Self-Guided Walks in Bacharach
Map: St. Goar’s Rheinfels Castle
The Rhine Valley is storybook Germany, a fairy-tale world of legends and robber-baron castles. Cruise the most castle-studded stretch of the romantic Rhine as you listen for the song of the treacherous Loreley. For hands-on thrills, climb through the Rhineland’s greatest castle, Rheinfels, above the town of St. Goar. Spend your nights in a castle-crowned village, either Bacharach or St. Goar.
The Rhineland is magical, but doesn’t take much time to see. Both Bacharach and St. Goar are an easy 1.5-hour train ride (€15) or a one-hour drive from Frankfurt Airport, and they make a good first or last stop for travelers flying in or out.
Ideally, spend two nights here, sleep in Bacharach, cruise the best hour of the river (from Bacharach to St. Goar), and tour Rheinfels Castle. If rushed, focus on Rheinfels Castle and cruise less.
If possible, visit the Rhine between April and October. The low season is lower here than in some other parts of Germany. Many hotels and restaurants close from November to February or March. Riverboats don’t run, sights close or have short hours, and neither Bacharach nor St. Goar have much in the way of Christmas markets.
Ever since Roman times, when this was the empire’s northern boundary, the Rhine has been one of the world’s busiest shipping rivers. You’ll see a steady flow of barges with 1,000- to 2,000-ton loads. Tourist-packed buses, hot train tracks, and highways line both banks.
Many of the castles were “robber-baron” castles, put there by petty rulers (there were 300 independent little countries in medieval Germany, a region about the size of Montana) to levy tolls on passing river traffic. A robber baron would put his castle on, or even in, the river. Then, often with the help of chains and a tower on the opposite bank, he’d stop each ship and get his toll. There were 10 customs stops in the 60-mile stretch between Mainz and Koblenz alone (no wonder merchants were early proponents of the creation of larger nation-states).
Some castles were built to control and protect settlements, and others were the residences of kings. As times changed, so did the lifestyles of the rich and feudal. Many castles were abandoned for more comfortable mansions in the towns.
Most Rhine castles date from the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. When the pope successfully asserted his power over the German emperor in 1076, local princes ran wild over the rule of their emperor. The castles saw military action in the 1300s and 1400s, as emperors began reasserting their control over Germany’s many silly kingdoms.
The castles were also involved in the Reformation wars, in which Europe’s Catholic and Protestant dynasties fought it out using a fragmented Germany as their battleground. The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) devastated Germany. The outcome: Each ruler got the freedom to decide if his people would be Catholic or Protestant, and one-third of Germans died. (Production of Gummi Bears ceased entirely.)
The French—who feared a strong Germany and felt the Rhine was the logical border between them and Germany—destroyed most of the castles as a preventative measure (Louis XIV in the 1680s, the Revolutionary army in the 1790s, and Napoleon in 1806). Many were rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style in the Romantic Age—the late 1800s—and today are enjoyed as restaurants, hotels, hostels, and museums.
The Rhine flows north from Switzerland to Holland, but the scenic stretch from Mainz to Koblenz hoards all the touristic charm. Studded with the crenellated cream of Germany’s castles, it bustles with boats, trains, and highway traffic. Have fun exploring with a mix of big steamers, tiny ferries (Fähre), trains, and bikes.
By Boat: While some travelers do the whole Mainz-Koblenz trip by boat (5.5 hours downstream, 8.5 hours up), I’d just focus on the most scenic hour—from St. Goar to Bacharach. Sit on the boat’s top deck with your handy Rhine map-guide (or the kilometer-keyed tour in this chapter) and enjoy the parade of castles, towns, boats, and vineyards.
Most travelers sail on the bigger, more expensive, and romantic Köln-Düsseldorfer (K-D) Line (covered by rail passes but starts the use of a day of a flexipass; recommended Bacharach-St. Goar trip: €12.50 one-way, €15 round-trip, bikes-€2.80/day, €2 extra if paying with credit card; discounts: up to 30 percent if over 60; 20 percent if you present a connecting train ticket; 50 percent on your birthday; Tue and Thu—2 bicyclists travel for the price of 1; tel. 06741/1634 in St. Goar, tel. 06743/1322 in Bacharach, k-d.com). Complete, up-to-date schedules are posted at any Rhineland station, hotel, TI, and k-d.com. Purchase tickets at the dock up to five minutes before departure. (Confirm times at your hotel the night before.) The boat is never full. Romantics will enjoy the old-time paddle-wheeler Goethe, which sails each direction once a day.
The smaller Bingen-Rüdesheimer Line is slightly cheaper than the K-D, doesn’t offer any rail pass deals, and makes three trips in each direction daily (St. Goar to Bacharach: €12 one-way, €14 round-trip, buy tickets on boat; departs St. Goar at 11:00, 14:10, and 16:10; departs Bacharach at 10:10, 12:00, and 15:00; no morning departures last two weeks of Oct; tel. 06721/14140, bingen-ruedesheimer.de).
By Car: Drivers have these options: 1) skip the boat; 2) take a round-trip cruise from St. Goar or Bacharach; 3) draw pretzels and let the loser drive, prepare the picnic, and meet the boat; 4) rent a bike, bring it on the boat for €2.80, and bike back; or 5) take the boat one-way and return by train. When exploring by car, don’t hesitate to pop onto one of the many little ferries that shuttle across the bridgeless-around-here river.
By Ferry: While there are no bridges between Koblenz and Mainz, you’ll see car-and-passenger ferries (usually family-run for generations) about every three miles. Bingen-Rüdesheim, Lorch-Niederheimbach, Engelsburg-Kaub, and St. Goar-St. Goarshausen are some of the most useful routes (times vary; St. Goar-St. Goarshausen ferry departs each side every 15-20 minutes, Mon-Sat 5:30-24:00, Sun 6:30-24:00; one-way fares: adult-€1.60, car and driver-€4, pay on the boat; faehre-loreley.de). For a fun little jaunt, take a quick round-trip with some time to explore the other side.
By Bike: You can bike on either side of the Rhine, but for a designated bike path, stay on the west side, where a 35-mile path runs between Koblenz and Bingen. The six-mile stretch between St. Goar and Bacharach is smooth and scenic, but mostly along the highway. The bit from Bacharach to Bingen hugs the riverside and is road-free. Either way, biking is a great way to explore the valley. Many hotels provide free or cheap bikes to guests; in Bacharach, anyone can rent bikes at Hotel Hillen (see here, €12/day).
Consider biking one-way and taking the bike back on the riverboat, or designing a circular trip using the fun and frequent shuttle ferries. A good target might be Kaub (where a tiny boat shuttles sightseers to the better-from-a-distance castle on the island).
By Train: Hourly milk-run trains hit every town along the Rhine (St. Goar-Bacharach, 10 minutes, €3.50; Bacharach-Mainz, 1 hour; Mainz-Koblenz, 1.5 hours). Express trains speed past the small towns, taking only 50 minutes non-stop between Mainz and Koblenz. Some train schedules list St. Goar but not Bacharach as a stop, but any schedule listing St. Goar also stops at Bacharach. Tiny stations are not staffed—buy tickets at the platform machines. Though generally user-friendly, the ticket machines are not all the same. Some take only paper money; others may not accept US credit cards. When buying a ticket, be sure to select “English” and follow the instructions carefully. At the St. Goar train station, for example, the ticket machine may give you the choice of validating your ticket for that day or the next day—but only for some destinations (when you’re not given this option, your ticket will automatically be validated for the day of purchase).
The Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket day pass covers travel on milk-run trains to anywhere in this chapter (1 person-€22, up to 4 additional people-€4/each, buy from station ticket machines, good after 9:00 Mon-Fri and all day Sat-Sun, valid on trains labeled RB, RE, and MRB).
(See “The Best of the Rhine” map, here.)
One of Europe’s great train thrills is zipping along the Rhine enjoying this blitz tour. Or, even better, do it relaxing on the deck of a Rhine steamer, surrounded by the wonders of this romantic and historic gorge. This quick and easy tour (you can cut in anywhere) skips most of the syrupy myths filling normal Rhine guides. You can follow along on a train, boat, bike, or car. By train or boat, sit on the left (river) side going south from Koblenz. While nearly all the castles listed are viewed from this side, train travelers need to clear a path to the right window for the times I yell, “Cross over!”
You’ll notice large black-and-white kilometer markers along the riverbank. I erected these years ago to make this tour easier to follow. They tell the distance from the Rhine Falls, where the Rhine leaves Switzerland and becomes navigable. (Today, river-barge pilots also use these markers to navigate.) We’re tackling just 36 miles (58 km) of the 820-mile-long (1,320-km) Rhine. Your Rhine Blitz Tour starts at Koblenz and heads upstream to Bingen. If you’re going the other direction, it still works. Just hold the book upside-down.
