How can I pick the right train station?

Well Lee, you certainly have mastered the process of train scheduling. I was excited when you said I could tack on the extra trip up to Moselkern because it's saying I can't buy those tickets online. I tried to do what you have suggested, but I'm stuck. I want to make the trip from Paris to Cochem one way, create the stopover, and then make the Moselkern a roundtrip back to Cochem. No success for me so far. I don't understand why it says can't book online for some of my short distances. (munchen to dachau i.e.) It's frustrating, because it's expensive to purchase tickets at the last second even for short distances! Thanks so much to everyone for your assistance.

Cochem (Mosel) is the same as Cochem Bahnhof. The Bahn just accepts either name. Cochem KD is the boat dock in Cochem. Bingen actually does have two stations, Bingen Hbf and Bingen Stadt. Bingen Stadt is near the boat dock but is just a through station. Bingen Hbf is across the Nahe River from Bingen Stadt and trains from there go in three directions - to Kreuznach and Saarbrücken, to Koblenz, and to Bingen Stadt, Mainz and Frankfurt. A lot of trains stop at Bingen Hbf. Only a few local trains stop at Bingen Stadt. I looks like all but one of those transfers are in Paris, getting you from Montparnasse to Paris Est, from which the main train leaves for Saarbrücken. The Bahn usually only sells tickets where no more than one leg has an end outside of Germany (and the other end in Germany), eg Paris Est to Saarbrücken to Cochem. They don't sell tickets online for Paris RER lines - or Paris to Metz, for that matter.

So... it sounds like I need to buy my tickets from Montparnasses to Saarbrucken somewhere and then I can purchase tickets from Saarbrucken to Cochem on the DE Bahn website. Where can I purchase advance tickets to travel from Montparnasses to Saarbrucken?

If you enter Paris Est and Cochem Bahnhof it will offer to sell you tickets, via Saarbrücken. Paris to Saarbrücken is alright to start the trip because one end is in Germany. If you select the route with a change in Metz, however, you won't see the tickets offered.

Adding to what Lee said, to get across town in Paris, you just need to use the metro/RER to get from Montparnasse to Est - - it's not really part of the longer chain of travel. That's a simple shot on Metro 4 northbound.

Thanks I understand. I can get our tickets out of Paris EST to Cochem using DE Bahn, but we need to have transportation to Paris EST separately. Do you suggest getting bus, metro, or train tickets to travel from our location near the Eiffel tower to Paris EST. We will be leaving around 7 a.m. so that we can spend the afternoon at Burg Eltz. No option to buy transportation to Paris Est in advance, correct?

Thanks. Are the ticket masters flexible if tourists make mistakes and end of on the wrong train? There are 5 of us traveling together.

You don't need to buy in advance for the metro, just get it at the station as you walk in. Also, no sense in going somewhere else to buy a metro ticket.

Moselkern is the normal stop for hiking to Burg Eltz. Moselkern is north of Cochem and the train from Saarbrücken to Cochem comes up from the south and does not stop at Moselkern after Cochem. You will have to change to a milk run train in Cochem. Since you don't want your bags with you on the hike to Burg Eltz, I suggest you check in in Cochem on your way. You can book that same Sparpreis fare from Paris Est to Moselkern, with a one hour stopover scheduled for Cochem. The schedule will actually give you 1½ hr. That should be enough time to check in assuming your accommodations are close by. Then you can go from Cochem to Moselkern with the same ticket.

You won't have success, either. You can't backtrack on the Sparpreis ticket, that is, you can go Paris to Moselkern with the stopover in Cochem, but not Paris to Cochem to Moselkern to Cochem. The fare from Moselkern back to Cochem is €4,05 for an adult. If you found a routing from Paris to Cochem that went through Bingen and Koblenz, you could build in a stopover in Moselkern and then go on to Cochem, but there's no place to stash your luggage in Moselkern. Those tickets like Cochem to Moselkern and Munich to Dachau are not sold online from the Bahn because they are tickets of the local transit district, VRM and MVV. I think in some cases the transit districts do sell their tickets online, but there is no price advantage. Munich to Dachau, both the part by S-Bahn and the part by bus, is covered for up to five people with a Munich XXL (inner two zones) Partner Tageskarte for €12,80, available from any automat in Munich. That's €2,56 per person with five people, €6,40 pP with two. And those tickets are good for any other travel in the inner two zones all day long.

I feel much better. I thought that I lacked the skills. You certainly are helpful. I feel like you saved me hundreds and hundreds of dollars and lots of stress.