Berlin Hostel
Hostel
Days 1–3
Berlin — 4 days (Potsdam, Cologne, Koblenz, Bacharach & Rudesheim)
Eight days entirely by train and river boat. Four days in Berlin and Potsdam only, without the journey west.
Old Mule Routes
Runs this trip
Walking / cultural tour
Eight days entirely by train and river boat
Group Tour
Join a fixed-date departure with other travellers
Top Highlights
Brandenburg GateEight days: a city that spent forty years split in two, then the Rhine gorge. Berlin Wall MemorialBernauer Straße is the only place the wall system is preserved in depth — both walls, the strip between and a watchtower. Neues MuseumCecilienhof is where Truman, Stalin and Churchill divided post-war Europe, and the room is laid out as it was. Cologne CathedralThe cathedral took 632 years and was the tallest building in the world when it was finished in 1880. MarksburgForty castles in sixty-five kilometres, most built to tax river traffic. RheinsteigThe slate terraces here are steep enough that the vines are worked by monorail, and the Riesling is the reason.
Itinerary
Eight days: a city that spent forty years split in two, then the Rhine gorge.
BerlinHow the day runs
- 1 hrsThe airport express into Hauptbahnhof
- MealsDinner
- AccommodationBerlin Hostel
Included Activities
- Transfer
- Hotel night
- Rail pass for the week
LANDMARKS Brandenburg Gate Reichstag Museum Island Start point Berlin, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) 00:00 - 23:59Bernauer Straße is the only place the wall system is preserved in depth — both walls, the strip between and a watchtower.
BerlinHow the day runs
- 4 hrs9:00 AM — Bernauer Straße, the Wall memorial and the death strip
- 3:00 PM — the Holocaust Memorial and the Topography of Terror
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationBerlin Hostel
Included Activities
- All entries
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Berlin Wall Memorial Holocaust Memorial Topography of Terror Cecilienhof is where Truman, Stalin and Churchill divided post-war Europe, and the room is laid out as it was.
Berlin, PotsdamHow the day runs
- 9:00 AM — the Neues Museum and Nefertiti
- 1 hrs1:30 PM — Sanssouci and the Cecilienhof
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationBerlin Hostel
Included Activities
- Museum and palace entries
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Neues Museum Nefertiti Sanssouci Cecilienhof The cathedral took 632 years and was the tallest building in the world when it was finished in 1880. The tower is 533 steps.
Berlin, CologneHow the day runs
- 4 hrs9:00 AM — the ICE west
- 3 hrs2:00 PM — the Dom, and the tower if the legs allow
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationCologne Hostel
Included Activities
- Rail
- Cathedral tower
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Cologne Cathedral Roman-Germanic Museum Rhine promenade Forty castles in sixty-five kilometres, most built to tax river traffic. Pfalzgrafenstein sits on an island in the middle doing exactly that.
Cologne, Koblenz, BacharachHow the day runs
- 1 hrs9:00 AM — south to the Deutsches Eck
- 4 hrs11:30 AM — the boat through the gorge
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationBacharach Hostel
Included Activities
- Boat pass
- Guesthouse in Bacharach
LANDMARKS Marksburg Loreley Pfalzgrafenstein Bacharach The slate terraces here are steep enough that the vines are worked by monorail, and the Riesling is the reason.
Bacharach, RudesheimHow the day runs
- 4 hrs9:00 AM — up onto the Rheinsteig and along the rim
- 1 hrs3:00 PM — down to Rüdesheim
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationRudesheim Hostel
Included Activities
- Guesthouse night
- A Riesling tasting
LANDMARKS Rheinsteig Stahleck castle Riesling terraces Niederwald The monument was put up in 1883 to celebrate German unification, and the view from it covers most of the Rheingau.
Rudesheim, CologneHow the day runs
- 1 hrs9:00 AM — up to the Niederwald monument
- 2 hrs2:00 PM — north for the flight
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationCologne Hostel
Included Activities
- Cable car
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Niederwalddenkmal Rüdesheim Rhine confluence Both Cologne-Bonn and Frankfurt are on the same fast line.
