Rhine-1-day cruise from Cologne

It's generally tricky to plan a hop-off, hop-on trip with the cruise boats because there are so few boats. This is much easier to do by train since service is hourly at a minimum. Rheinstein Castle is cool but very small. I've hiked to it from Bingen but I wouldn't classify it as a major attractive for such a short visit as yours. I would look at the cruise, not transportation, but as a sightseeing trip and stay on the boat. You'll see a lot of castles between Bingen and St. Goar, and a 2-hour cruise is about right. I would leave CGN by train and head to Rüdesheim. The 10:08 departure from CGN gives you a 20-mi. layover in Koblenz and gets into R-heim at around 1:00. When you change trains in Koblenz, stow your bags in a locker there. If you catch the 2 pm boat in Rüdesheim, you arrive in St. Goar at 4:05, giving you time to visit Rheinfels Castle and museum if you head straight up there. After that, catch a train from St. Goar to Koblenz (30 min.) to fetch your bags. Stay in Koblenz if you want a city. Or take a 15-min. ride to Boppard or Braubach to stay in a village. Boppard is livelier. I just returned from a nice 3-day stay there at Hotel Sonnenhof. On day 2, I'd recommend taking the best castle tour in the area - Marksburg - www.marksburg.de - in Braubach. (From Boppard take the train via Koblenz to get there; again, bags in Koblenz if you're done with Boppard.) You might first take Boppard's chairlift up for a supreme view of the river: http://www.sesselbahn-boppard.de/

For your train travel on Day 1: I see a 19-Euro advance-sale ticket on the DB website for the train I mentioned between CGN and R'heim. It's 6.80 for the St. Goar-Koblenz trip at the end. For day 2, you might want to get a VRM day ticket for 20 Euros from a VRM ticket machine. It will get you between Boppard, Koblenz, Braubach, and as far north as Rolandseck north of Remagen on the regional trains; an additional ticket for the stretch from Rolandseck to Cologne proper will cost around 10 Euros.

Russ, Thank you so much for the specifics. Is an 8-min. transfer in Koblenz really enough time to stow bags? Do I have to have exact change, e.g. and know where the lockers are? Where do I find VRM ticket machines? And schedules? Is this all through Bahn.de? Likewise the portion between Rolandseck to Cologne airport is via Bahn.de?
It all sounds good....since I have tomake sure I get back for our 19:35 flight, do you think I better ensure I get the right connections/tickets ahead of time al the way through. Are there usually multiple trains in all these places that I don't need to worry schedules so much? And the cruise - do I need to book (through binge-ruedesheimer.com/rhine-cruise? or other ?) ahead of time?

"Is an 8-min. transfer in Koblenz really enough time to stow bags? Do I have to have exact change, e.g. and know where the lockers are?" The connection I suggested was 20 min. Maybe you refer to some other connection, but 8 min. is probably doable. Koblenz isn't a huge station. There's a passageway downstairs from the platforms that connects them where the lockers can be found. It would be good to have several 1-Euro coins. I think the lockers are 2 or 3 Euros each depending on size. "Where do I find VRM ticket machines? And schedules? Is this all through Bahn.de?" VRM ticket machines are in all stations within the VRM area, the local transit authority. Here's a map. Scroll down. http://www.vrminfo.de/fileadmin/data/pdf/2011/Tarifwabenplan_2011.pdf All train schedules can be found at bahn.de, but ticketss within the local transit area must be purchased at VRM machines, which are grey and yellow. Use cash. I found a photo: http://www.zubi-tapetenwechsel.de/FSA_VRM.jpg http://www.vrminfo.de/en/home http://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets-and-fares/ticket-offers/leisure-ticket/#c419

"Likewise the portion between Rolandseck to Cologne airport is via Bahn.de?" The schedules can be found there. To get a ticket without getting off the train from Koblenz: if you're using the 20-Euro VRM ticket, show that to the conductor and ask to purchase a ticket for the extra mileage between Rolandseck and Köln/Bonn Flughafen. You're in the VRS area after R'eck, and you need a price-level 5 ticket at 10 Euros: http://www.vrsinfo.de/englisch/tickets-and-tariffs/short-term-tickets/single-ticket.html "do you think I better ensure I get the right connections/tickets ahead of time al the way through." Make an itinerary and stick with it if you need to catch a flight. I've never used the B-R cruise boats - can't advise. Check the website and contact them if you have questions? Have a nice trip.

Russ, I found some special regional fares from Cologne to the Ruedesheim/Braubach region. Sat/Sun. for 39 euros that cover 3 of us "Valid for unlimited number of journeys on day of validity, regardless of connections shown." Can you confirm my interpretation that this means I can go unlimited and back as long as I have one of these on my fare?
Second question do you think it's possible to do Marksberg and the cruise in one day Sunday and still get back to Koln ariport on the 17:07 arrival? That would require the 6:56 departure from Cologne, return St. Goar at 14:23. Once again, thanks for your knowledge and clarifications...I've already made some disastrous mistakes on non-refundables.

"I found some special regional fares from Cologne to the Ruedesheim/Braubach region. Sat/Sun. for 39 euros that cover 3 of us "Valid for unlimited number of journeys on day of validity, regardless of connections shown."
Can you confirm my interpretation that this means I can go unlimited and back as long as I have one of these on my fare?" You have found the "Schoenes Wochenende" Ticket for 39 Euros. You can use it anywhere in the country. You cannot use it on the fast trains, as you can with the advance-purchase non-refundables for the same price. But a quick glance at your particular schedule shows the same start (10:08) and arrival (12:52) time, doesn't it? Usually, the faster trains that run between Cologne and Koblenz allow for a shorter trip. Check the connection times and if it looks OK, it certainly will work for you, and will cost you no extra for your post-cruise train travel. I am not familiar with CGN station, but you should be able to buy it there from a ticket machine, either a DB machine or a regional VRS ticket machine (the latter will probably not take your credit card.)

"Second question do you think it's possible to do Marksberg and the cruise in one day Sunday and still get back to Koln ariport on the 17:07 arrival? That would require the 6:56 departure from Cologne, return St. Goar at 14:23." I assumed you were going to overnight not in Cologne but elsewhere near Koblenz since you originally mentioned hotel reservations in Rüdesheim. But you're thinking now of returning to Cologne on Sat. and leaving Cologne Sun morning at 6:56? Or you're considering staying in Cologne on Sat. and doing the Middle Rhine area on Sunday only? I'm guessing the latter, meaning you won't bother with Rheinfels castle. I'll assume you'll use the regional trains w/ the S-W ticket at 39 Euros on Sunday. I don't see a 6:56 train out of Cologne to Rüdesheim on Sunday. There's a 6:56 to Bingen arriving 9:43; or take the 7:32 RE train from Cologne and change in Koblenz and still arrive at 9:43. Either way, you miss the 9:30 B-R boat. There's a 10:30 K-D boat from Bingen that reaches Braubach at 13:20. After a 2:00 tour, you'd still miss the 14:53 train out of Braubach to arrive 17:07 at CGN. It looks like going all the way to Bingen or R'heim doesn't work well for you. I suggest this: get the 7:32 train from Cologne, change in Koblenz and drop bags, and go to BACHARACH: arrive 9:30. Catch the 10:15 K-D boat north to BRAUBACH; arrive 12:20. K-D website: www.k-d.de You'll miss the part between Bingen and Bacharach but this is still a lovely part of the river and includes castles and scenery you'd miss on the B-R cruise. Take the 1:00 Marksburg tour. Then catch the 14:53 train out of Braubach, change in Koblenz and get bags, change in Cologne for CGN, arrive 16:49.