Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Germany: the Rhine and the Moselle, castles and Riesling
7 days from Cologne to Frankfurt: Cologne Cathedral, three nights in the Rhine gorge at Boppard and two on the Moselle at Cochem.
7 days · Cologne to Frankfurt · up to 12 guests
Bacharach and the Rhine from the Postenturm Photo: abbilder, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bacharach_am_Rhein_-_Flickr_-_abbilder.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Cologne to Frankfurt
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3 h on day 6No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
About 2 to 4 hours on foot most days, on cobbles, castle ramps and stairs. Day 4 has an optional downhill vineyard walk of about 4 km on steep paths, and day 5 an optional walk of about an hour each way along the Elz valley to Burg Eltz. Both castles have steep approaches and many stairs inside. Every hard section has a seated or shorter alternative: the chairlift both ways, the van to the castle car park and the shuttle bus to Burg Eltz, a cafe on the square while others climb.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 745 (estimated price)
- Season
- May to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Cologne Cathedral with a local guide at 9 am, before the day groups, and a welcome dinner with Kölsch in a brewhouse
- The Deutsches Eck at Koblenz, where the Moselle meets the Rhine
- A KD boat from Bacharach to St Goar past Pfalzgrafenstein and the Loreley, then lunch and the ruins of Rheinfels
- Marksburg on a guided tour, then the chairlift above Boppard and a walk down through the vineyards to a Riesling tasting
- The walk up the Elz valley to Burg Eltz, and a winemaker's dinner at a Moselle wine estate
- The Porta Nigra and the Constantine Basilica in Roman Trier, then the half-timbered square at Bernkastel-Kues
- Two free evenings by the river in Boppard and Cochem
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 745 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3 h, on day 6.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Cologne
Cologne Bonn Airport, Düsseldorf Airport or the ICE from Frankfurt Airport to your hotel by the cathedral, then the old town on foot
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Cologne
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Cologne Bonn (CGN) or Düsseldorf (DUS), where a driver meets you in arrivals, or into Frankfurt (FRA), where you take the ICE from the airport's long-distance station to Cologne, about an hour, on a seat we reserve. Your hotel is a short walk from the cathedral; plan to arrive by about 3 pm. At about 5 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the lobby for a briefing on the week, then we walk out together. The cathedral's twin spires rise straight above the station square; begun in 1248 and finished only in 1880, it is listed by UNESCO. We cross the Hohenzollern Bridge, hung with padlocks left by couples, for the view of the cathedral and the old town across the Rhine, then walk back along the river to the Alter Markt.
Evening
Dinner is in a traditional Cologne brewhouse, where waiters in blue aprons keep replacing your small 0.2 litre glass of Kölsch, the city's own beer, until you lay a beer mat on top.
Included
- Pick-up at Cologne Bonn (CGN) or Düsseldorf (DUS) airport, or a reserved ICE seat from Frankfurt Airport to Cologne
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Evening walk: the cathedral square, the Hohenzollern Bridge, the Rhine promenade and the Alter Markt
- Welcome dinner with Kölsch in a Cologne brewhouse
Free time: Free until the 5 pm briefing
Activity: About 1.5 hours on foot on level pavements and the bridge walkway.
Cologne Cathedral, Koblenz and up the Rhine to Boppard
Cologne to Koblenz, then Boppard
- Breakfast
- Stay in Boppard
- Drive about 2 h
We are inside Cologne Cathedral with a local guide at about 9 am, before the day groups. The guide shows you the golden Shrine of the Three Kings behind the high altar, made around 1200 to hold relics brought from Milan, the Gero Cross, carved in the 10th century, and the stained glass from the Middle Ages to Gerhard Richter's window of 11,263 coloured squares. If you want the view, climb the south tower's 533 steps while the rest of us take coffee in the old town. At about 11:30 the minibus takes the luggage and us south, about an hour and a quarter, to Koblenz.
