We (Mom, Dad, husband, brother, me) will be traveling to Germany in December. We will have 3 nights based in Mainz. We have planned to spend the day we arrive in Mainz (partial day because we will be arriving from US), one day in Frankfurt (mainly interested in Goethe House, cathedral, Sachsenhausen), and one day in Heidelberg (old town, castle). I recently read about taking the train up the Rhine and possibly visiting Marksburg Castle and/or Bacharach. This sounds fun, but we definitely want to make it to the Christmas markets each evening.

So here are the questions:
1. Is there time to do this riverside trip during the day and if so, should we combine it with the Frankfurt day or the Heidelberg day? If not, which should we skip?

2. It appears that the train stops in Braubach and that's how we would get to the castle. Can anyone confirm?

3. From the Marksburg Castle website, it appears that the small train/shuttle that goes from Braubach to the castle doesn't run this time of year. My father's knee has been giving him some trouble recently and he would have difficulty with any walk > 1 mile or anything very steep. Could he do this walk? If not, could we get a taxi from the train station? One back from the castle?

Thanks in advance for your help!

1. You can tour Marksburg Castle in an hour. Combine it with Frankfurt - Heidelberg is an hour further each way.

2. Yes, the Braubach DB stop serves the castle.

3. The castle is probably 400 feet above the town. Walking is not an option except for the fittest of the fit. Go to maps.google.com and enter <b>braubach station germany</b>. Then hit &quot;Directions from here&quot; and enter <b>marksburg</b> to see what you're up against. When you get to the parking lot at the summit, there's a fairly steep stairway to the castle proper, but you can walk up a road that winds around to the south.

The walk to Marksburg is not that bad. I did it with a heavy pack when I was in my mid-40's in a very modest state of fitness. But it is NOT for someone with knee problems. Contact the Braubach TI for info on taxis or other options?

http://www.braubach.de/uk/kontakt.html

I don't think Heidelberg is that worthwhile overall, though I haven't been to the Christmas market there; I think I'd do Marksburg and take in the Christmas market in R&uuml;desheim - an exceptionlly nice atmosphere there.

If energy and time permit, make a stop on the way to Braubach in the attractive town of Bacharach as well. Then train north to St. Goar, ferry across to St. Goarshausen, and train north from there to Braubach. Trains from Braubach to R&uuml;desheim should be direct.

Wow - thanks for the tips! I don't think we should probably attempt to walk up with my father's iffy knee. I've sent an e-mail off to the tourist office to see about transportation.

I saw Bacharach as well. If everyone feels up to it, we will probably stop there.

Have you actually been to the Christmas market in Rudesheim? I can't find much about it on the web. Their TI site seems pretty out of date and the other links don't seem to connect to anything.

Just curious - why not Heidelberg? Just too touristy? I initially thought it would be a good place because of the castle and University there, but recently have read that it's not very interesting. We could certianly make a day of the Rhine towns instead.

Heidelberg is pleasant enough - nice old town area - but it isn't that extraordinary in my book, not in the way the Rhine Gorge is with its many castles and the Marksurg. In H'berg, with your dad's knee issues, you'd need to take a bus into the old town - it's a hefty walk from the station. with your limited time and specific goals for Frankfurt, I think the Rhine Gorge is a better choice, especially if you end up in R&uuml;desheim, whose market a couple of years back when I visited with my teen daughter was most atmospheric and enjoyable.

Thanks a bunch! I think we'll follow that plan. It's really a simple little ride back to Mainz after we're finished at the market, too.

The other place in the area we were considering for a brief trip is Eberbach Monastary. It appears it would a a train and bus combo to get there. Do you find it worthwhile?

I'm glad you're taking Marksburg Castle off the itinerary. Even if the little train was running, it doesn't take you all the way to the entrance. Still an uphill hike. And touring the inside is difficult for anyone with even a slight mobility problem due to all the stairs.
Rudesheim has some fairly steep streets, also. I had planned to base there for my self-directed visit to Christmas Markets. Changed to Heidelberg instead because the Alstadt is mostly flat, and there is good public transportation to/from the train station.
If you can work it into your plans, try for a few hours on the Rhine by boat. We went from Boppard to Bacharach...a route that passes many of the castles along the river.

My understanding was that the Rhine boats don't run after October. Is that not true? We would like to do that, but thought it wasn't an option.

The K-D boats run on a reduced schedule in winter: http://www.k-d.com/englisch/schiffstouren/winter-1.html

The most scenic part of the Rhine Gorge is between R&uuml;desheim and St. Goar. Get to R&uuml;desheim early, and you can visit www.asbach.de (they make chocolate, liqueurs, and chocolate liqueurs).

Thanks so much for the tip - sounds delicious!
You guys have been so very helpful!