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…
Must-see attractions in Rhine Valley
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…
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…
Rhine Valley
Looming above the village of Trechtingshausen, 8km downriver from Bingen, mighty Burg Reichenstein harbours a lavish collection of furnishings, armour,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Bacharach
Built from red sandstone between 1289 and 1430 in the shape of a clover leaf, the Gothic Wernerkapelle was partially destroyed in 1689 during the Palatine…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Bacharach
This late-Romanesque-style Protestant church, completed in 1269, has some columns with vivid capitals – look for the naked woman with snakes sucking her…
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…
Bacharach
Once part of the city's 14th-century fortifications and now surrounded by vineyards, this tower on the upper section of the wall affords panoramic views…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
Rhine Valley
On Bingen's riverside promenade, this one-time power station now displays exhibits on Rhine romanticism, both engraved and painted. Other highlights…
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…
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…
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…
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.
