We will be traveling from tithe burg to Cologne. And plan on stopping at Marksburg and Rheinsfels. Can this be done in a day? Should we plan an over night at one of the cities near the castles? Where would you recommend??
We (mom, dad and 2 boys 15&17) are visiting in late November
tithe burg? Where is that?
Ha!! Auto-correct! Didn't catch that! Sorry!
Rothenburg
It's probably possible to cram in both castles into one day, but you'll probably need to leave very early and arrive very late in Cologne, which in many ways is just another standard big city, so it makes much more sense to me that you would stay either in St. Goar (home of Rheinfels - the most scenic spot on the Rhine, IMO) or in Braubach (home of Marksburg - a very attractive old-world village.)
You are still planning to travel by TRAIN, right? I'd look at the DB schedule and plan on getting to St. Goar as early as you're comfortable leaving and with at least a 3-hour stopover there. See the castle and town and have a nice meal (the TI office will hold your bags.) Then ferry across to St. Goarshausen and catch a train (22 minutes) north to Braubach for the night. See Marksburg in the morning.
Braubach lodging options: http://braubach.welterbe-mittelrhein.de/en/gastronomy/lodging/
Rheinfels will be closed then
Stephen is right - Rheinfels will be shut except for pre-arranged groups after November 13. There's no great reason to stop over in St. Goar at that time. You might want to stop in Ruedesheim for a look around on your way to Braubach, however, as it's on the same side of the river and will have some activity, especially if the Christmas Market is underway (starts Nov. 24.)
I would not stay in Braubach overnight in the late fall or winter. It is dead as a door nail. You may not find any restaurants open and even the small hotels might be closed. Continue on to Koblenz or even Cologne after visiting the Marksburg. Check the Marksburg website for the times of the English tour, as it will only be once a day.
It will indeed be very quiet in November in Braubach. Marksburg however is a year-round attraction and I imagine a few hoteliers will keep their doors open for those who wish to stay there - there's a one-weekend Christmas market there the first weekend of December which may influence hotel dates. You can probably get a local email-response to the question of room/meal availability for your specific dates in Braubach from the tourist office:
Besides the big city options of Cologne and Koblenz, for a livelier overnight stopover, you might want to book in Ruedesheim (where it may be tough to find a room due to the popular Christmas market.) Drop bags there and catch the next train to Braubach (which follows the river the entire way so you can do some castle-spotting) for Marksburg (45 minutes) and return for the evening market. Leave the next morning for Cologne. You do not necessarily need to take an English tour. The castle has a leaflet in English that you can carry with you on the German tour; and you can likely ask any questions you have as you move from stop to stop on the tour.
