k_traveler

I've been daydreaming about Germany, and am trying to come up with a 3-4 day itinerary for a way future summer trip to the Rhine River region, assuming all public transportation (no car rental)

Day 1:
Burg Eltz. Possibly also walk through nearby Cochem with remaining time.

Day 2: Rhine River boat ride Bingen to Braubach, visit Marksburg Castle, return via train, possibly stopping to see other towns along the river

Day 3: Cologne - I've only ever passed through this town with ~40min stops at the train station. Enough time to run through the cathedral and take pictures, but not to see really anything. I'd like to spend a little more time in the cathedral, maybe visit El-DE Haus or the city museum, enjoy some Kölsch beer. Could the nearby Brühl castle be combined with a half day in Cologne or would that be too much?

Is this doable? What towns make good bases for these day trips? I'd prefer only one hotel for this region.

Also, for either day 1 on the Mosel or Day 2 on the Rhine, are there good bike paths/rentals near either of these areas? It would be fun to bike along the river for a while instead of sitting in a train looking out the window to enjoy the scenery. Do they have bike rentals that can be rented/returned in two different towns? If not, can bikes go on the trains? This could of course also be an additional day to my itinerary if the other days are too full.

Thanks!

PalenQ

It would be fun to bike along the river for a while instead of sitting in a train looking out the window to enjoy the scenery. Do they have bike rentals that can be rented/returned in two different towns>

I believe you can rent bikes at train stations and return them to another station - anyway I would chose the Mosel for a bike trip - having led 1000s of folks along the Mosel in a past lifetime of running bike trips in Europe I can say that everyone loved it - much nicer than the Rhine for biking IMO - Rhine is noisy - trains on both sides of the river - lots of freighter boats, busy roads on each side, etc.

Cochem is a great place to rent a bike and cycle from there to Beilstein - maybe 10 flat miles and along what is considered to be the most gorgeous of the gorgeous Mosel Valley - the sinuous river twists and turns like hairpins with slopes several hundred of feet high on each side and often carpeted with vineyards and punctuated by cute wine towns like Beilstein.

Boats go the same route so many you could put a bike on a boat and cycle back downstream from Beilstein to Cochem.

Cochem IMO is the perfect base for both the Rhine and Mosel - good train links to Koblenz and all Rhine towns and Rhine boats.

Or you could go to Cochem rent a bike and cycle down to Moselkern and then hike up thru the forest to Burg Eltz.

anyway for lots of great info on trains and boats in this area as well as places to see, etc check out these IMO fantastic sources - http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id9.html; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.

check out the Lander Passes for regions that allow up to five folks I think to travel unlimited on regional trains and buses in many regions - I do not know if one exists for this area but I suspect it may - check www.bahn.de/en - the German Railways web site to see and also for schedules.

bilboburgler

mosel bike hire
every village is different tourist info or the rail station often offer bike hire. this may help

http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/Mosel_Bike_Hire.php

valtor

I suppose that you will follow PalenQ's advice to use Cochem as base.
Regarding day trip to Cologne and Bruhl, it will be a long day: the train it takes 90 min. from Cochem to Cologne, so you need for return trip almost 4 hours. Bruhl is very close to Cologne (15 min. ) and you need 2 hours to visit the castle (I loved it). I would start early, go to Bruhl first and then you have all afternoon free to visit Cologne. Ludwig museum is very close to cathedral and train station and has many beuatiful items.

PalenQ

Well I say Cochem because it is a favorite base for many who have posted previously on other threads but it is not the only town of course - I and many prefer the Mosel over the Rhine - Mosel to me is cuter even than the Rhine Gorge. But any of those Rhine-side towns would be great bases too - but they are the same distance from Cologne - Rudesheim is the most popular Rhine town because I guess zillions of tour buses use it as an overnight stop and to board the K-D boats, many of which begin here - classic 2.5-hour cruise downstream to Koblenz - Bingen, St Goar, etc they all make nice small-town bases. I actually like Koblenz a lot but many would not - large city largely blitzed in WW2 but one with a pleasant shopping area and the famous Deutsches Eck Monumnet, standing as it has for a century or so at the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine - Germans call the Mosel the Mother Mosel - tranquil, slow, quiet and the Rhine the Father Rhine - powerful, more loud, etc.

Cochem in photos!
https://www.google.com/search?q=coch...=1600&bih=1075

bilboburgler

bikes can go on some trains, different trains have different amounts of space, including whole carriages of bike space on the mosel. You can also go take bikes on some ferries. A bit like PalenQ I like Koblenz but I find Cochem a bit touristy. I prefer Trier, Traben-Trarbach and Bernkastel

Rudesheim is ultra touristy, Boppard is a bit similar but ok.

