We travelled independently down the River Rhine from Koblenz to Rudesheim. This was not luxury cruising but still a very relaxing and pleasant way of getting from A to B. While on board there are bars and restaurants whether you choose to sit on the upper deck or remain inside.
At Koblenz, we boarded the Koln-Dusseldorfer boat, which took us through the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Middle Rhine Valley. We were able to sit out on deck to view the passing scenery of the castles, the forts, the pretty villages and the vineyards lining the valley sides. I was snapping away the whole time but some castles were really very impressive – Stolzenfels Castle,Burg Pfalzgrafenstein, Marksburg and St Goarshausen. Then there is the legendary Loreley Rock, which juts out across from Oberwesel. As the boat passes this landmark the haunting Loreley music rings out from the loudspeakers.
Our boat terminated at St Goar where we had time to take a walk along the quayside before boarding a smaller boat the MS Asbach to Rudesheim. In the summer of 2022 the Rhineland area had suffered a severe drought and water levels were lower than usual. we were fortunate that this did not affect our travel arrangements.
If you are travellling on a budget, I firmly recommend this way of seeing some fantastic Rhineland scenery while relaxing on board.
