great itinerary for a 4 day Rhine trip based in St. Goar, Germany

My favorite to dos are the Rheinfels ruins and the approx. 1 hr river cruise from St. Goar to Bacharach.

My favorite place to stay is Burg Stahleck, a castle converted to a hostel.

The local trains work great for getting around.

We do a lot of eating out of grocery stores. Get 100 grams (ein hundert gram) of sliced meat and 100 grams of sliced cheese at the deli area in the back of the store. Buy a couple broetchen (probably closest to what we would call Kaiser rolls) from the bread bins. I really like the mustard sold in tubes (look like oil paints or toothpaste tubes). Add something to drink beer, wine (get a swiss army knife with a bottle opener and corkscrew when you arrive), soda or water and some chocolate for dessert. Then find a nice place on the river to sit and enjoy your picnic.

Thanks Brad, I definitley think we'll be able to have a terrific picnic now!

I echo the last poster on the castle in St. Goar and river cruise (just that section).

I also stayed at the castle hostel in Bacharach. Although we booked kind of late and ended up in the smallest double in the whole place (front desk literally laughed when she saw what room we were checking into). The room was actually part of an old horse stall! Also, while we were there it was unseasonably hot and humid and although my pack wasn't that heavy I think I lost 5 pounds on the hike up...I'd get a taxi next time. But - it was inexpensive and food was sufficient for breakfast(we even ate one of the dinners there for some ridiculously low cost).

While we stayed in Bacharach we also took a day trip to Moselkern to see Burg Eltz. It was worth it and a great comparison to Rheinfells ruins.

There is(was) a great little bakery right in the center of St. Goar. If you are looking at the castle from main part of town, it is on the left. St. Goar and Bacharach have great little grocery stores. There is also a terrific wine shop in St. Goar (across from the boat docks). Be sure to taste the ice wine. You can take a ferry ride across the Rhine to St. Goarhausen for a meal also. Have fun!

I did something very similar (5 nights, 4 full days) five years ago. I stayed in Boppard because I found a Privatzimmer for €25 per night, mit Frühstück.

I did Rheinfels, the cruise, and Bacharach one day.

Another day I went to Braubach, to the Marksburg.

You can get there by taking the ferry across the Rhein from St. Goar to St. Goarshausen, then the train to Braubach, or by taking the train via Koblenz.

Another day I went to Koblenz to use a cybercafe and walked to Deutsches Eck.

The last day I was going to go to Burg Eltz, but it was raining, and I didn't want to walk in the rain, so I just stayed in Boppard and saw the town with the medieval wall and the even older Roman wall.

As for food, get Marlings Menu Master in German. I think it's about $10. It's small - easy to carry. If you understand the menu, you can often find less expensive items. One thing I usually see in Germany that isn't too expensive is Paprikawürst. One day I had lunch at Zur Post in St. Goar - Lentil soup(Linsensuppe) with little wieners (Würstchen). That was inexpensive.

Hi Jeff,

I'd highly recommend seeing Marksburg Castle. One of the best we've seen and the only one along the Rhine in it's original condition. Also, if you can get to Burg Eltz, it's probably our favorite in Europe so far.

www.burg-eltz.de

www.marksburg.de

Paul

You could rent bikes for the day and ride up and down the river and into the countryside up above the Rhine Gorge, on the west side starting from Sankt Goarshausen. It's all a protected area. There are wonderful views, villages, woods, fields, and wandering roads with virtually no cars.

In addition to all of the other great advice you have gotten here, be sure to spend some time in Bacharach. It is a very scenic little village and much less touristy than St. Goar.

Great advice so far! I can recommend this hotel located right on the river in Sankt Goar: http://www.hotelhauser.de/

You can choose a room with a balcony view of the river valley. The nightly rate is good, and the hotel cafe offers a big menu with outdoor seating. They also have wonderful cakes and great beer selection. In addition to the activities already mentioned, there are walking trails all over the valley, and you can even go up to the top of the Lorelei. I believe it was a Saturday when a beer garden opened up right in front of the church next to this hotel - cheap food/good beer. Don't miss Burg Eltz!

Cochem on the Mosel has a beautiful castle with a short tour and a display of falconry, all overlooking the vinyards and the river. It's a bit of a train ride from St. Goar, but if you're in to Roman ruins, Trier has the Porta Nigra, Roman amphitheater, and the Trier Cathedral. I took a river boat tour to Koblenz and then a train to Cochem over a 3 day period in 2006 and it was spectacular. Do try to walk to Burg Eltz from the train station, the walk through the forest is lovely.