Great Little Trains of the Rhine Valley

We journey from London to Brussels by Eurostar, where we join the high-speed rail connection to Cologne. From here we take a local train along the Rhine to Remagen and check in at our hotel, our base for the next five nights.

Our rail journey today takes us to Bonn, the birthplace of Beethoven and the former capital of western Germany. Bonn is a great place to explore, with a long and interesting history to discover before enjoying a scenic boat trip along the Rhine which takes us to Königswinter. From here we take a journey on a small train up the Drachenfels (Dragon Rock). This is the most famous of the seven Siebengebirge Mountains and, according to legend, is where Siegfried slew the dragon that lived in a cave on the mountain. Although you aren’t likely to spot any dragons on your train ride, the scenery is striking. After a delightful return journey, we take a train and a ferry across the Rhine and return to our hotel.

We travel by train along the Ahr valley, an area of broad plateaux and narrow gorges where picturesque half-timbered towns nestle in the landscape and castles crown hill summits. This is the most northerly of Germany’s wine-producing regions that is mostly dedicated to the production of red wines. Seldom is this wine exported so our special excursion to Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler will give us the opportunity to sample some and purchase a souvenir bottle or two, as well as enjoying a horse-drawn carriage ride.

We enjoy a nostalgic ride on the Vulkan Express, a privately owned narrow gauge train. The journey, through one of the most scenic valleys of the Rhine, takes 1½ hours, passing castles, crossing viaducts and going through a tunnel as we ascend the Eifel Mountains to the village of Engeln.

Today we travel through the Rhine Gorge by train, passing the legendary Lorelei to reach the quaint wine town of Rüdesheim. The Drosselgasse is the hub, lined with taverns serving the Rheingau region’s finest riesling wines. The Niederwald monument, which depicts the mythical figure of Germania, can be reached by cable car, where spectacular views of the Rhine valley and castles can be enjoyed. The ruins of Ehrenfels Castle are another idyllic location, surrounded by vineyards above the Rhine Gorge. After lunch we cruise along the Rhine River and pass the legendary Lorelei, which soars 120 meters above the river to St Gorshausen, and take the train back to Remagen.

We depart our hotel in the morning and retrace our route to Brussels, where we join Eurostar for the return to London.