We are planning an Austria/Germany trip next September. We had planned on several days in Lindau before heading up to Cochem. Then I saw that Rhein in Flammen was scheduled to be held one day earlier than our Cochems arrival, only in Sankt Goar. So, I'm wondering if we should cut Lindau one day short, go to Sankt Goar for one night then truck to Cochem.

My question is this: Those of you who have been to Rhein in Flames--what is your verdict? Is it a sight not to be missed? My original plan on that earlier day was to drive to Andechs Monastery/brewery and WiesKirche. Which do you think would be the more memorable/enjoyable experience.

In the end, Hotel availability migh impact our decision. So far, the hotels in St Goar that are responding to my recent emails are all booked. Many must be closed because no response has been forthcoming. I've heard traffic/crowds are huge, so we, as first time Euro car drivers, would prefer not to find parking and fight traffic after the event when heading to a hotel in another city, especially after the 4+ hour drive from Lindau earlier that day.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Hi JN, We were able to plan a trip around the wine festival and the Rhein in Flames in Sept. 2004 in the town of Oberwesel. If I remember correctly the fireworks move along the Rhein and celebrate in several different towns week-ends during Sept. so maybe another town would be to your advantage. We stayed in Oberwesel for several nights so we were able to leave our auto parked and not deal with traffic, you are right, there are huge crowds. We truly enjoyed this and are glad we were able to attend, in our opinion, it is something not to be missed if at all possible. However, if you are having trouble finding accomodations in St. Goar you might look into staying in a nearby town and taking one of the many party boats that cruise the river during the fireworks. I think you would need to book ahead of time for the boats, and they stop in the different towns along the Rhein at different times to pick up and take you to the town of the festival, then afterwards bring you back to your town. The only drawback to that is that it is an adventure of several hours and could be a bit boring but it would certainly be worth looking into. Here is a website that will give you more info www.rhein.feuerwerk-info.de, it's in Germany but if you scroll all the way over to the right at the top of the page you can click on the flag and get it in English. Have a wonderful time and if you need anything let me know.
Susan

I like Andechs very much, but it's a good piece out of the way for just a daytrip.

We saw the Rhine in Flames in Bingen in July a few years back. I'd like to do it again sometime, not only just because of the pyrotechnics, but because of the social event it is - the dockside festivities - music, food, drink, pleasant crowd - was equally entertaining.

I'm not sure what you have planned for the Lindau area, but "several" days sounds like a lot. I'd be tempted to shave a day off there and stop for the afternoon and evening in St. Goar. Stay in town if you can.

I agree with the posters above, It is definitely worth it and one of the boats from various towns is the answer to beating the traffic. If you find a good party boat they usually serve food, drinks and some even have live music. Enjoy.
clea

We were in May this year at Rhine in flames (bengal fire) on a boat. It was a special event for us, and we planed our stay in Cologne to include it. it was a nice experience, but too long for me. we were on the boat from 4 p.m till 1 a.m. There were many boats (60) on Rhine, moving slow. On the boat was music and dance all the time, we had dinner there (included in the price), plus drinks and deserts which we could buy. The view of fireworks on the shore of the rhine was very beautiful.

St. Goar is a charming small town, you can visit the castle - we liked it. As the firework starts from St. goar, you will see the famous Lorelei rock and will hear the song.

If you can not find hotel, try to find a pension, there are many and very good.

Thanks folks. You've confirmed my thought that we should try to take this in if at all possible.

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Andechs Monastery/brewery
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i visited this place once and i did not like it. it was when i was working in munich and i didn't know much about the place before going - just heard really good things from locals. we walked up the mountain/hill up to the monastery which was ok - rather peaceful. when we got to the monestery, we were surprised at the scale of the place. it is a large scale tourist attraction...huge car park, massive souvenir shop, very crowded with tourists, etc. we had lunch there...you need to purchase a ticket in one queue and then wait in another. the queues were each at least 75 feet long. food was nothing special and not good value. everyone kept the cafeteria trays on the tables as they ate which created a bad effect. beer was nothing special.

in summary, i found the place to be not much more than a beer garden (a bad one) with a big souvenir shop with all kinds of religious bits. just go to a beer garden instead...munich has many good ones that are more convenient and without the disneyland feel.

Have you been to this area before? If not, I highly recommend a stay on the Rhine. You'll enjoy the busy river traffic and the contrast to the Mosel. Even better than St.Goar, we liked St. Goarhausen...right across the river by short and frequent ferry service. I am envious of your opportunity to see the Rhein in Flames! Go for me, and give a nice report when you return.

We ended up staying in Boppard in September/October during the Rhein in Flames event in 2004. Based on our hotel's recommendation, we boarded a large party barge and headed south to St. Goar. The food was ok, the drink was good, and the fireworks were incredible. We enjoyed the scenery from the barge and seeing ALL those huge barges making their way to the show was something else.

Also, if you have a hard time finding lodging check out Hotel Gunther in Boppard. It's right on the river. We enjoyed sitting on our balcony with a glass of wine watching the river traffic. Mrs. Gunther is German, but her husband is American, so they are very enlish-friendly.

Have a good time,
Marla

Barbara5353
We did stay in Sankt Goar in 2002 and did enjoy the area. Had a great Rhein-view room at the Landsknecht Hotel north of town. Hoping some of the hotels we've been contacting will respond with openings (I think many are closed till spring). I WILL file a report about our, hopefully, RIN experience.

Walkin--thanks for the tip. I had not heard such a review of Andechs Kloster before.

We didn’t get there at the right time, but we did stay in St. Goar in September. It’s such a nice place. We stayed at the Hotel Am Markt which is right by that car ferry the previous poster mentioned. There is a wine garten that is open on the weekends right on the water there. Really a small gazebo with a few tables. They serve their own wine and beer. We spent time just sitting there with a drink watching the boats move along. We really loved it there.

We have also stayed 2 nights at Hotel am Markt in St Goar. Just a clean small hotel with a good restaurant, quiet - the occasional car going by but didn't hear any train noise.

Boppard is a very nice town and has quite a few good hotels. The Garni Gunther and the Ebertor would be my first choices, right on the riverbank.
www.boppard.de

Travelnut:
I hadn't considered staying in Boppard. Have you tried either of those hotels? They look great. Gunther has prices, Ebertor not, but both have lovely locations and views. I'm thinking of making an inquiry, since several St. Goar hotels we've contacted are full.

I also highly recommend Boppard. We rented a small apartment there for a week. It is larger than many of the Rhine towns, with good shopping and eating choices. The best feature of the town, though, is that the train tracks are BEHIND the town. In many of the Rhine villages (Bacharach for sure, and I think St Goar), the tracks are between the town and the river, which inhibits the view and accessibility to the Rhine. Boppard has a long promenade with benches right along the river. Most hotels are on the promenade, or one street back. The Best Western Bellevue Rheinhotel would be my choice for lodging.

Good point about the train tracks. They are behind the town in St. Goar, but not in Bacharach. I would not want to stay in Bacharach for that very reason. Definitely be sure the tracks are behind you.

No, we stayed in Hotel am Markt, but I walked by both the Boppard hotels (the Rhine bank is lined with them, actually). The Boppard website I gave will send a large brochure of accommodations.

re: HOTEL EBERTOR http://hotelebertor.de/index2.htm
The German version of their site has a price list:
Double 59-79E; however I used the online booking link and a double in mid-Sept came back at 115E which incl. breakfast..