Hi,
I am sure everyone is sick of Rhine cruise questions, but I feel as if I have read a thousand different things about where to start and end this cruise, and would really appreciate clarification. We are staying in Bacharach, have a car and are looking to cruise the Rhine for a few hours.
Do you recommend a trip that goes from Koblenz to Mainz? St. Goarshausen to Rudesheim? Bacharach to St. Goar? Bacharach to Bingen?
Does it make a difference which direction we go in?
Thanks very much.
I am sure Russ has an answer he can copy/paste in here. :)
It does make a difference which direction because the current goes from south to North so the trip is much quicker that way. I think he recommends Bingen to St Goar as the most scenic and fastest. We are also staying in Bacharach in May and will be taking the train to Bingen and cruising to St. Goar (Russ is my go-to guy for the Rhine area!)
You can leave the car in the carpark. Buy 2 local tickets from Bacharach to Bingen Stadbahnhof, cost 4.50 EUR pp. You can leave at 8:06 am, arriving at 8:26, giving you about 45 minutes to take the 10 minute walk down to the boat dock and buy your tickets. Show your train tickets and get a discount. You can get the 9:15 am boat and go to St Goar at 10:55 am, or stay on a bit longer to Boppard arriving at 11:50 am. Train tickets back to Bacharach are 4.10 EUR pp, 7.00 EUR pp from Boppard. Trains are at least every hour. If you do go on to Boppard, you can stopover in St Goar on your way back.
You can also start later, as there are boats from Bingen at 10:15, 11:15. 2:15 pm and 4:15 pm. The boat at 4:15 is the old steamboat.
I have taken this cruise about 50 times and I enjoy it each time.
Best spot to get on is either Bingen or Rüdesheim and ride the ship to St. Goar. This allows you to see the most castles on the Rhine. Show your train ticket to get a discount. Seniors and students get discounts too. They like cash and will charge you more if you use your credit card.
Good advice above... but since you're staying in Bacharach, don't try boarding the ship in Rüdesheim unless you're a strong swimmer - it's on the opposite river bank. Just take the train to Bingen. Also, don't expect the Bingen ships to leave at 9:15, or at :15 after the hour for subsequent trips... the northbound Bingen ships leave at :30 after. Th :15 after times are from Rüdesheim (and anyone boarding there will be crossing the river to to pick up Bingen passengers a few minutes later.)
(If Rüdesheim happens to be on your sightseeing list anyway, it is possible to spend some time there before the cruise... take the train to Bingen - and cross the Rhine on the Bingen-Rüdesheimer ferry. Later you can board a northbound cruise boat there. Note that there are no KD cruises after the 11:15 boat until 14:15.)
If you cruise to Boppard, do have a look around there before heading back to Bacharach. There's a cool chairlift ride to the clifftops, where you can take a walk to the 4-lakes-lookout (Vierseenblick) and to Gedeonseck terrace/restaurant. The chairlift is labeled "Sessellift" in blue on this map of the clifftop area. Green lines are walking paths.
Thanks everyone for you advice.
Ferrin: Have a great trip! If you’re going in early May, I will watch out for your trip report 😊
Sam: We were thinking that the steamboat would be fun. Good to know about the tioming. Thanks.
Ms.Jo: Thanks for the tip about paying in cash.
Russ: We are planning to spend some time in both Boppard and Rudesheim (on different days). The 14:15 steamboat out of Rudesheim sounds like the way to go. Do you think we would miss much if we disembarked at Bacharach vs continuing on to St Goar? Is there any reason at all to go all the way up to Koblenz?
"Do you think we would miss much if we disembarked at Bacharach vs continuing on to St Goar?"
Yes, about half of the best part. Bingen to Bacharach is 15km. Bingen to St. Goar is 28 km. So Bacharach is roughly the mid-way point for the cruise segment which Jo, Sam and I have all recommended. (You're dealing with that "I booked in Bacharach" struggle that we discussed earlier when you were choosing a place to stay - it's just plain trickier from there to do this cruise segment.)
Am I correct that you arrive on June 6 by car in Bacharach for 3 nights?
"The 14:15 steamboat out of Rudesheim sounds like the way to go."
Wrong time... to ride THAT boat you will need to depart Rüdesheim at 16:15 or Bingen at 16:30.
It would probably be wise to split your cruise onto two separate days... June 6: Your driving time to Bacharach is less than 3 hours; it should be pretty easy to park, check in or drop bags... then take the 20-minute train ride at 15:36 to Bingen Rhein Stadt. Then walk a few minutes to the cruise dock... After the 16:30 steamer cruise, you'd be back in Bacharach at 17:15. Then... on June 7, re-board a KD boat in Bacharach and continue your cruise north to St. Goar or to Boppard. First boat north from Bacharach is at 10:15. You'll reach Boppard at 11:50 (or St. Goar at 10:55 - but it makes sense to cruise on to Boppard since that's on your sightseeing plate.) TICKETS: Buy on June 6 for the whole cruise segment (Bingen - Boppard.) When you disembark in Bacharach, just be sure to have the cruise personnel authorize your cruise ticket for next-day travel so you can finish out the segment you paid for. After Boppard, catch a direct train back to Bacharach.
"Is there any reason at all to go all the way up to Koblenz?"
Generally no, not by cruise boat.
Rüdesheim: You can drive... cross the river by car ferry just south of Bacharach in Niederheimbach. I would suggest a tour of Marksburg Castle in Braubach as well while you're on that side of the river. It's an outstanding, intact medieval castle.
