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What to do with a week in western Germany


gnome12
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Our bike and barge trip has been modified (due to the CDC putting France into Level 4 and the need  for the passe sanitaire) so instead of going to Remich and ending in Metz France, we will stay in Germany and end in Saarbrúcken. We had originally planned to follow the bike and barge with a week in France (Metz, Nancy, Colmar, and Strasbourg) before heading to Frankfurt for a return home. At the moment, I don't wish to change those plans, but my sister and I are concerned about the health situation in France. If we decide to not spend time in France, what do people suggest. We are not interested in renting a car, so travel would be generally by train. I am not opposed to going back to explore some of the Mosel towns in more depth; since we are cycling we might not have enough time to explore.

 

We start with 2 full days in Cochem (on one of which we plan to go to Burg Eltz). Then the bike and barge has 2 nights in Benkastel-Kues (one day to explore the Maare-Mosel bike path), and on to Trier, Saarburg, Merzig, and ending in Saarbrúcken.

 

I'm looking for suggestions about places to stay and places to visit.

 

Thanks for your help.

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Hmm, that has really got me thinking with my tourism work brain...

 

Who, what age, where, how, for how long. So, all women, at an age with reasonable strength, endurance and good mobility. In western Germany, by public transport for one week.

 

That kind of takes out the Nürburgring race track I think :classic_wink:. But one thing I would suggest that is perhaps a bit off the beaten "female" track is the Völklingen ironworks not too far from Saarbrücken. If it is not in your itinerary, do consider it.

 

Question is what you would like to see. More castles? Something unusual? Nature? I reckon the Saar loop is part of your itinerary, if not, I highly recommend it. A mix of public transport and hiking will get you there.

 

How far from the Moselle would you consider straying? Aachen is very interesting:  For a different river experience consider the Nahe with Bad Kreuznach and Idar-Oberstein. But Moselle in-depth is lovely. If you do not fancy Luxembourg, explore the German Moselle. Beilstein or Traben-Trarbach, perhaps. I really like Mainz, but that may be an option for a few hours on your journey to Frankfurt.

 

If you can see yourselves going on a day trip to France - you may find the pass sanitaire a logistical challenge for that potentially - I highly recommend exploring Metz, the cathedral is stunning with its stained glass windows. Nancy is supposed to be amazing for art, not sure if you could organize a worthwhile day trip by train to there.

 

Where to stay - there are so many options. For organizing train journey trips along the Moselle Trier is best.

 

For some serious train journey planning, here are the rail maps of Deutsche Bahn: https://www.bahn.de/service/fahrplaene/streckennetz

 

Good thing is, Saarbrücken is a transport hub, so it is easy to get away from there in almost all directions.

 

Hope this helps - but also that you do not need it and can pursue your plans for France.

 

notamermaid

 

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I may have made it sound as if it is good to get away from Saarbrücken :classic_wink:. It is a small, pleasant state capital with some nice buildings to see, not too worry. And there are some of the best chefs in Germany according to the Michelin guide.

 

It is certainly inviting for an overnight stay after the cruise.

 

Saarburg on your itinerary is a delightful small town, I would be happy to go there again. If you have time, go up to the castle from where you can see the river and the ship quite probably:

 

IMG_20200918_124154.thumb.jpg.e07ab8554d1cfd528c04c660b63c966e.jpg

 

notamermaid

 

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I have tentatively been thinking about this itinerary. Any comments?

We finish the bike and barge Oct 2 in Saarbrücken.

Spend one night in Saarbrücken, then train to Trier for one night. (I don't know whether we will have enough time to see all of Trier on the bike and barge part, so I'd like to head back to explore more.

Then head by train to Bacharach (or maybe Sankt Goar) and spend 3 nights there. One day would be cruise the Rhine between the 2 ports and back (Rick Steves considers that the most scenic portion). This is low season for K-D line, so there don't seem to be very many cruise options. The other days just to explore the area, by train or bus or maybe by bike. Then on to Frankfurt for 2 nights, one day to explore the city, and then we head to the airport to head home. Does it make more sense to spend 2 nights in Trier and only one in Frankfurt (perhaps at the airport, although our flights both leave about 1 pm so no real need to stay near the airport).

 

Does this itinerary make sense? Does anyone have any other suggestions? I'm trying not to have too many single nights, because we will be travelling with luggage.

