c2h6

Hey guys,

So I have a long layover (5.30am-10.30pm) in Frankfurt Airport on a Monday and thought that I would see some old German sights instead of heading into Frankfurt itself. I did some research, and it seems like it is possible to do a day trip out to Marksburg and Rheinfels, including a K-D Rhine cruise in between and a few stops along the way to walk around the German towns. However there is so much information, and since there are a lot of experts here I thought I'd ask you guys for help on firming up my itinerary.

Currently my plan is as follows:

- Buy a R-P day pass, as well as a RMV ticket to Bingen. From Frankfurt Regionalbahnhof, take the S-8 or RE-80 train to Mainz Hauptbahnhof to drop off my luggage at the station, then get on the R80 to Bingen am Rhine Stadtbahnhof (same RMV ticket).

- Take the 9.30AM (or 10.30AM) K-D cruise to St Goarhausen.
- Get off at St Goarhausen, take the train to Braubach Bahnhof (R-P day pass).
- Walk up to Marksburg (or find the Marksburg express) to take the 1PM English tour.
- Once done with Marksburg, get back down. Braubach Bahnhof to St Goarhausen by train, ferry across to St Goar (R-P day pass).
- See Rhinefels
- Catch a train into Mainz, then spend some time walking around Mainz until it's time to head back to the airport. Pick up bags, get a RMV ticket back to the airport.

I have a few questions about this itinerary:

1) For the K-D ferry: I have heard that a lot of tour groups get on at Rudesheim, meaning the ferry will be crowded by Bingen. Is this true? Should I go to Rudesheim instead of Bingen to board the ferry?

2) Are there any stops along the way that would be worth a visit? It seems like Mainz is a charming town to walk around. I have heard that Bacharach is nice (albeit much smaller) too. Are there any other towns along this route that would provide better views, interesting attractions, or anything else worth visiting?

Any suggestions and improvements to my itinerary are very much appreciated. Thanks!

Fussgaenger

1) For the K-D ferry: I have heard that a lot of tour groups get on at Rudesheim, meaning the ferry will be crowded by Bingen. Is this true? Should I go to Rudesheim instead of Bingen to board the ferry?

You can do it that way too, but trains to Rüdesheim arrive at :04 after, which leaves you not enough time to get to the dock, buy a ticket, and board the 9:15 or 10:15 boat, so you must plan on an hour's layover on R'heim at a minimum. Your trip is mid-September on a Monday, right? Not a heavy travel day usually, so I wouldn't expect an overwhelming crush of people. Also, you are planning on the 9:30 boat, right? I believe that most tour operators that include a cruise from Bingen, like Viator, only use cruises that are scheduled later in the day. That said, there's one poster on this board who will caution everyone to do as you've outlined above, irrespective of the circumstances, to be at the R'heim dock early so you can outfox anyone and everyone and get a seat on the deck at the front of the boat. I've spent some time in Bingen watching the boats and never seen anyone turned away - you will get on there no matter when. But I suppose if it's really important to you get a certain seat, you could board in Eltville or Wiesbaden instead and totally pre-empt any tour bus folks that might be boarding in R'heim or who possibly will have edged you out if you board in Bingen. IMO it's not a big deal.

2.) Mainz and Bacharach are good bets. Oberwesel is excellent too.

Oberwesel: http://s1.germany.travel/media/conte...T_1024x768.jpg

Oberwesel town wall walk:
http://www.oberwesel.de/uploads/pics...rrundweg_2.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...Ochsenturm.jpg
http://www.oberwesel.de/uploads/pics...dweg_karte.jpg

Oberwesel market square, wine fest: http://www.oberwesel.de/uploads/pics/P1060485.JPG

Mainhattengirl

You can also get on the ship in Assmanshausen if you are going down the right side of the Rhine instead of the left. Take the train from the airport to Weisbaden, then the hourly train that goes up and down the right side of the Rhine. The ship stops at Rüdesheim, Bingen, then Assmanshausen. See if you can get the ship that stops in Braubach. Those hourly trains will waste a good part of your day waiting around on them. That shuttle at Braubach that goes up to the Marksburg may or may not be running, so go ahead and add in a 20 min. slog up the hill to the castle.

