Viking Marksburg Castle Tour

Doing a Viking river cruise on the Mani from Amsterdam to Basel. One day, we have two stops - Koblenz and Rudesheim, and what appears to be some of the best cruising sightseeing between them if I read some reviews correct.y. Our included excursion that day is of Marksburg Castle, which is between the two stops. We have a choice of doing this excursion morning or afternoon. What I'm trying to figure out, is if the ship moves between these ports during the morning tour, during the afternoon tour, or neither. In other words during one of the tours, does the ship move from Koblenz to Rudesheim so that you get off at one port and re-board at the other? Any other reason to take the morning vs the afternoon tour? We have no optional tours planned that day.

Thanks for any help! -John

While you are waiting for past cruisers to give you the details of the excursion and the itinerary here is a map for you to put your question into a visual context: https://www.romantischer-rhein.de/en/what-to-see-and-do/culture/castles/map-overview-castles/ You will be travelling upstream and seeing Koblenz first. It is on the left bank, i.e. the left side of the map. Marksburg is a little upstream at Braubach on the right bank. It is indeed the most scenic stretch of river and from what past cruisers have reported no company will "leave passengers behind" in Braubach while sailing upstream (or sailing it at night like at other stretches). From Marksburg you will all sail together to Rüdesheim. As regards morning or afternoon I am sure others can give you the necessary info.

About Marksburg castle: it is great, really medieval, it had never been destroyed and rebuilt like others. It is not accessible in a wheelchair, beware of steep steps.

My tip: if it works out for you and you have free time in Koblenz take the cable car up to Ehrenbreitstein fortress. But a guided tour through the old town is nice as well.

notamermaid

Accessibility to Marksburg castle and within it is problematic for people with difficulty walking. In addition to the steep stairs already mentioned, the walk from the bus parking lot is very steep; the entrance into the castle is also steep with very rough and uneven stones.

After hearing the discussions regarding the Marksburg castle's steps and steepness (I was wearing a walking boot, having broken a foot bone prior to departing home), we opted to take the tour to the Ehrenbreitstein fortress.

Took the enclosed gondola car across the river - which afforded fabulous views of the river, Koblenz and the surrounding area. Once at the fortress, we were greeted by a "British spy" dressed in period clothing who served as our tour guide for the morning (and stayed in character the entire tour). He was great fun,very informative, and probably one of the most enjoyable tours in which we participated.

I took the Grand European Tour last June and you had the choice of either Marksburg Castle or Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. They offer the Fortress tour because the Castle is not accessible to anyone with mobility issues. During the castle tour, the ship moved up river to Marksburg where you re-embarked and continued sailing the Rhine. During the castle tour we actually saw our ship arriving on the river below. Fantastic view!

Thanks all. Notamermaid, that Map and website were great.