lovetotravel2

We are on our whirlwind last minute winging it trip, leaving Bamberg tomorrow for the Cochem area for 3 nights. Trying to figure out the KD line schedule online for Oct 6 and it looks like the boats only go north? Is that right?
Our hope was to take the train from Cochem to Koblenz, boat from Koblenz to Bacharach and train back to Cochem. Or any suggestions greatly appreciated.

GandCT

I don't have the schedule, but Koblenz to Bacharach is upriver, and much slower than traveling downstream. Why don't you just take the train to Bacharach and travel by river (north)to Koblenz? (We always brought our own wine and cheese aboard the KD boats.)

PalenQ

It is quicker if you take a train to Rudesheim, where many K-D boats start so you can get the best seats and then float north or downstream - 2.5 hrs vs about 4 hrs the other way - so IMO going north is the way to do it - even at 2.5 hours some folks find it gets tedious (not me but mouthing what i've read on Fodor's)

Direct trains Koblenz to Rudesheim.

www.k-d.com is the site for others wondering about this.

GandCT

Here's the schedule: http://kdrhine.com/rhineschedule.htm Be sure to scroll down to see the Cologne to Mainz schedule at the bottom of the page. Enjoy the cruise!

PalenQ

Well the site has boats going both north and south between Oct 6-24 it seems at least.

and you do not want to start at Bachrach but either Rudesheim or Bingen because starting at Bachrach you will miss a lot of neat sites IMO

lovetotravel2

We had a great day on the Rhine today!
Easy train connections from our home base of beautiful
Cochem on the Mosel (departed at 9:58am) to St Goar (via Koblenz). Strolled around there for about an hour and easily hopped on the large
and lovely KD Line "Goethe" liner (flashing our Eurailpass).
Cruised 70 minutes to Bacharach. Spectacular scenery
and castles. Disembarked in Bacharach to enjoy the town and
have lunch. Train back to Cochem arriving by 5pm.
We are so happy we chose Cochem as a 3 night base. Tomorrow we plan to explore the Burg Eltz castle. As always, thanks for the help!

PalenQ

You could with your railpass take a train to Koblenz early enough to hop the K-D boat once a day leaving Ko about 8:45am and get off the boat in Moselkern, from which you can either walk the few miles up to Burg Eltz through a lovely forest or take a mini-bus or taxi. Many folks consider the Mosel Valley to be prettier than even the Rhine - though such comparisons are subjective.

The Germans call the Rhine the Father Rhine - mighty river and the Mosel the Mother Mosel - less powerful, twisting, slower current, etc.

And don't miss in Koblenz Deutsches Eck, the monument at the confluence of the Mother Mosel and Father Rhine - a spot famous in Germany and until the waning days of WW2 where Bismark (or perhaps Kaiser Wilhelm?) was once portrayed by a huge equestrian statue - until one day a bored American GI decided to blast the statue to smithereens (told to me by the owner of the Koblenz Camping site just opposite today's statue using the same behemoth pedestal - statue devoted to German Unity - done by Bismark i think. Deutsches Eck is just down from the K-D boat docks.

Oh to be in the Mosel during the grape harvest!

vict4ia

I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread as we plan our trip to Germany as well. I looked at the time table for the Mosel but I'm a little confused. Love2Travel, did you take a boat on the Mosel, as well or just on the Rhine? It looks almost like they stopped running the boats on the Mosel on Oct 3 but, obviously, if you went today then I am mistaken. I'd love to spend some time on the Mosel, even if we have to knock off another part of the trip.

PalenQ

Love2Travel took a ride on The Rhine - I mentioned the Mosel boat not knowing it stopped Oct 3 - thought it ran thru October - I think it goes May thru early Oct usually but only once a day - between Koblenz and Cochem - that is a K-D boat that honors railpasses - there are other boats on the Mosel as well by other companies - especially popular are ones from Cochem upstream towards Beilstein and beyond - arguable the most gorgeous part of the gorgeous Mosel Valley.

GeoffHamer

There are several firms running passenger boats on the Mosel. The biggest is Kolb (www.kolb-mosel.de), but there others, in Germany, Luxembourg and France.