My husband and I will be traveling in Germany mid to late October 2016. We will have twin German Rail Passes. We will need to get from Frankfurt train station to Bacharach where we'll be staying. What trains or buses are available for that trip? Will our German Rail Passes cover the trip?
Thanks so much!
Alice
Posted by
Castle Rock, Colorado
185 posts
Yes, your German Rail Passes will cover the trip. Are you flying into Germany and going directly to Bacharach? If so you can just go down to the lower part of the airport and catch the regional train to Bacharach. I, along with daughter and granddaughter will be traveling from the Frankfurt Airport to Bacharach a few weeks before you do. Be sure to get your Rail Pass validated before you board the train the first time. If you are going from the Frankfurt Main Train Station and Bacharach, I'm not sure you will even have any transfers. Coming from the airport we have one transfer in Mainz. Our total trip is about 90 mins. including the transfer. Have you been to Bacharach before? Do you have any questions about that charming little village? I have been there I think 8 times and I love that place. It is my favorite German village.
Posted by
janesville wi, wisconsin, usa
211 posts
did this several years ago and will again in sept. Check the bahn de. site. enter your on site and bacharach hit search and it will provide you with trains serving bacharach. There is one just about every hour. It is a local train and the ride is approximately one hour. Stayed in bacharach for two days last time. enjoy
Posted by
Austin TX after living in Boulder CO for 25 years
1174 posts
Find the Altes Haus in the center of town - the sign notes that it was built in 1348. They have amazing wine cheese soup - we had two bowls and have told so many people about this lovely old restaurant !
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19275 posts
It is almost a shame to use a day of your rail pass to get to Bacharach. You can buy a local, RMV, ticket from the airport to Bacharach for 11,80€/adult. But if you are going to use the trains some more that day, it might pay off.
Every two hours, starting at 5:21, 7:21, then at 9:24, and 24 minutes after every odd hour after that, there is a direct (no change) RE from the Regionalbahnhof to Bacharach. It takes less than an hour. The other option is to take the next S-Bahn to the Mainz Hbf and catch the hourly Mittelrheinbahn RB (MRB) from Mainz to Bacharach. The MRB leaves Mainz on track 11, which is a stub track ending against the station building across the platform from track 1, on which the S-Bahn arrives. This option takes about 1½ hours. Both connections cost the same.
Posted by
Paradise
7072 posts
That's right - for FRA-Bacharach, if you have a flexi-pass (like 7 days in a month) don't use up a rail pass day that you might be able to use elsewhere for a longer journey (one that would otherwise be much more expensive.) You've paid about E60/day for a 7 day flexi-pass, apparently without the intention of using it to reach Bacharach. So if your travel on day 1 would cost MORE than that without the rail pass, using the rail pass might make sense.
If you have a consecutive pass (10 days of travel over 10 days for example) and you'll be there only 10 days or less, then use the pass - no sense spending a dime more.
The RMV tickets are available from ticket machines at FRA with the RMV logo; they have an English language option:
http://www.rmv.de/linkableblob/Zentral/52958-39356/original/Fahrkartenautomat_neu.jpg
You will use the Regionalbahnhof station, on an underground level at the FRA terminal for this trip. Another station, the Fernbahnhof, is used for long-distance trains.