 

In addition, when I check out the bahn.de website, I have no problem finding trains to Trier and then to Bacharach, but when I check Bacharach to Frankfurt (either the airport or the main station) I can see trains, but it shows "Fares not available." The explanation for this is as follows:

"It is anticipated that the integrated fare will be applicable.

Online fare information is not available for the selected connection."

This doesn't make sense to me, especially when there is one train that is direct to Frankfurt. I can't seem to get a fare from the app either.

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Just a brief note on the fares online. I was not sure about this but the standard explanation is that Bacharach and Frankfurt are in a Verkehrsverbund, an area of local train fare schemes, so stations within one and the same Verkehrsverbund do not show up online. The German website says "Preisauskunft nicht möglich" which seemed to suggest that I am right. However, the regional provider says Frankfurt is a coop partner for the ticket system, so it is not in RNN itself but an adjoining Verkehrsverbund. Confused? Very understandable if you are. The website I checked: https://www.rnn.info/index.php?id=93

 

Hope this helps.

 

Like your itinerary plans, but I am a bit short on time to look more closely.

 

I like Bacharach. Anybody else agree?

 

notamermaid

 

 

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1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

Just a brief note on the fares online. I was not sure about this but the standard explanation is that Bacharach and Frankfurt are in a Verkehrsverbund, an area of local train fare schemes, so stations within one and the same Verkehrsverbund do not show up online. The German website says "Preisauskunft nicht möglich" which seemed to suggest that I am right. However, the regional provider says Frankfurt is a coop partner for the ticket system, so it is not in RNN itself but an adjoining Verkehrsverbund. Confused? Very understandable if you are. The website I checked: https://www.rnn.info/index.php?id=93

 

Hope this helps.

 

Like your itinerary plans, but I am a bit short on time to look more closely.

 

I like Bacharach. Anybody else agree?

 

notamermaid

 

 

Thanks, notamermaid.

They have just cancelled the trip we are booked on. It looks like we will do the same route on a different barge one day later, which gives us one fewer day at the end, but an extra day in Cochem. Does a day trip to Koblenz make sense from there?

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1 hour ago, gnome12 said:

Does a day trip to Koblenz make sense from there?

If you do not want to explore Cochem and the direct vicinity, I think it makes sense. You can take the fast or the slow train, the slow train is just under an hour. They go to the main station in Koblenz which is a bit out and away from the sites. You are in the Prussian extension of the city. I happened to mention your idea to a very dear person who happens to be more familiar with Koblenz than me. Instead of going to the old town when you come out of the station, his suggestion is to head to the Rhine embankment via Markenbildchenweg. You get to see Koblenz as not many tourists see it and along the embankment you reach the Görres monument, the Schloss and then further on the boat landing stage, the Viking dock and the cable car station. That brings you close to the old town. Just a bit further on is Deutsches Eck. If you do not do that and walk through Löhrstraße, make sure to have a stop at Café Baumann, for biscuits, chocolate or other sweet indulgence. :classic_smile:

 

The train journey along the vineyards and crossing the Moselle is really nice but not spectacular IMO.

 

notamermaid

 

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33 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

If you do not want to explore Cochem and the direct vicinity, I think it makes sense. You can take the fast or the slow train, the slow train is just under an hour. They go to the main station in Koblenz which is a bit out and away from the sites. You are in the Prussian extension of the city. I happened to mention your idea to a very dear person who happens to be more familiar with Koblenz than me. Instead of going to the old town when you come out of the station, his suggestion is to head to the Rhine embankment via Markenbildchenweg. You get to see Koblenz as not many tourists see it and along the embankment you reach the Görres monument, the Schloss and then further on the boat landing stage, the Viking dock and the cable car station. That brings you close to the old town. Just a bit further on is Deutsches Eck. If you do not do that and walk through Löhrstraße, make sure to have a stop at Café Baumann, for biscuits, chocolate or other sweet indulgence. :classic_smile:

 

The train journey along the vineyards and crossing the Moselle is really nice but not spectacular IMO.

 

notamermaid

 

We already had 2 nights in Cochem. This gave us the arrival day in Cochem to get over jet lag, and a whole day to explore Cochem before heading to Burg Eltz on Saturday which was supposed to be embarkation day. Now embarkation day is Sunday, so we either move Burg Eltz to Sunday and have Saturday to explore Koblenz, or leave Burg Eltz for Saturday and have until mid-afternoon on Sunday for Koblenz. 
 

