dwzemens

Back from our trip, with some observations:

The highly touted automated luggage system at the Cologne train station was ragged and in disrepair. Several units were not working and the others only took small coins...so we walked about 50 meters away and left our luggage with the attendant in the luggage storage area. Same price, no line, no frustration...and we were pretty confident we'd see our luggage again, and we did!

We absolutely made the right decision to take the train. It was easy and cost effective. We had no use for a car whatsoever. We trained from Amsterdam to Cologne, spent a few hours in Cologne, seeing the cathedral and having lunch. Very nice afternoon.

Onward to Cochem, where the train station was but 1/2 mile or so from our hotel. We had a lovely time in Cochem, as they were having a regional wine festival while we were there, which was fun. We also took the boat down to Beilstein for lunch, which was wonderful and a nice way to spend the day. We walked to the Cochem castle, which we loved, and just generally spent time wandering, eating, drinking and relaxing. Three nights in Cochem passed quickly!

Onward to St. Goar via Koblenz by train. No problem! Our hotel in St. Goar was directly on the Rhine and directly in front of the KD Boat dock. How convenient! We enjoyed some delicious food in St. Goar, explored the castle ruins (with a pending thunderstorm that made for some great photos) and also took a day trip by boat to Bacharach, where we had an enjoyable lunch and a relaxing day. The two nights in St. Goar flew by!

On the train again for one last night in Frankfurt. The train was oversold and standing room only from St. Goar to Mainz, but most people got off in Mainz and we the train was fine to Frankfurt. Our hotel was within site of the train station (Hotel Concorde, highly recommended, less than $100USD). We had one last wonderful meal in Frankfurt (overall we found the food in Amsterdam and particularly Germany to be AWESOME) and the wine cheap!

The train is the way to go. Forget the car in the Mosel and Rhine River valleys!

PalenQ

Thanks for reporting back - Americans before they go to Europe, especially Germany, can't fathom how great the public transportation system is there!

Meganvil

DWZEMENS - We are on the same route in June 2017 , I would appreciate it if you could recommend the hotels you stayed in along the route.

Fussgaenger

Meganvil: DWZEMENS may or may not be active on the forum at this point. Right in front of the KD dock in St. Goar?? Could be the Rheinhotel St. Goar, one of the towns most popular hotels. Check it out on Tripadvisor.

In fact I suggest you check Tripadvisor's hotel reviews for Cochem and St. Goar, where DW stayed. What hotel is right for you depends on a lot of factors. Traveling by train? Find one within walking distance of the station. Budget? Comfort level? The Rhine and Mosel routes are VERY well traveled, and on TA you can read HUNDREDS of recent reviews on DOZENS of different hotels from those who've gone before you.

I second the choice of Cochem and St. Goar as good locations and nice towns. The cruise from Cochem to Beilstein takes an hour and makes for a very nice outing.

On the Rhine, DWZEMENS unfortunately missed out on half of the really great scenery, the part south of Bacharach. If you stay in St. Goar, your best bet is to catch the train south to BINGEN (25 minutes) and cruise back north to St. Goar. Done this way - with the current - the cruise takes 1.5 hours. (If instead you were to cruise from St. Goar south to Bingen, you'd see the exact same scenery, but you's be stuck on the boat for 2.7 hours because of the strong current.)

Here's a map of the Bingen-St. Goar Rhine cruise segment:
https://gruppentouristik.com/sites/d.../Rheinlauf.jpg

To visit Bacharach, it's best to just stop over there when you ride the train south to Bingen to start your cruise. Trains run every hour, so it's easy to hop back on.

Fussgaenger

Oh - forgot to mention the train ticket. It's €6.50 to Bingen for a train ticket bought at St. Goar station. But when you show your ticket at the KD cruise boat kiosk in Bingen, you will get a 20% discount off the €20 cruise fare (so €4 off.)

Dayle

Argh. All this is making we think I reconsider my car rental. But it would mean giving up staying at schonburg castle.

