leonachi

My wife and I (we are in our mid 50s) will be taking a 16 day vacation in mid-May visiting Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Our first stop is the Rhine and Mosel River valley area. We fly into Frankfurt and have an Air BnB booked for 4 nights in Boppard and will be using that town as a home base. So far, we've worked out the following itinerary for the 3 days: DAY 1: Take train from Boppard to Bacharach. Tour Bacharach, then rent bicycles and bike down to Bingen. Tour Bingen (maybe do the Ring Tour/cruise in area). Bike back to Bacharach. Take train back to Boppard. DAY 2: Take train from Boppard to Bacharach. Then cruise the Rhine river to St. Goar. Tour St. Goar, then take train to Koblenz. Tour Koblenz then take train back to Boppard. DAY 3: Take train from Boppard to Moselkern on Mosel river and walk to Burg Eltz castle. Tour castle then take train to Cochem. Tour Cochem and then train back to Boppard. On the day we leave to Belgium, we intend to take an early train to Cologne and spend a few hours there to tour the cathedral and city. My wife wanted to do this itinerary by car, so we have greater flexibility. My concern is that we don't know German and I'd rather enjoy the scenery than be stressed driving, finding parking, worrying about damage, etc.. Plus, I understand the towns are well connected by trains leaving almost every hour. My questions are these:
Does this itinerary sound reasonable if traveling by train or should we really consider renting a car?
Is there a must see / do that we are missing?
Is there a specific train pass that we should buy in advance for the 3 days or should we just pay as we go?
We enjoy experiences like taking a cooking class or in depth winery tour when we travel. Anything in particular that you would recommend in this area (that is more hands on)?
We have to message our ABnB hosts in each country. Is there an international SIM card that is valid in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, or do we have to buy a new card in each country?
Anything you would recommend to make our trip more memorable and a success?
Many Thanks!

bilboburgler

Ok, on phones, you just buy one card and all the main countries in EU are sorted (I struggle with what happens in Albania, not in the EU but with some reciprocity) but where you are the deals are the same for each phone company and within the Euro the prices are exactly the same.

I'm being dim but the bouncing about along the Mosel is not coming together in my mind, hopefully one of our experts will come along and sort you out in detail. If I was doing this sort of thing I'd use train/boat and bicycle avoiding the car which, unless you have lots of junk to ship about will become a pain pretty quickly.

The boat trip is best on the Rhine, especially north of Boppard.
The Mosel is best seen on bike and certainly the east end of the river towards Koblenz has a lot of station/villages, you can take bikes on the train, you can hire bikes with batteries or just push bikes (small payment) .

Language, not everyone speaks English but people will try and help, some smaller tourist info places will not have that skill but the larger ones will have someone. Hotels/bars should be fine..ish. But your accent will give them the clue

Cochem; views on this site vary. I find it too touristy and while I might stay there the idea of visiting the place during the day feels wrong (I think it has a castle but you are going to Burg E which is far better), but up to you.
If you can spare the time the even prettier town of Bernkastel is only a bit further and it too will be packed with tourists.

Wine production is either hobby based or very specialist and I'm not aware of a hands on research type visit anywhere along the Mosel (If you go back to about October 17 on my name you'll find some tasting ideas). If I really wanted that sort of info I might drop the Dr Loosen company (based near Urzig) an email and see if he works at the level you want. The vast majority of winery visits are either tasting based or 3 hour meals with notes. In Bernkastel there is library holding over 120 wines all of which you can taste for roughly E15 but very little info. Alternatively some towns offer "meet the vintner" walks in the vines, normaly on Saturdays which can be good and often free, you just need to look at individual town websites.

Once you get some feedback from Palenque and others, we can see how this plan looks

Fussgaenger

You are right about trains being relaxing and scenic and an easy way to see the area:

The car gets you closer to Eltz without the walk from Moselkern - but that's the only advantage I see and no advantage at all if you want do do the walk anyway (the walk is great as long as the weather is good... so do Eltz/Cochem on a nice day of course.)

Day 2: Take the train all the way south to Bingen to begin your cruise - otherwise you miss out on HALF of the best scenery! Touring St. Goar takes no time. Tour Rheinfels castle instead. Touring Koblenz IMHO is a waste of time. It isn't an awful place, but it was not especially nicely rebuilt after WW II and the small nice old part of Koblenz is a long trek across town from the Koblenz train station. You have skipped Oberwesel completely. Oberwesel is a good place for a scenic walk around the old town wall and towers. Oberwesel is only 5 minutes south of St. Goar. You could go there after your cruise, or you could step off your train on the way to Bingen before your cruise. I've spent some decent time in both places and would steer my best friends away from Koblenz and instead to Oberwesel.

Oberwesel:

Here's the walk: Welterbe Mittelrhein: Oberwesel - Town wall walking trail

I hope you leave a little time for Boppard too. Charming.

http://ext.pimg.tw/samlucky5711/1379...g?v=1379089585

http://schnuggel-elsje.de/upload/Bilder/IMG_0131.JPG

Fussgaenger

oops, double posted

bilboburgler

Memorable
1) Catch any slow train at a weekend when wandering groups have been in the forests and they come home singing
2) Join in with such groups, look on local town websites or ask at TI in town
3) Stay in some of the smaller villages rather than Boppard or Cochem where local hotel staff don't speak English
4) Cycle down the Mosel
5) There are a series of high walks in the cliffs, some a bit dangerous, get maps from TI and go walking
6) Most villages have special bars that offer only their own products (wine/ham) etc and the ownership moves every 4 weeks or so up to 90 days,
7) Don't go looking for dry white wine, it sounds like you understand wine but bone up on German wine laws and start mixing halb trocken auslese riesling with dry ham etc.