You can download a free Rick Steves audio tour of this Rhine sightseeing jaunt—it works in either direction (see here).
Km 590—Koblenz: This Rhine blitz starts with Romantic Rhine thrills, at Koblenz. Koblenz is not a nice city (it was hit hard in World War II), but its place as the historic Deutsches Eck (German corner)—the tip of land where the Mosel River joins the Rhine—gives it a certain charm. Koblenz, from the Latin for “confluence,” has Roman origins. If you stop here, take a walk through the park, noticing the reconstructed memorial to the Kaiser. Across the river, the yellow Ehrenbreitstein Castle now houses a hostel. It’s a 30-minute hike from the station to the Koblenz boat dock.
Km 586—Lahneck Castle (Burg Lahneck): Above the modern autobahn bridge over the Lahn River, this castle (Burg) was built in 1240 to defend local silver mines; the castle was ruined by the French in 1688 and rebuilt in the 1850s in Neo-Gothic style. Burg Lahneck faces another Romantic rebuild, the yellow Schloss Stolzenfels (out of view above the train, a 10-minute climb from tiny parking lot, open for touring, closed Mon). Note that a Burg is a defensive fortress, while a Schloss is mainly a showy palace.
Km 580—Marksburg Castle: This castle (bold and white, with the three modern chimneys behind it, just before the town of Spay) is the best-looking of all the Rhine castles and the only surviving medieval castle on the Rhine. Because of its commanding position, it was never attacked in the Middle Ages (though it was captured by the US Army in March of 1945). It’s now open as a museum with a medieval interior (€6, family card-€15, daily April-Oct 10:00-18:00, Nov-March 11:00-17:00, last tour departs one hour before closing, tel. 02627/206, marksburg.de). The three modern smokestacks vent Europe’s biggest car-battery recycling plant just up the valley.
Km 570—Boppard: Once a Roman town, Boppard has some impressive remains of fourth-century walls. Look for the Roman towers and the substantial chunk of Roman wall near the train station, just above the main square. You’ll notice that a church is a big part of each townscape. Many small towns have two towering churches. Four centuries ago, after enduring a horrific war, each prince or king decided which faith his subjects would follow (more often Protestant to the north and east, Catholic to the south and west). While church attendance in Germany is way down, the towns here, like Germany as a whole, are still divided between Catholic and Protestant church-goers.
If you visit Boppard, head to the fascinating Church of St. Severus below the main square. Find the carved Romanesque crazies at the doorway. Inside, to the right of the entrance, you’ll see Christian symbols from Roman times. Also notice the painted arches and vaults (originally, most Romanesque churches were painted this way). Down by the river, look for the high-water (Hochwasser) marks on the arches from various flood years. (You’ll find these flood marks throughout the Rhine Valley.)
Km 567—Sterrenberg Castle and Liebenstein Castle: These are the “Hostile Brothers” castles across from Bad Salzig. Take the wall between the castles (actually designed to improve the defenses of both castles), add two greedy and jealous brothers and a fair maiden, and create your own legend. Burg Liebenstein is now a fun, friendly, and affordable family-run hotel (9 rooms, Db-€135-140, suite-€165, giant king-and-the-family room-€240, easy parking, tel. 06773/308 or 06773/251, castle-liebenstein.com, info@burg-liebenstein.de, Nickenig family).
Km 560: While you can see nothing from here, a 19th-century lead mine functioned on both sides of the river, with a shaft actually tunneling completely under the Rhine.
Km 559—Maus Castle (Burg Maus): The Maus (mouse) got its name because the next castle was owned by the Katzenelnbogen family. (Katz means “cat.”) In the 1300s, it was considered a state-of-the-art fortification...until 1806, when Napoleon had it blown up with then-state-of-the-art explosives. It was rebuilt true to its original plans in about 1900. Today, the castle is open only for concerts and weddings, with occasional guided tours (20-minute walk up, tel. 06771/9100, burg-maus.de).
Km 557—St. Goar and Rheinfels Castle: Cross to the other side of the train. The pleasant town of St. Goar was named for a sixth-century hometown monk. It originated in Celtic times (really old) as a place where sailors would stop, catch their breath, send home a postcard, and give thanks after surviving the seductive and treacherous Loreley crossing. St. Goar is worth a stop to explore its mighty Rheinfels Castle. (For a self-guided castle tour, see here.)
Km 556—Katz Castle (Burg Katz): Burg Katz (Katzenelnbogen) faces St. Goar from across the river. Together, Burg Katz (built in 1371) and Rheinfels Castle had a clear view up and down the river, effectively controlling traffic (there was absolutely no duty-free shopping on the medieval Rhine). Katz got Napoleoned in 1806 and rebuilt in about 1900.
Today, the castle is shrouded by intrigue and controversy. In 1995, a wealthy and eccentric Japanese man bought it for about $4 million. His vision: to make the castle—so close to the Loreley that Japanese tourists are wild about—an exotic escape for his countrymen. But the town wouldn’t allow his planned renovation of the historic (and therefore protected) building. Stymied, the frustrated investor abandoned his plans. Today, Burg Katz sits empty...the Japanese ghost castle.
Below the castle, notice the derelict grape terraces—worked since the eighth century, but abandoned in the last generation. The Rhine wine is particularly good because the local slate absorbs the heat of the sun and stays warm all night, resulting in sweeter grapes. Wine from the flat fields above the Rhine gorge is cheaper, and good only as table wine. Wine from the steep side of the Rhine gorge—where grapes are harder to grow and harvest—is tastier and more expensive.
About Km 555: A statue of the Loreley, the beautiful-but-deadly nymph, combs her hair at the end of a long spit—built to give barges protection from vicious ice floes that until recent years raged down the river in the winter. The actual Loreley, a cliff (marked by the flags), is just ahead.
Km 554—The Loreley: Steep a big slate rock in centuries of legend and it becomes a tourist attraction—the ultimate Rhinestone. The Loreley (flags and visitors center on top, name painted near shoreline), rising 450 feet over the narrowest and deepest point of the Rhine, has long been important. It was a holy site in pre-Roman days. The fine echoes here—thought to be ghostly voices—fertilized legend-tellers’ imaginations.
Because of the reefs just upstream (at km 552), many ships never made it to St. Goar. Sailors (after days on the river) blamed their misfortune on a wunderbares Fräulein, whose long, blond hair almost covered her body. Heinrich Heine’s Song of Loreley (the CliffsNotes version is on local postcards) tells the story of a count sending his men to kill or capture this siren after she distracted his horny son, who forgot to watch where he was sailing and drowned. When the soldiers cornered the nymph in her cave, she called her father (Father Rhine) for help. Huge waves, the likes of which you’ll never see today, rose from the river and carried Loreley to safety. And she has never been seen since.
But alas, when the moon shines brightly and the tour buses are parked, a soft, playful Rhine whine can still be heard from the Loreley. As you pass, listen carefully (“Sailors...sailors...over my bounding mane”).
Km 552—The Seven Maidens: Killer reefs, marked by red-and-green buoys, are called the “Seven Maidens.” OK, one more goofy legend: The prince of Schönburg Castle (über Oberwesel—described next) had seven spoiled daughters who always dumped men because of their shortcomings. Fed up, he invited seven of his knights to the castle and demanded that his daughters each choose one to marry. But they complained that each man had too big a nose, was too fat, too stupid, and so on. The rude and teasing girls escaped into a riverboat. Just downstream, God turned them into the seven rocks that form this reef. While this story probably isn’t entirely true, there was a lesson in it for medieval children: Don’t be hard-hearted.
Km 550—Oberwesel: Cross to the other side of the train. Oberwesel was a Celtic town in 400 B.C., then a Roman military station. It now boasts some of the best Roman-wall and medieval-tower remains on the Rhine, and the commanding Schönburg Castle (now a posh hotel). Notice how many of the train tunnels have entrances designed like medieval turrets—they were actually built in the Romantic 19th century. OK, back to the riverside.
Km 546—Gutenfels Castle and Pfalz Castle, the Classic Rhine View: Burg Gutenfels (now a privately owned hotel) and the shipshape Pfalz Castle (built in the river in the 1300s) worked very effectively to tax medieval river traffic. The town of Kaub grew rich as Pfalz raised its chains when boats came, and lowered them only when the merchants had paid their duty. Those who didn’t pay spent time touring its prison, on a raft at the bottom of its well. In 1504, a pope called for the destruction of Pfalz, but the locals withstood a six-week siege, and the castle still stands. Notice the overhanging outhouse (tiny white room between two wooden ones). Pfalz (also known as Pfalzgrafenstein) is tourable but bare and dull (€3 ferry from Kaub, €3 entry, March Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon; April-Oct Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon; Nov and Jan-Feb Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon-Fri; completely closed Dec, last entry one hour before closing, mobile 0172-262-2800, burg-pfalzgrafenstein.de).