CologneHow the day runs
- 0 hrsThe airport train
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationNot included — onward travel
Included Activities
- Transfer
- Day 1Transfer
- Day 1Hotel night
- Day 1Rail pass for the week
- Day 2All entries
- Day 3Museum and palace entries
- Day 4Rail
- Day 4Cathedral tower
- Day 5Boat pass
- Day 5Guesthouse in Bacharach
- Day 6Guesthouse night
- Day 6A Riesling tasting
- Day 7Cable car
- Day 1 · 3 nightsBerlin Hostel
- Day 4 · 1 nightCologne Hostel
- Day 5 · 1 nightBacharach Hostel
- Day 6 · 1 nightRudesheim Hostel
- Day 7 · 1 nightCologne Hostel
- Day 1Berlin to BerlinThe airport express into Hauptbahnhof
- Day 3Berlin to Potsdam1:30 PM — Sanssouci and the Cecilienhof
- Day 4Berlin to Cologne9:00 AM — the ICE west
- Day 5Cologne to Koblenz9:00 AM — south to the Deutsches Eck
- Day 5Koblenz to Bacharach11:30 AM — the boat through the gorge
- Day 6Bacharach to Rudesheim3:00 PM — down to Rüdesheim
- Day 7Rudesheim to Cologne2:00 PM — north for the flight
- Day 8Cologne to CologneThe airport train
Where you'll stay
All accommodations are subject to change
Cologne Hostel
Hostel
Days 4, 7
Bacharach Hostel
Hostel
Day 5
Rudesheim Hostel
Hostel
Day 6
What you'll eat
7 breakfasts and 3 dinners across 8 days, at camp. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 8.
- DinnerServed on days 1, 5, 6
- BreakfastServed on days 2–8
10 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking
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Customer reviews
Overall rating
4.2/5
Based on 15 reviews
Review summary
Food3.7/5
Guide4.3/5
Itinerary4.0/5
Transport4.1/5
Accommodation3.9/5
Tour operator3.9/5
Sort by:Recommended
5
S
Sneha Kulkarni – Jaipur2026-03-25 · Verified booking
Berlin and Rhineland done well. The itinerary had room to breathe. Guides answered every question, including the daft ones. Solid operator.
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5
A
Aditi Rao – Chennai2026-03-25 · Verified booking
Good mix of the obvious things and a few places we'd never have found. Nothing fancy about the beds, and nothing wrong with them either. The team read the group well and adjusted without making a thing of it. No hesitation recommending them.
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3
E
Elena Petrova – Stockholm2026-03-25 · Verified booking
Hotels were a step below what I expected for the price. Guides answered every question, including the daft ones.
Reply from Old Mule Routes
Appreciate the honest feedback; we're looking at the pacing on that section.
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5
F
Farah Qureshi – Pune2026-03-25 · Verified booking
Berlin and Rhineland done well. The itinerary had room to breathe. Never went hungry, and the tea appeared exactly when it was needed. Solid operator.
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3
L
Laura Whitfield – Toronto2026-03-25 · Verified booking
Too much time on the coach and not enough at the places we'd come for. Whoever planned the days knew what they were doing.
Reply from Old Mule Routes
Thank you. We've taken the point about the transfer and are reviewing it.
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5
I
Ishita Ghosh – Nagpur2026-03-05 · Verified booking
Good mix of the obvious things and a few places we'd never have found. Hostel nights are basic but clean, and that's what the price says. Guides answered every question, including the daft ones. Good value for what's included.
Reply from Old Mule Routes
Appreciate the honest feedback; we're looking at the pacing on that section.
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3
A
Arjun Pillai – Jaipur2026-03-05 · Verified booking
Too much time on the coach and not enough at the places we'd come for. The lead was calm and knew when to slow the group down.
Reply from Old Mule Routes
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you on another trip.
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5
M
Marc Dubois – Amsterdam2026-03-05 · Verified booking
Everything was arranged properly — transfers, entries, all of it. Recommended.
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Questions people ask
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