Fuss, above is a real expert on the area and I agree Koblenz is meh, however it does give access to a great fortress over the river but you can get to it from the boats without touching the town.

PalenQ

And trains can be cheap with various local unlimited day passes (Fussgaenger an expert on those) - may even cover boat travel. For biking I prefer the quieter Mosel over the busy Rhine where bike paths run next to busy main roads - Rhine I'd take boats with biking mixed in. anyway for lots on trains and this area check BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. Trains- www.bahn.de/en. Buy local passes once there.

Trains via Cologne yes and the cathedral is right next to the main Cologne train station - put bags in luggage storage for few hours.

There ae mini-buses and of course taxis Moselkern to Burg Eltz - do not have to walk if not driving!

Fussgaenger

Pay as you go. Prices below are for regional trains (not the high-speed trains on these routes.)

Day 1: Normal tickets are €7 each way for Boppard-Bacharach = €28/2 adults
Day 2: Get a Rheinland-Pfalz ticket day pass (valid from 9 am weekdays or any hour on Sat or Sun) and ride any trains you like all day = €29/2
Rheinland-Pfalz ticket - VRM | Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel

Day 3: Get a VRM mini-group ticket day pass (same time constraints as the R-P ticket) and ride any trains you like all day = €23/2 adults
Leisure ticket - VRM | Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel

VRM area map: Schienennetzplan.pdf


Day 2 requires travel outside the cheaper VRM zone - that's why you can't use the VRM day pass for this day.

These tickets and day passes do NOT get you free cruise boat passage - but show them at the KD boat dock in Bingen, and you get a 20% cruise discount. The VRM and R-P day passes DO get you on the ferry crossings in St. Goar and Boppard if you want to visit the east bank of the Rhine. The VRM and R-P day passes are also good for trains on that side of the river to Braubach (Marksburg Castle.) After crossing from Boppard, you walk north into Filsen and catch a train there; crossing from St. Goar, walk north just a couple of blocks to the st. Goarshausen station to catch a train.

St. Goar ferry:
Boppard Ferry: http://www.faehre-boppard.de/s/cc_im...g?t=1426781287

Fussgaenger

PalenQ mentions the shuttle bus to Eltz... Yes, a possible way to go if the weather is bad, and as long as it's a Saturday or Sunday - the bus operates only on those days. You would need to catch a train to Treis-Karden or Moselkern first, then ride the bus to the castle. Here is the schedule - it's skimpy:

burgenbus_en.pdf

PalenQ

Yes it is a lovely walk gently uphill thru forests to Burg Eltz. Taxis always available too.

leonachi

Thank you for the responses to date. Much appreciated!
I neglected to add that our full 3 days in the area will fall on a Saturday, Sunday and Monday (May 19-21).
Anything we should consider? Are certain days better for certain tours (sites open/closed)?
Are any of those days known Market days?

Fussgaenger

Sat, Sun and Mon...

In THAT case, do your cruise on Monday (the normal train tickets to Bingen at €7 can be used at any hour of the day.) That way, you can use the two day passes I suggested on Saturday and Sunday, which means you can set out from Boppard earlier than 9 am on those days if you want to. And that way, your trip to Eltz COULD include the Sat. or Sun. shuttle bus (if the weather so dictates.)

It occurs to me that you COULD do the cruise on the day (Friday May 18, right?) you arrive instead. Take the train from FRA to Bingen, board the cruise boat with your bags there, cruise to Boppard. That would free up Monday for other things. Cruises leave Bingen at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 14:30, and 16:30; check your possible arrival times by train in Bingen to see whether this would work.

PalenQ

Curious Eltz shuttle bus covered by those passes or a special thing? You can also take a boat to Moselkern in morning and back to Koblenz in afternoon to see not the prettiest part of Mosel but one really sweet and very different than Rhine.

Fussgaenger

Yes - both passes I mentioned cover the weekend buses to/from Eltz.

PalenQ

Thanks - I skimmed twice and missed. Invaluable for folks planning a such a trip and would have no clue about all that. I'm in awe...

PalenQ

Besides Burg Eltz about the only intact real medieval castle on Rhine or Mosel is Marksburg Castle - easily reached by train, car or boat. All others castles I believe are part ruins or Ersatz - like Cochem's - rebuilt from rubble so they look pristine.

PalenQ

Koblenz is often neglected in Rhine/Mosel trips but with 4 days be sure to go to Koblenz for a few hours at least - see the Deutsches Eck - one of most famous places in Germany - Monument to German Unity at place where 'Mother Mosel' and 'Father Rhine' meet or unify. Lovely riverfront walks - and Koblenz' Old Town and its many restaurants is only steps away. Deutsches Eck for eons was topped by an equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm - who kind of unified Germany in 1800s under Prussian rule. The equestrian statue was blasted t smithereens in waning days of WW2 by American GI on other side of Mosel in American camp - just for the heck of it (this told to me by the manager of the municipal camping our bike trips often stayed at - so assume it's true)- and you can take a cable car high above Rhine from Deutsches Eck area to a hilltop fortress - Ehrenbreitsen (sp?) for a military museum and rave views over both rivers far below.

The Ehrenbreitstein Fortress - Cultural delights with vision - Koblenz-Touristik

Personally I would put this fortress and Deutsches Eck near top of lists of things to see and do in area though few others ever think it worthy of mention. Rhine is not all cute riverside towns. Don't neglect Koblenz.

leonachi

Many thanks for all of the responses to date.
Much appreciated.