In Kaub, on the riverfront directly below the castles, a green statue (near the waving flags) honors the German general Gebhard von Blücher. He was Napoleon’s nemesis. In 1813, as Napoleon fought his way back to Paris after his disastrous Russian campaign, he stopped at Mainz—hoping to fend off the Germans and Russians pursuing him by controlling that strategic bridge. Blücher tricked Napoleon. By building the first major pontoon bridge of its kind here at the Pfalz Castle, he crossed the Rhine and outflanked the French. Two years later, Blücher and Wellington teamed up to defeat Napoleon once and for all at Waterloo.
Immediately opposite Kaub (where the ferry lands, marked by blue roadside flags) is a gaping hole in the mountainside. This marks the last working slate mine on the Rhine.
Km 544—“The Raft Busters”: Just before Bacharach, at the top of the island, buoys mark a gang of rocks notorious for busting up rafts. The Black Forest, upstream from here, was once poor, and wood was its best export. Black Foresters would ride log booms down the Rhine to the Ruhr (where their timber fortified coal-mine shafts) or to Holland (where logs were sold to shipbuilders). If they could navigate the sweeping bend just before Bacharach and then survive these “raft busters,” they’d come home reckless and horny—the German folkloric equivalent of American cowboys after payday.
Km 543—Bacharach and Stahleck Castle (Burg Stahleck): Cross to the other side of the train. The town of Bacharach is a great stop (described on here). Some of the Rhine’s best wine is from this town, whose name likely derives from “altar to Bacchus.” Local vintners brag that the medieval Pope Pius II ordered Bacharach wine by the cartload. Perched above the town, the 13th-century Burg Stahleck is now a hostel. Return to the riverside.
Km 541—Lorch: This pathetic stub of a castle is barely visible from the road. Check out the hillside vineyards. These vineyards once blanketed four times as much land as they do today, but modern economics have driven most of them out of business. The vineyards that do survive require government subsidies. Notice the small car ferry, one of several along the bridgeless stretch between Mainz and Koblenz.
Km 538—Sooneck Castle: Cross back to the other side of the train. Built in the 11th century, this castle was twice destroyed by people sick and tired of robber barons.
Km 534—Reichenstein Castle and Km 533—Rheinstein Castle: Stay on the other side of the train to see two of the first castles to be rebuilt in the Romantic era. Both are privately owned, tourable, and connected by a pleasant trail. Go back to the riverside.
Km 530—Ehrenfels Castle: Opposite Bingerbrück and the Bingen station, you’ll see the ghostly Ehrenfels Castle (clobbered by the Swedes in 1636 and by the French in 1689). Since it had no view of the river traffic to the north, the owner built the cute little Mäuseturm (mouse tower) on an island (the yellow tower you’ll see near the train station today). Rebuilt in the 1800s in Neo-Gothic style, it’s now used as a Rhine navigation signal station.
Km 528—Niederwald Monument: Across from the Bingen station on a hilltop is the 120-foot-high Niederwald monument, a memorial built with 32 tons of bronze in 1877 to commemorate “the re-establishment of the German Empire.” A lift takes tourists to this statue from the famous and extremely touristy wine town of Rüdesheim.
From here, the Romantic Rhine becomes the industrial Rhine, and our tour is over.
Once prosperous from the wine and wood trade, charming Bacharach (BAHKH-ah-rahkh, with a guttural kh sound) is now just a pleasant half-timbered village of 2,000 people working hard to keep its tourists happy. Businesses that have been “in the family” for eons are dealing with succession challenges, as the allure of big-city jobs and a more cosmopolitan life lure away the town’s younger generation. But Bacharach retains its time-capsule quaintness.
Bacharach cuddles, long and narrow, along the Rhine. The village is easily strollable—you can walk from one end of town to the other along its main drag, Oberstrasse, in about 10 minutes. Bacharach widens at its stream, where more houses trickle up its small valley (along Blücherstrasse) away from the Rhine. The hillsides above town are occupied by vineyards, scant remains of the former town walls, and a castle-turned-youth hostel.
The bright new TI, on the main street a block-and-a-half from the train station, will store bags for day-trippers (April-Oct Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-15:00; Nov-March Mon-Fri 9:00-13:00, closed Sat-Sun; from train station, exit right and walk down main street with castle high on your left, TI will be on your right at Oberstrasse 10; tel. 06743/919-303, bacharach.de or rhein-nahe-touristik.de, Herr Kuhn and his team).
Shopping: The Jost German gift store, across the main square from the church, carries most everything a souvenir-shopper could want—from beer steins to cuckoo clocks—and can ship purchases to the US. This family shop celebrated its centennial in 2011 (find a photo of the great-grandfather on the wall). The Josts offer discounts to my readers: 10 percent with cash, 5 percent with credit card (March-Oct Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-17:00, Sun 10:00-16:00; Nov-Feb shorter hours and closed Sun; Blücherstrasse 4, tel. 06743/1224, phil.jost@t-online.de).
Internet Access: The TI has one computer (€0.50/15 minutes).
Post Office: It’s inside a news agents’ shop, across from the church and Altes Haus, at Oberstrasse 56.
Grocery Store: Pick up picnic supplies at Nahkauf, a basic grocery store (Mon-Fri 8:00-12:30 & 14:00-18:00, Sat 8:30-12:30, closed Sun, Koblenzer Strasse 2).
Bike Rental: While many hotels loan bikes to guests, the only real bike-rental business in the town center is run by Erich at Hotel Hillen (€12/day, €10/half-day, daily 9:00-19:00, Langstrasse 18, a block south of Hotel Kranenturm, tel. 06743/1287).
Parking: It’s simple to park along the highway next to the train tracks or, better, in the big lot by the boat dock (€3 from 9:00 to 18:00, pay with coins at Parkscheinautomat and put slip on dashboard, free overnight).
Local Guides: Get acquainted with Bacharach by taking a walking tour. These guides enjoy sharing their town with visitors: Thomas Gundlach is a charming local who’s licensed as a guide and happily gives 1.5-hour town walks to individuals or small groups for €25. He can also drive up to three people around the region in his car (€70/6 hours, €120/long day, mobile 0179-353-6004, thomas_gundlach@gmx.de). Also good are Birgit Wessels (tel. 06743/937-514, wessels.birgit@t-online.de) and Aussie Joanne Augustin (€30/1.5 hours, tel. 06743/909-9020, mobile 0174-952-4858, jopetit90@yahoo.com). The TI books 1.5-hour tours in English (€70/group). Or take one or both of my self-guided walks, next
(See “Bacharach” map, here.)
• Start at the Köln-Düsseldorfer ferry dock (next to a fine picnic park).
Riverfront: View the town from the parking lot—a modern landfill. The Rhine used to lap against Bacharach’s town wall, just over the present-day highway. Every few years the river floods, covering the highway with several feet of water. The castle on the hill is now a youth hostel. Two of the town’s original 16 towers are visible from here (up to five if you look really hard). The huge roadside keg declares that this town was built on the wine trade.
Reefs farther upstream forced boats to unload upriver and reload here. Consequently, in the Middle Ages, Bacharach became the biggest wine-trading town on the Rhine. A riverfront crane hoisted huge kegs of prestigious “Bacharach” wine (which, in practice, was from anywhere in the region). The tour buses next to the dock and the flags of the biggest spenders along the highway remind you that today’s economy is basically founded on tourism.
• Before entering the town, walk upstream through the...
Riverside Park: This park was laid out in 1910 in the English style: Notice how the trees were planted to frame fine town views, highlighting the most picturesque bits of architecture. The dark, sad-looking monument—its “eternal” flame long snuffed out—is a war memorial. The German psyche is permanently scarred by war memories. Today, many Germans would rather avoid monuments like this, which revisit the dark periods before Germany became a nation of pacifists. Take a close look at the monument. Each panel honors sons of Bacharach who died for the Kaiser: in 1864 against Denmark, in 1866 against Austria, in 1870 against France, in 1914 during World War I. The military Maltese cross—flanked by classic German helmets—has a W at its center, for Kaiser Wilhelm.
• Look (but don’t go) upstream from here to see the...
