DB Bahn stopovers
 

We are planning to take the train down the Rhine from Boppard to Mainz next month. We would like the freedom to get on and off the train to explore the towns along the Rhine. I notice on the DB Bahn website that you are allowed 2 stopovers. I assume that means getting on and off the train has to be planned. Is the best way to travel spontaneously to buy individual tickets when we are ready to board the train? I've heard that if you buy tickets at the time of the departure it is more expensive, that if you buy them in advance. Is there an economical way we can travel down the Rhine with spontaneous stops?

Regional train ticket prices don't vary, doesn't matter when you buy them. Those stopovers do have to be planned, it's an option when you buy certain tickets, you put in the place and number of hours. I suppose a train ticket between your two farthest points might be cheaper than a bunch of intermediate ones, though. But the fact is that German rail tickets are not that expensive to begin with, so it is economical no matter what you do. The entire rail ticket is only about 20 euro from your two endpoints, for example. Are you aware that entire trip is only about an hour?

The are regional day tickets where you can do all the travel you want in one day for several people, I think in Hesse that is about 45 euro, yo'd have to check. The problem is Boppard isn't in Hesse, so it wouldn't work that well if you want to stop a couple times in that other state.

I'd probably just pay for the tickets as you need them, I wouldn't htink you can stop that many times in an hour's distance.

You are not taking K-D boats thru the Rhine Gorge - same thing get on and off and pay fares in between though K-D.com may say with a ticket Mainz-Boppard you may be able to get on and off at will. Boats let you see both sides of the river and give commentary en route. For lots on German trains and K-D boats and Rhine Gorge check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

I hope this doesn't seem rude to the previous responders, but you have not yet received very good advice.

"I notice on the DB Bahn website that you are allowed 2 stopovers."

The DB search page allows you to SELECT 2 stopovers for scheduling purposes. However, with DB tickets for the REGIONAL trains from Boppard to Mainz, you can in fact stop off as many times as you like. There is no point at all in trying to make sure your ticket shows stopovers. You do NOT have to have scheduled stops on your ticket to hop off and on. Don't buy the tickets in advance. You can just buy them at the station in Boppard on the day of travel. The REGIONAL train tickets are the same price at the machine as online! €34 for two adults. The machines are trackside there:

Attachment 1898

"...same thing get on and off and pay fares in between though K-D.com may say with a ticket Mainz-Boppard you may be able to get on and off at will."

The cruise between Bingen and Boppard is nice - but your question was about the trains - which are much faster. And it is a waste of time and money to pay extra for the cruise between Bingen and Mainz, where the scenery is poor. And there is only ONE cruise per day that arrives in Mainz. And that Boppard-Mainz cruise takes 6.5 hours on the boat alone! (If you do a Mainz-Boppard cruise you will save some time but you will still waste a lot of it on the Mainz - Bingen part. And either way, the one-way cruise is about €60 each!)

The normal DB tickets are not the cheapest option. You could also buy a Rheinland-Pfalz day pass (€30/2) which gives you unlimited travel on one day (within the stated time parameters) around the entire state of Rheinland-Pfalz:

Rheinland-Pfalz ticket - VRM | Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel

And it is a waste of time and money to pay extra for the cruise between Bingen and Mainz, where the scenery is poor.>

Yes neglected to see that but take a train to Bingen or Rudesheim and do a lovely few-hour boat ride thru the Rhine Gorge to Boppard or Barubach for Marksburg Castle or Koblenz - train station at or neat to just abut every dock.

I agree with Palenq about doing a Bingen - Boppard cruise sometime during your stay. That takes about 2 hrs 20 min's and the price is reasonable.

BTW I forgot to say that hopping off and back on the train again is fine but in the Rhine towns there are no lockers for storing your bags. So pack light. Some town's TI offices will let you drop their bags there. St. Goar's is one. But you'd better get them before they close for the day. Check in advance to see if they will help you and note their hours of operations.

Our plan in some ways is similar to yours. We will be going in July of this year.

From what my research has told me is that in most cases it's easier to stay on one side of the river (unless we're talking about boats).

The plan is to use part of one day to go down river from Bingen to Boppard (train from Mainz to Bingen), probably spend a few hours in Boppard, possibly even bike along the river a bit and then train back to our base which is Mainz.

On another day we'll train to a few towns (on the west side of the river) most likely Oberwesel, Bacharach and maybe St Goar or some other depending on the time we spend in each one.

West side roads are busy thoroughfares but east side of Rhine much quieter -for biking. And take pedestrian ferries with bikes across river at points.

Myer: Crossing the river by train isn't possible in between Mainz and Koblenz. The ferries are for that. But if you are staying in Mainz, it's easy to take a train from Mainz' main station over the trestle to the "right" side of the river - the part your plan currently avoids - Wiesbaden - Rüdesheim - Kaub - Braubach - Koblenz. Map of Right side train line:

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Fuss,

Notice that I wasn't planning on crossing the river by train.

The towns I was interested in visiting are all on the west side. Marksburg Castle is somewhat of an issue should we want to visit.

We have two day trips planned; one to Heidelberg and the other to Koblenz. It's probably best to visit Marksburg from Koblenz and then go back to Koblenz and return to Mainz from there. Yes, we can go to Mainz from Braubach but it takes much longer.

I'd consider taking a short boat ride that day and cross the river with it - when the boat goes past the famous Lorelei all the Germans on board start signing en masse the famous song that goes with the Lorelei.

Your stated plans were clear. My last post was written only to alert you to the option of crossing the Rhine by train from Mainz to the east bank. Your post read as though your west-bank-only plan might have been an east-bank avoidance strategy, based on the presumption that crossing the river is difficult:

And I didn't wish to see you missing out on that side if indeed you wished to visit it. That's all.

Fuss,

Thanks, but I'm aware the train from Mainz crosses to Wiesbaden and goes up the east side. The day we cruise I'd rather take a 30 min train that leaves every half hour than a 50 min train that leave once an hour. If we were getting a substantially longer or better cruise down the Rhine I would consider it but essentially Redusheim is just across the river from Bingen.
On the day we train to some of the towns, in general a few on the west side appear to be of more interest.

Many K-d boats begin in Rudesheim so a good idea to board there and get a choice of good seats - lots of folks get on at Rudesheim and can take up the preferred seats on open-air front top deck. Rudesheim is where many bus tours stay and thus lots of folks boarding - get there early and board first.

Palenq,

Good point.