Bacharach or Cochem for 2 nights??
 

Hello again! :) Arriving from Amsterdam, we'll be picking up our car in Koln and driving to either Cochem or Bacharach to stay for two nights before driving to Rothenburg. Which town would you pick and why?

DH and I stayed in Cochem last summer (our honeymoon). I just fell in love!! I thought it was such a beautiful town, and we both really enjoyed Burg Eltz. This time it will be my mom and me. We would like to visit a castle, and possibly take a cruise on the Rhine or Mosel river... we also enjoy wine :)

Is it possible to visit Burg Eltz from Bacharach? Would you rec another castle in the region since I have already been to Eltz?

Again, many thanks to you all!!

I know there is someone out there with an opinion!!!

Several years ago I was in this area - I stayed in Bacharach three nites and visited Cochem (briefly)on my way to Trier. My impression is that Cochem is bigger / livelier but that doesn't mean the better place to stay. I liked Bacharach and it was convenient for taking a river boat on the Rhine. There is a castle at the next town up river (St. Goar?) that we toured - don't know how it compares with the castle near Cochem. Rick Steves has alot of info about the St. Goar castle (it is really more of a ruin)in his book - we enjoyed him "guiding" us thru the castle. If you stay in Bacharach look for a restaurant that is attached to "Museum of the Rhineland". It was the beat meal we had in the area (but I am not a fan of german food) and when we were there the museum was a work in progress. I was wandering thru it while waitng for dinner, opened what I thought was a door to another room and almost let a pack of goats loose into the restaurant!

It's an easy 45 minute to one hour drive from Bacharach to Moselkern to visit Berg Eltz.

http://www.burg-eltz.de/e_index.html

I think there is no finer castle on in the Mosel/Rhein area than Eltz, but Marksburg (at Braubach) is a nicely restored castle on the Rhein.

What time of the year are you going?

For a couple nights, Cochem might be better than Bacharach, but we like them both.

If you stay in Cochem, don't overlook touring the Reichsburg above Cochem.

Cochem will have much more to entertain you if you want to walk around at night. But Bacharach makes a great base for touring throughout the Rhine region. Burg Rheinfels in St. Goar, the next big town down river, has an interesting museum and ruins. The hotel there offers spectacular views of the Rhine valley. One of the most beautiful photos I ever took was an early morning shot of the barge traffic on the river.

On my last trip to Germany I stayed in Bacharach instead of Cochem simply because I found the hotels in Cochem to be too expensive during the Christmas season.

We will be there mid-June if that makes a difference.
Sooo.... we want to see Burg Eltz and we would like to do a river cruise. I guess that doesn't make my decision any easier, huh ;) Are there cruises leaving from around Cochem?

TX--yes. We stayed in Beilstein a few summers ago, and the tour boats stop in Cochem.

I guess we will stick with Cochem. I cannot imagine the beauty of the town being beat by another.
Is Berg Eltz your favorite castle in the area?
Any wineries anyone might suggest?
What about cruises from Cochem? Are they worthwhile? Do they stop at any wineries? I don't like the thought of visiting, drinking, and then driving... not an option in my book. And I *really* like my wine! What to do??? :)

bookmarking

Cochem is always a good choice.

But if you've seen Burg Eltz, I suggest you tour Reichsburg, right in Cochem. Good tour (not Eltz, but good) and a very good birds of prey exhibition several times per day.

There are several cruises per day from Cochem to Beilstein, an adorable little village upstream.

Rick Steves lists his 3 favorite Rheinland castles as follows:

Marksburg
Rhinefels
Burg Eltz

Burg Eltz is his favorite but he gives high marks to the other two. We also loved Burg Eltz (but stayed in Beilstein). We are planning to stay in Bacharach in May. Here's the link:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...many/rhine.htm