Trailer Park and Campground: In Germany, trailer vacationers and campers are two distinct subcultures. Folks who travel in trailers, like many retirees in the US, are a nomadic bunch, cruising around the countryside in their motorhomes and paying a few euros a night to park. Campers, on the other hand, tend to set up camp in one place—complete with comfortable lounge chairs and TVs—and stay put for weeks, even months. They often come back to the same spot year after year, treating it like their own private estate. These camping devotees have made a science out of relaxing.
• Continue to where the park meets the playground, and then cross the highway to the fortified riverside wall of the Catholic church, decorated with...
High-Water Marks: These recall various floods. Twenty yards to the left is a metal ring on the medieval slate wall. Before the 1910 reclamation project, the river extended out to here, and boats would use the ring to tie up.
• From the church, go under the 1858 train tracks and hook right past the yellow floodwater yardstick and up the stairs onto the town wall. Atop the wall, turn left and walk under the long arcade. After 30 meters, on your left, notice a...
Well: Rebuilt as it appeared in the 17th century, this is one of 40 such wells that provided water to the townsfolk until 1900. Walk 50 yards past the well along the wall to an alcove in the medieval tower with a view of the war memorial in the park. You’re under the crane tower (Kranenturm). After barrels of wine were moved overland from Bingen past dangerous stretches of river, the precious cargo could be lowered by cranes from here into ships to continue more safely down the river. The Rhine has long been a major shipping route through Germany. In modern times, it’s a bottleneck in Germany’s train system. The train company gives hotels and residents along the tracks money for soundproof windows (hotels along here routinely have quadruple-pane windows...and earplugs on the nightstand).
• Continue walking along the town wall. Pass the recommended Rhein Hotel (hotel is before the Markt tower, which marks one of the town’s 15 original 14th-century gates), descend the stairs, pass another well, and follow Marktstrasse away from the river toward the town center, the two-tone church, and the town’s...
Main Intersection: From here, Bacharach’s main street (Oberstrasse) goes right to the half-timbered red-and-white Altes Haus (from 1368, the oldest house in town) and left 400 yards to the train station. Spin around to enjoy the higgledy-piggledy building styles.
• To the left (south) of the church, a golden horn hangs over the old...
Posthof: The postal horn symbolizes the postal service throughout Europe. In olden days, when the postman blew this, traffic stopped and the mail sped through. This post station dates from 1724, when stagecoaches ran from Köln to Frankfurt and would change horses here, Pony Express-style.
Step past the old oak doors into the courtyard—once a carriage house and inn that accommodated Bacharach’s first VIP visitors, and now home to a restaurant. Notice the fascist eagle (from 1936, on the left as you enter; a swastika once filled its center) and the fine view of the church and a ruined chapel above.
Two hundred years ago, Bacharach’s main drag was the only road along the Rhine. Napoleon widened it to fit his cannon wagons. The steps alongside the church lead to the castle.
• Return to the church, passing the recommended Italian ice-cream café (Eis Café Italia), where friendly Mimo serves his special invention: Riesling wine-flavored gelato.
Protestant Church: Inside the church (daily May-Sept 10:00-18:00, April and Oct 10:00-17:00, closed Nov-March, English info on table near door), you’ll find Grotesque capitals, brightly painted in medieval style, and a mix of round Romanesque and pointed Gothic arches. The church was fancier before the Reformation wars, when it (and the region) was Catholic. Bacharach lies on the religious border of Germany and, like the country as a whole, is split between Catholics and Protestants. To the left of the altar, some medieval frescoes survive where an older Romanesque arch was cut by a pointed Gothic one.
• Continue down Oberstrasse to the...
Altes Haus: Notice the 14th-century building style—the first floor is made of stone, while upper floors are half-timbered (in the ornate style common in the Rhine Valley). Some of its windows still look medieval, with small, flattened circles as panes (small because that’s all that glass-blowing technology of the time would allow), pieced together with molten lead (like medieval stained glass in churches). Frau Weber welcomes visitors to enjoy the fascinating ground floor of the recommended Altes Haus restaurant, with its evocative old photos and etchings (consider eating here later).
• Keep going down Oberstrasse to the...
Old Mint (Münze): The old mint is marked by a crude coin in its sign. Across from the mint, the recommended Bastian family’s wine garden is a lively place after dark. Above you in the vineyards stands a lonely white-and-red tower—your final destination.
• At the next street, look right and see the mint tower, painted in the medieval style, and then turn left. Wander 30 yards up Rosenstrasse to the well. Notice the sundial and the wall painting of 1632 Bacharach with its walls intact. Climb the tiny-stepped lane behind the well up into the vineyard and to the...
Tall Tower: The slate steps lead to a small path through the vineyard that deposits you at a viewpoint atop the stubby remains of the old town wall. If the tower’s open, hike to its top floor for the best view.
Romantic Rhine View: A grand medieval town spreads before you. For 300 years (1300-1600), Bacharach was big (population 4,000), rich, and politically powerful.
From this perch, you can see the chapel ruins and six surviving city towers. Visually trace the wall to the castle. The castle was actually the capital of Germany for a couple of years in the 1200s. When Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa went away to fight the Crusades, he left his brother (who lived here) in charge of his vast realm. Bacharach was home to one of seven electors who voted for the Holy Roman Emperor in 1275. To protect their own power, these prince electors did their best to choose the weakest guy on the ballot. The elector from Bacharach helped select a two-bit prince named Rudolf von Habsburg (from a no-name castle in Switzerland). However, the underestimated Rudolf brutally silenced the robber barons along the Rhine and established the mightiest dynasty in European history. His family line, the Habsburgs, ruled much of Central and Eastern Europe from Vienna until 1918.
Plagues, fires, and the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) finally did in Bacharach. The town, with a population of about 2,000, has slumbered for several centuries. Today, the castle houses commoners—40,000 overnights annually by youth hostelers.
In the mid-19th century, painters such as J. M. W. Turner and writers such as Victor Hugo were charmed by the Rhineland’s romantic mix of past glory, present poverty, and rich legend. They put this part of the Rhine on the old Grand Tour map as the “Romantic Rhine.” Victor Hugo pondered the ruined 15th-century chapel that you see under the castle. In his 1842 travel book, Excursions Along the Banks of Rhine, he wrote, “No doors, no roof or windows, a magnificent skeleton puts its silhouette against the sky. Above it, the ivy-covered castle ruins provide a fitting crown. This is Bacharach, land of fairy tales, covered with legends and sagas.” If you’re enjoying the Romantic Rhine, thank Victor Hugo and company.
• To get back into town, take the level path away from the river that leads along the once-mighty wall up the valley past the next tower. Then cross the street into the parking lot. Pass Pension im Malerwinkel on your right, being careful not to damage the old arch with your head. Follow the creek past a delightful little series of half-timbered homes and cheery gardens known as “Painters’ Corner” (Malerwinkel). Resist looking into some pervert’s peep show (on the right) and continue downhill back to the village center.
(See “Bacharach” map, here.)
A well-maintained and clearly marked walking path follows the remains of Bacharach’s old town walls and makes for a good hour’s workout. The TI has maps that show the entire route. The path starts near the train station, then climbs up to the youth hostel, descends into the side valley, and then continues up the other side to the tower in the vineyards before returning to town. To start the walk at the train station, find the house at Oberstrasse 2 and climb up the stairway to its left. Then follow the Stadtmauer-Rundweg signs. Good bilingual signposts tell the history of each of the towers along the wall—some are intact, one is a private residence, and others are now only stubs.
(area code: 06743)
None of the hotels listed here have elevators. The only listings with parking are Pension im Malerwinkel, Pension Winzerhaus, and the youth hostel. For the others, you can drive in to unload your bags and then park in the public lot (see “Helpful Hints,” earlier).
$$$ Rhein Hotel, overlooking the river with 14 spacious and comfortable rooms, is classy, well-run, and decorated with modern flair. Since it’s right on the train tracks, its river- and train-side rooms come with quadruple-paned windows and air-conditioning. This place has been in the Stüber family for six generations (Sb-€55, Db-€94, Tb-€125, Qb-€145, ask for Rick Steves prices with this book when you book direct, cheaper for longer stays and off-season, €19/person half-board includes big three-course dinner, non-smoking, free loaner bikes, free Wi-Fi, directly inland from the K-D boat dock at Langstrasse 50, tel. 06743/1243, rhein-hotel-bacharach.de, info@rhein-hotel-bacharach.de). Their recommended Stüber Restaurant is considered the best in town.
$$ Hotel zur Post, refreshingly clean and quiet, is conveniently located right in the town center with no train noise. Its 12 rooms are a good value. Run by friendly and efficient Ute, the hotel offers more solid comfort than old-fashioned character, though the lovely wood-paneled breakfast room has a rustic feel (Sb-€40-45, Db-€70-75, Qb-€110, Oberstrasse 38, tel. 06743/1277, hotel-zur-post-bacharach.de, h.zurpost@t-online.de).
