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Rhine Area--Town to Stay Im

Posted by (Grand Rapids, MI, USA) on

In early planning stages for trip in May 2027. Flying from US to Frankfurt, then train to Heidelberg for 3 nights. From there we would like to stay in the Rhine Valley for 3 nights before moving on to Colmar, France for 3 nights (and then on from three). Looking for advice about where to stay with consideration for easy public transportation to and from plus these factors;
--We stayed in St. Goar in 2018 and took a short river cruise to Boppard, then train back to St Goar

--We have seen castles, churches and museums in many areas of the world so that is not the focus of this trip and those places do not appeal so much anymore.

--Not wine connoisseurs but have a casual interest in small wineries, especially white wines

--ChatGPT suggested that we stay in Bacharach but maybe it isn't enough to keep us engaged for 3 nights??

--We could use Hyatt points to stay in Mainz so that is a plus for Mainz but not if it isn't a great choice.

Hopefully this provides some information about our preferences for this part of our trip. Thank you!

Posted by
12660 posts

I stayed in the Rhine area in 2022 and originally had booked a place in Bacharach. But I ultimately decided that it was too small and so I canceled my booking and booked at the Bellevue Rheinhotel in Boppard.

I really enjoyed my stay there. It’s a very convenient location, and the hotel was lovely and sat right on the river. The train station was a short walk away and you were very near the center of town. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again.

Posted by
8314 posts

As for the cruise, you missed the best part on your last visit. The truly scenic segment is Bingen to St Goar:

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ca/e1/50/cae1500f42cf03c44bea2da512d659a0.jpg

Mainz is not where you should be if you are looking for nice scenery. It's a great place for most people to spend maybe a day and night if you are flying out of FRA - it's only 20-25 train minutes to FRA airport - but you aren't interested in its main attractions (churches and museums) so maybe just a night there.

Bacharach is a beautiful town. It has some nice hikes but there's not that much to do right in town. Riverfront accommodations aren't possible like they are in St Goar and certain other towns.

If you would like to do a cruise and just bop around to different old-world towns in the area, I think mardee's suggestion - Boppard - is a pretty good one. Bacharach and Oberwesel to the south are on the same train line and good for exploring on foot. Another Rhine town, across the river from Boppard and to the north, is also quite attractive for strolling around - Braubach:

https://delveintoeurope.com/braubach-germany/

Boppard has several waterfront hotels, some wine venues and a nice collection of restaurants as well. One establishment. Gedeonseck, is high on the clifftops above town. Take the Boppard chairlift up and back and enjoy the views.

Boppard chairlift: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g198627-d3306006-Reviews-Sesselbahn_in_Boppard-Boppard_Rhineland_Palatinate.html

Heilig Grab wine garden, in town: https://www.deutschlandgourmet.info/bilder/gross/5710-Restaurant-Weinhaus-Heilig-Grab-Boppard.jpg

Gedeonseck: https://s3-media1.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/T9oxNMwLvt_-r5nCsce-jg/o.jpg

Boppard is a good springboard for outings. The ferry crossing connects you to the railway on the opposite bank with a short walk into Filsen. From Filsen, Braubach, mentioned above, is only a few minutes on the train. Or you can just take the train from Boppard station to Braubach (change trains in Koblenz.)

It sounds like you have NOT visited the Mosel Valley. That is also an option from Boppard. Old-world wine towns like Winningen and Cochem are accessible by train from a Boppard base (also with a change in Cochem) as are other Mosel villages:

https://www.mosel-inside.de/en/travel-guide/mosel-villages.html

Another reason to settle in Boppard: the VRM Guest Ticket, which comes with your room at no charge in Boppard and provides free transportation around the area:
https://www.boppard-tourismus.de/en/accommodation/

Posted by
3111 posts

Any of the towns are fine to stay in. You will be using it as a base to explore the region. You can explore any of the towns in under a day. I would find a hotel that suits you and stay there. If you think using your Hyatt points is a good value, then I would strongly consider staying in Mainz. I personally would rather stay in a more local, traditional German accomodation (which I do inexpensively) and save the points for a ‘big city’ stay.

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