The Romantic Rhine runs along the Upper Middle Rhine Valley where the river Rhine flows through the 130 meters deep narrow Rhine Gorge, 100 km between Mainz, Bingen, Rüdesheim am Rhein, and Koblenz.
This highly popular tourist’ route is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with more than 40 Medieval castles and fortresses crowning the hilltops. The “Middle Rhine” is one of four sections of the river between Lake Constance in the south and the North Sea.
For two millennia, the valley was one of the most important trading and cultural exchange routes, inspiring painters (Turner), poets (Heine), novelists (Lord Bayron and Victor Hugo) and musicians (Wagner).
TheTjoy.com recommends to admire the picturesque traditional riverside villages and towns with cobbled streets, partially timbered colored houses, and the overwhelming landscapes of the mighty river.
- Enjoy the great local cuisine and a good glass of a local Riesling wine, tour a local vineyard, and enjoy local festivals and fairs.
- The charming towns and villages along the Rhine Gorge offer great landscapes, local culture experiences, beautiful taverns, caffes, small shops and accommodation opportunities.
Between Koblenz and Mainz, visit Boppard, Bacharach and Rüdesheim am Rhine, and on the way enjoy Loreley Rock and learn about its associated legends. - Most of the impressive Castles in the Middle Rhine Valley were built in the 12th-14th centuries period, to secure and defend a territory, or to control custom revenues. On the end of the 14th century many of the castles lost their importance and declined slowly, abandoned, and eventually destroyed. In the 19th century upon the Rhine romanticism revival many were rebuilt and restored.
Many of the castles in the valley are open for visits, few are hotels or hostels, and some are private or in ruins with no access.
As there are more than 40 castles in the Middle Rhine Valley we would recommend visiting only few which are more interesting and popular.- Consider visiting Eltz castle near Wierschem, 31 km southwest of Koblenz
- Stolzenfels castle south of Koblenz
- The highly popular and well preserved 13th century Marksburg castle near Braubach which was not significantly changed over the centuries.
Bacharach
Ruedesheim am Rhien
Rheinstein Castle
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- Between Loreley and Bacharach consider visiting Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar
- Pfalzgrafenstein castle in Kaub
- Stahleck Castle in Bacharach
- North of Bingen visit Sooneck Castle near Niederheimbach, Reichenstein castle and Rheinstein castle near Trechtingshausen.
- In Binger Loch, on an inaccessible island next to Bingen watch the romantic Mouse Tower, Mauseturm, used for custom control of boats sailing on the Rhine.
The most popular way to experience the Romantic Rhine is by a riverboat cruise using the Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt.
However, there are also great roads (B9 and B42) for driving through the valley, and excellent railroads with train stations along both sides of the Rhine River. Travelers can also explore the beautiful region by scenic hiking trails and cycling routes.
The peak traveling season in the Rhine Valley is the months of July and August, with the months of May, June and September being less crowded.
You can reach the Rhine Valley by flight to Frankfurt (FRA), Bonn/Cologne (CGN), or the Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN), which are the major nearby international airports.
Take a boat cruise on the Rhine to its Middle section all the way from the Netherlands, France, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Switzerland, or reach the area by car on the B9, A61, or B42 roads.
Spend at least 2-3 days traveling the Romantic Rhine.
If time allows you can combine the Romantic Rhine trip with traveling to the Black Forest, 177 km south to Baden-Baden, flying to Berlin or to Munich and The Romantic Road.
Mainz Cathedral
Marksburg
Assmanshausen
TheTjoy.com Romantic Rhine Traveling Tips
- Consult your hotel or the numerous tourist information centers for the best way for you to travel and enjoy the region, the available attractions, and services.
- There are two main hiking trails in the Rhine Gorge region, the Rheinburgenweg, Rhine Castle Trail,on the western side of the river from Remagen north of Koblenz to Bingen. And the RheinSteigweg on the eastern bank of the river from Rüdesheim to Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein and northward. The trails are divided into sections, and you can hike each of the stages separately for a few hours selecting them based on your interest, difficulty level, length, etc.
- There are many opportunities to rent bicycles along the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, in tourist offices, hotels and special shops.
- There are regional trains operating along both sides of the river, with those on the east side more frequent.
- Some of the cruise boats offer hop-on/hop-off options, with or w/o a car, which enable much more flexibility if you are driving a car or using trains traveling in the region.