$$ Hotel Kranenturm, offering castle ambience without the climb, combines hotel comfort with delightful Privatzimmer funkiness right downtown. Run by hardworking Kurt Engel and his intense but friendly wife, Fatima, this 16-room hotel is part of the medieval town wall. The rooms in its former Kranenturm (crane tower) have the best views. When the riverbank was higher, cranes on this tower loaded barrels of wine onto Rhine boats. While just 15 feet from the train tracks, a combination of medieval sturdiness, triple-paned windows, and included earplugs makes the riverside rooms sleepable (Sb-€40-46, small Db-€59-65, regular Db-€64-70, Db in huge tower rooms with castle and river views-€73-82, Tb-€85-95, Qb great for families with small kids-€100-115, lower prices are for 3-night stay, family deals, cash preferred, €2 extra with credit card, Rhine views come with train noise, back rooms are quiet, non-smoking, showers can be temperamental, kid-friendly, good breakfast, guest computer, free Wi-Fi in common areas, laundry service-€13.50, closed Dec-early Feb, Langstrasse 30, tel. 06743/1308, kranenturm.com, hotel-kranenturm@t-online.de). Kurt, a good cook, serves €10-17 main courses in their recommended restaurant.
$$ Pension im Malerwinkel sits like a grand gingerbread house that straddles the town wall in a quiet little neighborhood so charming it’s called “Painters’ Corner” (Malerwinkel). The Vollmer family’s 20-room place is super-quiet and comes with a sunny garden on a brook, views of the vineyards, and easy parking (Sb-€43; Db-€68 for one-night stay, €63/night for 2 nights, €60/night for 3 nights or more; family rooms, cash only, no train noise, non-smoking, free Wi-Fi, bike rental-€6/day, parking; from Oberstrasse, turn left at the church, and stay to the left of the babbling brook until you reach Blücherstrasse 41-45; tel. 06743/1239, im-malerwinkel.de, info@im-malerwinkel.de, Armin and Daniela). Several German towns have guesthouses called Im Malerwinkel; when reserving, double-check that you’re contacting the one in Bacharach.
$$ Pension Binz offers four large, bright, plainly furnished rooms in a good location with no train noise (Sb-€40, Db-€65, Tb-€83, no Internet access, Koblenzer Strasse 1, tel. 06743/1604, pensionbinz.funpic.de, pension.binz@freenet.de, Carla speaks a little English). Their large apartment requires a minimum three-night stay (sleeps 4, €65/night).
$ Hotel Hillen, a block south of Hotel Kranenturm, has less charm and similar train noise (with the same ultra-thick windows). It offers spacious rooms and friendly owners, though they’re planning to scale back their hotel operation in the coming year. Call ahead or email to confirm their most current room offerings (S-€30, Sb-€35, D-€40, Ds-€45, Db-€50, Tb-€65, Qb-€80, ask for Rick Steves prices when you reserve direct with this book, 10 percent discount for 2-night stay, family rooms, cash only, closed mid-Nov-Easter, Langstrasse 18, tel. 06743/1287, hotel-hillen@web.de, kind Iris speaks some English). Regardless of possible changes to their hotel, the owners will continue to rent bikes (see here).
$ Pension Lettie, run by effervescent and eager-to-please Lettie, rents four bright rooms. Lettie speaks English (she worked for the US Army before they withdrew) and does laundry for €14/load (Sb-€38, Db-€57, Tb-€75, Qb-€90, Quint/b-€107, ask for Rick Steves prices with this book when you reserve direct, €5 discount for 2-night stay, 10 percent more if paying with credit card, non-smoking, small in-room refrigerator, buffet breakfast with waffles and eggs, no train noise, free Wi-Fi, inland from Hotel Kranenturm, Kranenstrasse 6, tel. 06743/2115, pension.lettie@t-online.de).
$ Pension Winzerhaus, a 10-room place run by friendly Sybille and Stefan, is outside the town walls, 200 yards up the side-valley road from the town gate, directly under the vineyards. The rooms are simple, clean, and modern, and parking is a breeze (Sb-€35, Db-€55, Tb-€75, Qb-€96, ask about Rick Steves discount when you book direct and show this book at check-in, cash only, non-smoking, free Wi-Fi, free loaner bikes for guests, parking, will pick up at train station but then you won’t get the room discount, Blücherstrasse 60, tel. 06743/1294, pension-winzerhaus.de, winzerhaus@gmx.de).
$ Irmgard Orth B&B rents three fresh rooms, two of which share a bathroom on the hall. Irmgard speaks almost no English, but is exuberantly cheery and serves homemade honey with breakfast (S-€22-25, D-€38, Db-€38-40, higher price is for one-night stay, cash only, non-smoking, no Internet access, Spurgasse 2, look for Honig signs with picture of a beehive, tel. 06743/1553, speak slowly).
$ Jugendherberge Stahleck hostel is a 12th-century castle on the hilltop—350 steps above Bacharach—with a royal Rhine view. Open to travelers of any age, this is a gem with 168 beds and a private modern shower and WC in most rooms. The hostel offers hearty €7.50 all-you-can-eat buffet dinners, and in summer, its pub serves cheap local wine and snacks until midnight. If you’re arriving at the train station with luggage, it’s a €9 taxi ride to the hostel—call 06743/1653 (€20.50 dorm beds with breakfast and sheets, nonmembers-€3.50 extra, couples can share one of five €52 Db, non-smoking, pay guest computer and Wi-Fi, laundry-€6; reception open 7:30-20:00, call if arriving later and check in at bar until 21:30; curfew at 22:00, tel. 06743/1266, diejugendherbergen.de, bacharach@diejugendherbergen.de). If driving, don’t go in the driveway; park on the street and walk 200 yards.
Bacharach has no shortage of reasonably priced, atmospheric restaurants offering fine indoor and outdoor dining. Two of my recommended hotels—Rhein and Kranenturm—have good restaurants. Non-German options on the main street include a pizzeria and Döner Kebab joint (open daily until late) and an Irish pub.
The Rhein Hotel’s Stüber Restaurant is Bacharach’s best top-end choice. Chef Andreas Stüber, his family’s sixth-generation chef, prepares regional, seasonal plates, served at river- and track-side seating or indoors with a spacious wood-and-white-tablecloth elegance. Consider his €16 William Turner pâté sampler plate, named after the British painter who liked Bacharach (€12-24 main courses, €30-47 fixed-price meals, always a good vegetarian option, open Wed-Mon 11:30-14:15 & 17:30-21:15, closed Tue and mid-Dec-Feb, call to reserve on weekends or for an outdoor table, facing the K-D boat dock below town center, Langstrasse 50, tel. 06743/1243).
Hotel Kranenturm is another good value, with hearty dinners (Kurt prides himself on his Sauerbraten—marinated beef with potato dumplings and red cabbage) and good main-course salads. If you’re a trainspotter, sit on their trackside terrace and trade travel stories with new friends over dinner, letting screaming trains punctuate your conversation. If you prefer charming old German decor, sit inside (€10-17 main courses, open 6 days a week 17:00-21:00—closed day varies, restaurant closed Dec-early Feb). Kurt and Fatima are your hosts.
Altes Haus, the oldest building in town (see here), serves food with Bacharach’s most romantic atmosphere. Find the cozy little dining room with photos of the opera singer who sang about Bacharach, adding to its fame (€10-20 main courses, April-mid-Dec Thu-Tue 12:00-14:30 & 18:00-21:30, closed Wed, restaurant closed mid-Dec-March, dead center by the Protestant church, tel. 06743/1209).
Gasthaus Jägerstube is every local’s non-touristy, good-value hangout. It’s a no-frills place with no outdoor seating, run by a former East German family determined to keep Bacharach’s working class well-fed and watered. Next to the WC is a rare “party cash box.” Regulars drop in money throughout the year, Frau Tischmeier banks it, and by year’s end...there’s plenty in the little savings account for a community party (€9-18 main courses, March-Nov Wed-Mon 11:00-21:30, Dec-Feb Wed-Mon 15:00-23:00, closed Tue year-round, Marktstrasse 3, tel. 06743/1492, Tischmeier family).
The Posthof Bacharach restaurant and café in the Posthof courtyard has nice outdoor seating and a medieval feel, with a view of the ruined chapel above (€10-12 main courses, daily Easter-Oct 12:00-21:00, closed Nov-Easter, Oberstrasse 45-49, tel. 06743/947-1830).
Bacharacher Pizza and Kebap Haus, on the main drag in the town center, is the town favorite for €4 Döner Kebabs, cheap pizzas, and salads (daily 10:00-23:00, Oberstrasse 43, tel. 06743/3127).