Afternoon
Lunch is on your own near the Deutsches Eck, the point where the Moselle flows into the Rhine under a huge equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I.
Evening
Then 25 minutes up the left bank brings us into the gorge and to Boppard by about 4 pm, in time for a walk along the Rhine promenade and a free evening.
Included
- Guided visit to Cologne Cathedral with a local guide: the Shrine of the Three Kings, the Gero Cross and the Richter window
- The Deutsches Eck at Koblenz, where the Moselle meets the Rhine
- Walk along the Rhine promenade in Boppard with your guide
Optional experiences
- The cable car from Koblenz across the Rhine to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (at your own cost)
Easier option: Skip the old-town coffee walk and wait in a cafe on the cathedral square until the minibus leaves.
More active option: Climb the cathedral's south tower, 533 steps to a viewing platform about 100 m up.
Free time: Evening free in Boppard
Activity: About 2.5 hours on foot on level paving and stone church floors; about 2 hours on the road in two legs.
By boat through the Rhine gorge
Boppard to Bacharach by minibus, KD boat Bacharach to St Goar, then Rheinfels Castle and back to Boppard
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Boppard
- Drive about 45 min
The heart of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, listed by UNESCO in 2002 for its castles, terraced vineyards and river towns. We drive half an hour upriver to Bacharach and walk its lanes of half-timbered houses from about 9:30, before the boats bring the day visitors, climbing a short path to the Postenturm for the view over the roofs and the ruined Gothic Wernerkapelle.
Morning
Late in the morning we board a KD line boat downstream to St Goar, about an hour on the water and the best part of the trip to see from the river. Pfalzgrafenstein, a white toll castle built in 1327 on an island off Kaub, sits in midstream; then the river narrows and bends round the Loreley, a slate rock about 130 m high.
Afternoon
Lunch is in St Goar, then we go up to Rheinfels, begun in 1245 and blown up by French troops in 1797, now one of the largest castle ruins on the river, with tunnels to explore by torchlight. Back in Boppard by about 4:30.
Included
- Walk through Bacharach with your guide, up to the Postenturm viewpoint
- KD boat from Bacharach to St Goar, past Pfalzgrafenstein and the Loreley
- Lunch in St Goar
- Rheinfels Castle
Easier option: Skip the Postenturm path and stay in Bacharach's lower lanes; at Rheinfels, keep to the main courtyard and the museum instead of the tunnels.
More active option: Explore the Rheinfels mine tunnels with a torch, low and narrow in places.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Boppard
Activity: About 3 hours on foot, with a steep path in Bacharach, a steep walk up to Rheinfels and uneven ground inside the ruins. Bring a torch or use your phone in the tunnels.
Marksburg, the vineyards and a Riesling tasting
Boppard by ferry to Filsen, then Braubach and Marksburg, back to Boppard; the chairlift and a vineyard walk
- Breakfast
- Stay in Boppard
- Drive about 45 min
A slower day in the gorge. We cross the Rhine on the little car ferry from Boppard to Filsen and drive 15 minutes downriver to Braubach, where Marksburg stands on a crag above the town. It is the one hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine that was never destroyed, so the guided tour, about 50 minutes, shows a working castle rather than a ruin: the gun battery, the kitchen, the knights' hall and a collection of armour.
Afternoon
We are back in Boppard by about 12:30 and lunch is on your own. At about 2:30 the chairlift lifts us from the edge of town to the Gedeonseck, where the great loop of the Rhine around the Bopparder Hamm, one of the steepest vineyards on the river, opens below. From there your guide walks the group down through the vines, about 4 km and an hour and a half, to a family winery in Boppard for a tasting of Riesling at about 5 pm, with the winemaker explaining the slate soils and the steep-slope work by hand.
Evening
The evening is yours.
Included
- The Boppard to Filsen car ferry
- Marksburg guided tour, booked ahead
- The Boppard chairlift up to the Gedeonseck viewpoint
- Guided vineyard walk down through the Bopparder Hamm
- Riesling tasting with a Boppard winemaker
Easier option: Ride the chairlift back down instead of the vineyard walk; the minibus takes you to the winery for the tasting.
