Is doing Bingen to Koblenz in one day too much for a Rhine Cruise with getting off and seeing 3 castles? Where to stay in Bingen? Can you take the train back down from Koblenz to Bingen? Will have kids so don't want it to be too long a day.
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
The stretch of the Rhine you mention is certainly great for a day trip. However, 3 castles may be a bit ambitious. See how it goes with your kids. Mine (8 and 10 at the time) were 'castled out" if we tried more than 2.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
First, the largest ship line on the Mittlerhein, the Köln-Düsseldorf line (KD, www.k-d.de) is not an hourly hop-on/hop-off bus. There are four daily boats all the way from Bingen to Koblenz, so if you get off at one town, be prepared to stay a while. The first boat leaves Bingen at 9:30; the last boat gets to Koblenz at 8:10 PM.
It is certainly possible to take the train back from Koblenz to Bingen. There are about hourly trains running on both sides of the Rhein. See the German Rail website.
If it were I, to save time, I would do the most interesting (?) part of the Rhein, from Bacharach to St. Goar (in that direction) by boat and the rest by train. The boats are slow (and expensive). Save your travel time for the castles.
Posted by
West Coast, California, USA
485 posts
Ditto Marksburg Castle. Our kids (age 8 and 11 at the time) absolutely loved it. It's a guided tours so make sure you find a time when it's in English (we found Marksburg sort-of by accident and did the only tour they had available - in German. I had to translate everything to my family).
Posted by
Paradise
7072 posts
Its 3.5 hours by direct boat from Bingen to Koblenz. Yawn. Do as Lee suggests and cut it down a bit - but maybe not that much. Bacharach to St. Goar is only one hour. I'd suggest Bacharach to Braubach, which takes you past several more castles and to the fabulous Marksburg - get off and you're done with the boat and ready for the best castle tour in the area. Take the little shuttle from the center of town for a few Euros? It's walkable in under 30 min but a steep hike.
After that - option 1 - see another castle: take the train down to St. Goarshausen, walk to the docks, and ferry across to St. Goar (ferries run every 15-20 min or so.) It's a good hike up to Rheinfels from there.
Rheinfels is okay but if you can only do one castle, make it Marksburg.
(I don't know what third castle you have in mind, exactly, that would be tourable in this area. Rheinstein does tours but is very small and involves a long hike from Bingen. But I think two is PLENTY for one day, maybe one too many if you're walking.)
Option 2 in lieu of Rheinfels: from Braubach, train north to Koblenz, change trains, and head south to Boppard. It's an attractive old town with a nice river promenade. Take the family on the chairlift ride up to the Vierseenblick lookout - where the Rhine looks like 4 lakes. It's gorgeous up there and there's a nice cafe to enjoy the view from.
Then take the train back to Bingen.
Bingen is okay but I think Bacharach or better yet St. Goar would be a better base to start and end your outing - smaller, more atmospheric, very likely less expensive. We had an apartment for 4 for about 50 euros/night in St. Goar, with a view of the river:
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
I agree, Rheinfels and Marksburg are probably the best two castles to tour in one day. They are very different and complement the experience nicely: Marksburg is intact and gives you a taste of what life in the middle ages may have been like. Rheinfels is HUGE (in fact, it's the largest castle around) and in ruins and thus provides a very different perspective.
We also toured Burg Sooneck. That was a very interesting experience as we went there on a Sunday with a festival happening there. Fantastic! Our kids had a blast. But you do have to budget half a day for something like that. Don't miss it if you're in the area at the right time! The festival is held on the first weekend in July, this year July 4/5.