My personal favorite castle is Burg Rhinefels and my recommendation would be to simply take the ship to St. Goar and spend time at this might fortress and perhaps explore some other towns. Too many times we have had kind of crappy guides at the Marksburg, and frankly you will spend a lot of time getting there and back for a short 40 min. tour. This is just my opinion of course, but have had others tell me the same thing. Some posters emphasize the fact that the Marksburg is an original, but how important is that to you?

Doing this, you have time to stop in Bacharach, Ober-Wesel or perhaps a tour at Reichenstein castle or Burg Rheinstein, as well as more time in Mainz which has a ton of stuff to see.

mokka4

Stayed for 2 weeks a few years back in Bacharach...loved it! Plenty of wine cafes for lunch, small town atmosphere, riverside walking path...slow and comfortable.
Unless the castle tour is a MUST, I'd combine Bacharach with Mainz...a small city with an abundance of sights (Gutenberg press, Chagall church windows, etc)

Betsy

Mainz has two train stations: Mainz Hauptbahnhof and Mainz Römisches Theater. The Roman Theater station is a short walk from the river, while the Hauptbahnhof is farther away. Figure out what you want to see and plan the most convenient station to use. At the end of your day, it may be more convenient to head back to FRA from the Roman Theater station.

The Chagall windows (Stephanskirche) are amazing. We've eaten a couple of times at Heiliggeist, Mailandsgasse 11 and have not been disappointed. Get there early.

Bon voyage

greg

Rüdesheim/Assmanshausen: I did the Rüdesheim, up to Niederwald by gondola, walk to the top of Assmanshausen, down to Assmanshausen by a Seilbahn loop last year. While you don't have time for this, I liked Assmanshausen more than Rüdesheim. As we walked from the Rüdesheim train station to the gondola station to catch the first gondola up, I saw two long boats docking into Rüdesheim. The town was already teaming with bus based tour groups. Yes, Rüdesheim is very popular to tour groups, while Assmanshausen was not. On the KD boat, the only visible tour group was a large Japanese bus based tour group that got off at St. Goar.

Burg Rhinefels is quite large and comes in multiple levels. If you don't have a tour strategy, you would be going in circles. Naturally, there is a restaurant, one high price and another more plebeian with a view of the Rhine.

Marksburg was ok for those who have already visited many other German castles. We had some time changing trains at Koblenz, so we left our luggage at Koblenz station and took train to and back from Braubach. There was no shuttle running and no taxi at the station, so we walked a short block to the town TI who called a taxi for us to go up. We synched to the next available tour, which was in German as the English tour was an hour later. The guide, whenever she had time would slip in English explanations as there were only two other people. We took a short hike down to the Braubach station. While Marksburg is better preserved, Rheinfels felt mightier and has more picturesque view of the Rhein.

And why are you taking your luggage to Mainz? Isn't this just a FRA layover?

c2h6

Mainhattangirl, is this ship you are speaking of a ferry of some sort? If it is part of the RMV and covered under the R-P day pass I might consider it. Do all the non-ICE trains run on the hour?

and greg, it is actually not so much a layover as it is a transit. I'm getting off one airline and getting on another.

c2h6

Fussgaenger - yes, I am aiming for the 9.30 K-D departure. This will be towards the end of August, so Bingen should be fine (I hope)!

Mainhattengirl

It is not a ferry, it is a ship. A ferry goes back and forth across the river, like from Bingen to Rüdesheim and back. The KD ship goes north and south. It is not part of the RMV, but they give a discount on your ship ticket when you show your train ticket.

greg

Regarding luggage:

Your plan: train to Mainz station with luggage in tow, leave luggage at Mainz HBF, do visits, must stop by Mainz to retrieve luggage, train to FRA with luggage in tow.

Instead of: leave luggage at FRA, do visits, return anyway back to FRA, retrieve luggage at FRA

Castles appear on both sides of the KD boat. You would not want to get stuck at any one seat.