Has anyone ever taken the train as a day trip from St. Goar to Cologne and back? Train connections seem very tight in Koblenz Hbf, or does it work smoothly? Is it best to purchase tickets in advance or that day?
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
You can easily change trains in under 5 mins in Germany. DB is a closely knit network with surprisingly few delays. In case of a delay trains await each other. And yes, you can do a day trip to Cologne. If you know exactly which connection to take inbound and outbound you can get a discount if bought online and in advance. But you'll also get a ticket on that day. Just don't buy it on the train or at a ticket counter at the station as there is an additional service charge put on top of the fare. There are plenty of multi-lingual ticket vending machines around the stations...
Posted by
Westford, MA, USA
567 posts
Craig:
I researched this as we hope to do a day trip from St.Goar to Koln (Cologne). We'll buy rt tickets that day or the day before online, as the trains run freguently. We plan on visiting the local TI kiosk for updated information and their assistance for the trains.
Also Koln has a good 1 day pass for discounts on museums, cathedral, & travelling around the city and some other things.
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
Maybe I should add that there are two "seasons" where the more conservative visitor should avoid Cologne, both a Catholic and a Gay center of Germany: Carnival season in Feb/Mar and Gay Pride. The climax of this year's pride is CSD on July 6-8. Gay people from all over Europe travel into Cologne for this leading event. Hotel rates go up, trains are packed, well, you know the story. Partywise this is a great event and certainly worth visiting. Again, it depends on ones own point of view.