Rhine River day cruise/ train along the Rhine

We spent a week in St. Goar last October and did take a day cruise from Bingen back to St. Goar. We took the train up to Bingen then cruised back to our apartment in St. Goar and it was plenty long enough for us. There are lots of castles in that stretch of the river and from what I read, most of the "action" is in that stretch.
The trains are very accessible in the towns we visited - in fact - we didn't have a car until our last night there and did just fine walking from the train stations around the little towns. We really liked Bacharach and attended a wine festival in Boppard that was wonderful. Also be sure to get to the Mosel for at least a day -it is lovely.

We did almost the same trip last September. We stayed in Hotel Markt in St. Goar, a Rick Steves recommendation. We also spent one night in Schonburg...which I guess you read before. We took the KD line from St. Goar to Koblenz, then back to Bacharach. Like you, I didn't see how you could get off the boat and explore a town and get back on another boat...the schedule didn't seem to allow that. We just watched the shore from the boat and it looks pretty much the same both ways. If I had it to do again, I would take the boat one way from Koblenz to Mainze or Bingen and take the train back. The section from Koblenz to St. Goar is not as spectatular as the area from St Goar to Bacharach, but time was not an issue. I did use the train to go to Bacharach, and Oberweisel, and found both towns pretty neat to wander. We trained it because I did not have a car, so you have a little more freedom. Except in Koblenz, the train stations were pretty close to the docks...walkable in 5-10 minutes at least. St. Goar and Rheinefelds (sp?) were also interesting. The castles are amazing along the Rhine....enjoy the views.

Thanks so much for the info. Terry--I am waiting for info from Schoenburg. I really hope that it works out for us. The pictures on the website are beautiful. Hopefully others will "chime" in and give me their opinions. I love this site--everyone is so helpful.
Thanks again-paula

We've done it a few times and always enjoed it immensely. Usually we stay in Bacharach (my favorite town up there), do the KD thing from there to Koblenz. It takes a little longer than you'd expect but the views are spectacular. Although I'm not a huge Rick Steves fan (despite posting on here), the first time we did it, my brother had one of his books that follows along with the cruise and gives the history and info on most of the sites (Castles, towns, etc) along the way. Made the cruise a lot more interesting and enjoyable.

Once in Koblenz, we catch the train back to Bacharach. In Bacharach, I suggest taking the walking trail up to the castle remains on the hill overlooking the town. The view of the Rhine from up there is just phenomenal. I think you can drive up too but it's not that difficult of a hike up. I echo the poster up above who recommends staying on the boat the whole cruise rather than getting off and waiting around for the next boat.

Schoenburg is very nice.

You only have a morning boat (Bingen, 9:15) or a late afternoon boat (2:30 or 4:30) to choose from if you want to go the whole Bingen-Koblenz route. Th last boat won't get into Koblenz until well after dark (20:10.) I'd do the 2:30 if you feel the need to ride all the way to Koblenz.

But I really don't see the point of spending 4 hours on a boat or going to Koblenz. 4 hours of cruising is tedious at best. There's a lot to see in the villages on foot, and reboarding is really inconvenient at that time of year.

You could start in Bingen at 9:30 and get off in St. Goar (10:55.) You'd see the best part by boat and have the rest of the day to move around by train to see some of the villages. There's a second boat at 11:30 (which goes no further than St. Goar) as well if you want to start later.

OR, leave at 9:30 and cruise 3 hours from Bingen to Braubach - on the opposite side of the river - for a tour of the best castle on the Rhine - Marksburg . There is good scenery and lots of castles between St. Goar and Braubach too, and Braubach is a nice town.

From there, you can catch a train south to St. Goarshausen and ferry back across to St. Goar for a visit there; if you have more time, take a train north to Boppard for an evening meal before heading "home" to Oberwesel.

If you cruise Bingen to Braubach, I'd get a 28-Euro Rheinland-Pfalz ticket (daypass for 2-5 people) for your trip back to Bingen by train. You don't save much over a regular ticket, but you can travel at will on the trains that day.

Another option is to see the section between Oberwesel and Bingen by car, but just start your cruise in Oberwesel. Oberwesel to Braubach is just under 2 hours - a nice amount of boat time.

If you do that, a VRM mini-group ticket for just 20 Euros for the trains is possible; don't train south of Bacharach, which isn't covered.

Thanks again--more things to think about. Just got confirmation on hotel Schoenburg so maybe we will start from there. Yes, hubby will want to see Marksburg--forgot about that. That's what I love about this forum--keeps me on my toes! paula

We went on a Rhine River day cruise on the K-D line a week ago and even during the "peak season" we didn't see how it was feasible to explore too many of the towns along the way. We ended up getting on the boat in Mainz (where we were staying) and got off the boat in St. Goar. We spent most of the afternoon in St Goar and took the last boat back towards Mainz. The ride back was a lot longer and the kids grew bored, so we got off the boat in Bingen and took the train back.

The ride between Mainz and Bingen doesn't offer much to see. The views were spectacular between Bingen and St. Goar and we really enjoyed that!

Paula
I glad you decided on Schonburg. We opted for dinner at the castle. My wife ordered off the menu and I ordered the fixed price dinner and it was great. We also opted for tea in the afternoon......I was so transfixed by the sleeping tea pot..be sure you ask why it is a sleeping tea pot. The views from the terrace were absolutely amazing. Enjoy your stay and your trip.

Thanks Terry. Got my confirmation from the Schoenburg today for 2 nights. Can't wait it looks beautiful. Wasn't able to get my first choice of nights so will have to work around that. I guess I should have realized in April '09 when I got tickets to the Passion Play in Oberammergau that this was going to be an expensive trip. Thanks to Russ I will save some money on the train tickets down the Rhine!! But definately going to have to travel by Rick's motto---Assume you'll be back!!!