Oberwesel Travel Forum

I have an afternoon and two days to see the Koln Cathedral and do some sailing on the Rhein. Have found the beautiful Hotel Auf Schonburg (and have also looked at the existing Oberwesel postings) - but there is no information on how to reach the hotel if traveling by train. Have a couple of questions:

1. Is it possible to visit the hotel if traveling by train (assuming taxi) - what would be the nearest train station, and is there reliable taxi service?

2. Would this be a good place to be based if I would like to visit Koln one day, sail on the Rhein on a different day, and visit one chosen castle?

3. Is this place safe for a woman traveling alone?

4. Could you suggest some logistics - that is, what portions to do on train, how to avoid carrying luggage (i.e. hopefully leave the luggage in the hotel) -

5. I have visited the http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/index.php?id=108&L=3 web site, problem is there are way too many towns. Any recommendations in the best towns to walk thru as far as (1) good local atmosphere vs. touristy, and (2) picturesque, as a village and natural views.

I will be going back towards Frankfurt at the end of the 2.5 days.

Appreciate all your suggestions.

1. Oberwesel has a train station. With luggage the best is to use a taxi up to the hotel. Without luggage you can also use the - steep and rocky - foot path.

2. yes

3. yes

4. Downstream by boat is much faster than upstream.
There are railway lines on both sides on the river.
The next close ferries to reach the other side are
http://www.faehre-kaub.de
http://www.rheinschiffahrt-goar.de/

5. Oberwesel?
http://www.oberwesel.de/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=98&Itemid=187

Most touristic one is Rüdesheim. But of course there are tourists everywhere in the Middle Rhine Valley. One of the reason it was selected as UNESCO world heritage was that it is considered to be the birthplace of modern tourism (by the English in the late 18th century).

Thank you abalada - very clear response!

Hi! I just got back from my Germany trip which included a stop at the Hotel Schonburg (it was lovely!). I am also a solo female traveller so here is my experience with Oberwesel: I arrived with my pullman back-pack and tote bag and camera bag. I dragged my luggage down the stairs to use the underpass (there is no elevator) and dragged it up the stairs again to reach the street. Taxis were nowhere in sight however there is a building to the right hand side as you are staring up at the castle which says it's the taxi service and you have to phone them or rap on the door. I didn't notice this building when i got there and decided to lug my stuff up the road to the castle, which took me well over an hour! The foot path goes STRAIGHT UP but is NOT GOOD

Hi! I just got back from my Germany trip which included a stop at the Hotel Schonburg (it was lovely!). I am also a solo female traveller so here is my experience with Oberwesel: I arrived with my pullman back-pack and tote bag and camera bag. I dragged my luggage down the stairs to use the underpass (there is no elevator) and dragged it up the stairs again to reach the street. Taxis were nowhere in sight however there is a building to the right hand side as you are staring up at the castle which says it's the taxi service and you have to phone them or rap on the door. I didn't notice this building when i got there and decided to lug my stuff up the road to the castle, which took me well over an hour! The foot path goes STRAIGHT UP but is NOT GOOD

Hi! I just got back from my Germany trip which included a stop at the Hotel Schonburg (it was lovely!). I am also a solo female traveller so here is my experience with Oberwesel: I arrived with my pullman back-pack and tote bag and camera bag. I dragged my luggage down the stairs to use the underpass (there is no elevator) and dragged it up the stairs again to reach the street. Taxis were nowhere in sight however there is a building to the right hand side as you are staring up at the castle which says it's the taxi service and you have to phone them or rap on the door. I didn't notice this building when i got there and decided to lug my stuff up the road to the castle, which took me well over an hour! The foot path goes STRAIGHT UP but is NOT GOOD if you are toting luggage but is great if you are descending for a day trip sans-luggage, and wanting a quick but invigorating ascent. I used the castle as my base for 2 days, as well. I went down the path and caught the train to Bacharach and caught the 930am (?) K-D boat up to Koblenz for a pleasant 4 hour cruise. Oberwesel doesn't have a lot of shops, or touristy places, but is the prettiest stop, I thought. Very safe for female solo travellers. Bacharach was good and Boppard was very touristy, but was the only place I could find a public internet site to use! I will be adding tips about my Germany trip in the next few days so if you have the time, check them out in about a week's time. Enjoy!

Thank you Sandi ... I'll make sure and look for that taxi office or phone!

If you would like to step off the beaten path a bit, I can strongly suggest visiting the Lahn valley -- the Lahn is a small tributary of the Rhine, flowing into it near Koblenz. The valley is very narrow, almost canyon-like in places, and it contains a railway line and many, many great stops. Limburg is wonderful, and there are lots of towns with commanding castles and palaces such as Weilburg and Diez.

http://www.daslahntal.de/en/index.htm

I recently toured the Lahn valley with VTer Phillyjohn and both of us thought it was an excellent trip. Do visit Koblenz too, especially the Ehrenbreitstein fortress.

As far as getting back using train, is this the right website and connection?
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?ld=212.125&seqnr=3&ident=5p.015436125.1209042820&rt=1&OK#focus

How early should I purchase the tickets?

Regarding the Lahn valley, thank you RhineRoll - I found some photos of the area and it does look like a place I would love to visit. The hotel said they would help with the boat tour. Since I only have a full day to do the sailings I will check if the have an option around that area.

It makes no sense to link to a timetable result of DB. These are session based and the session will expire after a few minutes.

But in case it's Frankfurt or Cologne to Oberwesel there is no need to book anything in advance. Tickets are always available. Oberwesel is anyway served by regional trains only. A seat reservation is with them not even possible.

I agree there were plenty of seats on the train coming from whichever direction you are coming from. Oberwesel is served by a train once an hour, in each direction. No reservations required. Just make sure you know if you are 1st class or 2nd class, and get yourself into that car so that when the ticket checker comes around, you are not in the wrong car (its marked very clearly on the outside of the train). By the way, the Castle Schonburg did not offer a laundry service, so again if you need one, you will likely have to go to Boppard or Mainz to do it. Same with the internet, unless you have your own laptop.