The Best "Date" Possible with a Railpass!
These days, more railpass travellers use "flexipasses" rather than consecutive-day passes. These allow for a set number of days (for example, 5, 10, or 15 days) to be used whenever the railpass holder wants within a specified period of time (usually 2 months). For many, the challenge is how to max out your travel experience while spending only one of your precious rail "flexi-days." Here's an example from our European train expert, Alan Wissenberg.
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| It's all about timing when using your flexipass in Europe. |
One of my favorite, very active rail travel days for the ambitious traveler is to leave from Paris overnight to Frankfurt, take a mid-morning cruise along the Rhine River, train on to Köln that afternoon, and overnight in Rothenburg ob der Tauber (some call this "recovery time"). If you time it right, all of this travel is covered by a single "flexi-day" of your railpass.
Here's how: Depart Paris Gare de l'Est on train 361 at 22:55, arriving in Frankfurt at 7:02 the next morning. (For overnight trains departing after 19:00, you only need to use the arrival day on your railpass.) Put your luggage in a locker at the Frankfurt station and travel most of the day without it. Train ICE 928 leaves from Frankfurt at 7:44 and arrives in Mainz at 8:18; from there, take train RB 12762 at 8:30 and head towards Koblenz. You must be ready to disembark at "Bingen (Rhein) Stadt" station at 9:00 (not at "Bingen Hbf," which is a different station).
From Bingen Stadt station, the ideal boat journey begins by walking over to the river (2 minutes away), turning left, and moving along the Rhine (with the current) about eight minutes to the K-D boat dock. I prefer the 9:30 boat because it arrives in Koblenz at 13:10, allowing me to take the bus up from the boat dock to the train station and move on with train IC 2302 at 14:12 from Koblenz to Köln (arriving at 15:05). In Köln, you can see the double-spired Gothic cathedral (one of Europe's most fascinating churches to tour) right across the street from the station.
After sprinting through the cathedral, return to Frankfurt on train ICE 15 at 15:49, speeding along at 300 kph (almost 190 mph) for less than 70 minutes (arriving at 16:58). Pick up your luggage and maybe a snack before leaving Frankfurt at 18:18 on train IC 2121 along the Main River towards Würzburg (with connections to Steinach and an arrival in Rothenburg on the last train at 20:50). You should reserve the room in Rothenburg in advance to put everyone, including your host for the night, at ease. Plan on two nights in Rothenburg, leaving on the second morning.
Too much, too fast? Then skip Köln and just take the boat from Bingen to either Koblenz or Boppard. From either station, it's easy to return via Mainz to Frankfurt, where you'll pick up your luggage and head for an earlier arrival in Rothenburg.
Cold and rainy outside? Traveling outside the boating season? Consider a trip on regional train RE 15004, which travels along the east bank of the Rhine and leaves daily from Frankfurt at 7:53 for Koblenz (note: connecting trains from Koblenz to Köln run hourly, but this RE train is unique).
Tired of cathedrals? Then consider the beautiful scenery of the "Back Door" route by train from Koblenz (depart on train RE 3192 at 14:56) along the Lahn River to Giessen and change there to return to Frankfurt by 17:40, using the same connections from Frankfurt to Rothenburg described above.
What are the additional transportation costs for this trip, beyond the price of your railpass? Your overnight accommodation (seat, couchette, single, or double) to Frankfurt plus a €2 bus ticket in Koblenz from the riverfront to the train station and a €3 reservation fee that covers both train ICE 15 and train IC 2121. (You can get this reservation through EurAide, or at any counter of the German Railroad). The K-D boat ride is covered by your railpass. In my judgement, reservations are not necessary for the morning trains.
EurAide can help you put together train trips like this and make all your reservations after charging a one-time fee of $45 for processing and delivery. We then get them for the same price you would pay if standing in a line at the Munich train station. Remember, if your travels require a change of trains in Germany, the connecting reservation on most trains is free of charge through EurAide.
Alan Wissenberg is president and general manager of EurAide. He also provides information to Rick's readers about the Romantic Road Bus and the Rhine River boats at www.euraide.de/ricksteves.