Eis Café Italia, on the main street, is run by friendly Mimo Calabrese, who brought gelato to town in 1976. He’s known for his refreshing, not-too-sweet Riesling-flavored gelato. Notice the big sundae bowls on the shelves. To enjoy your Eis German-style, sit down and order ice cream off the menu, or just stop by for a cone “to go” for your evening stroll (€0.80/scoop, no tastes offered, April-mid-Oct daily 10:00-22:00, closed mid-Oct-March, Oberstrasse 48).
(See “Bacharach” map, here.)
Zum Kleinen Monning Irish Pub, with international beers on tap, usually provides the liveliest after-dinner scene in town. Bacharach’s 2,000 residents hail from more than two dozen nations, and you’ll meet many of them here enjoying the convivial atmosphere created by Martina and Marcus (light meals too, Tue-Fri 12:00-15:00 & 18:00-24:00, Sat-Sun 14:30-24:00, closed Mon, Oberstrasse 35, tel. 06743/947-115).
If the Zum Kleinen Monning is dead, another late-night spot for drinks (and pizza) is Zur Alt Backstubb (seating inside and out, €7 pastas and pizzas, nightly until late, Blücherstrasse 16). Also try Jugendherberge Stahleck—Bacharach’s youth hostel—where the pub serves cheap local wine and snacks with priceless views until midnight in summer (listed earlier, under “Sleeping in Bacharach”).
(See “Bacharach” map, here.)
Bacharach is proud of its wine. Two places in town—Bastian’s rowdy and rustic Grüner Baum, and the more sophisticated Weingut Karl Heidrich—offer visitors an inexpensive tasting memory. Each creates carousels of local wines that small groups of travelers (who don’t mind sharing a glass) can sample and compare. Both places offer light plates of food if you’d like a rustic meal.
At Bastian’s Weingut zum Grüner Baum, groups of 2-6 people pay €19.50 for a wine carousel of 15 glasses—14 different white wines and one lonely rosé—and a basket of bread. Your mission: Team up with others who have this book to rendezvous here after dinner. Spin the Lazy Susan, share a common cup, and discuss the taste. Doris Bastian insists: “After each wine, you must talk to each other” (Mon-Wed and Fri from 13:00, Sat-Sun from 12:00, closed Thu and Jan-mid-March, just past Altes Haus, tel. 06743/1208). To make a meal of a carousel, consider the €8 Käseteller (seven different cheeses—including Spundekäse, the local soft cheese—with bread and butter).
Weingut Karl Heidrich is a fun family-run wine shop and Stube in the town center (at Oberstrasse 16), where Markus and daughter Magdalena proudly share their family’s centuries-old wine tradition, explaining its fine points to travelers. They offer a variety of carousels with six wines, English descriptions, and bread (€11.80)—ideal for the more sophisticated wine taster—plus light meals (Thu-Tue 11:00-22:00, closed Wed and Nov-mid-April, will ship to the US, tel. 06743/93060).
Milk-run trains stop at Rhine towns each hour starting as early as 6:00, connecting at Mainz and Koblenz to trains farther afield. Trains between St. Goar and Bacharach depart at about :20 after the hour in each direction (€3.50, buy tickets from the machine in the unstaffed stations, carry cash since some machines won’t accept US credit cards). The ride times listed below are calculated from Bacharach; for St. Goar, the difference is only 10 minutes. Train info: Tel. 0180-599-6633, bahn.com.
From Bacharach by Train to: St. Goar (hourly, 10 minutes), Köln (hourly, 1.75 hours with change in Koblenz, 2.5 hours direct), Frankfurt Airport (hourly, 1-1.5 hours, change in Mainz or Bingen), Frankfurt (hourly, 1.25-1.75 hours, change in Mainz or Bingen), Rothenburg ob der Tauber (every 2 hours, 4.25 hours, 3-4 changes), Munich (hourly, 5 hours, 2 changes), Berlin (hourly, 6.5-7.5 hours, 1-3 changes), Amsterdam (hourly, 5-7 hours, change in Köln, sometimes 1-2 more changes), Bruges (at least every 2 hours, 5.5-6.5 hours, some via Thalys, 2-3 changes).
St. Goar (sahnkt gwahr) is a classic Rhine tourist town. Its hulk of a castle overlooks a half-timbered shopping street and leafy riverside park, busy with sightseeing ships and contented strollers. Rheinfels Castle, once the mightiest on the Rhine, is the single best Rhineland ruin to explore. While the town of St. Goar itself is less interesting than Bacharach, be sure to explore beyond the shops: Thoughtful little placards scattered around town explain factoids (in English) about each street, lane, and square. St. Goar also makes a good base for hiking or biking the region. A tiny car ferry will shuttle you back and forth across the busy Rhine from here. (If you run out of things to see, a great pastime in St. Goar is simply chatting with friendly Heike at the K-D boat kiosk.) For train connections, see “Bacharach Connections,” earlier.
St. Goar is dominated by its mighty castle, Rheinfels. The village—basically a wide spot in the road at the foot of Rheinfels’ hill—isn’t much more than a few hotels and restaurants. From the riverboat docks, the main drag—a dull pedestrian mall without history—cuts through town before ending at the road up to the castle.
The helpful St. Goar TI, which books rooms and stores bags for free, is on the pedestrian street, three blocks from the K-D boat dock and train station (May-Sept Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-13:00, closed Sun; April and Oct Mon-Fri 9:00-12:30 & 13:30-17:00, closed Sat-Sun; Nov-March Mon-Thu 9:00-12:30 & 13:30-17:00, Fri 9:00-14:00, closed Sat-Sun; from train station, go downhill around church and turn left, Heerstrasse 86, tel. 06741/383, st-goar.de).
Picnics: St. Goar’s waterfront park is hungry for picnickers. You can buy picnic fixings at the tiny St. Goarer Stadtladen grocery store on the pedestrian street (Tue-Fri 8:00-18:00, Sat 8:00-13:00, closed Sun-Mon, Heerstrasse 106).
Shopping: The Montag family runs two shops (one specializes in steins and the other in cuckoo clocks), both at the base of the castle hill road. The stein shop under the hotel has Rhine guides and fine steins. The other shop boasts “the largest free-hanging cuckoo clock in the world” (both open daily 8:30-18:00, shorter hours Nov-April). Montag’s shops offer discounts on any of their souvenirs (including Hummels; €10 minimum purchase) for travelers with this book. They’ll ship your purchase home—or give you a VAT form to claim your tax refund at the airport if you’re carrying your items with you. A couple of other souvenir shops are across from the K-D boat dock.
Internet Access: The TI is your best bet (€0.50/10 minutes), but if it’s crowded or closed, the backup option is the expensive coin-op access (€6/hour, 4 terminals) or Wi-Fi (€5/hour) amid the slot machines at Hotel Montag (Heerstrasse 128).
Parking: A free lot is at the downstream end of town, by the harbor. For on-street parking by the K-D boat dock and recommended hotels, use coins to get a ticket from the machine (Parkscheinautomat) and put it on the dashboard (€4/day, Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 12:00-18:00, coins only, free overnight).
Sitting like a dead pit bull above St. Goar, this mightiest of Rhine castles rumbles with ghosts from its hard-fought past. This hollow but interesting shell offers your single best hands-on ruined-castle experience on the river.
Cost and Hours: €4, family card-€10; mid-March-Oct daily 9:00-18:00, last entry at 17:00; Nov-mid-March possibly Sat-Sun only 11:00-17:00 (call ahead), last entry at 16:00—weather permitting.
Tours and Information: Follow my self-guided tour on here. The free castle map is helpful, but the €2 English booklet is of no real value. If it’s damp, be careful of slippery stones. Tel. 06741/7753, in winter 06741/383, st-goar.de. Gaby Loch is the castle manager.
Services: A handy WC is immediately across from the ticket booth (check out the guillotine urinals—stand back when you pull to flush).
Let There Be Light: If planning to explore the castle tunnels, bring a flashlight or buy one at the ticket office (€3.50). For a real medieval atmosphere, they also sell candles with matches (€0.50).
Getting to the Castle: A taxi up from town costs €5 (tel. 06741/7011). Or take the kitschy “tschu-tschu” tourist train (€3 one-way, €4 round-trip, 8 minutes to the top, hours vary but generally April-Oct daily 9:30-17:30, 2/hour, complete with lusty music, mobile 0171-445-1525). The train waits between the train station and the K-D dock. To avoid feeling silly as you sit on the train waiting for the “conductor” to decide it’s time to go, browse the shopping street and hop on as he goes by (just wave him down, then pay at the top). The train returns to town from the castle at about the top and bottom of each hour.
