# Upper Middle Rhine Valley

A 65 km gorge of the Rhine between Bingen and Koblenz, a World Heritage Site since 2002, with some forty castles and fortresses, terraced vineyards and the Loreley rock.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/rhineland-palatinate/upper-middle-rhine-valley · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## Getting there from Spain

Fly to Frankfurt: in less than two hours by train you reach Bingen, Rüdesheim or Koblenz, the ends of the valley. Both banks have a railway line, with stops at Bacharach, Oberwesel, St. Goar and Boppard.

## Getting around from one bank to the other

Between Mainz and Koblenz there are no bridges over the Rhine: you cross by ferry. Combine the train on one bank, the boat to go down the river and the ferry to change sides. Scheduled boats sail from spring to autumn between Bingen, Rüdesheim and Koblenz, stopping at the villages.

## Not to miss

The scheduled boat from Bingen to St. Goar takes 1 hour 40 minutes to go down the castle stretch and passes beneath the Loreley rock, which can also be seen from above at the plateau viewpoint. In Bacharach, the town walls and Werner Chapel can be walked in an hour and a half. Downriver, Marksburg Castle, above Braubach, is the one that was never destroyed, and from Boppard the chairlift to the Vierseenblick shows the meander as four lakes. On foot, the Rheinsteig and the Rheinburgenweg run along the slopes of both banks.

## Where to eat and sleep

In Bacharach, the Weinstube Zum Weinkrug serves the wine from its own cellar with simple cooking, and Stübers Restaurant is the special dinner; above Oberwesel, Zum Mundschenk is open daily inside the castle. To sleep, the Rhein-Hotel Bacharach is on the town wall, the Burg Stahleck hostel is inside a castle and the Burghotel Auf Schönburg is the luxury night.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Moselle Valley (a 43.7 km)

