Travels in Germany - The Rhine River Valley

From Rothenburg we headed to the Rhine River Valley and our home base of St. Goar. St. Goar is a postage stamp size of a town, but it is conveniently situated with train and ferry service as well as some very nice inns and restaurants. It was a perfect place to settle in, relax and enjoy our Rhine adventures.

View From Our Rheinhotel Balcony 

We stayed at the Rheinhotel right on the river. We just loved this tiny hotel and our room with a balcony overlooking all the activity on the busy Rhine. The included breakfast was tasty with a nice variety of freshly made dishes. The best part of the hotel though, was the proprietor Gil. He makes everyone feel so at home and goes out of his way to help plan your stay and make the most of your time.

The location is perfect, not that anything is far in St. Goar. The train station is a minute away behind the hotel and the boat dock is right in front. For such a small town, there are a number of good restaurants and Gil can tell you all about them and make reservations. (As nice as the hotel was on this first visit, we returned a couple of years later and found the whole place had undergone a complete renovation. Freshly painted with all new furniture and fixtures, the rooms and bathrooms were bright and sparkling clean. Plenty of outlets for electronics, a mini-refrigerator, and a fan for warm nights were all appreciated.)

Rheinfels Castle Ruins

Aside from one small shopping street and excellent castle ruins, there isn't a lot to do in St. Goar itself. But we found it to be the perfect base for exploring the area. We arrived mid-afternoon, had a bite to eat at a neighboring hotel, then headed up to Rheinfels Castle. Once the biggest castle on the Rhine, these ruins represent a fraction of the castle's original size. The ruins are interesting and well worth the hike or the drive to get there. Even if castle ruins are not of particular interest to you, the views alone are deserving of a visit.

That evening we enjoyed dinner at the small German restaurant, Zur Krone. The atmosphere was warm and cozy and the very busy waitress never missed a beat. A nice choice of German dishes and wines were available on the menu. Would recommend having a nice, relaxing dinner here. The food was good as was the service. And as a bonus, it was very reasonable in price.

Cochem

The next morning, our first full day in the area, we hopped a train to Cochem on the Mosel River, switching trains in Koblenz. Although busy, the Mosel River doesn’t have the traffic of the Rhine and is therefore more peaceful.

Cochem is a pretty town that fronts the river and has vineyard-laden hills to its back. The medieval streets, lined with shops and restaurants, are fun to wander. Also perfect for a stroll, is the riverfront promenade, or a walk across the bridge that rewards with a nice view of town.

Castle over Cochem

The Sesselbahn (chairlift) takes travelers atop a high hill. After enjoying the views, a hike back down can end with a refreshing wine tasting. Wine tasting is popular here and there are many wine-related festivals throughout the region during summer weekends and the fall harvest.

Like many area towns, Cochem sits in the shadow of a majestic castle. Although it looks impressive from afar, it is actually a 19th-century reconstruction. For an authentic castle adventure, the nearby Burg Eltz is a better bet, albeit a bit more difficult to get to.

Confluence of the Rhine & Mosel Rivers

We didn't plan on spending time in Koblenz but our host Gil said we should stop since we had to change trains there anyway. He also recommended having dinner at an Italian restaurant for "the best pizza in the world." How could we pass up the opportunity to have the best pizza in the world in Germany? So on our return from Cochem, we stopped to enjoy some sightseeing in Koblenz finishing with what indeed was a delicious pizza.

The Deutsches Eck (German Corner) & 
Monument to Emperor Wilhelm I

Koblenz is perched at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers. It is a pleasant town to explore, not as charming as many of the smaller river towns, but it is packed with history and worth a visit.

After a little sightseeing, we headed off to find that best pizza. We arrived at Pizzeria Sole and sat outside on a little terrace area that was full of people enjoying themselves. While deciding on which pizza to split, we looked for a little side salad to go with it, but there wasn't one on the menu. We asked our waitress and she said no problem, they would happily make side salads for us. The salads were fresh and good and we thoroughly enjoyed our pizza. We had a great time and the prices were great as well.