More active option: Walk up to the Gedeonseck instead of taking the chairlift, about 45 minutes on a steep forest path, before the walk down.
Free time: Midday and evening free in Boppard
Activity: About 3.5 hours on foot. The lane up to Marksburg is steep and the tour has many stairs; the vineyard walk is downhill on narrow, sometimes loose paths.
Burg Eltz and into the Moselle
Boppard to Moselkern, the walk to Burg Eltz, then Cochem
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Cochem
- Drive about 1.5 h
We leave Boppard at about 8:30 and cross the Hunsrück hills to Moselkern on the Moselle, about an hour. From there a path follows the Elzbach stream up a wooded valley, about an hour on foot, until Burg Eltz appears on its rock where the valley bends: a castle of towers, oriels and half-timbered upper floors, owned by the same family for more than 800 years and never taken by force.
Afternoon
We reach the castle at about 10:45 for a late-morning guided tour, about 40 minutes through rooms still furnished from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, before the midday crowds come down from the car park. Afterwards the minibus collects us from the car park above the castle for lunch in the Moselle valley, then 25 minutes upriver to Cochem by about 3 pm. The afternoon is free under the Reichsburg.
Evening
In the evening we drive a short way along the river to a wine estate for a cellar tasting and a winemaker's dinner, with Moselle Riesling poured alongside each course.
Included
- Guided walk up the Elz valley from Moselkern to Burg Eltz
- Burg Eltz guided tour
- Lunch in the Moselle valley
- Cellar tasting and winemaker's dinner at a Moselle wine estate
Optional experiences
- The Reichsburg in Cochem on a guided tour in your free afternoon (entry at your own cost)
Easier option: Ride in the minibus to the castle car park and take the shuttle bus or a 15-minute walk down to Burg Eltz, meeting the group for the tour.
More active option: Climb to the Reichsburg in Cochem in the free afternoon, about 20 minutes uphill from the market square.
Free time: Afternoon free in Cochem before the winery dinner
Activity: The valley walk is about an hour each way on a forest path with roots and some steps; we walk up and ride back. About 1.5 hours on the road in short legs.
Roman Trier and Bernkastel-Kues
Cochem to Trier, then Bernkastel-Kues and back along the Moselle to Cochem
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Cochem
- Drive about 3 h
About an hour and a quarter south-west to Trier, founded by the Romans as Augusta Treverorum and for a time an imperial capital; its Roman monuments, cathedral and the Church of Our Lady are listed by UNESCO. From about 9:30 a local guide walks us from the Porta Nigra, the black sandstone city gate built around AD 170, through the market square to the cathedral and the Church of Our Lady beside it, then to the Constantine Basilica, the vast brick throne hall of the emperor Constantine from about AD 310, and the ruins of the Imperial Baths.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Trier, with time to see the house where Karl Marx was born in 1818 if you wish. In the afternoon we follow the river 50 minutes north to Bernkastel-Kues for an hour on its market square of half-timbered houses, including the narrow Spitzhäuschen of 1416, below steep vineyards. The last hour back to Cochem runs along the loops of the Moselle.
Evening
A farewell dinner together in Cochem ends the trip.
Included
- Guided walk through Trier with a local guide: the Porta Nigra, the market square, the cathedral and the Church of Our Lady, the Constantine Basilica and the Imperial Baths (outside)
- Lunch in Trier
- Bernkastel-Kues and its market square
- Farewell dinner in Cochem
Optional experiences
- The Karl Marx House museum in Trier (entry at your own cost)
Easier option: Leave the Trier walk after the Constantine Basilica and rest in a cafe on the market square until lunch.
More active option: In Bernkastel-Kues, climb the path through the vines to the Landshut castle ruin for the view over the river, about 30 minutes up.
