rhine river

My husband and I are planning a trip to Europe in the spring. We would like to see some of Germany, maybe explore the Rhine river, see some castles, etc.

What is the best way to see the area? We plan on starting in Paris, going to Amsterdam, maybe Brussels, spending 4-5 days in Germany and ending in Switzerland. Any ideas? Can we drive or should we take a cruise down the river? Are there any cruises for 3-4 nights?

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We traveled the Rhein this spring by train. There are local trains about once an hour on the west bank and I think something similar on the east as well.

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

We enjoyed ourselves and it was inexpensive if you use the Rheinland-Pfalz or one of the local train network tickets. Our young adult %26quot;kids%26quot; joined us and it makes for a nice exposure to the local culture.

Regards, Gary

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Koblenz is a great base for exploring the Rhine/Mosel region. Great transportation options; train (short %26amp; long haul), bus %26amp; coach, taxi and of course boat/ferry. Copied in a few websites you might find useful.

www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml

http://www.kevag.de/

http://omnibusse.bohr.de/en/uns.php

http://www.kdrhine.com/

…loreleyvalley.com/rhine/…

http://www.marksburg.de/english/frame.htm

loreley-info.com/eng/…lahneck.php

http://www.rudesheim-rhine.info/z-castles.htm

Hope this helps.

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The trains are great and the daypasses are inexpensive. A car will work too but drop-off fees are quite heavy if you%26#39;re picking up in a different country than you picked up in.

4-5 nights is a reasonable amount of time to see the Rhine/Mosel region. Most people do a short cruise - about 2 hours is best, really - between cities in the most attractive part of the Rhine gorge where castles are everywhere - somewhere between Bingen and Koblenz. K-D is the big line here:

k-d.com/englisch/…linienfahrten.html

Multi-day cruises might be possible but I wouldn%26#39;t see the point of cruising the Rhine southward beyond Bingen. It%26#39;s generally attractive but not exceptional. Much better to spend time in the villages and cities in the triangle comprised by Trier in the west, Cologne in the north, and Mainz in the south. If interested in cathedrals, you might also want a look at Worms and Speyer, on the Rhine south of Mainz.