Thanks bxrlover-I will definitely be doing a TR!
Good thread, I always learn so much from Russ, Ms Jo and Sam!
The cash tip is excellent!
I kind of wish I had booked us in St Goar or Boppard (for the reasons stated by others), but I realized too late that Bacharach is not ideal for some of the things we want to do. Oh well, next time! We will make the best of it (and ride a lot of trains!)
Ferrin: I have been having the same doubts about staying in Bacharch and wishing we’d opted for Boppard, and although we could cancel our hotel, I am really looking forward to staying at Pension Im Malerwinkle.
Russ: we have played around with our itinerary since then and are arriving on June 5, leaving on June 9. Thank you for the reminder about the Bacharach to St. Goar part of the Rhine. I am planning this whole trip on my own and it gets a bit overwhelming at times, hence confusing 1415 with 4:15. I hadn’t considered doing the cruise twice, but great idea! Thanks for laying out all the options with times for me, it’s much appreciated.
"...it gets a bit overwhelming at times..."
The Middle Rhine Valley is one of those logistically difficult spots. Just for the sake of clarity... my suggestion was to do half the scenic part on one day (Bingen-Bacharach) and the second half on a following day (Bacharach-Boppard) rather than doing the same segment twice - that seems to make a stay in Bacharach a little simpler. Feel free to send me a PM if you need any more tips on this.
As for Bacharach, it's an outstanding town - no Rhine visit is complete without a stop there - but bedding down there presents a few limitations. I don't recall if you've chosen an inn there yet... if not, be cautious about proximity to the railway - there'll be noise at night - and check the reviews for comments on this.
Hi Russ,
Thanks for clarifying, and the offer of a personal consult :) Any tips on biking, hiking in the area? I seem to only be able to find sites that are either in German, or are for organized tours.
Yes, I meant to do the cruise on two different days.
Thankfully, we are away from the train noise at Pension IM Malerwinkle.
I would not separate the cruise into 2 days. You will end up paying more for it. Just take it to the end destination you want and train back. This is a lot easier.
Or, take the train to Bingen, board there and travel to St Goar or Boppard and take the train back. Even if you did do the late steamboat, leave Bacharach at 3:36 pm, get the 4:30 pm boat, arrive in Boppard at 6:50 pm, get the 7:16 pm train back to Bacharach arriving at 7:35 pm. A 4-hour tour.
I don't disagree with the notion of just cruising all the way and taking the train back afterward. It's just that you sounded adverse to that plan - like it would be too much - that's why I suggested the split cruise instead - and because you're headed to Boppard sometime later anyway.
Jo writes, "I would not separate the cruise into 2 days. You will end up paying more for it."
I am not aware of this. The bookmarked KD information I have says a standard ticket is valid until the end of the calendar year (unless it's stamped with a specific date.) My paraphrase of the German... I don't know if the rules are available in English.
Die Geltungsdauer der Fahrscheine für Rund- und Linienfahrten endet
mit Ablauf des Kalenderjahres, in dem sie erworben wurden.
Datumsbezogene Fahrscheine gelten nur für den oder am ausgestellten
Tag.
Source: https://www.kd-rhein-main.de/pdf/KD_Befoerderungsbedingungen_2012.pdf
Perhaps I've assumed wrongly that a ticket valid that long could be used on multiple days for completing a single journey. Or perhaps the policy has changed.
If a separate ticket for each segment is required, standard fares for Bingen - Boppard would cost €35, €6.80 more than the one-ticket fare of €28.20. Or maybe there's a fee involved.
Maybe Jo would be willing to share some details on those additional costs...
Biking: South of Bacharach I think you'll find a nice dedicated bike path. To the north I think it's a roadshare experience. That's how it was last time I biked south from St. Goar.
Hiking: The Rhine Castle Trail is really good - it connects Bacharach with Oberwesel and St. Goar to the north and runs south as well:
I just checked the KD website for fares. https://www.k-d.com/en/
Bingen to Boppard costs 28.20€ p.p with seniors costing 19.80€ (just in case you are older)
Bingen to St. Goar costs 20.20€ p.p. with seniors costing 14.20€
St. Goar to Boppard costs 10.60€ p.p. with seniors costing 7.50€
Perhaps it is my own personal preference that once you get on the ship, just stay there for the ride. For me it is just more relaxing, you don't have to go searching for a table, seats, wait to get served your wine, etc. You are already there and can just enjoy it.
Jo writes,
Bingen to St. Goar costs 20.20€ p.p. with seniors costing 14.20€... St.
Goar to Boppard costs 10.60€ p.p. with seniors costing 7.50€
So if the OP were staying in St. Goar (and if 2 separate tickets ARE required) the total cost of €30.80 would be €2.60 more than the standard Bingen - Boppard fare of €28.20
However... bxrlover has booked in Bacharach - not St. Goar - and that fact triggers different pricing:
Bingen - Bacharach €14.80 pp
Bacharach - Boppard €20.20 pp
Total = €35 (vs. €28.20 for the one-ticket option from Bingen to Boppard.)
(See my previous posts.)
The pricing of these options isn't in question - they're on the price sheet, and 2 tickets always cost more than one. The question is whether 2 separate tickets are needed if you cruise the exact same route over 2 days vs. 1 day. One ticket is valid for up to one year - which made me think it could be used on separate days... so your comment to the contrary came as a small shock. I was just hoping you knew where online this rule might be clearly stated so I could re-educate myself on the matter.
