Train routing from Amsterdam to Munich via west side Rhine

At www.bahn.com, in the "further options" button, click on "stop overs" and then put in Koblenz with 0 stop time. Then you will be routed on trains that travel along the Rhine Gorge section. For station changes, Bahn usually shows the track numbers and you can look at the station plan for most larger stations. If track numbers are adjacent, usually (but not always), they are on the same platform so you just have to cross the platform to get to the connecting train.

Edit- I am not seeing track numbers at Mannheim, so they must change frequently, but you can see the station plan at the bottom of the train detail page. Mannheim has 4 platforms for tracks 2&3, 4&5, 7&8, 9&10. Track 1 is station side and there is no track 6. You can see, they have escalators, so you can move quickly between platforms. If you miss a train due to a late incoming train, just get the ticket changed at the Reisezentrum for no charge and they will get you on the next train going your way.

Welcome to the forum, lgh!

So A-dam to Munich is a long trip, one you are making longer with your detour, and one that you SHOULD make longer anyway. The Rhine is worth more time than it takes to pass through on a train. Take a river cruise so you can really see the castles. Take the Rheinfels Castle tour. Walk through Bacharach or Oberwesel to enjoy the old-world towns. I strongly encourage you to make an overnight stop. Pick any Rhine town that looks good to you, and schedule maybe a 18-20 hour stopover there. St. Goar is a good choice. You will be able to purchase a single DB ticket for both travel days this way and take advantage of the saver fare discounts.

I just tested this idea with a 19-hr. stopover... leaving A'dam June 13 at 8:08, arriving St. Goar 12:55; then on June 14 leaving St. Goar at 8:56 the next morning, arriving 14:20 in Munich. The saver fare is currently €79.70 for this ticket.

Hi Sam and Russ, Thanks for the speedy replies! so first things first, can't find the "further options"? What page does that show on? I'm looking at the 10:38 train out of Amsterdam on June 25, to Munich, which has a shorter duration and trying to figure that one out so I can weigh my options. I"m using Safari--can you tell me the lead up to the "further options" tab? And thanks so much for info on Mannheim, very helpful.

Russ as to your wonderful ideas, actually my time traveling to Munich takes away from family visit on other end, so my idea was to do a rest/stopover in St. Goar, to have a "little taste" of local culture there and rest, knowing I won't do a proper visit-- coming from Amsterdam and going to Munich next day, though I'm sure I'd love the stopover but maybe not for so long.

So I'm weighing the options of 1) direct train if I can go on that famous west side of Rhine and if it is 7-8 hours, or 2) if it is indeed 8 hours or maybe longer due to current construction, I will stop over in St. Goar or 3) Stop over in Koblenz since it seems almost exactly half way, and maybe take a regional train down, but based in Koblenz? Also btw, can't navigate the DB site well enough to do the one ticket with stop in St. Goar and continue next day. Any tips on latter?

https://reiseauskunft.bahn.de//bin/query.exe/en

At the above page, enter your data - also click on "add intermediate stops" and put the town you wish to travel through or stop in in the "Via 1" box. To determine stopover time, use the "hours" box to the right of that.

That should handle the stopover issues - both short stopovers and overnight stopovers.

If you just want a stopover for walking around and getting a meal, etc. I would suggest Boppard. Keep in mind that there are no lockers in Boppard, St. Goar or the other towns. The St. Goar TI office will hold bags if open. The others may too - check first for your date.

You will see the gray "Further Options" button at the bottom of the page next to the red "Search" button. This only shows up after you begin to enter a location in the "from" box.

I am seeing ICE 123 from Amstrerdam Centraal dep 10:38, arr 13:15 Koeln Hbf change to ICE 925 dep 13:53, arr 16:13 Frankfurt Hbf change to ICE 723 dep 16:54, arr 20:07 Muenchen Hbf.

Along with intermediate stops, DB also offers a link for Map View. The more stops the train makes, the more precisely the route is drawn on the map.

Thank you all so much! Going to try out these tips as soon as time, probably later or tomorrow and will report back. I did stumble on the "map" earlier but it is so jumpy to use, but I will get the hang of it I hope!

Hello all! Wanted to follow up with many thanks for site navigation tips! So I finally understand with the little trick of the "0" for stopover, how to figure out the routing. The main query was how much longer will the trip be with the Rhine River route, and it seems that the trains following that route are more than 9 hours, maybe due to some current construction? That is past my personal train trip duration so I will either do the direct train (I believe 7 and half hours), or one of these wildly different 2 day itineraries: 1) Amsterdam-overnight-Paris--Munich 2) Am--overnight Baden-Baden- (long enough for spa)--Munich or 3)Am--overnight: Cochem (stay in Beilstein)--Munich. Depending on lots of personal preferences/priorities/wishes, so think I have to hash this one out myself, but feel free to chime in. (understandable if you don't because I am obviously and literally all over the place!) Also have to do the return 5-6 days later because the bulk of my trip is in Amsterdam (June 12-25), where I booked a roundtrip from New york, so Amsterdam July 1-4th--fly home.

The difference in time is due to a special high speed rail link between Bonn and Frankfurt that opened about 20 years ago, if my memory serves. Before that, the tracks along the Rhine we're the main line. The high speed rail line allows trains to run at 200+ mph in pretty much a straight line, on the median of the Autobahn part of the way. Look out the window and see that you are passing BMWs doing 100 mph.

That new line cut about 1 1/2 hours off the travel time between Bonn and Frankfurt.

Thanks you Sam for your explanation and Tyrker for yet more options! Just when I had decided to throw up my hands and do the fastest option train, now I am considering your Koln suggestion. At this point my decisions also depend on other matters pertaining to time in Amsterdam and with family, so someone has suggested a rail pass which I can get for $220 before fed ex, for a 3 day pass. Even if I ended up only doing 2 fast trains, I think it still may come close to paying for itself, especially since I am choosy about travel times and won't always go for cheapest fares. (And will no doubt use it in Holland too). From what I understand I then am guaranteed a seat even without a reservation, though not sure of that last detail. Since I'm avoiding weekend travel, seat reservations may not be so important? Opinions on the rail pass option? I guess it may put me out of my present misery, re nailing down an exact itinerary, with some unknowns, though I still can lay good groundwork with your suggestions.

Thank you Tyrker. I also am doing the trip in reverse, so 1 non stop trip, and 1 trip with an overnight, continuing next day should equal 3 travel days, and if I don't break any trip re Amsterdam/Munich, I think it still would almost pay for itself, because of travel in Holland. My priority in buying the pass is not to have to worry about picking exact times and even days, so far ahead, so for flexibility more than price, as long as I'm not losing money, or much money. I understand reservations are about $5, or 5 euros? Do you think seat reservations are important to make or be concerned about more than a few days before travel? (traveling Amsterdam/Munich June 25 and returning July1 or 2) Or does that depend on whether train I want is "popular" re time of day?

The ICE trains to and from Amsterdam can be crowded. I'd buy seat reservations for those for sure.