As we plan our trip for next summer we are trying to figure out the logistics of transportation and accomodations along the Rhine/Mosel rivers. We are pretty sure we will take the train to a destination along the Rhine and then use riverboats to take us up and down the river. Our plans are to spend 2 - 4 days/nights in this area. We will be arriving from Switzerland and departing from this area to our next destination of the Netherlands or France. Here are my questions: 1. Is it better to stay in one village along the river and base our daily excursions from there, or be mobile and change lodging each night? If we change, what do we do with our luggage while we are exploring around each day? 2. What villages and lodging do you recommend? 3. We really love the ease of train travel, but would this be more enjoyable with a car? 4. Any other suggestions for planning our time in this area is appreciated! Thank you in advance for all of your advice!
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
Rhine is easy. I would spend the time in one village and use the River boats (sparingly) and the train to see other places. Trains seem frequent and visit (virtually) all the villages. Bacharach, St Goar or St Goarshausen; Mosel seems more like you need a car to follow it along- also the road doesnt seem as busy there. Find a village you like (Cochem?) and stay the two nights. Wine places and vineyards seem friendlier and less formal along the Mosel
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
I've made two trips to that area, one to the Rhein (2004, 5 nights) and one to the Mosel (2008, 4 nights). Both times I based myself in one town (Boppard and Treis-Karden) for my entire stay. For the Rhein trip, I used trains, which run hourly on either side of the river. You can get to about anywhere quickly, easily, and inexpensively. The Mosel is a little more difficult, because it winds around more and often the loops are a fair ways from the single train line on the west side. However, there are scheduled buses. I used the train to get to the closest town and the bus from there. I went to Bernkastel-Kues from Wittlich, Zell from Ballay, and Beilstein from Cochem. You can find the schedules on the German Rail website, http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
695 posts
Last august we spent 2 nights in Cochem (Mosel)) and 2 nights in Bacharach (Rhine). In Cochem we visited the Reichsburg and did some wine tasting, took a day trip to Burg Eltz (one of the highlights of our trip). We then took the train to St-Goar and then a KD boat to Bacharach. In Bacharach we did more wine tasting, took a bike trip and strolled around town. That combination worked well for us, we felt we had enough time in both places.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Cochem and Bacharach are far enough apart that I would not recomment using one as a base to visit the other. Spending a few days in each is probably a good idea. If you don't want to move, I would suggest staying in either Koblenz (most central, but big) or Braubach (you might want to see the Marksburg, www.marksburg.de, while there). That way you can see both rivers without having to go too far. BTW, most stations in that area are small, unmanned, and don't have lockers. Koblenz certainly has lockers. I think Cochem does, too. I believe I remember a few in the kiosk below the tracks in Boppard. Bacharach, St. Goar, Moselkern, and Braubach - no.
Posted by
Salt Lake City
1528 posts
For only two nights, choose Rhine or Mosel and stay in one place. Even four nights would be pretty limiting for both rivers with our normal pace of travel.... Using the boats to travel up and down river is really slow. Trains are much faster. Boats would drive me nuts, less time for exploring the villages and cities.... In 2009 we visited the Rhine and Mosel for 8 nights, two each in St Goar, Trier, Bacharach and Mainz. In St Goar (Rheinfels castle ruins), Trier and Mainz we found enough to see without day trips. From Bacharach we visited Boppard and Oberwesel. We really preferred the days that we spent in one place, seeing it more intensely.