Walk along Bacharach's wall and the Werner Chapel

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

1. 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.
2. St Peter's Church. On the same street, the village's Protestant church.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.