View from Niederwald Park

On day two, with Gil's recommendation, we boarded a boat to the tiny town of Assmannshausen. The ride was lovely as we passed castles, sloping hills of vineyards, and charming small towns. Once in Assmannshausen we took a chairlift up the hill and walked to Rudesheim through the woods passing through Niederwald Park and the Niederwald Monument that overlooks the scenic Rhine valley. We then took a gondola above the vineyards down into Rudesheim.

Rudesheim

Rudesheim is a quaint town with shops and lively beer and wine gardens. As we walked into town, strands of music floated in the air beckoning us to join in the fun. We soon found ourselves by a pretty courtyard which turned out to be Hotel Lindenwirt’s Wine Garden. We were hungry from our hike and happily settled in by their fountain for a late lunch.

Our waitress appeared, as nice as can be, and we ordered from a good and varied lunch menu. We sipped our wine while listening to the gentleman play music and to the splashing of the fountain. The food arrived promptly and was very good. The prices were reasonable too. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon in this charming spot, almost didn't want to leave, but the last ferry was due to arrive, so we had to bid adieu to the charming town of Ruedesheim.

Beautiful Scenery Along the Rhine

The ferry ride back was so relaxing and pleasant. We shared a bottle of dry (trocken) Riesling and settled in for the scenic ride. What a fun experience this was, topped by a nice lunch in a wine garden and the scenic boat ride back to St. Goar, so much fun that we repeated the same day trip a couple of years later.

For dinner we hopped on the car ferry and crossed the river to the town of St. Goarshausen. We enjoyed a traditional dinner of wiener schnitzel outside in a beer garden with a fabulous view of St. Goar.

Bacharach

On day three Gil arranged for us to rent bikes from a lovely lady who owned a B&B down the street. We biked on a path along the Rhine to Bacharach. Bacharach is a beautiful town, larger than St. Goar, with some nice sights to explore. We hiked uphill and enjoyed a terrific view of the town and river. There are some pretty church ruins watching over the town and, of course, plenty of small shops.

Hilltop View of Bacharach & Rhine River

I can’t say we felt as welcome here as the other towns we had visited. The first place we tried to have lunch informed us, after we were seated, that they were too busy to serve us. The second place, located in a pretty courtyard, was pleasant enough, but even though they were not busy it took forever to get a simple meal. We were happy that we chose little St. Goar as our base rather than Bacharach.

Beautiful Church Ruins in Bacharach

On the way back, we stopped midway at the town of Oberwesel to wander about. It was a fun day of biking, sight-seeing, lovely views and healthy exercise.

For our final night we very much enjoyed our dining experience at Alla Fontana in St. Goar. The menu had a nice selection of both food and wine. My husband chose the lasagna and I couldn't choose between cheese or meat cannelloni, so the waitress brought me one of each! Everything was delicious, the service and atmosphere great, and the prices again were very reasonable. We would certainly recommend this inviting restaurant to anyone wanting a change from German-style dishes.

Castles, Vineyards, Terraces & Quaint Towns

We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Rhine and our day’s visit to the Mosel. We hated to leave this sweet little town, the hotel, and our kind and helpful host. As mentioned above, we returned a few years later and would highly recommend St. Goar and the Rheinhotel as a base for exploring the area. With an enthusiastic tour guide like Gil, you can't help but have a great time.

Our last stop along the Rhine was the 2000-year-old city of Cologne. After days in the beautiful and quaint lower Rhine area, Cologne seemed a bit large and less friendly to us, but it has plenty to offer on a short visit.

Cologne Cathedral

Next to the train station stands the Cologne Cathedral, the largest Gothic church in northern Europe. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 and is the city’s major landmark.

Cologne Architecture

A chocolate museum will enchant the youngsters and the pretty botanical gardens can be enjoyed by everyone. The old town area has some nice architecture and the riverfront is a pleasant place to stroll or enjoy a bite to eat or a drink in one of the outdoor cafés.

We had a wonderful time during our first trip to Germany. We were particularly enchanted by Rothenburg and the lower Rhine area. Glad we finally had the opportunity to spend more than a day in this beautiful part of Germany.