Is mid April too early for touring Rhine/Modsel river? When does K-D line start operating their boats? I was unable to figure it out from their website? Thanks,

I have been in January/February , May and April.

So, if it is the only time you can go, it is still charming, perhaps minus some flowers.

For me , this area is worth a stopover no matter what if you are nearby.

It's not too early. You'll have some blossoms at that time, and though it can rain anytime, March and April typically see the least rain.

Burg Eltz will be open. Reichsburg Castle in Cochem is open year-round.

The K-D Mosel boats don't run until the end of April - but they only cover Koblenz to Cochem anyway. The Kolb line is the one that covers the more scenic Cochem-upstream route; they too don't begin regular service until the end of the month, but the do offer 1-hour cruises of the immediate river area near Cochem from the beginning of April.

The K-D Rhine boats do run in April - check their schedule (March is at the bottom):

http://www.k-d.com/englisch/schiffst...lan-rhein.html

The Mosel can flood, as can the Rhine, due to spring melt and heavy rains. This is one of the reasons the boats don't run that early. Be a bit flexible in your planning, just in case.

Thanks, we will definitely plan for it. Trier is high on our wish list anyway. I suppose the river/castle/village is still charming even if the weather does not cooperate. We will just spend less time "on the river", and take train to visit Cologne and Luxumburg.

One more question: is it important to have our own wheels in this part?

One more question: is it important to have our own wheels in this part?>

Not in my opinion though it depends what you want to do

The Rhine Gorge trains run on each side of the river between Koblenz and Mainz (best part Bingen/Rudesheim to Koblenz - for the boat - and the boats stop lots of places as well - so you can spend a leisurely day there getting on boat, off to climb up to a castle like famed Marksburg.

Trains go along the Mosel from Koblenz to Cochem, then inland to Trier but you can also reach Zell and Bernkastle-Kues by train (short bus link to reach B-K from the train station a few miles away).

From Cochem - a perfect base for those going by public transport - you can take a train to Moselkern - about 10 miles downstream and then trek up thru the forest to one of Germany's most famous castles - Burg Eltz (one pictured on Germany's 500 mark banknote it's so famous).

And local buses do ply the riverside roads frequent enough.

Bicycling is great here as well with bike paths hugging the river - many hotels seem to rent or supply bikes or you can rent them at Cochem's train station - a great bike putz goes upstream from Cochem to Beilstein, at one of the most scenic parts of the tremendously scenic Mosel Valley.

You do not need a car at all.

We were in this area this past April. There are pros and cons, of course. The pros is that the towns are even more charming when there aren't hords of crowds. The cons is that it was dreary and rainy, and somewhat chilly, during much of our trip. With that being said we always travel during off-peak season and manage to have a great time despite the weather. The area is fabulous and you will have a great time regardless of the weather.

Unfortunately I can't help with the ferries since we rented a car.

Best wishes,
Tracy