Thanks for the info on walking in Koblenz. 

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A lot of small details and rearranging to do! I am glad to read that the cruise has been moved by only a day. Not sure how it would work out with Burg Eltz on the Sunday but I definitely say Koblenz on the Saturday - just in case you want to do a bit of shopping. And it may also be good to check frequency of trains on Sundays, not sure if it differs from weekdays.

 

notamermaid

 

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I think that I have everything rearranged, with the exception of a hotel in Frankfurt. I want to talk to my sister about whether she wants to stay in town or near the airport, although neither of us depart until after 1 pm. (I read an article today about problems at Frankfurt airport for Canadians flying back to Canada, because it seems that many people don't know that Canada requires a PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure.) I don't know whether to head to Frankfurt early the day before I fly out and getting a 24 hour (or faster) test at either the train station or the airport, or to see whether I can find a testing centre somewhere near Bacharach, and give myself some extra flexibility.

 

Anyway, as to the rest

I have booked one night in Saarbrücken, one in Trier, 3 in Bacharach after the bike and barge, then to Frankfurt and home.

We now have 3 nights in Cochem at the start; I checked into the schedule for the train and BurgenBus and both are identical whether we go on Saturday or on Sunday, so we can take your suggestion to go to Koblenz on Saturday.

 

For the trip to Burg Eltz, it looks like for 2 of us the best option is the VRM minigruppen pass. I think buying one of them for each of the 2 days (Koblenz and Burg Eltz) would be our best bet, although there seems to be some program through hotels (VRM-Gästeticket) that provides free transportation in the region, but I can't tell which hotels provide it.

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IMO Frankfurt itself is worth a visit if you have a day to spend. Much nicer than staying at the airport (though the Airport Hilton is quite nice). We have been stayed in Frankfurt twice and have done it both ways.

 

A few years ago we flew to Frankfurt for a long weekend and enjoyed it very much. We stayed at the Rocco Forte Hotel (AKA Villa Kennedy) which is very near a Tram line to/from the Hauptbahnhof. Lots to explore in the city and the immediate surrounds. And plenty of good food too. I think Frankfurt is very underrated.

 

When we flew home from Ukraine the next year we had an overnight in Frankfurt and an early flight home the next morning. So we stayed at the Airport Hilton and took the S-Bahn in and out of town for dinner. If my flight were not until 1PM I'd stay in town because there is more to do.

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11 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

The VRM Gäste Ticket is an interesting scheme. I hope it works for you. This may be the right list. Participants in the scheme. Click on the Infoblatt link: https://www.vrminfo.de/fahrkarten/tickets/fahrkarten/vrm-gaesteticket/

 

notamermaid

 

I found the list, but it doesn't look like either of my 2 possible hotels are included. Oh well. A lot of them seem to be holiday apartments rather than hotels.

 

 

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1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

IMO Frankfurt itself is worth a visit if you have a day to spend. Much nicer than staying at the airport (though the Airport Hilton is quite nice). We have been stayed in Frankfurt twice and have done it both ways.

 

A few years ago we flew to Frankfurt for a long weekend and enjoyed it very much. We stayed at the Rocco Forte Hotel (AKA Villa Kennedy) which is very near a Tram line to/from the Hauptbahnhof. Lots to explore in the city and the immediate surrounds. And plenty of good food too. I think Frankfurt is very underrated.

 

When we flew home from Ukraine the next year we had an overnight in Frankfurt and an early flight home the next morning. So we stayed at the Airport Hilton and took the S-Bahn in and out of town for dinner. If my flight were not until 1PM I'd stay in town because there is more to do.

The problem might be getting the PCR test that I need to return to Canada. (I'm not sure what my sister needs to return to the US; but it isn't likely to be more stringent than what I need. At the train station it looks like I can get an RT-PCR test for €59 results within 24-36 hours (which doesn't do it for an arrival only the day before) or and Express RT--PCR for €120 with results in 30 minutes, but limited availability.

 

There is more choice in Tests at the airport

One company has 24 hour tests for €69, 12 hour tests for €90 and 6 hour test for €130.