The key issue for both these rivers is the wine (not the beer).

k_traveler

Thanks for the great responses! You've definitely sold me on Cochem, the biking did me in I could see spending several days exploring West of Koblenz and just one day with a boat tour for the Rhine side. My biggest concern would be getting in and out of the region ... Towns near Mainz are much much closer to the ICE trains than Cochem. I think if I stayed in Cologne as my first or last day in this region, I'd save the round trip from Cochem and would be better set to travel to my next base.

I know this is a wine region ... I'll probably do the other half of the trip in some of the Bavarian towns for some good German hefeweizen!

PalenQ

Trier is one of the most fascinating cities in Germany and one of the oldest in Europe - if possible do a day trip there for something very different - Roman relics - the best north of the Alps IMO and even the Karl Marx House where he was born.

bilboburgler

Trier tourist information do a fine wine/vinyard walk at the weekend. Great fun, it might be worth checking if they do it during the week while you are there

PalenQ

If into Mosel-Saar-Ruwer wines then take the Wine Teaching Path in Trier - going up behind the old Roman theatre - explains it all.

PalenQ

http://www.trier-info.de/english/information-trails

All about the Wine Teaching Trail in Trier - all about Mosel-Saar-Ruwer wines!

Prost!

bilboburgler

PalenQ, I feel I have walked in your shoes.

PalenQ

PalenQ, I feel I have walked in your shoes.>

well maybe staggered in my shoes, when talking of wonderful wonderful Mosel white wines!

aussie_10

Bookmarking for our trip to the Mosel

PalenQ

Train travel time Cologne to Munich is only about one hour faster than from Cochem to Munich - 4.5 hours best vs 5.5 hours best.

susan001

In 2011, I stayed in Bacharach on the Rhine (charming village), and then took trains to Cochem as a base for the Mosel. I took a train from Cochem to Moselkern, and then hiked up to Burg Eltz from the station. It's about a 60 minute walk to the trail head, and then about an hour or 90 min from that point to get up to the castle. On my second free day I went up to Bonn to visit BeethovenHaus. Though I don't regret that visit, I wish I had planned better to allow for a boat ride to Beilstein (village on the Mosel).

It's really not feasible to see the entire region from one base. You will need a Rhine base, and also a Mosel base (and the best place there, without a car, is Cochem.

Woyzeck

I just wanted to second PalenQ and the other endorsements of Cochem and the Mosel. I've stayed on the Rhine twice now (Boppard and St. Goar) and enjoyed my visits very much. Last time, however, I took a day trip to Burg Eltz and then spent the late afternoon and evening in Cochem - what a difference. It's a delightfully quaint small town, but is incredibly vibrant and lively. Whereas the Rhine in Boppard is broad and dominated by shipping vessels and cruise ships, the Mosel is scenic and lined with vineyards and small towns. Not to take anything away from the Rhine, but I thought I knew the region well, but I found Cochem so surprisingly friendly and fun.

PalenQ

I think most typical travelers will like me and Woyreck find Cochem and the Mosel to be a lot more romantic than the Rhine towns for the reasons Woyzeck so saliently outlines. Cochem is 20 minutes by train from The Rhine at Koblenz.

PalenQ

http://www.gemut.com/germany-destina...er-valley.html

<The Rhine gets all the attention, but for our money the Mosel has more country charm and spectacular scenery.>

Gemut.com's take on Rhine and Mosel!

PalenQ

It's really not feasible to see the entire region from one base. You will need a Rhine base, and also a Mosel base (and the best place there, without a car, is Cochem.>

In all due respect I do disagree with this - from a Cochem base, just 20-minutes by train from the Rhine at Koblenz and less than an hour from any Rhine Gorge town or K-D ship dock I'd rather stay in one base then waste a half-day or so relocating often takes!

And as Woyzeck said many find Cochem more romantic and cute, etc than any Rhine town where train lines of both sides of the river and a parade of freight vessels make a very differenct scene than the tranquil Mosel valley around Cochem. And IMO there are more better day trips from Cochem than any Rhine town - like to Burg Eltz or Trier - a fascinating city up Mosel from Cochem and the boat ride between cochem and Beilstein is to me more awesome and romantic than any Rhine boat - the Rhine is great for a day but for a base I'd take cozy Cochem anytime.