Fussgaenger

You are booked at Schönburg? I thought you asked about hotels in towns where DWZEMENS stayed. If you are booked at Schönburg, then you might not need to stay in St. Goar, which is only a few miles away; to take the cruise, you don't need to give up your car... you would just drive down into Oberwesel, park near the station, and take the train to Bingen. Take your cruise to St. Goar, then a train back to Oberwesel and your car. To visit Bacharach, you COULD stop off by train as I suggested before. Or you could just drive there first... see the town... train to Bingen... cruise to St. Goar... train to Bacharach... drive back to Schönburg. I imagine the Schönburg staff can help you with taxi arrangements.

If you don't want the car... you can still stay at Schönburg. You will just need to arrange for a taxi to get into town and back to the castle.

Another trains-only alternative: Book your first night at Schönburg and arrange a taxi ride up. Stay put, enjoy the place, then check out in the morning and taxi down to town, where you check into a place that's more station-friendly when you do your outings. The Weinhaus Weiler is a charming and popular inn - the walk to the station would be a flat one. Or take the train to St. Goar (5 min.) that morning and stay there.

Fussgaenger

Sorry, Dayle - I confused you with the OP.

Dayle

HI Fussgaenger,

Sorry, I was tagging on here. Still playing around with car rental/all train ideas. I love taking the train as long as it gets me where I want to go. Really wouldn't want to bother with a taxi back and forth from the Schonburg for a 3 nights stay, that is certain!

Also looking at Hotel Reinfels and another 3* with a river view in St. Goar.

I have zero fear of driving so would enjoy that too.

I did other info where it said trains on the Mosel were not running/under construction during the time I am there so that's another reason for a car.

Always a little hard to decide when it's your first trip to a place.

Thanks!

PalenQ

I did other info where it said trains on the Mosel were not running/under construction during the time I am there so that's another reason for a car.>

when trains don't run there is inevitably a bus replacement- but the mainline train Koblenz-Cochem-Trier only runs along the river between Koblenz and Cochem area - then inland - a couple of spur lines may be the ones affected like to Zell or Traben-Trarbach (think they still have train service)- there are buses right along the Mosel the whole route it seems.

Dayle

Thanks Palen Q. Hard to decide which will be more enjoyable and hassel free. Whats your opinion?

Fussgaenger

Dayle writes, "...info where it said trains on the Mosel were not running/under construction during the time I am there..."

You're there in May, right? Are you staying in Cochem? You won't have any trouble between Koblenz and Cochem (which includes Moselkern for the Burg Eltz hike.) It's the stretch from Cochem to Bullay that will be replaced by SEV buses. If your plans include Trier, you will find that inconvenient.

For a 3-night stay at Schönburg, a car makes sense.

Meganvil

Thank you for all the additional information!

Fussgaenger: you are a wealth of information. I have not planned anything as yet. We are arriving in Frankfurt on the 2nd June and we have to be in Kasterlee belgium on the 5th June, which I have been thinking to change to the 6th, to have more time. We will travel by train and after reading the thread decided to stop over for those days.
Where and what do you suggest we do? It is a short visit, unfortunately.

Meganvil

I should have also added, it is our first visit to the area. We're reasonably fit, we'll be walking and taking the train and a cruise as you suggested.We'd prefer to be in walking distance of everything. The exchange rate is throttling us, so our budget is more to the middle.

Dayle

Meganvil,

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

Fussgaenger,

Thanks for the additional info. I do plan to travel further south and am staying in Beilstein, so maybe best to stick to my plan of a rental car.

PalenQ

Thanks Palen Q. Hard to decide which will be more enjoyable and hassel free. Whats your opinion?>

It's all in where you want to go but if you enjoy driving then you have more freedom of course to meander along the Mosel- if not into that forego the car as trains and buses can reach any part of The Rhine (boats too) and places like Cochem and Trier (a very interesting city with its Roman relics and all).

WorldTravlr

A couple of tips for car rental. In Germany there is a 19% surtax for cars rented at airports or train stations. They don't care where you drop it off but pick it up at a rental lot away from the airport or bahnhof.

I have had good luck renting through Gemut.com Gemutlichkeit travel. They have gotten me good deals and they are knowledgeable about Germany.

When you are in the cities drop the car, traffic and parking are a hassel and public transportation is good in most cities. If you need a car after that pick up another one on the way out of town.
As someone pointed out the "Romantic Road" is more "Road" than "Romantic". A Two lane road with lots of trucks. If you are in a hurry use the autobahn. There are several delightful villages along the RR. Don't miss Wurtzburg and Rothenburg.