Another has 24 hour, 12, 6, and 1 1/2 hour test for €69, €79, €119, and €149.

 

When we originally planned this trip for May of 2020, my sister had an early flight out, and so she wanted to stay near the airport. Now we both have flights at similar times, so we do have a choice. (I would prefer in town too.) However, I don't want to cut down our time in the Rhine Valley; I've never been, my piece of the Rhine was only upstream from Rudesheim on a Vienna to Basel river cruise. I want to be able to do an excursion cruise, and just enjoy some of the towns and castles in the nearby towns. I'm not sure I can do that with only 2 nights in Bacharach. It's hard to tell what my sister would prefer; she seems to have left all the arrangements to me.

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@notamermaidIs Germany still mostly a cash society, or has Covid moved it more towards accepting credit cards? I have to decide how much cash I want to bring with me. Unfortunately, while I have a credit card that doesn't charge foreign exchange fees, my 2 ATM cards both do, charging either $5 + 2.5% or 3.5% with no fixed fee. (Canadians don't have the same choices of accounts that Americans have.)

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Definitely more credit card friendly than before. Big places are good for credit cards, selected smaller places only accept the so-called EC card (debit card thing), bakers, kiosks, small retailers sometimes are cash only.  Not sure about the excursion boat. No idea what you would need for 48 hours, but I would suggest an uneven amount, like 125 euros or 140 euros or something, so that you have one note smaller than 50 euros for sure. For small transactions like a sandwich at the bakers. Could be helpful.

 

I agree with @jpalbny that Frankfurt is underrated, but you have expressed your preference for the Rhine valley. Still, if you feel confident with the testing and the flights working out, staying overnight in Frankfurt proper is nice.

 

Logistics in the Rhine Gorge: by way of natural topography all roads leading into the hills are steep... There are no bridges between Bingen and Koblenz. You probably know that there is a railway line on both sides of the river and you can cross on several ferries. The ferry can be included in a "train hopping ticket" (my words), also the KD ship, but I am not familiar with details.

For a small town visit I particularly like Oberwesel with its town wall and the railway line right at it. It also has a castle with hotel on the hill.

 

A few notes on Koblenz: the Schloss is renovated but has few old features of note I find. The old town is much rebuilt to its former glory, the Viertürme square is nice and the whole area. I particularly like Münzplatz with the "Paradies" gateway and mural (turn around to look up when you have crossed under) leading to the Moselle. It is Art Nouveau, so not that old. The Moselle is where most of the ships dock, near the Balduin Bridge. From there you can see Ehrenbreitstein as William Turner painted it. If you like art: the Mittelrhein Museum is good, but not spectacular.

 

The Schängel Fountain is a must-see of course. Take a video if you can.

 

notamermaid

 

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Just don't get to close to the Schängel Fountain, as you will probably notice by the puddle of water underneath. 🙂   We really enjoyed Koblenz, it was amazing seeing how much was destroyed, and how much was "restored"...face wise anyway.  

DSC02536.JPG

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5 hours ago, gnome12 said:

It looks lovely, but not too convenient for exploring Frankfurt. 

It certainly is a bit far out, but for that special overnight stay for another time you visit it is a great suggestion. If any of you folks have money to spare bookmark it... It is the kind of place where they pick you up from the airport with their shuttle car. The Schloss was the seat of the Princess Vicky, the daughter of Queen Victoria. She married the heir to the throne Frederick William of Prussia and became Empress of Germany. The Schloss was built after her husband's death as her home.

 

gnome12, I completely forgot to suggest the official Romantic Rhine website to you: https://www.romantischer-rhein.de/en/rhine-romanticism-and-the-region/historical-towns-and-villages

 

notamermaid

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Last Wednesday we got an email that the bike and barge had been cancelled. They said 2 weeks before they had an almost full boat, but a bunch of people cancelled after the EU announcement. So I have been unwinding all of our plans, again. 
 

I intend to do this trip next year, whether my sister joins me or not. 
 

In the meantime, I am deciding to stay in Canada. Today I booked a trip on the Rocky Mountaineer train from Vancouver to Jasper, continuing with a coach trip to Banff and Lake Louise and on to Calgary. This has been on my bucket list for many years, and I was able to book a very last minute trip at a good (for the Rocky Mountaineer) price. 

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