Tazzberry

I am looking for recommendations for a day boat tour of the Rhine to see the castles. We will be in the Dusseldorf area so embarking near there would be ideal. Having stopping points en-route would also be good to see some of the towns on the way.

Thanks,
Tazz

YVR Cockroach

You're not in the most interesting part of the Rhine so far north. Best part for what you want is between Koblenz and Bingen (nearer Mainz).

This is a good place to start:

http://www.kdrhine.com/

rotanes

The ONLY way to see the castles on a boat tour under your restrictions (start in DUS; one day only) is the following:
- go by train (or car) from DUS to Koblenz (or Mainz)
- do the boat tour from Koblenz (or Mainz) to Bonn
- go by train (or car) from Bonn to DUS

Going North is much faster then the other way round - because of direction of flow of the river

The more beautiful part is between Mainz and Koblenz; but you need to wake up in Dusseldorf VERY early in order to make it in a day.

Schedule can be found here: http://www.kd-rhein-main.de/html/Hauptsaison.html

And a map is here: http://www.kd-rhein-main.de/html/KD%...gestellen.html

Flying Lawyer

Going from Koblenz to Bonn will not do the trick. You want the part of the river between Bingen and Koblenz. The information you are looking for is here:

http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.d...php?id=318&L=0

Wine-O

We're spending 6 days in Bacharach. Would you advise driving to Mainz to pick up the boat, or just drive to Bingen to pick up the boat? Would I be missing much between Mainz & Bingen?

YVR Cockroach

My wife and I cruised Ruedesheim, which is pretty much right across the river from Bingen) to Mainz back in 2001. It's scenic (pretty) but not spectacular as the gorge itself.

Not sure where you'll get long term parking at either. The train station at Ruedesheim is right across the road from the ferry terminal. Not sure if it's the same at Bingen.

FWIW, it is a walk from the pier to Mainz Hbf.

Wine-O

I guess we'll take the train from Bacharach to Bingen and back and hop on the boat from there. It's only a 13 minute train ride. There are 2 train stops in Bingen, Hbf and Stadt. Anybody know which one is the closest to the boat terminal/pier?

YVR Cockroach

Looks like Stadt is a bit closer. The pier appears to be almost midway between Hbf and Stadt.

allset2travel

Just a few additional thoughts.
Per couple of up-posts suggested the mid-Rhine crusie is from Koblenz to Bingen ( up river direction from north to south). This section is generally considered as the most scenic of the Rhine. I did not do it on a cruise, but drove up and down on both banks. Some notable villages and wine towns are: Braubach, Spay, Boppard, Wellmich, St. Goar & St Goarshausen (opposite across river, there appears to be a ferry there), Oberwesel & Bingen.

Here is a rough map of some castle along this route (many of which are actually hotels now):
http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles.php

I also drove the Mosel valley. I found it more scenic than the mid Rhine. Here, the best parts are from Koblenz to Cochem, with Burg Eltz as a side (only doable by car though). I believe boat tours are availble from Koblenz to Cochem, or even further than that.

A few photos from mid Rhine can be found here:
http://stefanofoto.smugmug.com/Trave...18872802_buDSZ

Photos of Mosel can be found in another gallery, same web site.

Wine-O

Just got back from the Rhine area. Had a great time.

We met a couple in Bacharach who took the Rhine cruise from Bacharach to Koblenz, then took the train back. They said going up river the boat went very fast, and it was a little difficult for picture taking.

We took the train North to Boppard then the boat back to Bacharach. It was a 2.5 hour cruise going against the current, which by the way was very fast, and it was plenty enough. Glad we didn't take it from Bingen to Koblenz, then back to Bacharach. That would have taken up most of the day.

RussellJ

I am also just back from the Rhine/Mosel area. There is indeed a ferry between St Goar & St Goarshausen-car & foot passengers
Burg Eltz can actually be reached by train to Moselkern then a hike. Restoration works mean photo opportunities are restricted at the moment