Getting Around Koblenz
Koblenz sits where the Moselle meets the Rhine, and its compact centre makes it easy to explore on foot. For anything beyond the old town, the city has a straightforward public transport network of buses and trains, plus taxis, ferries and even a chairlift up to its most famous viewpoint. This guide covers the practical options for a visitor.
On Foot
The city itself is quite small and easily accessible on foot. The most relevant bus and train stops cluster around the shopping district and the old town, so once you arrive in the centre you can walk between the main sights, the riverside and the shopping streets without needing any transport at all.
Buses
Buses are the main way to move around Koblenz. They leave from the central train station and generally run from early morning until late evening, and they will take you to most parts of the city.
Be aware that the bus system can be confusing to the typical visitor. Navigation apps such as Google Maps do not really work for public transport in the city, and in some places there are multiple bus stops where buses passing at different stops might actually go to the same destination. The VRM (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel) website is the reliable source: it contains English transit maps and a journey planner.
For a visitor, the most relevant stops are probably:
- Hauptbahnhof – the main train station.
- Bf Stadtmitte/Löhr-Center – by the city's largest shopping mall, in the west of the shopping district and close to the old town.
- Zentralplatz/Forum – near another large shopping mall, in the east of the shopping district closer to the Rhine, and also close to the old town.
- Schlossweg – served by bus line 670, useful for reaching Castle Stolzenfels.
You can pay for buses in cash, and you can use the journey planner to calculate the fare.
Tickets and the Koblenz Card
An alternative to paying per trip is the Koblenz Card, which you can buy at the tourist centre in Forum Confluentes (at the Zentralplatz/Forum stop). It gives you unlimited bus trips within the Koblenz city proper plus discounts or free entry at several attractions.
The Koblenz Card offers 24 hours of free public transport in the entire city area of Koblenz. It is valid on all buses and trains in the VRM system, including operators evm Verkehrs GmbH and Rhein-Mosel-Bus, and it also covers the Ehrenbreitstein ferry, the Lay ferry and the inclined lift up to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.
One practical caveat: while the unlimited travel may sound like a huge benefit, many attractions in Koblenz close early, so you may not be able to visit many of them in the same day.
Trains and Regional Rail
Koblenz is well connected by rail and is easily reached by IC trains, for example from the Frankfurt/Mainz area, the Cologne area or Trier. These towns are one to two hours away, and connections run from early in the morning until late at night.
Within the city there are three stations: Hauptbahnhof, Stadtmitte and Lützel. These have the shortest distances to the Rhine and Moselle. To visit the Deutsches Eck, it is better to get off at Stadtmitte.
From North Rhine-Westphalia, the RB26 or RE5 provide service from Cologne via Bonn. There is also a sleeper option: Nightjet, ÖBB's sleeper train, runs from Brussels via Bonn and Koblenz toward Vienna, Munich and Innsbruck, calling at Frankfurt airport, Würzburg and Nuremberg.
Taxis, Ferries and the Chairlift
You can reach Festung Ehrenbreitstein by taxi, by bus, or by taking a ferry across the Rhine River and walking up the walled access road to the fortress. You can also ride a chairlift (Sesselbahn) to the top of the fortress.
By Bicycle
Koblenz is a very pleasant place for cycling, as there are cycling paths along most of the banks of the Mosel and Rhine rivers. Bicycles can be rented at Micha's Rad-Atelier (Hohenzollernstraße 119, 56068 Koblenz) near the train station.
Cycling is a particularly convenient way to reach Castle Stolzenfels, since it is a short ride from the main station and buses aren't very frequent. Other regional attractions within cycling distance are the town of Lahnstein, which contains Castle Lahneck and Palace Martinsburg, and Braubach with the famous Castle Marksburg.
By Car
Three German motorways lead to Koblenz: the A3, A48 and A61. Parking in the centre of Koblenz is sometimes restricted according to time, and park and ride is available. The train station has a parking garage, as does the Löhr Center.
Pay attention to closing times at the Löhr Center parking garage: it closes shortly after the shops, which typically catches at least a few tourists unaware.
Getting There from the Airport
Koblenz is within about one hour's travelling time of three major German airports:
- Frankfurt Airport (FRA) – one of the world's major intercontinental hubs and home of Lufthansa.
- Hahn Airport (HHN) – the largest airport in the state, served by low-cost airlines.
- Cologne-Bonn Airport (CGN) – one of Germany's largest airports and the main base of Lufthansa's low-fare subsidiary, Eurowings.
From these airports, the practical way into Koblenz is by train. Koblenz is easily reached by IC trains from the Frankfurt/Mainz area and the Cologne area, both of which are one to two hours away, with connections running from early in the morning until late at night. The Nightjet sleeper also calls at Frankfurt airport on its route through Koblenz.
By Long-Distance Bus
Many bus companies offer trips to Koblenz for one or more days, which can be a useful option if you are arriving from elsewhere in Germany or Europe.