Germany train or car

I'll only answer part of the question (don't have time for a full train vs. car discussion). Waiting for a train for longer than 30 minutes is rare. Trains run very frequently. You sometimes have to wait longer if you want the absolute fastest connection between two large cities, but this only applied to a few long distance routes, none of which you have tentatively included.

Cheryl, As I often travel solo, I generally prefer well planned rail trips as I find that to be the easiest and most cost effective method. With two couples, a car may be worthwhile but you'll have to rent a larger vehicle to accommodate the luggage. It's impossible to provide information on "how long do you wait for trains", as that will depend on which train you'll be using and how early you get to the station. You can check rail times and other details in Germany by using the excellent bahn.de website. Here's some rail information on the trips you mentioned: > Frankfurt to Bacharach is an easy one hour (or so) trip. There are two rail stations right at the airport (for that trip, you'll want the Regionalbahnhof). There may be one change, depending on which train you're able to connect with. > Bacharach to Rothenburg is a bit more work, as there will be a couple of changes. The fact that Rothenburg is on a "spur" line from Steinach adds a bit of time to the trip. > Rothenburg to Salzburg will also take a bit of time, but is a relatively easy trip. > Salzburg to Munich is very easy (about an hour or so as I recall). Lee or one of the others will be able to provide information on the various discount tickets on the German rail system, which can save a lot of money on the trains. Happy travels!

I realize you didn't ask for itinerary advice. But just 1 night for Bacharach, and on Day 1, when one or more of you will be drowsy with jet-lag, means you probably won't have time to enjoy the area much. Do you intend to travel the rest of the scenic 40-mile valley and see its 40 castles? You won't find this concentration of castles anywhere else. Will you tour a castle? MARKSBURG is excellent. RHEINFELS is great too. And next door at the castle-hotel is this amazing terrace-cafe with a view of the river valley. Will you take a river cruise, visit a winery, or stop in any other villages? With 2 nights, you have a chance to adjust your internal clocks and do at least some of this stuff. You could borrow a night from Munich for this. Or you could stay just one night in Rothenburg - leave Bacharach on the 8:30 train on Day 3 and pull into Rothenburg at 1 pm. Remain in Rothenburg on Day 4 until early afternoon before proceeding to Salzburg.

Trains: FRA to Bacharach: 31.80€ for a RMV "Gruppentageskarte" (group daypass for 5) bought from a ticket machine at the FRA's Regionalbahnhof station Bach. - Rothenburg: 89€ total for 4 if you get the cheapest advance-sale savings fares (buy from www.bahn.de (German Railways site) RIGHT when they go on sale - 92 days in advance of departure date) Rothenburg - Salzburg: 5 hours and 100+€ for 4 people on itineraries including the fast trains - OR - 5.5 hours and 34€ on the regional trains using the BAVARIA TICKET Use the Bayern (Bavaria) ticket. Salzburg - Munich: BAVARIA TICKET Total price for 4 for your itinerary: 189€ if you get the cheapest savings fare for Bach. - R'burg. Oops forgot the airport. Add 20€ for all 4 to get there on the AIRPORT-CITY DAY TICKET. With a car, the gas alone should easily run 120€ for your itinerary.

Hi Cheryl, We did a very similar trip in /07 with a rental car. Just our preference on getting around, not looking for a debate. I'll also suggest taking a night (or 2) from Munich and adding it to the Rhine. So many castles, so very little time! To be in the area and to not visit at least Marksburg castle... I wouldn't. Paul

Cheryl:
Train definitely, with one possible exception. By the way, how are you getting from Frankfurt to Bacharach? I agree with Paul's suggestion; shorten your stay in Munich, perhaps by 2 nights, and spend these 2 extra days along the Rhine. Since you're going to Bacharach anyhow, you might consider renting a car in Frankfurt and driving to CologneI know you didn't mention Cologne, but the drive along the Rhine would allow you to move about, stopping and starting as you wish to soak-up the Rhine and the many castles along this particular stretch of road If you've not already done so, you might want to view {url}http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles.php for a diagram and further explanation of the many castles between Rüdesheim and Koblenz. Turn-in the car when you arrive in Cologne. Visit there (at least the Dom and Treasury/Church Spire Climb), then enjoy the balance of the trip on the train.

Jon writes, "...the drive along the Rhine would allow you to move about, stopping and starting as you wish to soak-up the Rhine and the many castles" The Middle Rhine, with tracks on both sides between Koblenz in the north and Bingen or Rüdesheim in the south, and with hourly service or better from 5 a.m. until 11 pm or so, is one of the best places in Europe to use trains. It's not difficult to plan and a loop trip that covers both river banks and several towns and 2 or 3 castles (only a handful of castles are accessible to the public anyway) in a day by train. You WILL have to walk uphill from the station to the castles in St. Goar and Braubach - or use the shuttle if it's running or take a taxi; train tracks don't saddle up to the castles. So a car is handy if you are disabled or don't feel like walking at all, but otherwise, you should be fine with trains. A daypass for the area, if you're staying in Bacharach, will run 34€ for 4 people: RHEINLAND-PFALZ TICKET (daypass) AREA RAIL LINE MAP

Thanks for all your information I wanted to do a short cruise on the Rhine on the day after we arrive and then drive/train to Rothenburg. Is it better to do 2 days in Bacharach or Rothenburg (there is a festivl going on there when we arrive)