From Frankfort airport...

You'd be wiser to start your cruise in Bingen, where the good scenery begins. Scenery from Mainz to Bingen is flat and dull. Mainz is a good town to relax in and very close to FRA. The Market Square around the Dom (main cathedral) has outdoor cafes, and there's an old town area with shops, bistros, and some pre-war halftimbered buildings and narrow streeets adjacent to the square just to the south. The whole area is pedestrians-only, so if you stayed in this area you'd be able to wander around in pleasant surroundings. Then catch a train to Bingen for your cruise. It's not far. Koblenz isn't that spectacular a destination. I'd get off in Braubach and take a tour of Marksburg Castle: www.marksburg.de

Frankf-O-rt is in the US (the capital of Ky). The city in Germany, with the airport, is Frankf-U-rt. Why don't you use the edit button to correct that.

many years ago we spent two nights in Wiesbaden before taking the boat to St Goar. Very convenient, and we enjoyed relaxed strolling through town after a very long journey the night before. Thats where we discovered the advantage of eating at the local Ratskeller in Gernmany.

Thank you Russ. I will investigate Bingen. And Lee, thank you for the spell check. Frankfurt.

Another reason to start in Bingen rather than Mainz, there is just one boat connection per day leaving Mainz (8:45, it gets to Koblenz at 14:10). There are four connections from Bingen (see www.k-d.de). Bingen to Koblenz is still almost 4 hours on the boat. I rode from St. Goar up to Bacharach (1h10m) and, quite frankly, was bored to death and thankful to get off in Bacharach. If you plan to explore any of the towns along the way (St. Goar, Braubach), you're better off taking a shorter boat trip and using the train, which goes down both sides of the river. Just pay attention to where the few ferries cross the river, like the one (www.faehre-loreley.de) between St. Goar and St. Goarshausen.

Thanks, Lee. I think we will shorten the ride and get off at Braubach.