Dusseldorf drive down Rhine River
 

I'm planning a trip starting in Dusseldorf and driving south down the Rhine in early April. The trip needs to be round trip in 5 days ending back in Dusseldorf. Any Suggestions on where to focus the trip without driving more than a couple hours per day? Also, is there a good location to stay between Boppart and Mainz that would be a good central hub to drive to everyday and see the area without bouncing around from hotel to hotel.

Bonn is a nice town on Rhine and Remagen's famous bridge but the highlight area is the Rhine Gorge area between Boppard and Rudesheim/Bingen. And don't neglect driving up the Mosel Valley a bit - like to picture postcard Cochem. Many deem the Mosel even more beautiful than the Rhine - check out Burg Eltz, one of Germany's most famous castles. Marksburg Castle on the Rhine is about the only intact medieval casdtle on the Rhine. Good sources info on area: BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

I'd drive straight away to the Rhine Gorge/Mosel area and spend all your time there. Any riverside town between Bingen and Boppard will be great - Bingen to Mainz rather industrial and do do a poke along the Mosel.