Rhine & Bavaria itinerary and questions
 

We are finalizing our itinerary for next June in Germany. It is our first trip to Germany. I would appreciate any comments regarding this and our hotel and transportation choices. Also have some final questions.

June 10 - Arrive Munich via overnight train from Florence 8:30 am. Hotel for night: Hotel Opera.

June 11 - Car rental. Travel to Garmische-Partenkirchen possibly through Fussen area to tour castles. Hotel for 2 nights: Reindl's Partenkirchen Hof.

June 13 - Drive to Rothenburg. Hotel for 1 night: Hotel Goldnen Hirsch.

June 13 - Head to Rhinegau area. This is where we have questions. Should we drop off car and pick up trains - maybe near Mainz or Frankfurt? Should we keep car for the area. We have only two nights. Would like to stay as far north as Bacharach, but are concerned about making an 11 am flight out of Frankfurt on June 16 morning. The debahn website shows trains from Bacharach to Frankfurt as early as 7 am, but the fares are "unavailable" online and I'm not sure what that means.

We don't want to mess with dropping off car on that morning, but maybe even that would be quicker.

In that area we would like to see just the stretch of the Rhine between Bacharach and Koblenz, but also take 1/2 day to see Burg Eltz.

I know many of you will say it's too much for the few days we have in Germany. Also, it's true we are not spending any time in Munich except the first day, but that is what we have chosen.

Where should we stay in Bacharach? We are concerned about the train noise at night.

I do respect your wealth of information, so any help will be appreciated.

Try RMV's website for fares and connections from Bacharach to Frankfurt:
http://www.rmv.de/coremedia/generato...__ART__en.html

RMV is the transit authority of the Rhine-Main area, and if you stick to local/regional trains, their fares rules.

Dropping off the car at Frankfurt airport is not too time consuming. I think it is still done in the high rise parking connected to the terminal building. (pls get confirmation on this since it has been 2yrs since I last rented at FRA)

I would keep the car for those last 2 days in Bacharach. Even though you might not necessarily need it, it helps to explore the area.

I suggest taking the train on the 16th. traffic to FRA can be nasty - and that's a Monday. Drop car the night before, stay overnight in Mainz on the 15th near one of the two stations, in the Rhine Gorge on the 13th and 14th. A car will be handy for getting to Burg Eltz.

Bacharach is okay but a bit overpopulated by North American tourists. Worth seeing but maybe a bit quiet to stay in (except for the trains.) Since you have a car... if you want a quiet place there are a number of "suburbs" just outside town in the adjacent valleys and atop the nearby cliffs where you can stay far away from the tracks among the vineyards. Try a place like this in Bacharach-Steeg:

www.weingut-ratzenberger.de/vacation.php

Or try Boppard - a very nice town - larger, more to do, a bit more of a real place.

Hi C,

I can highly recommend www.mittermeir.rothenburg.com in Rothenburg.

((I))

What you want to do along the Rhine and Mosel can be easily done by trains or even easier with a car. Bacharach is a perfect location for a final two days in Germany and whether you travel to the airport by train or car - the time is approximately one hour. I have done it both ways many times and the only inconvenience is getting up a little earlier that final morning. Turning in your rental car that final morning is a piece of cake - just follow the airport signs along the Autobahn - make sure you fill up right before you arrive at the airport but if you forget there is a gas station at the airport. If you elect to turn in your car early you can take the train from Bacharach at 0528 and arrive at the airport at 0635 (no train changes required for that early train). The cost is 9.50 Euro per person. I took this early train less than a month ago. Make sure you have sufficient coins (or a 10 Euro bill) for your fare as there is no station ticket office. Just use the machine inside the station. http://www.bensbauernhof.com/bb2005b...ketmachine.jpg

Recommend you read my trip report from last year to get some ideas for accommodations in Bacharach (I recommend the Winzerhaus and the Zur Alten Mühle). http://www.bensbauernhof.com/schwarz...rhine2006.html

Also if you opt to use the trains you might find this page helpful when you visit Burg Eltz. http://www.bensbauernhof.com/burgeltzfrommoselkern.html

Ben

Another vote for Mittermeier in Rothenburg. The restaurant has a Michelin star. However, ira misspelled the web address. This is correct:

http://www.mittermeier.rothenburg.de/index_e.htm

We spent 3 nights in Bacharach in May 2006 and really loved the town. We stayed at the Rheinhotel which is on the river. I can highly recommend it. Nice family-owned place. No problem with noise for us, but we always travel with earplugs just in case.

http://www.rhein-hotel-bacharach.de/.../fr-index.html

Also think that a rental car would be most useful in this area. It's really not a hassle to return it at the airport; it only took us about 10 minutes if that. Just be sure you know what Terminal you are leaving from and return the car to that terminal. Much less walking. Also, there are no signs for "Car RETURN". Just follow the signs for "Car RENTAL" and then for your car rental company.

Thank you for your answers.

Ira and Traveller1959-the Mittermeier looks wonderful, I'm going to check out the possibility in Rothenburg.

BavarianBen-thanks for the recommendations. I have already seen your website regarding Burg Eltz and plan to follow the routes.

We have decided to keep the car, mostly due to the fact that we don't have much time and we can get to places quicker. I did some Michelin driving routes and it looks like only an hour from Bacharach to Frankfurt.

We are not sure about the train noise while staying in the following:

St. Goar
Bacharach
Boppard

I think it is the worst in Bacharach, am I right? We are looking at these places:

Flair hotel Landsknecht in St. Goar (away from town)

Hotel Am Markt in Bacharach

Best Western Bellevue in Boppard (although I swore I would not go all the way to Germany and stay in an american chain)

Also, what about the Hotel Keutmann in St. Goar?

My husband wants to stay on the river if possible.

Thanks again

Thanks for the correction, 1959

((I))

We stayed at pension Dettmar in Bacharach in May and never heard the train at all, but we were generally worn-out and probably could have slept through a war! :)

Nothing is actually "on the river" in Bacharach but Betty's suggestion is closer but on the train tracks. I'm not sure many trains run through Bacharach at night, but maybe some freight does get hauled through there at that time. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again or up the road toward Steeg, Ben's site has a couple offerings that should interest you for "train avoidance" but farther from the river. St. Goar was a great place to visit during the day but can't offer an opinion as to staying there.

Our trip to Burg Eltz from Bacharach took the entire day, but we were at the mercy of the train schedules and walked through the woods, stopping for a brew or two before venturing into the actual woodsy part of the trail. Driving to the parking area should make your 1/2 day trip there do-able.

MvK

BettyK, did you have dinner at the Rhein Hotel? If we stay there, I wondered if we should go for the half board option, if the restaurant is good.

The question is, did you have to use the earplugs???

Cindy, we did eat at the Rheinhotel and the food was very good. My husband had Jaegerschnitzel and I had just a plain Schnitzel -- his was better!

We stayed in Bacharach for 3 nights and I honestly don't remember there being a problem with train noise at night.

MvK is right about the hotel not being "right on the river" but you have an unobstructed view of the river and they have a nice terrace where you can sit outside if the weather's nice.

We stayed our last night in Germany at the Best Western Bellevue in Boppard about a year ago. No train noise. It is right on the Rhine and our room had a balcony overlooking it. The rooms were definitely your typical American style room but the hallways, lounges, etc. were German style with lots of Art Nouveau. The breakfast was your typical German breakfast as well.