I'm currently planning out a trip to Germany in September, and on the route I'm taking I fancy going by regional train up the Rhine from Cologne to see some scenery. If you are not getting off the train, is the left bank or the right bank route southwards from Cologne more scenic?
(Please no replies telling me to stay in the Rhine Valley as a destination, that's not my plan for this trip)
I'd take the LEFT (Linke Rheinseite) which is the west bank. If you're traveling south from Cologne, your train will travel on the right side of the River... and you'll want a seat on the left side of the train for viewing the river and the opposite riverbank... but that bank is commonly referred to as the LEFT Rhine Bank where the towns of Boppard, St. Goar, and Bingen are situated.
As Russ says. That will get you views of the castles and other attractions on the east side of the river - Marksburg, Burg Katz, Burg Maus, the Lorelei, Burg Pfalgrafenstein, the Niederwalddenkmal.
Thanks Russ and Stephen.
As a bonus, the western bank (right hand going south) is the mainline, so it has more trains... Including the highly-recommended EC9 with a first-class panorama car, see here for info. I took that train two weeks ago (south of Mainz so no scenery, 2nd class) and that car sure looked fancy from the outside!
