Our trip is set. Lodging, flight and most of our transportation is booked. Now the enjoyable struggle with what to do, what to see and where to eat can begin. A little help with our itinerary would be greatly appreciated. We will arrive in Cologne on Wednesday July 13th, around 15:00, and depart Sunday, July 17th. There will be 7 of us, all adults in our early 30s. None of us have experienced Cologne or Western Germany. Our pace could be called leisurely active, hoping to experience as much as possbile while taking some time to reflect, digest and smell the roses. In Western Germany, we have a few priorities. One full day, probably Thursday, will be spent exploring the prettiest and most castled section of the Rhine. We hope to take a train down to Bingen, then take a boat cruise up river to St. Goar or Koblenz. Depending on what time it is, we might try to reach Cochem & Burg Eltz from Koblenz. How practical is this plan? Another half day trip from Cologne we hope to take is Aachen. This leaves us a half day, one full day and the remainder of Wednesday to explore Cologne. We will probably remain in central Cologne for most of the time. Any and all suggestions on how to organize our days would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Modesto, California
101 posts
My wife and I were in Cologne a few years back and had a great time. Let me recommend three (very different) museums. Across from the train station you'll find the Museum Ludwig, a fine art museum well worth your time. Around the corner and down along the Rhine there is the Chocolate Museum, which combines history with the desire to sell you Linz chocolates. Finally, not far from there is a bar called the Beir Museum. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, let me tell you.
Let me also recommend a short trip to Trier. They have an ancient Roman colisseum there (nothing like Rome's) and a museum dedicated to native son Karl Marx.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19095 posts
" How practical is this plan?" Look at the K-D boat schedule, www.k-d.com. Bingen to St. Goar take 1½hr,to Koblenz takes almost 4. To arrive at the Bingen K-D dock, you'd have to leave Köln Hbf at 5:56. There is a K-D boat leaving Bingen at 9:30. Do you think you can get to Bingen Stadtbahnhof in time to make the 9:30 boat? If so you would get to St. Goar at 10:55 from which you could take a train to Koblenz. If you stay on the train to Koblenz, you arrive there at 13:10. From the Koblenz K-D dock near Deutsches Eck, you have to get to the Koblenz Hbf to get a train to Moselkern. The following connection leave Bingen K-D at 10:30 and gets to the above places an hour later, Koblenz at 14:10. According to the Bahn website, it's a 15 min walk to the bus from the Koblenz K-D dock to the bus that goes to the Koblenz Hbf. The bus leaves at 14:08, gets to the Hbf at and gets to Koblenz Hbf at 14:21. There's a train at 14:40, getting to Moselkern at 15:10. That gives you two hours to walk to the Burg before they stop admitting visitors. There is a train at 13:40. If the boat gets in on schedule at 13:10, that would give you a half hour to walk to the Hbf. I think that possible, but close. Personally, I think you are trying to do too much. Get off the boat at St. Goar.
Posted by
OP
North Arlington, NJ, United States
19 posts
Thank you for your intelligent suggestions. I think we will head to Bingen by train from Cologne as early as possible. Can we get to the Niederwald Monument easily from the train station? We'll then take the train back following the much of the Rhine Blitz Tour RS talks about in his Germany book, stopping where we want. When we get to Bacharach, we'll hop on a boat and cruise until St. Goar. Can we pick up some wine and picnic stuff in Bacharach and eat and drink on the boat? From St. Goar, we'll take the train to Koblenz where I hope we can see the Deutsche Eck. Is it close to the station? The time of day we reach Koblenz will weigh into our next decision. If its early enough, maybe we will see some of the Mosel. More than likely though, we will continue on the train towards Cologne, possibly stopping at Bonn or another spot on the way. We are young and don't mind being out all day exploring. Please share any thoughts or suggestions to help improve our plan. Also what day (Thursday, Friday or Saturday) would be best?
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
8946 posts
If you want to see the Niederwald Denkmal, you need to be on the other side of the river. The chairlift that goes up to this is in Rüdesheim. From Koblenz, take the train down that side of the river, you will see the Deutsche Eck from the train too, nothing spectacular really, you will pass the Loreley, and will see dozens of castles. Then take your boat from there if you like, or take the ferry across the Rhein and take the train up that side of the river. This way, you get to see both sides of the river, it doesn't take as much time and you have more freedom to get off and on the train at the towns you want to visit. I don't think the KD people will be thrilled with you bringing food and drink onto their boats, they are in business to sell those items to you. Have your picnic either on the train, or in the park or market place of any of the towns you are stopping in. Lunch at a cafe would be an even better idea, as lunches can be quite cheap.