## Qué hacer
- **KD scheduled boat from Bingen to St. Goar past the Loreley** (1 h 40 · All ages · Bingen – St. Goar €28 one way and €31 return (2026); children aged 6 to 13, €10): What it is
The KD scheduled boat between Bingen and St. Goar is the stretch of the Rhine that everyone wants to see: the valley narrows, the vineyard slopes rise steeply and a castle appears behind every bend. From the water you see both banks at once, which is impossible from the train or the road. Downriver you pass Assmannshausen, Lorch, Bacharach, Kaub, with its customs castle on an island, and Oberwesel, and just before St. Goar, the Loreley rock, where the river makes its tightest bend.
It is not a closed cruise: it is the regular service, with stops at the villages. You can get off at any of them, stroll and continue on the next boat.
Times
On the 2026 timetable, the first boat downriver leaves Rüdesheim at 9:00 and Bingen at 9:15, stops at Bacharach at 10:00 and at Oberwesel at 10:20 and reaches St. Goar at 10:55. There are other departures from Bingen at 11:15, 14:30 and 16:30. Upriver it takes longer, because the boat goes against the current: the 11:20 from St. Goar reaches Bacharach at 12:05 and Bingen at 13:35. The service sails from 4 April to 18 October 2026, with more departures in high season, from 25 April to 4 October. The 2027 timetable is published in spring.
How much it costs
KD charges by zone. From Bingen to St. Goar, €28 one way and €31 return; from Bingen to Bacharach, €22 and €25; from Oberwesel to St. Goar, €17 and €20. Children aged 6 to 13 pay €10, under-6s do not pay and students and over-65s get a discount. On board you can pay by card only. If you buy at the landing stage, arrive a quarter of an hour early.
Getting there
Bingen has a station on the left bank, with trains from Mainz and Frankfurt; the landing stage is on the river promenade. To return from St. Goar, take the train along the same bank or the boat upriver. To cross to St. Goarshausen and the Loreley, the ferry leaves every 20 or 25 minutes.
With children
It is the easiest plan in the valley with children: an hour and a half sitting down, with a bar on board and castles to tell stories about. Under-6s travel free.
- **Guided tour of Marksburg Castle at Braubach** (1 h 30 · All ages; the climb from Braubach is steep · €12 adults, €8 children up to age 15, €24 family; under-6s free): What it is
The Marksburg is the castle that crowns Braubach, on the right bank of the Rhine, upriver from Koblenz. It is the only great hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine that was never destroyed, and so it is the one that best shows what a castle was like inside: courtyards, the Gothic kitchen, the armoury, the walls and the tower. For more than a hundred years it has belonged to the Deutsche Burgenvereinigung, the German castles association, which has its headquarters there.
It can only be visited with a guide. The tour lasts about 50 minutes and covers the interior and the battlements, with views over the river.
Times
In the 2026 summer season, from 21 March to 1 November, the castle is open from 10:00 to 17:00, with regular tours and the last at 17:00. In winter it is open daily from 11:00 to 16:00, with a tour every hour; it is closed on 24 and 25 December. Tours in English are in summer daily at 11:00, 13:00 and 16:00, and in winter on Saturdays and Sundays at 13:30; there are none in Spanish. The castle warns that the times may change at short notice.
How much it costs
€12 for adults and €8 for children and young people up to age 15. Under-6s do not pay. The family ticket, for two adults with up to six children up to age 15, costs €24. Braubach residents and members of the association get in free.
Getting there
Braubach has a station on the right-bank line, which runs from Koblenz to Wiesbaden. From the village you walk up a steep path to the castle. From the left bank, where Boppard and Bacharach are, you have to go via Koblenz or cross by ferry, because between Mainz and Koblenz there are no bridges. The KD boat also stops at Braubach.
With children and with a dog
The tour is short and children are held by the suits of armour, the kitchen and the moat. Well-behaved dogs are welcome, according to the castle. The slope from the village is not for pushchairs.
In winter
In the cold months the castle organises a tour by lights. Check the dates on its website.
- **Boppard chairlift to the Vierseenblick viewpoint** (1 h 15 · All ages · Return €12 adults and €7 children up to age 14; single €8 and €5): What it is
The Boppard chairlift leaves from the edge of the town, in the Mühltal, beside the river road, and climbs the vineyard slope to the top of the hill. It is 915 metres long with a 232-metre rise, about 20 minutes' journey on an open chair. At the top is the Vierseenblick, the four-lakes viewpoint: from there the great Rhine meander is cut off by the slopes in such a way that it looks like four separate lakes. It is one of the best-known views in the valley.
How much it costs
The return costs €12 for adults and €7 for children up to age 14; a single journey, €8 and €5. Bikes and dogs pay €3 per journey, so you can go up with your bike and ride down. There are rates for mountain bikers with several trips. Tickets can also be bought online.
When it runs
From 17 April to 30 September, daily from 10:00 to 18:00. From 1 to 15 October it closes at 17:30, and from 16 to 31 October, at 16:00. From 1 November to 6 December it runs only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 10:00 to 16:00. Outside those dates, it stops.
Getting there
Boppard has a station on the left-bank line, between Koblenz and Bingen, and a KD boat stop. The chairlift station is in the Mühltal, north of the old town, next to the B9 road. By car, park in the village and walk along the river promenade.
At the top
The viewpoint is next to the upper station. If you want to walk, the Rheinburgenweg, the left-bank castles trail, runs along the heights; ask at the station about walking down to the village.
With children and with a dog
The chair is an attraction for children, and the viewpoint is a step from the upper station. Dogs go up by paying their own journey.
- **Loreley plateau and viewpoint** (2 h · All ages · On your own · free): What it is
The Loreley is the slate rock that rises on the right bank of the Rhine, next to St. Goarshausen, at the point where the river narrows and makes its tightest bend. It is the most famous place in the valley because of the legend of the woman who, from on high, lured boatmen to their doom with her singing. From the boat you see it from below; this plan is to climb up and see it from above.
On top there is a plateau with a cultural and landscape park, the Kultur- und Landschaftspark Loreley, with the tip of the rock as a viewpoint, the Felsenspitze, and paths among meadows. The World Heritage listings give it as open at all hours, and entry to the park is free. Next to the car park is the Loreley-Touristik visitor centre, with the Mythoshalle, a hall about the legend, which is closed from 16 to 25 November 2026.
What you will see
From the tip you have the Rhine at your feet, far below, with St. Goar and Rheinfels Castle on the opposite bank and the scheduled boats rounding the bend. It is the view that justifies the climb, especially at the end of the afternoon.
Getting there

From St. Goar, cross the river on the Loreley ferry, which goes to St. Goarshausen every 20 or 25 minutes: Monday to Friday from 5:30 to 21:00, Saturdays from 6:20 and Sundays and public holidays from 7:20.
On foot from St. Goarshausen, climb the Rheinsteig, the right-bank trail, which passes over the plateau. It is a serious climb: wear hiking footwear.
By car, along the plateau road, in the municipality of Bornich, to the visitor centre car park.

