Ramstein to Rhine

With two days for sightseeing, it seems a shame to limit yourself to Bacharach and St. Goar. These towns are only 10 train minutes apart from one another. There are other towns on the same side of the Rhine that are connected by train as well. In between Bacharach and St. Goar is Oberwesel:

https://www.weinhaus-weiler.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/DSC_2434_1920.jpg
http://www.oberwesel.de/en/wandern0/stadtmauerrundweg/

North of St. Goar is Boppard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2IjTma6VRY
Check out the views from this nice spot near the top of Boppard's chairlift.

Marksburg Castle in Braubach (across the river) is an exceptional Rhine castle - it's completely intact, with tours in English at 13:00 and 16:00. Rüdesheim (on the Braubach side) is a popular destination as well.

I could see you spending time in the west bank towns (Bacharach, etc.) on Day 1. Do a morning cruise from Bingen to St. Goar, drop your bags there, then head out by train for the rest of the day.

On day 2, ferry across to St. Goarshausen and use the east bank train line to visit Marksburg, Rüdesheim, and whatever else you turn up.

Because St. Goar is central on the west bank and has a convenient ferry crossing - and because Rheinfels Castle ruins is right in town - and because it's a good place for ending a Rhine cruise - that's the place to stay for those getting around by train and boat.

Becky that sounds like a good plan. These places are close enough to each other that you could just stay in one of them for two nights. When is your trip? Might be some festivals going on in the area. Yes connections via rail to the Frankfurt airport rail station are easy.

Thank you both for the suggestions. I'll be there June 20-22 this summer, and am looking forward to enjoying the Rhine and the castles.

One more question: Is the same train pass good for both sides of the Rhine, or are these different companies? Thanks.

They are all in Rheinland-Pfalz, so day tickets are good there, The only separate ticket would be to Frankfurt Airport and that would be an RMV network ticket if your last night was in Bacharach or Ruedesheim.

Thank you. Also, is there a train from Kaiserslatern to Bingen on June 20 that would get me to the KD ferry about 11:00? Where would I find the train schedule?

Train schedule is at www.bahn.com. Start is Kaiserslautern Hbf, end point is Bingen (Rhein) KD. That is the dock itself. You'll see a train at 8:32 to Bingen (Rhein) Hbf, arriving at 10:01, then Bahn suggests a 3 minute bus ride to Hospitalstrasse where you walk to the dock. You might think about just taking a taxi to the dock from Bingen (Rhein) Hbf, or, since you have plenty of time, walking. Its about 3/4 of a mile and walkable if you have light luggage.
Alternatively, you could wait 23 minutes at Bingen Hbf and take a 2 minute train to Bingen Stadt station and walk from there, about 10 minutes according to Bahn.

Since you have to leave before 9 am, you have to buy a regular ticket for 18.20 EUR.

Thank you for all of the advice. We had a wonderful trip!