Hello,
We will be visiting Munich and Bavaria in mid-July. I would also like to incorporate a Rhine River cruise ( e.g.Bingen to St. Goar ) before traveling to Amsterdam.
We will have a car in Bavaria, and I am wondering where to “turn it in” and rely on the German rail system? Should we drive to Mainz? Should we keep the car all of the way to Cologne?
Any assistance / thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks again
You could as easily turn the car in in Munich, or another rail hub along the way. The main rail line will take you into Frankfurt, and from there a main line along the Rhine to Cologne. Nearly everyplace along the best part of the Rhine is doable by rail, foot, and, if you wish, by river boat.
Welcome to the forum. You can drop the car anyplace in Germany that your rental company has an outlet. Many companies have rental drop options at your local train station or nearby.
There's no reason to drive (or take the train) into Mainz, specifically, if you just want to focus on the scenic part of the Rhine. Travel to Bingen by train and take your cruise from there to St. Goar. If you take the train from Bavaria, you arrive in Bingen, walk to the boat dock, and cruise north to St. Goar for a river-based view of the castles, cliffsides and attractive towns. Or travel by car to any nearby city just south of Bingen where you might find a convenient rental drop - Mainz, Wiesbaden, or perhaps Bad Kreuznach might work. You can then take the train from any of those towns to Bingen.
I wouldn't keep the car to Cologne. If you do that you have to backtrack by cruise boat or train to Bingen to fetch your car.
The Middle Rhine Valley has frequent trains on both sides of the rivers and like almost everywhere in Germany, train service is nearly around the clock and largely efficient. If you stay over in St. Goar you can easily day trip to Bacharach, Oberwesel, Boppard, and other towns of interest nearby by train. See this map with rail lines (and hiking trails.)
I would encourage you to think of the Middle Rhine Valley as much more than just a river cruise. There's a lot to see and do there.
How many days will you be in the Rhine area? If you’re interested in Burg Eltz (highly recommend it), I would use the car to get there. You could return the car in Koblenz.
You can't spend too little time in Munich & there is a lot to see between Munich and the Rhine Gorge (the nearby Mosel is better). Keep the car at least to Cologne.
We drove from Munich to Frankfurt, stopping overnight in Rothenburg ob der tauber and spending a few days in Bacharach to do the Rhine Cruise from to Rudesheim to St Goar. Having a car in that area was a real advantage, as we were able to visit Burg Eltz and Cochem as a day trip.
I got the impression from your post that your interest was primarily the Rhine River Valley from Bingen to St. Goar and that you were perhaps making a 1-night stopover there as you proceed to Amsterdam.
Like the other posters, I find the Mosel River attractive as well; in your case though, destinations like Cochem and Burg Eltz, as well as other places further north on the Rhine (Remagen, Linz for example) - or in the Lahn, Nahe and Ahr River valleys - MIGHT be worth looking into if in fact you plan to spend a few nights in the broader area. But for a short stay, the Rhine Valley is clearly on your route, and IMHO your best choice.
RHINE CASTLES: Rheinfels (ruins w/ museum) is right in St. Goar and makes for an easy visit. And just across the river (ferry across) and north (20 min. by train) in Braubach is Marksburg Castle, an intact and very impressive medieval castle with tours in English at 1 and 4 pm. The walk to Marksburg from the station takes just under 30 minutes.
Burg Eltz is worth visiting too. But it is not easily accessible from the Rhine by public transport, which is possible only by train + shuttle bus (and that's only on weekends) - and one way from St. Goar, it can take nearly 3 hours. (The other way to get there is train to Moselkern via Koblenz + a 1-hr. walk each way from the station there.) I believe the reason you see a lot of recommendations for Burg Eltz on this forum is because it's a very nice experience but also because... a.) Rick Steves says it's favorite castle in Europe, and b.) Rick Steves forum members are far more likely to follow Rick's preferences and thus more likely to have visited Burg Eltz than Marksburg. (And perhaps you are getting some "keep the car" advice because the remote Burg Eltz figured so centrally to their experience in the area.) But there is no lack of love for Marksburg Castle in the broader travel audience, and in combination with your Rhine stay, I think it's an excellent and convenient choice if you have the time.
Another vote for Marksburg Castle here. I visited all 3 castles that Russ lists during a week-long visit to the Rhine last fall. Marksburg had a genuine medieval feel to it and was easily my favorite. Burg Eltz is certainly impressive but the interior, to me, felt more like a posh old world residence than a medieval castle; I will add that I would have enjoyed it less without the nice walk/hike from the Moselkern train station.