To hike up to the castle, you can simply follow the main road up through the railroad underpass at the top end of the pedestrian street. But it’s more fun to take the nature trail: Start at the St. Goar train station. Take the underpass under the tracks at the north end of the station, climb the steep stairs uphill, turn right (following Burg Rheinfels signs), and keep straight along the path just above the old city wall, which takes you to the castle in 15 minutes.
Background: Burg Rheinfels was huge—for five centuries, it was the biggest castle on the Rhine. Built in 1245 to guard a toll station, it soon earned the nickname “the unconquerable fortress.” In the 1400s, the castle was thickened to withstand cannon fire. Rheinfels became a thriving cultural center and, in the 1520s, was visited by the artist Albrecht Dürer and the religious reformer Ulrich Zwingli. It saw lots of action in the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), and later became the strongest and most modern fortress in the Holy Roman Empire. It withstood a siege of 28,000 French troops in 1692. But eventually the castle surrendered to the French without a fight, and in 1797, the French Revolutionary army destroyed it. For years, the ruined castle was used as a source of building stone, and today—while still mighty—it’s only a small fraction of its original size.
Self-Guided Tour: Rather than wander aimlessly, visit the castle by following this tour. We’ll start at the museum, then circulate through the courtyards, up to the highest lookout point, and down around through the fortified ramparts, with an option to go into the dark tunnels. Along the way, you may encounter some renovation work that might necessitate a detour from our route (described later). We’ll finish in the dungeon and big cellar. The basic route below can be done without a flashlight or any daring acts of chivalry. (To go through the tunnels, bring a light or buy candles at the castle museum.)
Pick up the free map and use its commentary to navigate from red signpost to red signpost through the castle. My self-guided tour route is similar to the one marked on the castle map. That map, the one in this book, and this tour all use the same numbering system. (You’ll notice that I’ve skipped a few stops—just walk on by signs for 
Darmstädter Bau, 
Stables, and 
Gunsmiths’ Tower.)
• The ticket office is under the castle’s clock tower, labeled 
Uhrturm. Walk through the entranceway and continue straight, passing several points of interest (which we’ll visit later), until you get to the 
museum.
Museum and Castle Model: The pleasant museum, located in the only finished room of the castle, has good English descriptions and comes with Romantic Age etchings that give a sense of the place as it was in the 19th century (daily mid-March-Oct 10:00-12:30 & 13:00-17:30; closed Nov-mid-March).
The seven-foot-tall carved stone immediately inside the door (marked Flammensäule)—a tombstone from a nearby Celtic grave—is from 400 years before Christ. There were people here long before the Romans...and this castle.
The sweeping castle history exhibit in the center of the room is well-described in English. The massive fortification was the only Rhineland castle to withstand Louis XIV’s assault during the 17th century. At the far end of the room is a model reconstruction of the castle showing how much bigger it was before French Revolutionary troops destroyed it in the 18th century. Study this. Find where you are. (Hint: Look for the tall tower.) This was the living quarters of the original castle, which was only the smallest ring of buildings around the tiny central courtyard (13th century). The ramparts were added in the 14th century. By 1650, the fortress was largely complete. Since its destruction by the French in the late 18th century, it’s had no military value. While no WWII bombs were wasted on this ruin, it served St. Goar as a stone quarry for generations. The basement of the museum shows the castle pharmacy and an exhibit of Rhine-region odds and ends, including tools, an 1830 loom, and photos of icebreaking on the Rhine. While once routine, icebreaking hasn’t been necessary here since 1963.
• Exit the museum and walk 30 yards directly out, slightly uphill into the castle courtyard, where you’ll see a sign for the inner courtyard (
Innenhof).
Medieval Castle Courtyard: Five hundred years ago, the entire castle encircled this courtyard. The place was self-sufficient and ready for a siege, with a bakery, pharmacy, herb garden, brewery, well (top of yard), and livestock. During peacetime, 300-600 people lived here; during a siege, there would be as many as 4,000. The walls were plastered and painted white. Bits of the original 13th-century plaster survive.
• Continue through the courtyard under the Erste Schildmauer (first shield wall) sign, turn left, and walk straight to the two old wooden upright posts. Find the pyramid of stone catapult balls on your left.
Castle Garden: Catapult balls like these were too expensive not to recycle—they’d be retrieved after any battle. Across from the balls is a well (
Brunnen)—essential for any castle during the age of sieges. Look in. Thirsty? The old posts are for the ceremonial baptizing of new members of the local trading league. While this guild goes back centuries, it’s now a social club that fills this court with a huge wine party the third weekend of each September.
• Climb uphill to the castle’s highest point by walking along the cobbled path up past the high battery (
Hohe Batterie) to the castle’s best viewpoint—up where the German flag waves (signed 
Uhrturm).
Highest Castle Tower Lookout: Enjoy a great view of the river, the castle, and the forest. Remember, the fortress once covered five times the land it does today. Notice how the other castles (across the river) don’t poke above the top of the Rhine canyon. That would make them easy for invading armies to see.
From this perch, survey the Rhine Valley, cut out of slate over millions of years by the river. The slate absorbs the heat of the sun, making the grapes grown here well-suited for wine. Today the slate is mined to provide roofing. Imagine St. Goar settling here 1,500 years ago, establishing a place where sailors—thankful to have survived the treacherous Loreley—would stop and pray. Imagine the frozen river of years past, when the ice would break up and boats would huddle in manmade harbors like the one below for protection. Consider the history of trade on this busy river—from the days when castles levied tolls on ships, to the days when boats would be hauled upstream with the help of riverside towpaths, to the 21st century when 300 ships a day move their cargo past St. Goar. And imagine this castle before the French destroyed it...when it was the mightiest structure on the river, filled with people and inspiring awe among all who passed.
• Return to the catapult balls, walk downhill and through the tunnel, veer left through the arch marked 
zu den Wehrgängen (“to the Defense Galleries”), and go down two flights of stairs. Turn left and step into the dark, covered passageway. From here, we’ll begin a rectangular walk taking us completely around (counterclockwise) the perimeter of the castle. If the Defense Galleries are closed for renovation (as expected), continue down two more flights of stairs and follow the yellow arrow labeled Rundweg to a tunnel. Go through the tunnel, then follow the path along the wall (bypassing the Covered Defense Galleries) to the corner of the castle.
Covered Defense Galleries with “Minutemen” Holes: Soldiers—the castle’s “minutemen”—had a short commute: defensive positions on the outside, home in the holes below on the left. Even though these living quarters were padded with straw, life was unpleasant.
• Continue straight through the dark gallery, up the stairs, and to the corner of the castle, where you’ll see a white painted arrow at eye level and a red signpost with the number 
. Stand with your back to the arrow on the wall.
Corner of Castle: Gape up. A three-story, half-timbered building originally rose beyond the highest stone fortification. The two stone tongues near the top just around the corner (to the right) supported the toilet. (Insert your own joke here.) Turn around and face the wall. The crossbow slits below the white arrow were once steeper. The bigger hole on the riverside was for hot pitch.
• Follow that white arrow out along the back side of the castle. (If renovation work is ongoing, you may need to continue on the path along the outside of the wall instead.) Notice the stairs on the right, which lead down to the Small Mine Tunnels—if you’d like to visit them, see the “Optional Detour” on here. You’ll rejoin this tour at the dungeon. Otherwise, keep going, and at the corner, turn left.
Thoop...You’re Dead: Look ahead at the smartly placed crossbow slit. While you’re lying there, notice the stonework. The little round holes were for scaffolds used as they built up. They indicate this stonework is original. Notice also the fine stonework on the chutes. More boiling pitch...now you’re toast, too.
• Pick yourself up, and walk back a few steps and over to the gray railing. Look up the valley and uphill where the sprawling fort stretched. Below, just outside the wall, is land where attackers would gather. The mine tunnels are under there, waiting to blow up any attackers.
Now keep going along the perimeter (under three low archways), jog left, go down five steps and into an open field, and walk toward the wooden bridge. The “old” wooden bridge is actually modern.
Dark Tunnel Detour: For a short detour through a castle tunnel—possible only if you have a light—turn your back to the main castle (with the modern bridge to your left) and face the stone dry-moat labeled 
Halsgraben “Neck Ditch.” (You’ll exit in a few minutes at the high railing above the red #12 sign.) Go 20 yards down the path to the right, and enter the tunnel at the bottom of the wall, following the red Grosser Minengang sign. At the end of the short, big tunnel, take two steps up and walk eight level steps, turn left, and follow the long uphill ramp (this is where it’s pitch-black, and adults will need to watch their heads). At the end, a spiral staircase takes you up to the high-railing opening you saw earlier, and then back to the courtyard.
