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Rhine Valley (Rüdesheim, Bacharach & St Goar)
Germany / Cologne, the Rhine & the Moselle / Rhine Valley (Rüdesheim, Bacharach & St Goar)

Rhine Valley (Rüdesheim, Bacharach & St Goar)

Castles, Vineyards and the Loreley on the Romantic Rhine

Plan this trip
2 daysIdeal stay₹8,520From / night₹2,980Food / day₹1,070Entry

The UNESCO-listed Upper Middle Rhine between Rüdesheim and Koblenz: castle after castle on the cliffs, steep vineyards and half-timbered wine villages. Rüdesheim has the Drosselgasse and a cable car to the Niederwald Monument; Bacharach is the prettiest village; St Goar sits under the ruins of Rheinfels Castle, opposite the Loreley rock; Marksburg above Braubach was never destroyed. The KD boats between the villages run from about April to October (a reduced winter service needs a minimum of passengers); trains run along both banks all year, and with no bridge between Mainz and Koblenz, small car ferries cross. Bacharach is about 1.5 hours from Frankfurt by train.

Highlights

  • KD boat cruise past the castles and the Loreley
  • Rheinfels Castle ruins at St Goar
  • Marksburg guided tour
  • Bacharach's half-timbered lanes
  • Cable car over the vineyards at Rüdesheim
  • Wine tasting in a family estate

Things to do

  • KD boat cruise Rüdesheim–St Goar past the LoreleyApr–OctMorning · 3h
  • Rheinfels Castle ruins and tunnelsAfternoon · 2h
  • Marksburg guided tourMorning · 2h 30m
  • Rüdesheim cable car to the Niederwald Monument and vineyard walk downApr–OctAfternoon · 3h
  • Rheinsteig or Rheinburgenweg trail stageMorning · 5h
  • Wine tasting in BacharachEvening · 2h

Tours & tickets

When to go

Best time: April – October

Worth knowing

Rhine Boats on a Winter Timetable

The KD boats between Rüdesheim, Bacharach, St Goar and Koblenz run their main timetable from about April to October. In winter there is at most one sailing a day from Rüdesheim, and only if enough passengers book; many wine taverns and some hotels in the villages close too. The trains along both banks run all year, so you can still see the castles from the window and visit Rheinfels and Marksburg.

  • Rhine in Flames (Rhein in Flammen) — Firework nights on the Rhine, each in a different stretch of the river, from May to September, with illuminated boat convoys you can book a place on; the St Goar and Oberwesel nights are in September. Dates change every year: check before you plan, and book rooms early for those nights.