Guided tours
Loreley-Touristik organises guided tours of the park in season. Dates and price are on its website or on the phone number 06771 9100.
With children
The plateau is flat and open, good for running. At the tip, keep an eye on the little ones: below is the drop over the river.
- **Walk along Bacharach's wall and the Werner Chapel** (1 h 30 · 2.5 km · All ages; slopes and steps · On your own · free): What it is
Bacharach is a village of about 1,500 inhabitants on the left bank of the Rhine, still enclosed by its medieval wall. It was built between 1344 and around 1400 and keeps sixteen towers, some in ruins, and is one of the best preserved in Rhineland-Palatinate; in part you can walk along the top, under the wooden roofs of the wall-walk. This walk goes round it outside and inside, climbs to the Werner Chapel and reaches Stahleck Castle, with the best view of the village.
The route

The old town. From the station or the landing stage you enter through the wall gates onto the main street, the Oberstraße, with half-timbered houses. The Altes Haus dates from 1389.
St Peter's Church. On the same street, the village's Protestant church.
The Wernerkapelle. Climb the lanes and steps of the slope to the ruin of this Gothic chapel, begun around 1293 and finished after 1426. It was wrecked in 1689, when French troops blew up the castle above, and today it is kept as a ruin: just the arches and the windows, cut out against the sky.
Stahleck Castle. Keep climbing to the castle, blown up in the same war of 1689 and today a youth hostel. From its terraces you see the Rhine and the village rooftops.
The wall. Come down through the vines following the wall and its towers, such as the Mint Tower, until you are back at the river.

Difficulty
These are short slopes and stone steps, without technical difficulty. Allow an hour and a half with stops. With a pushchair, the upper part gets complicated: the access to the castle has gradients of up to 15%.
Getting there
Bacharach has a station on the Mainz–Koblenz line and a KD boat stop. By car, park by the river, outside the wall.
With children and with a dog
The towers and the steps entertain children, and the castle with its courtyard seems made for them. With a dog, on a lead in the streets and on the paths.

## Dónde comer
- **Stübers Restaurant** (Restaurant, Bacharach, €€€). Qué pedir: the Bacharacher Rieslingbraten, Hunsrück veal shoulder braised for 15 hours in Riesling with spätzle (€28), and to start the Middle Rhine assortment with the Hinkelsdreck pâté (€19).
- **Weinstube Zum Weinkrug (Weinhaus Karl Heidrich)** (Winery, Bacharach, €€). Qué pedir: a Spundekäs with pretzels or a flammkuchen to nibble with the Weinkarussell tasting; in mid-afternoon, cake by Eva, the house pastry cook.
- **Zum Mundschenk Auf Schönburg** (Restaurant, Oberwesel, €€€). Qué pedir: the Hunsrück bean stew with beef (€17.50) or the game sausage with sauerkraut (€25.50); for dessert, the hot apple tart with ice cream.

