Two of us will be travelling in mid-October and have heard that the Rhine River is a beauty to see. Does anyone have any information about boat trips on the River? We're looking for a short-trip, lasting only a few hours. If so, where can we find out more about this? On this leg of our trip we will be leaving Amsterdam and heading to Ludwig's castle, allowing a night in-between for exploration of the Rhine River. Any advise please?

You can find timetables for the boats at this website:<BR><BR>http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...e/boot0000.htm

Dear Lady,<BR><BR>We just did this. If you are pressed for time consider taking a trip in the downstream direction, i.e. in the direction of Koblenz/Koln rather than Mainz/Frankfurt, it is faster (although still sedate enough for you to get a good view of the castles that line the river.)<BR><BR>You are wise to make it a short trip, a little cruising is fun, but if you have more time, get off the boat and actually explore a castle.<BR>

OOps, should have said, in the direction of Bingen, rather than Mainz/Frankfurt. I'm obviously still asleep.

Rudesheim to Boppard or Koblenz will let you see all the best bits, and its downstream too - about two and a half hours to Boppard.

Tony's suggestion is really good. However, please be aware these are not "tours" in the normal sense. The boat is, in actuality, a taxi, sometimes used by locals to get from point to point on the river. However, they do make announcements about the castles, etc. you are passing. You can get on or off at any stop. You just purchase your tickets at the landing like you would if you were taking a cross-country bus trip in the States. Even though it's not a tour as such, it is still very worth the money and you see a lot in a fairly short time. One tip, pay attention to the river traffic, as well as what is on the shore. I found that to be very interesting. Boats with the "captain's" car and dog on them. Laundry hung to dry. Patio furniture for al fresco dining. Large ships (comparatively) and small. Very interesting.

You didn't say, but I assume you will be driving. If so, a practical way to do the trip is to take the boat from Point A to Point B and take the train back to Point A (or vice versa). Trains run regularly north and south along both sides of the Rhine.