• When ready to leave this courtyard, angle left (under the red zum Verliess sign, before the bridge) through two arches and through the rough entry to the 
Verliess (dungeon) on the left.
Dungeon: This is one of six dungeons. You just walked through an entrance prisoners only dreamed of 400 years ago. They came and went through the little square hole in the ceiling. The holes in the walls supported timbers that thoughtfully gave as many as 15 residents something to sit on to keep them out of the filthy slop that gathered on the floor. Twice a day, they were given bread and water. Some prisoners actually survived longer than two years in here. While the town could torture and execute, the castle had permission only to imprison criminals in these dungeons. Consider this: According to town records, the two men who spent the most time down here—2.5 years each—died within three weeks of regaining their freedom. Perhaps after a diet of bread and water, feasting on meat and wine was simply too much.
• Continue through the next arch, under the white arrow, then turn left and walk 30 yards to the 
Schlachthaus.
Slaughterhouse: Any proper castle was prepared to survive a six-month siege. With 4,000 people, that’s a lot of provisions. The cattle that lived within the walls were slaughtered in this room. The castle’s mortar was congealed here (by packing all the organic waste from the kitchen into kegs and sealing it). Notice the drainage gutters. “Running water” came through from drains built into the walls (to keep the mortar dry and therefore strong...and less smelly).
• Back outside, climb the modern stairs to the left (look for the zum Ausgang sign). A skinny, dark passage leads you into the...
Big Cellar: This 
Grosser Keller was a big pantry. When the castle was smaller, this was the original moat—you can see the rough lower parts of the wall. The original floor was 13 feet deeper. The drawbridge rested upon the stone nubs on the left. When the castle expanded, the moat became this cellar. Halfway up the walls on the entrance side of the room, square holes mark spots where timbers made a storage loft, perhaps filled with grain. In the back, an arch leads to the wine cellar (sometimes blocked off) where finer wine was kept. Part of a soldier’s pay was wine...table wine. This wine was kept in a single 180,000-liter stone barrel (that’s 47,550 gallons), which generally lasted about 18 months.
The count owned the surrounding farmland. Farmers got to keep 20 percent of their production. Later, in more liberal feudal times, the nobility let them keep 40 percent. Today, the German government leaves the workers with 60 percent...and provides a few more services.
• You’re free. Climb out, turn right, and leave. For coffee on a terrace with a great view, visit Schlosshotel Rheinfels, opposite the entrance.
Optional Detour—Into the Small Mine Tunnels: Tall people might want to skip this foray into low, cramped tunnels (some only three feet high). In about 1600, to protect their castle, the Rheinfellers cleverly booby-trapped the land just outside their walls by building tunnels topped with thin slate roofs and packed with explosives. By detonating the explosives when under attack, they could kill hundreds of invaders. In 1626, a handful of underground Protestant Germans blew 300 Catholic Spaniards to—they figured—hell. You’re welcome to wander through a set of never-blown-up tunnels. But be warned: It’s 600 feet long, assuming you make no wrong turns; it’s pitch-dark, muddy, and claustrophobic, with confusing dead-ends; and you’ll never get higher than a deep crouch. It cannot be done without a light (candles and flashlights available at entrance). Be sure to bring the castle map, which shows the tunnels in detail.
To tour the Small Mine Tunnels, start at the red signpost at the crossbow slits (described earlier). Follow the modern stairs on the right leading down to the mine (zu den Minengängen sign on upper left). The 
Fuchsloch (foxhole) sign welcomes you to a covered passageway. Walk level (take no stairs) past the first black-steel railing (where you hope to emerge later) and around a few bends to the second steel railing. Climb down.
The “highway” in this foxhole is three feet high. The ceiling may be painted with a white line indicating the correct path. Don’t venture into the narrower side aisles. These were once filled with the gunpowder. After a small decline, take the second right. At the T-intersection, go right (uphill). After about 10 feet, go left. Take the next right and look for a light at the end of the tunnel. Head up a rocky incline under the narrowest part of the tunnel, and you’ll emerge at that first steel railing. The stairs on the right lead to freedom. Cross the field, walk under the bigger archway, and continue uphill toward the old wooden bridge. Angle left through two arches (before the bridge) and through the rough entry to the Verliess (dungeon) on the left, where you can rejoin the self-guided tour.
$$ Hotel am Markt, run by Herr and Frau Marx and their friendly staff, is rustic and a good deal, with all the modern comforts. It features a hint of antler with a pastel flair, 17 bright rooms in the main building, plus 10 new rooms right next door, and a good restaurant. It’s a decent value and a stone’s throw from the boat dock and train station (S-€40, Sb-€50, standard Db-€65, bigger river view Db-€80, cheaper March-mid-April and Oct, closed Nov-Feb, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, parking-€5, Markt 1, tel. 06741/1689, hotel-am-markt-sankt-goar.de, info@hotel-am-markt-sankt-goar.de).
$$ Rhein Hotel, two doors down from Hotel am Markt and run with enthusiasm by young and energetic Gil Velich, has 10 quality rooms in a spacious building (Sb-€50-55, quiet viewless Db-€65-70, river-view balcony Db-€85-90, larger view/balcony Db-€95-100, higher prices are for Fri-Sat nights, non-smoking, free Wi-Fi, laundry-€15/load, closed mid-Nov-Feb, Heerstrasse 71, tel. 06741/981-240, rheinhotel-st-goar.de, info@rheinhotel-st-goar.de).
$ Hotel an der Fähre is a simple, well-run place (though the lobby has a slight aroma of cigarette smoke) on the busy road at the end of town, immediately across from the ferry dock. It rents 12 cheap but decent rooms (S-€25, Sb-€30, D-€45, Db-€50, extra bed-€20, cash only, street noise but double-glazed windows, free Wi-Fi, closed Nov-Feb, Heerstrasse 47, tel. 06741/980-577, hotel-stgoar.de, anderfaehre@t-online.de, Armin and Svetla Stecher, limited English spoken).
$ Frau Kurz has been housing my readers since 1988. With the help of her daughter, Jeanette, she offers St. Goar’s best B&B, renting three delightful rooms (sharing 2.5 bathrooms) with bathrobes, a breakfast terrace, garden, fine three-castle views, and homemade marmalade (S-€30, D-€56, 2-night minimum, D-€52 if you stay at least 4 nights, cash only, non-smoking, free and easy parking, no Internet access, ask about apartment with kitchen if staying at least 5 days, Ulmenhof 11, tel. 06741/459, gaestehaus-kurz.de, fewo-kurz@kabelmail.de). It’s a steep five-minute hike from the train station: Exit left from the station, take an immediate left under the tracks, and go part-way up the zigzag stairs, turning right through an archway onto Ulmenhof; #11 is just past the tower.
Hotel am Markt serves tasty traditional meals with plenty of game and fish (specialties include marinated roast beef and homemade cheesecake) at fair prices with good atmosphere and service. Choose cozy indoor seating, or dine outside with a river and castle view (€9-15 main courses, March-Oct daily 8:00-21:00, closed Nov-Feb, Markt 1, tel. 06741/1689).
Burgschänke, on the ground floor of Schlosshotel Rheinfels (the hotel across from the castle ticket office—enter through the souvenir shop) offers the only reasonably priced lunches up at Rheinfels Castle. It’s family-friendly and has a Rhine view from its fabulous outdoor terrace (€7-9 pizzas, pastas, and Flammkuchen; Sun-Thu 11:00-18:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-21:00, tel. 06741/802-806).
The Schlosshotel Rheinfels dining room is your Rhine splurge, with an incredible indoor view terrace in an elegant, dressy setting. Call and reserve if you’re coming for breakfast or want a window table (€16 buffet breakfast, €19-24 main courses, €32-36 three-course fixed-price meals, daily 7:00-11:00, 12:00-14:00 & 18:30-21:00, tel. 06741/8020).
Gasthaus Zur Krone is the local choice for traditional German food in a restaurant that has no river view and isn’t part of a hotel (€7-10 main courses, Thu-Tue 11:00-14:30 & 18:00-21:00, closed Wed, next to the train station and church at Oberstrasse 38, tel. 06741/1515).
Ristorante Alla Fontana, tucked away on a back lane and busy with locals, serves the best Italian food in town at great prices in a lovely dining room (€5-9 pizza and pasta, Tue 17:30-22:00, Wed-Sun 11:30-14:00 & 17:30-22:00, closed Mon, reservations smart, Pumpengasse 5, 06741/96117).
Picnics: The grocery store (see “Helpful Hints,” earlier) has plenty of goodies. You can assemble a picnic to enjoy at the riverside park or up at the castle.