## By plane: Fly to Frankfurt and take the train along the Rhine
The Upper Middle Rhine Valley has no airport of its own, but Frankfurt (FRA), with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities, is very close. The airport has a railway station, and from Frankfurt you reach Bingen, Rüdesheim or Koblenz, the ends of the valley, in under two hours. By hire car, the journey is by motorway to Mainz or Bingen.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Rhein-Hotel Bacharach** (Hotel): The house
The Rhein-Hotel is a half-timbered house built on Bacharach's medieval wall, between the village and the river. It is run by the Stüber family, now in its sixth generation, which has fed and lodged people here since 1874. It has superior three-star category and has just renovated its rooms. Downstairs is its restaurant, Stübers, one of the places to dine in the valley, so sleeping here settles the evening.
The rooms
There are fourteen, non-smoking, soundproofed and with air conditioning, private bathroom, smart TV, wifi, minibar and safe. There are four types. The Rhein-Balkon have a balcony and a direct view of the Rhine. The Rhein-Ruhe face the village or Stahleck Castle. The Rhein-Erlebnis are family rooms: three for four people and a junior suite for six. And the Rhein-Romantik is a suite with its own sauna and a view of the river. One of the rooms, the Karl-Zimmer, is a tribute to wine.
The website does not publish the price per night, check-in and check-out times or rules on dogs or parking: online booking or the phone gives them. It does publish packages: four nights with dinners from €359 per person from 1 November to 15 December 2026, and a weekend from €249 until 20 December.
Getting there
Bacharach station, on the Mainz–Koblenz line, is a few minutes' walk away, as is the KD boat landing stage. That makes it a good base without a car: boat downriver to St. Goar, train along the bank and walks on foot. If you come by car, the hotel has installed an electric-car charger; for parking, ask when you book.
What is nearby
Behind the house begins the old town, with the Oberstraße, the Weinstube Zum Weinkrug and the climb to the Werner Chapel and Stahleck Castle. The wall can be walked from the gate.
- **Burg Stahleck Youth Hostel** (Hostel, desde 32.1 € / bed): Sleeping in a castle on a budget
Stahleck Castle dominates Bacharach from the top of the slope. It was blown up by French troops in 1689, like so many in the valley, and today it is a youth hostel of the German DJH network. It is the cheapest way to sleep inside a Rhine castle, with a courtyard, walls, a knights' hall and a terrace from which you see the river and the village below. It is not only for young people: families, groups of walkers and solo travellers use it.
Rooms and prices
It has 178 beds in rooms for one, two, four and more. There are two categories: the 4, with shower and WC on the floor, from €32.10 per person per night, and the 4+, with shower and WC in the room, from €33.30. Prices, valid until 31 December 2026, include breakfast and bed linen; for double occupancy they are somewhat higher, and for a single night's stay €5 is added. From 15 November to 15 March there is a winter rate from €24.90. For families, under-3s do not pay and those aged 4 to 14 pay half, sharing a room. Half board and full board are also available.
Meals have set times: breakfast from 7:30 to 9:30, lunch from 12:00 to 13:30 and dinner from 18:00 to 19:30. There is a bistro, a café-bar, a children's games room, table tennis and free wifi.
Getting there
This is the hard part. Cars do not go up to the castle: the car park is above it, about 200 m on foot. From Bacharach station you can go up on bus 692 or a taxi bus, which you pay for separately. By bike, the climb is about 2.5 km with gradients of up to 15%; on foot you can also climb from the village, with a good slope. With luggage, the bus is better.
What is nearby
Below are the wall, the Oberstraße with its Weinstuben and Stübers Restaurant, and the landing stage for the KD boat.
- **Burghotel Auf Schönburg** (Hotel): The house
The Schönburg is the castle that can be seen above Oberwesel, on the left bank of the Rhine, between Bacharach and St. Goar. Inside there is a four-star hotel with 31 rooms and suites, which the hotel calls Burgkemenaten, castle chambers, each decorated in its own way. It is the special night of the trip to the valley: sleeping behind the walls, with the Rhine below, and dining without leaving the castle. Besides the hotel there is a garden, a museum in the tower and two restaurants: Zum Mundschenk, à la carte, and the Schönburger Weinstuben.
Rooms and prices
The price includes a buffet breakfast with house jams. All rooms are non-smoking. The hotel publishes its rates in a downloadable document; they do not appear on the page, so we do not give them. A child up to age 13 on an extra bed pays €30 a night with breakfast; from 14, €60. The cot is free. Check-in is from 15:30 and check-out until 11:30. Animals are not admitted anywhere in the hotel.
Getting there and parking
The car does not reach the door. In front of the castle there are two free car parks for guests and restaurant customers, with no reserved spaces. From there you walk about 150 m over cobbles. The hotel carries luggage up from 8:00 to 11:30 and from 15:00 to 19:30, provided it does not exceed 25 kg. Without a car, Oberwesel station is on the Mainz–Koblenz line, down in the village, and you have to walk up or take a taxi.
What is nearby
Oberwesel keeps a good part of its wall with towers on the riverbank. The KD boat stops in the village and, on the 2026 timetable, reaches St. Goar in 35 minutes, passing beneath the Loreley. Bacharach is a few minutes away by train to the south.

