Would like to plan a trip in which we are able to "hop on and hop off" commuter boats on the Rhine and Mosel rivers, using a EuRail pass. That way we have the flexibility of seeing castles and wineries on our own schedule. Can do this? How?
There aren't "commuter boats" on the Rhine or the Mosel. What you have are: - short ferries that cross you from one bank of the river to another, sometimes taking a slightly diagonal course (like 500 yards). - tourist cruise boats that go along the route
The schedule for K-D boats is at www.k-d.com. Hop on/off is not really that practical. The boats are not like buses that come every 10 minute. Up river, from Koblenz to Bingen, there are only 3 complete trips per day, only 4 the other direction, plus a few partial trips. On the Mosel there is only 1 each direction between Koblenz and Cochem. Plus, the boats are excruciatingly slow, particularly UP the rivers from Koblenz. The trains would work better. There are hourly trains running on both sides of the Rhein and on one side of the Mosel. Use the German Rail (Bahn) website for train schedules.