Free time: Late afternoon free in Cochem before the farewell dinner
Activity: About 3 hours on foot on level paving and cobbles; about 3 hours on the road in three legs, each an hour or less.
To Frankfurt
Cochem to Frankfurt Airport, and central Frankfurt for those on later flights
- Breakfast
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
A last breakfast by the Moselle, then we leave Cochem at about 8:30. The road climbs out of the valley over the Hunsrück, crosses the Rhine at Mainz and runs east to Frankfurt Airport (FRA), about 175 km and two and a quarter hours, arriving by about 11 am. Your guide sees you to the terminal and checks your flight before saying goodbye. If you are flying later or staying on, the minibus carries on 20 minutes into central Frankfurt, where your guide walks you from the Römerberg, the old town square rebuilt with its stepped gables, down to the Main and across the Eiserner Steg footbridge for the view of the skyline, finishing around 1 pm. The main station, about 20 minutes' walk or a short taxi ride from the old town, has trains back to the airport in about 15 minutes and direct ICE services across Germany and Europe. Book a flight leaving after about 2 pm if you go straight to the airport, or after about 5 pm if you join the walk, which ends about 35 minutes from the airport; or ask us to add nights.
Included
- Transfer to Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Or the transfer to central Frankfurt and a short walk from the Römerberg to the Main
Free time: Afternoon free in Frankfurt if you are staying on
Activity: Book a flight leaving Frankfurt after about 2 pm if you go straight to the airport, or after about 5 pm if you join the city walk.
- Cologne1 night
- Boppard3 nights
- Cochem2 nights
- Frankfurtend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May and June are fresh and green, with long evenings and the vines in flower; July and August are warm, often 25 °C or more, and the busiest on the boats and at Burg Eltz; September and October bring the grape harvest, golden vineyards and wine festivals in the Moselle towns, with cooler mornings and some weekend crowds. Expect some rain in any month; morning mist in the gorge usually lifts by the time the boat sails.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the Rhine and Moselle at walking pace, with castles inside as well as from the boat
- Wine lovers who want Riesling from the people who make it, without a coach-tour cellar stop
- A short first trip to Germany, or a week before or after Amsterdam, Paris or a Rhine river cruise
- Solo travellers who want fair pricing and company at dinner
Not for you if you want
- Anyone wanting Berlin, Bavaria or Neuschwanstein: see our Berlin to Munich trip
- Travellers who want a river cruise ship: we sleep in hotels and use a day boat
- Step-free access: castle ramps, stairs and steep vineyard paths are part of most days
- Travellers looking for big-city nightlife: two of the three bases are small river towns
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Cologne1 night
- Boppard3 nights
- Cochem2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights: 1 in Cologne, 3 in Boppard and 2 in Cochem
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms, within about 10 minutes' walk of Cologne Cathedral, Boppard's Rhine promenade and Cochem's market square; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Cologne Bonn (CGN) or Düsseldorf (DUS) airport on day 1, or a reserved ICE seat from Frankfurt Airport to Cologne
- A private minibus and professional driver for the group from day 2 to day 7, carrying your luggage
- KD boat through the Rhine gorge from Bacharach to St Goar
- The Boppard to Filsen car ferry and the Boppard chairlift
- Transfer to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) or central Frankfurt on day 7
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, from the day 1 walk to the day 7 transfer
- Local guides for Cologne Cathedral and the Trier walk, and the castle guides at Marksburg and Burg Eltz
Activities
- Cologne: the evening walk over the Hohenzollern Bridge and a guided visit to Cologne Cathedral
- Koblenz: the Deutsches Eck
- Bacharach: a guided walk to the Postenturm
- St Goar: Rheinfels Castle
- Braubach: Marksburg guided tour
- Boppard: the chairlift to the Gedeonseck, a guided vineyard walk and a Riesling tasting
- Burg Eltz: the Elz valley walk and a guided tour
- The Moselle: a cellar tasting with the winemaker's dinner
- Trier: a guided walk with the Porta Nigra, the cathedral and the Constantine Basilica
- Bernkastel-Kues
