Must-see attractions in Rhine Valley

  • Festung Ehrenbreitstein

    Koblenz

    On the right bank of the Rhine, 118m above the river, this fortress proved indestructible to all but Napoleonic troops, who levelled it in 1801. To prove…

  • Burg Rheinstein

    Rhine Valley

    In the 1820s, privately owned Rheinstein, 6km downriver from Bingen, became the first Rhine castle to be converted – by Prussian royalty (a branch of the…

  • Pfalzgrafstein

    Rhine Valley

    Across the river from the village of Kaub, the boat-shaped toll castle Pfalzgrafstein, built in 1326, perches on an island in the middle of the Rhine. A…

  • Burg Reichenstein

    Rhine Valley

    Looming above the village of Trechtingshausen, 8km downriver from Bingen, mighty Burg Reichenstein harbours a lavish collection of furnishings, armour,…

  • Mittelrhein-Museum

    Koblenz

    Spread over 1700 sq metres of the striking glass Forum Confluentes building, Koblenz' Mittelrhein-Museum's displays span 2000 years of the region’s…

  • Kloster Eberbach

    Rhine Valley

    Dating from the 12th century, this one-time Cistercian monastery, in an idyllic little valley 15km northeast of Rüdesheim, went through periods as a…

  • Oberwesel Kulturhaus

    Rhine Valley

    Every April, Oberwesel crowns not a Weinkönigin (wine queen), as in most Rhine towns, but a Weinhexe (wine witch) – a good witch who is said to protect…

  • Loreley Besucherzentrum

    Rhine Valley

    On the edge of the plateau above the Loreley outcrop, 4km southeast of St Goarshausen, this visitors centre covers the Loreley myth and local flora, fauna…

  • Burg Rheinfels

    Rhine Valley

    Once the mightiest fortress on the Rhine, Burg Rheinfels was built in 1245 by Count Dieter V of Katzenelnbogen as a base for his toll-collecting…

  • Deutsches Eck

    Koblenz

    At the point of confluence of the Moselle and the Rhine, the ‘German Corner’ is dominated by a soaring statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I on horseback, in the…

  • Schloss Stolzenfels

    Koblenz

    A vision of crenellated towers, ornate gables and medieval-style fortifications, Schloss Stolzenfels rises above the Rhine’s left bank 5km south of the…

  • Marksburg

    Rhine Valley

    High above Braubach are the dramatic towers, turrets and crenellations of the 700-year-old Marksburg, which is unique among the Rhine fortresses as it was…

  • Liebfrauenkirche

    Koblenz

    In the Altstadt, the arched walkway at Am Plan square’s northeastern corner leads to the Catholic Liebfrauenkirche, built in a harmonious hotchpotch of…

  • Ludwig Museum

    Koblenz

    Once the property of the Order of the Teutonic Knights, the Deutschherrenhaus is now home to the Ludwig Museum, which showcases post-1945 and contemporary…

  • St-Martins-Kirche

    Rhine Valley

    Easily spotted on a hillside at the northern end of town is the enormous early 14th-century St-Martins-Kirche, popularly known as the ‘white church’. It…

  • Weinmuseum

    Rhine Valley

    The 1000-year-old Brömserburg castle near the Bingen car-ferry dock now houses this museum, filled with winemaking and wine-drinking paraphernalia from…

  • Basilika St Kastor

    Koblenz

    Adjoining a lovely formal garden is Koblenz’ oldest church, Basilika St Kastor. Established in the 9th century, it was rebuilt in the 12th century. In…

  • Severuskirche

    Rhine Valley

    The impressive late Romanesque 13th-century Severuskirche is built on the site of Roman military baths. Inside are polychrome wall paintings, a hanging…

  • Liebfrauenkirche

    Rhine Valley

    In the southern Altstadt, the High Gothic Liebfrauenkirche, known as the ‘red church’ for the colour of its facade, dates from the early 14th century and…

  • Burg Maus

    Rhine Valley

    Two rival castles stand either side of the village of St Goarshausen. Burg Peterseck was built by the archbishop of Trier to counter the toll practices of…

  • Lorelei Sculpture

    Rhine Valley

    At the tip of a narrow breakwater jutting into the Rhine, a bronze sculpture of Loreley's famous maiden perches lasciviously atop a rocky platform. Access…

  • Mäuseturm

    Rhine Valley

    The Mouse Tower, on an island near the confluence of the Nahe and Rhine, is where – according to legend – Hatto II, the 10th-century archbishop of Mainz,…

  • Museum am Strom

    Rhine Valley

    On Bingen's riverside promenade, this one-time power station now displays exhibits on Rhine romanticism, both engraved and painted. Other highlights…

  • Rheinallee

    Rhine Valley

    Lined with boat docks, hotels, cafes, restaurants and wine taverns, Boppard's beautiful pedestrian promenade runs along the riverfront. There are grassy…

  • Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett

    Rhine Valley

    Situated 50m to the left from the top of Drosselgasse, this fun museum has a collection of 350 18th- and 19th-century mechanical musical instruments that…

  • Römer-Kastell

    Rhine Valley

    A block south of the Marktplatz, the Roman Fort has 55m of original 4th-century Roman wall, and graves from the Frankish era (7th century). A wall panel…

  • Historiensäule

    Koblenz

    The Historiensäule portrays 2000 years of Koblenz history in 10 scenes perched one atop the other – the WWII period, for instance, is represented by a…

  • Marktplatz

    Rhine Valley

    Just off Boppard’s main commercial street, the pedestrianised, east–west oriented Oberstrasse, is the ancient Marktplatz, today a favourite local hang-out.