KD Rhine stop North of Koblenz

One thing you have to remember is that Andernach to Koblenz might be down on the map, but the Rhein flows from Koblenz to Köln. Thus Andernach to Koblenz is "UP" the Rhein. The Rhein has a strong current. Unless you really love spending time on boats, plan your trip to go down the river. Second, although, according to ViaMichelin, Andernach to Deutsches Eck is 20 km, the road cuts across land, while the river winds, so between the same points by car is longer by boat. And, the KD dock in Koblenz is up the river from Deutsches Eck, so a little farther. You might consider taking the train to Koblenz and the boat back. Or go to Boppard by train and take the boat back to Kobenz to get a better seat. I sat on the top side of the boat. You can see castles on either side pretty well. Southbound from Andernach, on the right side you might get a better view of Deutsches Eck and the river front at Boppard, but on the left side maybe a better view of Breitstein and the Marksburg.

Lee, thank you for your superb reply. In my older edition of "...Germany", although he has terrific material on the best sights and train/ship coordination, I don't think Rick even mentions the river current issue. To quantify your observation, the two most basic KD daily trips, between Koblenz and Rüdesheim are listed in the current (2011) timetable as 6:15 upstream and 3:55 downstream. That's quite a difference. For the benefit of other readers, I want to add that besides the big Garden Show in Koblenz, there are some middle-Rhine fireworks events that will also be affecting hotel occupancy and river traffic in the summer. There are also some special "BUGA" boat excursions, from the closer towns, that might avoid parking/traffic problems at the Garden Show.

You can find the complete schedule for boats of the Köln Düsseldorf line at www.k-d.de.

Tim of Wyckoff, NJ USA said, I don't think Rick even mentions the river current issue. In my copy of RS Germany and Austria 2008, on page 223, in the By Boat: paragraph RS says While some travelers do the whole Mainz - Koblenz trip by boat (5.5 hours downstream, 8.5 hours up) . Granted, in the one hour detailed Rhine Blitz Tour 3 pages on, there is no further mention.

To finish off this topic, posted after our return: Lee's advice was brilliant. I want to add that KD's web-sales partner's site states incorrectly that your printout is the actual ticket. When we went to Bingen to board (i.e. going downstream), the pleasant booth agent told me he would exchange my "voucher" for the actual tickets. As Rick says, the boats are never full. And you only "need" to cruise the high-value segment Rick lays out. It turns out that Andernach is only a "flag stop" (the old railroad term) for KD boats. Since they don't have a dedicated booth in Andernach, it would be a project to get picked up there. Anyway, we took the train to Bingen, and the train back to Andernach from Boppard, which is well worth an hour or two visit. If anyone is unable to get a room in Koblenz, I recommend sleepy Andernach. It's a little like the small medieval towns in Alsace, like Ribauville. We could hear a distant train, and some churchbells from our room, but it's cooler and much more peaceful than Koblenz. A more daring traveler might try the many older riverside resort hotels, which looked more charming than anything in Koblenz. (Rick does warn about boat noise, but at least the "wrong" side of the Rhine in Andernach has multiple hotels not separated from the river by a railroad.) We stayed at Alte Kanzlei, in a (euro-)large double #18 with an all-new, massive bathroom, 85 Euros, plus 10 Euros for two huge breakfasts. Free, palatial off-street parking. Charming, German-only proprietress, her elderly husband spoke a little English, and was delighted to have us. Room key fits the unattended street door. What Rick would call a "worthwhile splurge." I had to reserve with multiple emails, but I got the idea they do use a booking service unfamiliar to me.

If you look on the website for Andernach (www.andernach.de), under Tourismus ( tourism), Unterküfte ( accommodations), then Hotels, Alte Kanzlei is near the top of the list. It gives their webpage, www.alte-kanzlei.de and their email address. It looks like a really nice place. It shows a three star rating, which is supposed to mean that someone on the staff speaks English (sounds like just barely). The booking website they belong to is Historikhotels.com, which appears to be based in Köln.

Thanks for the update. It's interesting to know that Andernach is a "flag stop" (hält bei bedarf) for the boats.