable cars and chairlifts, Rudesheim has the Siegfried's Mechanical Museum and Drosselgasse. It offers a different perspective of the Rhine. While it was definitely more lively than some other towns, I never got the sense it was too crowded. A place where you either begin or end your day.

I visited both Bacharach and Oberwesel and found both were very similar. In hindsight, I would've dropped Oberwesel and spent more time in Bacharach, even though I enjoyed both.