## Car-free: Train, boat and ferry on the Middle Rhine
The Middle Rhine is made for travelling without a car. Two railway lines, one on each bank, stop at almost every village; the KD scheduled boat goes down the river from April to October, and ferries cross from one side to the other. Sleeping in Bacharach or Oberwesel, you have the station and the landing stage a walk away. The only thing it asks is that you check the timetables: the scheduled boat stops from mid-October to April.
Presupuesto orientativo: 90–170 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Rhein-Hotel Bacharach** (Hotel): The house
The Rhein-Hotel is a half-timbered house built on Bacharach's medieval wall, between the village and the river. It is run by the Stüber family, now in its sixth generation, which has fed and lodged people here since 1874. It has superior three-star category and has just renovated its rooms. Downstairs is its restaurant, Stübers, one of the places to dine in the valley, so sleeping here settles the evening.
The rooms
There are fourteen, non-smoking, soundproofed and with air conditioning, private bathroom, smart TV, wifi, minibar and safe. There are four types. The Rhein-Balkon have a balcony and a direct view of the Rhine. The Rhein-Ruhe face the village or Stahleck Castle. The Rhein-Erlebnis are family rooms: three for four people and a junior suite for six. And the Rhein-Romantik is a suite with its own sauna and a view of the river. One of the rooms, the Karl-Zimmer, is a tribute to wine.
The website does not publish the price per night, check-in and check-out times or rules on dogs or parking: online booking or the phone gives them. It does publish packages: four nights with dinners from €359 per person from 1 November to 15 December 2026, and a weekend from €249 until 20 December.
Getting there
Bacharach station, on the Mainz–Koblenz line, is a few minutes' walk away, as is the KD boat landing stage. That makes it a good base without a car: boat downriver to St. Goar, train along the bank and walks on foot. If you come by car, the hotel has installed an electric-car charger; for parking, ask when you book.
What is nearby
Behind the house begins the old town, with the Oberstraße, the Weinstube Zum Weinkrug and the climb to the Werner Chapel and Stahleck Castle. The wall can be walked from the gate.
- **Burg Stahleck Youth Hostel** (Hostel, desde 32.1 € / bed): Sleeping in a castle on a budget
Stahleck Castle dominates Bacharach from the top of the slope. It was blown up by French troops in 1689, like so many in the valley, and today it is a youth hostel of the German DJH network. It is the cheapest way to sleep inside a Rhine castle, with a courtyard, walls, a knights' hall and a terrace from which you see the river and the village below. It is not only for young people: families, groups of walkers and solo travellers use it.
Rooms and prices
It has 178 beds in rooms for one, two, four and more. There are two categories: the 4, with shower and WC on the floor, from €32.10 per person per night, and the 4+, with shower and WC in the room, from €33.30. Prices, valid until 31 December 2026, include breakfast and bed linen; for double occupancy they are somewhat higher, and for a single night's stay €5 is added. From 15 November to 15 March there is a winter rate from €24.90. For families, under-3s do not pay and those aged 4 to 14 pay half, sharing a room. Half board and full board are also available.
Meals have set times: breakfast from 7:30 to 9:30, lunch from 12:00 to 13:30 and dinner from 18:00 to 19:30. There is a bistro, a café-bar, a children's games room, table tennis and free wifi.
Getting there
This is the hard part. Cars do not go up to the castle: the car park is above it, about 200 m on foot. From Bacharach station you can go up on bus 692 or a taxi bus, which you pay for separately. By bike, the climb is about 2.5 km with gradients of up to 15%; on foot you can also climb from the village, with a good slope. With luggage, the bus is better.
What is nearby
Below are the wall, the Oberstraße with its Weinstuben and Stübers Restaurant, and the landing stage for the KD boat.

## Consejos

### Go down the river by boat
Take the train to Bingen or Rüdesheim and come back by boat: the Loreley stretch is best seen from the water.

### Cross by ferry
It is the only way to get from one bank to the other in the valley.

### Sleep in a village in the valley
Bacharach or Oberwesel, to see the river at sunset without the day trippers.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many days do you need?
Two: one for the boat and the villages, another for a castle and a stretch on foot.

### Are there bridges over the Rhine in the valley?
Not between Mainz and Koblenz. You cross by ferry.

### When do the boats sail?
From spring to autumn. In winter the scheduled service is greatly reduced.

### What is Rhein in Flammen?
Nights of fireworks and illuminated boats in several villages of the valley during the summer.