Sept GAS tour - preTour thoughts

For what it's worth I also will be going on the GAS tour in September and decided to spend a few days in Hamburg before taking a train to Koblenz. Hamburg is not part of this tour but was the crucible that shaped the Beatles.

Forget the "additional city" and fly straight into Frankfurt and spend more time in Rhine river towns?

As you probably know, FRA > Rhine takes just an hour, so this idea certainly eliminates the transport hassle you'd have with CPH or AMS. And Koblenz (where your tour begins) is in your backyard from any Rhine town.

2 days on the Rhine is nice. But 5 days in the area makes for a near-perfect stopover as there's so much to see and do within a couple hours of Koblenz, stuff your tour will sadly ignore... Both the Mosel (A) and Rhine (B) are packed with things to see and do - and the surrounding area (C) is great for exploring as well. A few highlights below...

A) Trier (Germany's oldest city)
Mosel towns and villages
Burg Eltz Castle
Reichsburg Castle (Cochem)
River cruise to Bernkastel

(B) Rhine Cruise
Rhine towns and villages (Rüdesheim, Bacharach, St Goar. Oberwesel, Boppard, Braubach)
Marksburg Castle
Rheinfels Castle
Rhine Castle Trail
Rheinsteig Trail

(C) Remagen WW II Peace Museum
Bad Sobernheim Open-Air Museum
Cologne Cathedral (Germany's most-visited attraction) and city
Nürburgring
Geierlay Suspension Bridge

And nearly everywhere there are...

• Wineries
• Chair- and cable car lifts to scenic overlooks (Rüdesheim, Cochem, Boppard)
• Biking paths

The two river valleys are well served by train. You'll have no trouble getting around, and if you stay in BOPPARD, a wonderful base town for seeing these places, your train (and bus) outings will be free of charge, which may ease the digestive discomfort a bit:

https://www.boppard-tourismus.de/en/accommodation/

Rick covers these areas somewhat superficially, but his materials are a good start; researching elsewhere will be helpful.

I think that Copenhagen and Amsterdam are really god ideas. 3 full days are OK for each of the cities.

Berlin has IFA fair and marathon in September - so accommodation can become very expensive.

Nothing particular against A'dam or Copenhagen as cities... but since your budget is already feeling some pain, each of these two can painfully expensive - not as expensive as Monte Carlo, the Swiss destinations, or Oslo, but each ranks prominently on lists of Europe's most expensive places:

https://moneyinc.com/20-expensive-cities-europe/

I've been on the GAS tour but went when it started in Trier which I found charming so I'd vote for 2 nights there. I'd also get to Koblenz the day before your tour starts to give you some flex time in case of train delays, etc.

Amsterdam is also good BUT by "3 days" do you mean 4 nights which gives you 3 full days or ??? I'd say for a first time visit to Amsterdam you'd want a minimum of 4 nights/3 full days.

Can you elaborate on the $12k airfare you're describing? Departure city? Number of people? Is that business class or first class? Multi-city?

Thank you all for your responses.

My better half agrees with Russ that we should just spend more time and relax along the Rhine. He likes less logistics ..so he likes the idea of staying in the tour hotel rather than change hotels..but if we do this, I think prefer more charm in an interesting town like Boppard, as suggested by Russ. Cologne looks interesting. I am kind of leaning toward staying along the River for the pre-tour days now.

MarkK - yes I think I will eliminate Copenhagen. Amsterdam is still on my radar. Yes Pam, it would be a full 3 days (4 nights) and we would subsequently train to Koblenz. I kind of wish the tour started in Trier..looks like a charming town.

Stan - I just checked flights again…business class San Francisco to Frankfurt; Vienna to SFO via United is still running 10,800-12k (!!) depending on the connecting city on the return. I prefer the later morning departure 9:30 and connecting through Munich - that itinerary is over 12K today (vs. Frankfurt which is slightly less). Anyway, Just typing all this out is helping me to come to terms with the price.

Oh lonmanof3 ...pardon my ignorance on the Beatles and Hamburg! Sounds like a pilgrimage! Are we on the same tour ~ Sept 9 start?

I’ll let you know where I end up. Once I decide, I will come back for suggestions! You have given me great info for staying along the Rivers! Thank you!

...he likes the idea of staying in the tour hotel...

In principle that may simplify things; in practice, it may not - just depends on the hotel location and which destinations you choose to visit in the area. Most hotels are some distance from the main station. Which hotel does the tour use?

