Mosel and Rhine Valley Train

On the Rhein (Koblenz to St. Goar), the rail lines follow the river, so if you're biking along the river the rail lines will always be close. That's not the case on the Mosel, which loops about considerably. The rail line follows a more or less straight course along the W, or NW, side of the river, near the loops at some points but often quite a distance away. However, at the far points of the river, for instance Zell or Bernkastel, there are buses to the rail lines. Or, you might be able to pick up a boat. Most of the way, from Bullay to St. Goar, you will be inside the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel. They have a variety of "passes", from single day to 3 day to weekly, although for short distances, point-point tickets might be more economical. For instance, by train from Bullay to Cochem, a distance of 11-12 km (3 tariff zones), the adult VRM fare is €3,35. VRM is rather vague about the fare for a child under 15. According to the Bahn, a child under 15 is costless with a parent, half fare if alone. VRM shows a child fare of €2,00 from Wittlich to Cochem, but I believe that is the fare if riding alone. Go to the VRM website, www.vrm.info, and click on "Linien & Netze" > "Liniennetzplan" for a map showing train and bus lines.

You can transport your bikes on the trains at no additional charge along both river valleys; however, before 9 am on weekdays, you'll need an additional bike ticket.

Let's hope that her son doesn't tire out before 9 AM.

Thanks for the great information. I did find that the RB train goes along the Mosel and it runs hourly. No fee for the child with me paying full fare. Bikes are free 9-16:00. I don't want to push my son and make him miserable so this is my back up plan for when it goes badly. Just bike to the closest train. I thought it stopped in every town and am surprised to see that we will have to find a town with a stop. We have a little over a week before we leave and appreciate the help in getting information.

Just make sure you look at the schedule on the platform and know what train you are catching. Besides the RBs, there are also REs, which you can ride with a regional ticket, but don't stop at all of the stations. There are also a few ICs, which require a more expensive ticket.