Rhine Valley

Route

1. Koblenz Hbf

   Where the Moselle meets the Rhine at the Deutsches Eck

2. Boppard / St. Goar / Bacharach

   Small riverside towns beneath the steepest castle-topped bends

3. Mainz Hbf

   Gutenberg's home city, at the Rhine–Main confluence

What you'll see

• The Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage stretch between Koblenz and Bingen, with more than 40 castles and fortress ruins on the hillsides
• Sit on the left (west) side of the train heading south from Koblenz to Bingen for the best castle views — the river winds so both banks get a turn, but the left bank has slightly better sightlines on the classic stretch past the Loreley rock
• The Loreley slate cliff near St. Goarshausen, the valley's narrowest point

Stopover ideas

• Boppard — riverside promenade and vineyard chairlift
• St. Goar / St. Goarshausen — Rheinfels castle ruins and the Loreley viewpoint
• Bacharach — walled medieval wine town

Practicalities

Trains

RE/RB regional trains on the left-bank Rhine line, roughly hourly, plus the slower right-bank line for the return leg

Duration

about 1 hour direct; allow half a day if you stop in the villages between

Best time of year

Late spring to early autumn for daylight and vineyard greenery; September–October for the wine harvest

Which ticket?

Entirely regional trains, so a Deutschlandticket covers the whole Rhine Valley round trip with no extra fare — one of the best-value scenic rides in the country. German Rail Pass holders can ride it too without using a travel day if they already hold a Deutschlandticket, but on the pass alone it does use a travel day.

Plan the exact connection on the journey planner or work out whether a rail pass pays off on the trip planner.