I will be traveling from Cologne to Bingen by train to take a kd boat trip on the Rhine to Brauback and then a train from there back to cologne Any suggestion on what towns I should stop at during the river trip.
Eddie
Posted by
Paradise
7070 posts
Eddie: Let's assume you're going after April 25 when the peak KD boat schedule is in swing. Your current plan means 3.5 hours using the fastest trains and 3 hours on the boat. If you left Cologne at around 8 am you could probably catch the 10:30 boat from Bingen and get to Braubach by 13:20. Presumably you'll be touring Marksburg Castle since that's the only real reason to get off in Braubach (tour is one hour, figure 2-2.5 hours including time to reach the castle and maybe grab a bite to eat.) So with 8-9 hours already tied up, you probably don't have much time for getting to or strolling around the villages there.
With your current plan, I suggest that you do NOT plan to stop off during the river trip north since the KD schedule is so sparse. If you got off that 10:30 boat in St. Goar or any other town, you'd be stuck there for 4 hours waiting for the next boat to Braubach and wouldn't get there until 17:20.
The best way to do what you hope to do is to overnight in the area.
Alternatively, you can SHORTEN the cruise so that you're seeing only the best part. The part between Braubach and Boppard is relatively unexciting, actually, and can be cut. I would do it like this... cruise from Bingen (10:30) to Oberwesel (11:35) where you take a 1-hour break to walk the old town wall and see the town, then catch the 12:35 boat north to St. Goar (12:55.) Spend 1-2 hours there (lunch, Rheinfels Castle?) Then take the FERRY (runs all day long) across to St. Goarshausen and walk north to the train station, where you catch either the 14:31 or 15:31 train north to Braubach (where you arrive 20 minutes later.)