Koblenz generally lacks the charm of the smaller Rhine towns, as you imply. And the natural scenery to the south of Koblenz is more impressive than Koblenz's as well. In St Goar there are riverfront hotel rooms (like the Hotel Rheinfels and the Rheinhotel St Goar) sporting balconies and windows with extra-nice views across the river; here's the view from the St Goar side:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Sankt_Goarshausen_Burg_Katz_2012.jpga

In Boppard, several hotels (Bellevue, for example) line up along the river and the riverfront promenade:

https://www.rheinwanderer.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/6RBW_18_Rheinpromenade-Boppard_1000x667.jpg

Another consideration is the Rhine Cruise, for most visitors a prime reason for being in this area to begin with. And the two smaller towns mentioned are better located than Koblenz for cruising the best segment of the river.

Looking at the itinerary I think it would be better if it did start in Trier. I like Koblenz, but Trier is so much better. And giving you the afternoon off in Beilstein does not give you a lot of options. It's very small, and does not have a train platform that would allow you to explore up or down the river.

So. Amsterdam can be interesting. Copenhagen I like because of the fort and harbor, but that isn't for everyone. Still either of those could be a good stop for a couple days. Certainly they are both very different than what you will encounter on the tour.

If you fly into Frankfurt I'd suggest staying in Mainz. It's an attractive city with lot's to do, from Roman ruins and cathedrals, to excellent markets and museums. From there it's very easy to take the train down the Rhine for a day trip, or to run up to Koblenz to catch your tour.

September is fest season, not just Octoberfest, but all the wine fests along the rivers.

I sincerely hope that $12k is for 2 people, and even then, it sounds high!

We have a plan! We have our flights - pounced when I could get them at a hair under 10k at beginning of April. Yes CWSocial, I welcome all advice on how to upgrade…!

We are doing our pre-tour days in the middle Rhein and picked Boppard, which seems central to what I want to see in area! I have booked the Bellevue Rheinhotel until we transfer to Hotel Morjan in Koblenz to join the tour later.

Now I will start to finalize the details of our pre-tour itinerary (all any additional insights welcome)

We land FRA at 9:10AM Sat 6Sept; We meet tour in Koblenz Tuesday 9Sept at 4pm
That gives us almost 4 full days to gently poke around.

• Rhine river cruise - maybe do this on arrival day? Though Spouse thinks he’ll fall asleep (whatever)
• Hang out in Boppard, ride chairlifts, etc.
• Visit a cute Rhine town, see a castle
• Ride bikes along Mosel segment: Cochem to Bullard
• Not sure if there’s enough time to go Cologne (is this a must see while in area?) Am I missing anything? (I have to re-review the notes I gleaned from the many posts on here)

Now I see that there is some train situation? Back soon…

We did the GAS tour in August 2023 and it started in Cologne. We flew into Frankfurt and took a train to the Rhine Valley. We stayed in Bacharach for two nights, spent arrival day cruising the Rhine. Listen to Rick’s Audio Tour “Best of the Rhine”. Actually, it’s helpful to listen to it now for help in planning your trip. The next day we took the train to explore a few towns and castles. The next morning we took the train into Cologne arriving early in the afternoon so that we could check into our hotel and freshen up before meeting our tour group that evening.

Russ was very helpful and had many great suggestions.
Just so you know, touring Berg Elz was included in our GAS tour so there was no need to explore it on our own.

Cologne is not a must-see IMO for someone basing in Boppard. The cathedral there is Germany's most visited landmark, but you will already have a multitude of choices on your plate closer to Koblenz. I suspect if you aren't already eager to see the cathedral there, you will be fine without it.

If it's 4 nights in Boppard, the upper Mosel (Bernkastel, Trier) are kinda far off. You might be better off with a 2/2 or 3/1 split of your nights - part on the Rhine, part on the Mosel - if those AND the Cochem/Bullay (not Bullard) activities are important to you. Roman history in Germany would need to be important for seeing Trier; Bernkastel (an easy trip from Cochem or Bullay by public transport) is the most visually stunning half-timbered town on the Mosel, and you could do one leg there or back by river boat (train to Traben-Trarbach + boat from T-T to Bernkastel.)

Bernkastel video (in German but pics speak for themselves.) Tourist-heavy, but for good reason.

But 4 nights in Boppard works fine for visiting Rhine towns + Mosel towns like Cochem, Winningen, Bullay.

CASTLES: Marksburg is great, so is Braubach, the half-timbered town it's in... walking up to the castle tour takes around 30 minutes from town, plan to puff or take a taxi. Reichsburg (in Cochem) is good, easier to reach. Do both if possible.

Now I see that there is some train situation? Back soon…

I am not seeing any notifications on the train schedules for your dates, not on the Rhine or the Mosel.