geocalia
Day itinerary · 50.07° N · 7.77° E
Train to Bingen, a KD boat downriver to Bacharach, a walk along the wall, the Werner Chapel and Stahleck Castle, and lunch with wine at the Weinstube Zum Weinkrug.
Part of Upper Middle Rhine Valley
The plan
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
train to Bingen; check the connection on bahn.de
KD · get off at Bacharach at 10:00 · €22 one way in 2026
+49 221 2088318
town wall, Werner Chapel and Stahleck Castle
Oberstraße 16–18 · kitchen from 12:00 to 19:00
Oberstraße 16–18, 55422 Bacharach · +49 6743 93060
coffee on the castle terrace, with a view of the Rhine
Burg Stahleck, 55422 Bacharach · +49 6743 1266
from Bacharach, in Frankfurt around 18:00
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
From Frankfurt, which has a direct flight from Spain, the Rhine of the castles is an hour away by train. This day takes the scheduled boat down the first stretch of the valley, from Bingen to Bacharach, and stays in Bacharach: a village of 1,500 inhabitants enclosed by a 14th-century wall, with the Gothic ruin of the Werner Chapel and a castle turned hostel above it. You eat at the Weinstube of a village winery and come back by train along the bank.
8:00 · Train to Bingen. About an hour from Frankfurt. The KD landing stage is on the riverside promenade.
9:15 · Boat to Bacharach. The first boat downriver stops at Assmannshausen and Lorch and reaches Bacharach at 10:00. At the 2026 fare, €22 one way; children aged 6 to 13, €10. On board you pay by card.
10:00 · Wall, chapel and castle. Enter through the wall's gates to Oberstraße, climb the slopes to the ruin of the Wernerkapelle and carry on to Stahleck Castle. Come down through the vineyards beside the wall and its towers.
12:30 · Lunch at the Weinstube Zum Weinkrug. The room of the Karl Heidrich winery on Oberstraße: Spundekäs, roast beef with potatoes, flammkuchen and the house wine. Kitchen from 12:00 to 19:00, Tuesday to Saturday.
14:30 · Coffee at Burg Stahleck. If you have legs left, climb back up to the castle and have something at the hostel's bistro, with the Rhine at your feet.
16:30 · Journey back. Train from Bacharach station to Frankfurt.
If you want the postcard Rhine without driving and without hurrying, yes. With children it works well: a boat, towers and a castle with a courtyard. Watch the calendar: the Weinstube is closed on Sundays, Mondays and all winter.
Where to eat
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
What to order: a Spundekäs with pretzels or a flammkuchen to nibble with the Weinkarussell tasting; in mid-afternoon, cake by Eva, the house pastry cook.
What to order: 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).
What to order: 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.
Map
With where to park at each one.
Getting there
When to go
From April to October, with the scheduled boat sailing and the Weinstube open, Tuesday to Saturday. In 2026 the Weinstube closed on 31 October; the reopening date is not published.
Tips
The castles appear on both banks.
The streets and stairs of Bacharach are stone.
The Weinstube is closed; switch to Stübers in the evening.
Questions
€22 one way in 2026; children aged 6 to 13, €10.
The scheduled boat does not sail from mid-October to April; do the journey by train along the bank.
The Weinstube does not publish bookings; go at midday on a weekday.
More plans like this
geocalia.com/en/germany/rhineland-palatinate/upper-middle-rhine-valley/itineraries/rhine-boat-bingen-bacharach
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/rhineland-palatinate/upper-middle-rhine-valley/itineraries/rhine-boat-bingen-bacharach
