Louise_LS

Travelling next year May 2 weeks with a 2yo toddler in tow.

After much deliberation and help from this forum, I have tentatively decided to try paris - cochem & maybe trier - cologne - paris.

I will most appreciate some advice if this will work?

I am unable to find affordable fares from cologne to Singapore (it's a couple of thousands more SGD for the two of us, compared to from Frankfurt and Paris) and decided to train back to Paris to catch the flight back home as I really think there is nothing much for us in Frankfurt, especially for children.

I am quite clear on what and where to go to in paris/cochem but will appreciate more help on cologne as well as assistance on the logistics, travelling time & most cost effective ways to get around the itinerary.

Many thanks,
Louise

ira

Hi L,

Why don't you spend the night before your flight home at the Frankfurt airport?

It will be much easier than taking the train to Paris and on to CDG.

Christina

I agree, I don't understand why you would take the train all the way back from Germany to France just to take a flight out of CDG, that seems really ill-advised and expensive and a waste of time. Even if you aren't interested in Frankfurt, certainly it will be closer.

Russ

"...appreciate more help on cologne as well as assistance on the logistics, travelling time & most cost effective ways to get around the itinerary."

Trains:

Cologne-Paris will not be all that expensive. I'm looking at a 39€ (total) fare right now in January for one adult and one 2-year-old. This is an advance-sale savings fare; such fares go on sale 92 days in advance at the DB website (see below,) and the price in May should be similar - very low - if you but the ticket as soon as it is available. These tickets are train-specific and incur penalties for refunds, and they cannot be refunded at the last minute.

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

You'll find similar fares for Paris-Cochem and Cochem-Cologne (19€ for this fare) so altogether, your total cost will be around 100€ for the 3 train rides if you get the best prices right when they become available.

At the DB site, you'll see your travel times, changes of train, and ticket prices after doing your search. Use station names PARIS, COLOGNE, and Cochem(Mosel) for this search. You can search your dates in May now and get travel information, but no prices will appear since tickets for MAY are not yet on sale.

For Cochem-Trier-Cochem, purchase a Rheinland-Pfalz ticket at the station. It's 22€.

http://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets-and...-pfalz-ticket/

Louise_LS

Thanks Russ, I will definitely keep the links handy. Thanks alot!

Thanks Ira, Christina, it is just much easier to find round flights in/out paris from Singapore and much cheaper too. Also, I am just more familiar with Paris. But I do get your point.

Cologne does look very interesting that I am reluctant to let it go. I will try to find a flight out of cologne or otherwise, I have to let it go & explore more countries near cochem.

Louise_LS

is luxembourg city nice? thinking of dropping cologne and just concentrate on areas around either paris and cochem as the two bases.

Russ

Luxembourg is attractive. It could be worth your trouble to check flights for your travel dates out of LUX airport as well. There are some RT fares in May of around $1300 for SIN-LUX-SIN. I flew in and out of LUX last year, small airport, very easy, reasonable hotels right at the airport. Or... with direct TGV trains from Luxembourg, Paris is only about 2.25 hours.

phieaglefan

A few years ago, we drove from Cochem to Paris and returned. A car would give you a lot of flexibility and it's pretty much all easy highway driving. You could rent the car at CDG and head to Cochem. We stayed several nights in Cochem on that trip and loved it as a base to explore the area.

Happy planning!

Louise_LS

phieaglefan, my hubby refused to drive with the baby and I do not have a license, where did you go that time, other than cochem?

Louise_LS

russ, what is RT? Luxembourg is nearer to Cochem than Paris I reckon? Should I treat Luxembourg as a daytrip out of Cochem or should I stay a couple of nights in Luxembourg as well?

Russ

"russ, what is RT?" Round-trip

"Luxembourg is nearer to Cochem than Paris I reckon? Should I treat Luxembourg as a daytrip out of Cochem or should I stay a couple of nights in Luxembourg as well?"

I can't serve as an expert on Luxembourg - do some more research on the place before you plan a visit there. But yes, Luxembourg is roughly on the way from Cochem to Paris, just under 2 hours by train from Cochem. Sounds a little far for a daytrip; if you're going to fly out of CDG, it would make sense to visit Luxembourg on the way to Paris.

From Cochem, a daytrip to Cologne is a little far, but a daytrip to the Middle Rhine valley (which lies south of Koblenz) is closer. Braubach (Marksburg Castle), Boppard, St. Goar (Rheinfels Castle), Oberwesel, and Bacharach are all interesting old-world towns. From Cochem, you can reach Braubach or Boppard by train in just over one hour - the other towns require several more minutes. Use the Rheinland-Pfalz ticket for your daytrip if you go as far south as Bacharach (22€ for 1 adult, 26€ for 2, child is free; see my post above.) The VRM day ticket (18€ for one adult, child is free) or group day ticket (21.20€ for two adults) is a little cheaper and is valid from Cochem to all the above towns except Bacharach.

http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.d...php?id=274&L=3

http://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets-and...eisure-ticket/

iris1745

Louise; Consider the sequence of cities/towns.

Paris, Luxembourg, Trier and Cochem.

We have stayed in both Luxembourg and Trier for two nights.

Then Cochem for three nights. [Two nights works. We had just arrived by plane in Frankfurt and drove to Cochem.]

All three places were well worth the time spent.

As already suggested, it you could fly home from Luxembourg it would save you two to three hours on a train going back to Paris.

You still have time to wait for flight arrangements.

Try these www.farecompare.com and www.kayak.com

Hans

Louise, did you consider arriving at Paris and departing from Frankfurt?

Between Cologne and Frankfurt airport exists a high-speed train connection which takes just an hour and drops you off just a few minutes walk from Terminal 1. If you have a hotel close to Cologne main station, if everything works well it doesn't take much longer to get to Frankfurt airport than from a Paris hotel to get to CDG.

Since delays are anything but uncommon, I'd recommend to take a train 30 or 60 minutes earlier but still it'd be much more convenient than a train ride back to Paris.

Louise_LS

I just did a check, no direct flights to Luxembourg from Singapore, most flights transit at Frankfurt and takes 15hrs minimum due to transit time - I think I will stick to paris flights.

Louise_LS

thanks han, it's too troublesome to consider Frankfurt just to take a flight home since I'm not visiting it.

I was thinking something like what russ suggested:
paris - cochem - Luxembourg - paris

to prevent train delays and missing flights I will go back to paris one day earlier and stay the night for the flight back just in case. does this sound better?

Louise_LS

oh I c, you mean if I go on from cochem to cologne, then yes - Frankfurt is a plausible solution. Is that high speed solution expensive?

Hans

The regular fare from Cologne to Frankfurt is about 70 Euro (including a 2-year old) but I think a discounted ticket starts at 29 Euro (certainly not more expensive than a discounted ticket to Paris).

Hans

Oh, and yes, I meant going from Cochem to Cologne and then just going from Cologne to Frankfurt at the day of your departure. I think it might save you a long train ride.

Louise_LS

Thanks I will take that into consideration too.

Tough choices. My hubby is not too keen to move hotel so frequently especially when we are not driving and having to lug a toddler & all the baby stuff around. So it's a toss between luxembourg or cologne.

phieaglefan

Louise, I can understand the hesitation to drive. Hmm, without consulting my notes, we toured Trier, and many of the small towns along the Mosel and the Rhine. We toured Burg Eltz. Favorites towns were Cochem and Bacharach as I recall, but you really can't go wrong in the area. Unfortunately, we did not make it to Cologne.

Here's a link to some of my photos from the area. This set includes other destinations in Germany as well, but they're all marked.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phieagl...7614177842065/
Happy planning!