Sankt Goar Transportation

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Calculate your time carefully, when driving along the river Rhine. The large car-ferries are able to load 50 small cars or several heavy trucks, BUT they will NOT run all day and all night. In fact the ferry between St.Goar and St.Goarshausen will stop operating at 09.00p.m. and your only chance to get across the river Rhine afterwards is one of the bridges in Koblenz, about 40km downstream of St.Goar.
The river Rhine at St.Goar is quite a sensitive area, because plenty of ships have to wait there anchored for the moment, when they are allowed to go through the one-way-passage next to the Lorelei.
The ferry is operated between 06.05 a.m. and 09.00p.m. on weekdays
On sundays it does not start before 08.10a.m.
It will go as soon as enough cars are onboard, or waiting at the other side of the river !

St Goar is on the main line from Mainz to Koblenz, but unfortunately the only trains coming out this far are the slug like Regional Bahns. That means a trip to Mainz takes over an hour, although the less distant Koblenz is only 30 minutes away. The station is a sight in itself, though. A typically rural station made out of local stone and built into the side of the river bank. Be careful to have small change for the ticket machine if you haven't got a ticket, because this far out the damn thing doesn't get filled very often. The German guy who asked me for help was lucky my German has advanced enough that I can understand when someone is asking for change for a fiver!

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Whether driving, cycling or walking, you can cross the Rhein at St. Goar over to St. Goarhausen (or vice versa). On either side, follow the signs to the ferry and pull up in line until the ferry allows you to board. You will be directed where to line up on the ferry. Once the boat starts to cross, someone will come to your car and ask you to pay the fee based on what kind (if any) of vehicle and number of people.

The crossing only takes a few minutes. You can get out of your vehicle and go to the side of the ferry to take photos if you want.

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If you want to get from one side of the Rhein to the other, you can get across by taking a car ferry. Just walk on board the pedestrian entrance. A one way fare when we were there, was 1 euro 30 cents. The ticket clerk will approach you as you get on board. To see the hours of operation,which vary with the season, visit the website I've listed below.

To see a more complete list of ferries, visit:
http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/index.php?id=53&L=3

There are miles and miles of bicycle paths along the Rhein. A large number of serious bicycling enthusiasts passed through St. Goar each day. What if you are not a serial cyclist, but would enjoy a little mosey by the Rhein? You can hire a bike for the day! Well, not in St. Goar, but in either neighboring Bacharach or Oberwesel, either of which you can reach in a few minutes train ride.

Information:

bicycle hire in Oberwesel:
Fahrradgeshaeft Hoehn
Liebfrauenstrasse 38
phone: 0 67 44/3 36

bicycle hire in Bacharach:
Zweirad Morr
Mainzstrasse 20
phone: 0 67 43/91 94 03

There's a ferry (for people and cars) between St Goar and St Goarshausen. Considering that there are no bridges in this area that allow you to cross the Rhein river (the next ones are in Koblenz or in Mainz/Wiesbaden), this is really helpfull! There are always discussions about building bridges there in the Rhein valley, but as this region is UNESCO world heritage this is not so easy.

The ferry drives between 6:00 and 21:00 (in summer until 23:00), on Sundays and holidays it starts only at 8:00. During this time of the year, the ferry goes every 20 minutes, maybe it's more often during peak times.
We paid 4 Euro for one car and two persons, pedestrians will have to pay 1,30 Euro for a single-trip. You pay on the ferry.
Please check their homepage for the current schedule and prices.

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Did you think it would be boring to be a captain on a ferry crossing a short river stretch 4 times every hour in each direction? Think again. Pilots on long distance airplanes have their most exciting moments when they start and land. These guys start and land 8 times every hour!

From a spectators view, the ferry crossing is like a ballet performance, a" pas de deux"; Father Rhine grips a firm hold of his partner the ferry Lorelei and tries to force her to go downstream. But she has her own, strong will, and wants to go across his strong current. All the time while 300 ships a day pass by on their way up or down the river, people play along on jetskis or speedboats. Thus it is sometimes a "pas de trois or quatre". When she safely gets to the other side, the ferry throws in her thruster and turns 180 degrees on the spot, to let the cars out in their right direction.

I could have sat for hours at my viewpoint in the castle, watching this artistic performance. Not two crossings are alike. Beeing a passenger was a delight, too, seeing both St. Goar, St. Goarshausen and the castles from different perspectives. And the price was only 1,3 Euros :-) The ferry runs every 15 minutes, tickets are bought on board

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No, not the poet, scientist etc.. The paddlewheel steamer Goethe! You can travel with her from Köln or Mainz to St. Goar, or go for a sightseeing on the Rhein.

The ship has quite a history: Built in 1913 in Werft Gebrüder Sachsenberg in Köln-Deutz as a combined cargo and passanger ship, rebuilt 1925 to a doubledecker, sunk by allied bombs in 1945, rebuilt from scratch but with the old engine in 1952, taken out of service in 1989, rebuilt again in 1995 / 1996 and put back into service on Goethe's 247th birthday 28 August 1996.

Dampfer Goethe frequents St. Goar twice daily from april to october, as one of Köln-Düsseldorfer's tourist ships on the Rhine. I got most fascinated by the paddlewheels and the engine, which can be admired through (plexi)glass windows :-) There is a wall with old pictures and a short summary of the ship's history, and a ship model.

On the linked page you can find the technical and service related specifications.

Price for the sightseeing trip St. Goar - Rüdesheim and back: EUR 17.30 / 1.50 extra to go with the steamer. It is absolutely worth it!