Our drive from Würzburg to Köln will be primarily on the Autobahn on the left bank of the Rhine after crossing the river near Bischofsheim. We will take Highway 48 south of Bingen and drive north to the Rhine, then along the river to Boppard, then back to the Autobahn. We have 3 to 4 hours for this 35-40 kilometer side-trip. Are there ferry crossings at Bingen and Boppard? If there are ferries at these locations we have an optionHighway 9 or Highway 42. Which bank of the Rhine would be best for a drive to get great views of the castles from across the Rhine as well as visiting one or two on the side we'll be driving on? Regarding actual visits to sites, I have unconfirmed information that a single "pass/ticket" will admit an adult to 5 different sites along Highway 9 (Castle Rheinstein, Castel Sooneck, Toll Station Pfalzgrafenstein Fortress Rheinfels and Former Elector's Castle in Boppard), but only Castle Bröomserburg on the other side of the Rhine. It appears that access to the Toll Station Pfalzgrafenstein is via ferry from the right bank, but there appears to also be a ferry across the river at this point so this site is a toss-up for access. Keeping in mind we have 3-4 hours for the trip, is the matter of "tickets" even an important consideration?
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9220 posts
Brömserberg is the wine museum in Rüdesheim and not really much of a castle in the classic Rhine castle sense. Have a look at it online and you will see what I mean. I would give it a miss, unless you are really interested in the history of wine in this region. Though I think the view from either side is decent, riding the ferry across can be fun too. Recommend visiting Rheinstein and Burg Rheinfels on the left side. Just visiting those 2 should take up most of your time, as well as visiting the towns they are located in too. You could also take the ferry at St. Goar across to St. Goarshausen, then drive up to Braubach and visit the Marksburg if time allows.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
("Right and Left bank" confuses me, so I'm going to use "west and east bank"). Yes, there is a ferry between Rüdesheim and Bingen, between Boppard and Filsen, St. Goar and St. Goarhausen, one that crosses right by Burg Pfalzgrafenstein, and a few others. Which side of the Rhine you drive on is a compromise between better views (east bank) and better towns and more castles to explore (west bank). However, the best-preserved castle, Marksburg, sits on the east bank. Access to Burg Pfalgrafenstein is only from the east bank also.
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
I'd considering driving on the right bank and, since you have a car already, take a 10-min out-of-the-way drive to the Loreley rock which offers amazing views. I've driven both sides, there isn't much difference, actually.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
The only real difference is that there's more castles on the west bank, and you can see them better from the east side... provided the weather cooperates.
Posted by
OP
Cincinnati, OH, USA
768 posts
Good insights. . . thanks to all. It sounds like maybe the left/west bank might be best for us. However, the ferry sounds like a lot of fun and would provide a different perspective to/from Toll Station Pfalzgrafenstein in both directions. If we take the ferry from the left to the right bank, then the ferry to the Toll Station, then back to the left bank, what kind of time is involved (just for the ferry)? I've been on Ohio River ferries that take 10 minutes to cross the water but the ferry only runs once an hour.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
The ferries run continuously throughout the day, as long as there's traffic waiting to cross on either side. How long the wait time and passage takes depends on a number of factors, such as how many cars are waiting, the width of the river (wide near Bingen, much more narrow by Burg Pfalzgrafenstein), the strength of the current, and the amount of barge traffic on the river. Quite unexpectedly, I found myself needing to take a ferry to cross the Neckar river yesterday. The river is about half the width of the Rhine and the current is not nearly as strong, but I still had to wait for a passing barge. From the time I drove into the waiting queue until I drove off the ferry on the opposite bank.... perhaps 10-15 minutes?