- Frankfurt: a short walk from the Römerberg to the Main, for those on later flights
Meals
- 6 breakfasts
- 3 lunches, on days 3, 5 and 6
- 3 dinners: a welcome dinner in a Cologne brewhouse, a winemaker's dinner on the Moselle and a farewell dinner in Cochem
- A Riesling tasting in Boppard
Not included
- International flights to Germany and from Frankfurt
- The ETIAS travel authorisation fee, if it applies to your dates
- Travel insurance
- Lunches on days 2, 4 and 7, and dinners not listed
- Drinks, except the Kölsch at the welcome dinner and the wines at the tasting and the winemaker's dinner
- Entries in free time, such as the cathedral tower, the Reichsburg in Cochem, the Ehrenbreitstein cable car or the Karl Marx House
- Tips
- Personal expenses
- Wine you buy to take home, and shipping
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 745 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Six nights in central hotels, 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 3 dinners, a Riesling tasting, your arrival pick-up or ICE seat, a private minibus and driver, the KD boat, the Rhine ferry and the Boppard chairlift, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, local guides, and every visit in the day plan, including Marksburg, Rheinfels, Burg Eltz and the Trier walk.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That is small enough to sit at one table in a wine cellar, take the same Marksburg tour together and travel in one minibus, compared with the large coaches most Germany tours use.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the welcome walk in Cologne to the transfer in Frankfurt. Local guides lead the Cologne Cathedral visit and the Trier walk, castle guides lead the tours at Marksburg and Burg Eltz, and winemakers host both tastings.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately. Most days have 2 to 4 hours on foot on cobbles and castle stairs. The vineyard walk above Boppard and the Elz valley walk to Burg Eltz are optional: the chairlift, the minibus and the castle shuttle bus cover both, and you meet the group for the tasting or the tour.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own is from CAD 745 more, shown before you book, with no surprise at checkout. If you would rather share, ask us and we will try to match you with a roommate of the same gender. Every base has free time, and the welcome, winemaker's and farewell dinners are shared.
Is the Rhine boat a river cruise?
No. We sleep in hotels on land and take a scheduled KD day boat for the best stretch of the gorge, from Bacharach to St Goar, about an hour past Pfalzgrafenstein and the Loreley. That leaves time to go inside the castles and walk the vineyards, which cruise passengers often see only from the deck.
Do I have to drink wine?
Not at all. Tastings are small pours with water and bread, and grape juice or alcohol-free wine is always offered. The vineyard walk, the cellar and the winemaker's stories are worth it without a glass, and the dinners have a full non-alcoholic choice.
Which airports do I fly into and out of?
Arrive at Cologne Bonn (CGN) or Düsseldorf (DUS), where a driver meets you, or at Frankfurt (FRA), where you take the ICE to Cologne, about an hour, on a seat we reserve. The trip ends at Frankfurt Airport by about 11 am on day 7; book a flight leaving after about 2 pm, or after about 5 pm if you join the short city walk, which ends about 1 pm.
When is the best time to go?
May, June and September give mild weather, long days and fewer people at Burg Eltz than midsummer. July and August are warm and busiest. September and October are harvest time, with golden vineyards and wine festivals in the Moselle towns. We run from May to October, when the boats and castles keep full hours.
Do I need a visa for Germany?
Not for Canadian or US passport holders on a tourist stay of up to 90 days in the Schengen area. Your passport is registered at the border under the EU Entry/Exit System, and ETIAS, a planned online authorisation with a small fee, is not yet in force as we write. We confirm at booking whether it applies to your dates.
How does booking work?
Choose your start date and style and send a request to book. We confirm your trip within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until then. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes: the small group starts from CAD 4,370 and a private trip from CAD 7,865.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we can quote the same hotels, boat and castle tickets.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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