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Bacharach: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Bacharach is a small place — about a thousand people inside a medieval wall, between the railway, the river and the vineyards. Everything worth seeing is on one main street and the slope above it, so an hour and a half covers it. The walk starts at the river, goes through the old houses and climbs to the castle for the view. Expect steps at the end; in the evening, after the boats have gone, the town is very quiet.

Bacharach

A short history of Bacharach

Bacharach is a small wine town on the Rhine, enclosed by a medieval wall, with Stahleck Castle from the 12th century above it. In 1287 the body of a boy named Werner was found, and the Jews of the area were accused of his murder; following the blood libel, Jews were massacred in Bacharach and in many towns along the Rhine. The Gothic chapel built in honour of "Saint" Werner stands in ruins today, with a memorial plaque. Heinrich Heine wrote "The Rabbi of Bacharach" about the place. Since 2002 the town has been part of the Rhine Valley World Heritage Site.

The ten best sights in Bacharach

  1. Altes Haus
    1
    Altes Haus

    The half-timbered house everyone photographs; best light in the morning

  2. Werner Chapel
    2
    Werner Chapel

    A roofless Gothic ruin on the path up to the castle; its history is a dark one, read the board

  3. Stahleck Castle
    3
    Stahleck Castle

    Now a youth hostel; anyone can walk up to the courtyard and the terrace, 15 minutes of steps

  4. St. Peter
    4
    St. Peter

    Late Romanesque church on the main street; look for the carved capitals inside

  5. Postenturm
    5
    Postenturm

    A watchtower on the town wall above the vineyards; the classic view down over the roofs

  6. Town wall walk
    6
    Town wall walk

    Much of the medieval wall still stands, with towers you can walk between

  7. Pfalzgrafenstein
    7
    Pfalzgrafenstein

    The toll castle on an island in the river; a small boat from Kaub takes you out

  8. Gutenfels Castle
    8
    Gutenfels Castle

    Above Kaub, privately owned; see it from the river with Pfalzgrafenstein in front

  9. Blücher Museum
    9
    Blücher Museum

    The house in Kaub where the Prussian marshal stayed when his army crossed the Rhine

  10. Loreley
    10
    Loreley

    The famous rock, 15 minutes north by car; the visitor centre and lookout are on top

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Bacharach →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Bacharach:

Inside the walls

Free walking tours in Bacharach

Inside the walls

Bacharach is a small place — about a thousand people inside a medieval wall, between the railway, the river and the vineyards. Everything worth seeing is on one main street and the slope above it, so an hour and a half covers it. The walk starts at the river, goes through the old houses and climbs to the castle for the view. Expect steps at the end; in the evening, after the boats have gone, the town is very quiet.

  1. KD pier Bacharach · Between Mainz and Koblenz, some 80 km of river, there is not a single bridge over the Rhine. Boats and small ferries are still how people cross, which is part of why the valley kept its old shape.
  2. Altes Haus · The house was built in 1368, which makes it one of the oldest half-timbered houses in the Rhineland. Its jettied upper floors lean out over the lane as they have for more than six centuries.
  3. St. Peter · The church went over to the Reformation in the 16th century, when Bacharach belonged to the Electoral Palatinate, and it is still a Protestant parish.
  4. Werner Chapel · In 1287 a boy named Werner was found dead, and the Jews of the region were accused of killing him. The false charge set off massacres of Jews along the Rhine and the Moselle, and this chapel was built for the cult of the boy. The Diocese of Trier struck him from its calendar of saints in 1963.
  5. Town wall walk · Bacharach was rich from the wine trade, and in the 14th century it could afford a full ring of walls with towers. A long stretch survives, and you can walk part of it up the slope.
  6. Stahleck Castle · French troops blew the castle up in 1689, and it stayed a ruin until it was rebuilt in the 1920s as a youth hostel. Young travellers now sleep where the counts palatine once ruled the valley.

Toll castles to the Loreley

For centuries the Rhine was a road of money: every lord with a castle on the bank stopped the boats and took his share. North of Bacharach the river narrows and the castles crowd in, ending at the Loreley, where the current was most dangerous. This drive crosses by ferry to Kaub and comes back along the left bank. Half a day by car; the island castle boat does not run in winter or high water.

  1. Pfalzgrafenstein · Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian had the tower built on the rock island in the 1320s to collect tolls from passing ships. A chain across the river forced them to stop, and the castle was never taken.
  2. Gutenfels Castle · Gutenfels guarded the toll station from above while Pfalzgrafenstein closed the river below. In 1504 it held out against a long siege by the Landgrave of Hesse.
  3. Blücher Museum · On New Year's night of 1813 to 1814, Marshal Blücher took a Prussian and Russian army across the Rhine here on a pontoon bridge, in pursuit of Napoleon. The house where he stayed keeps his rooms and weapons of the campaign.
  4. Church of Our Lady, Oberwesel · Locals call it the Red Church for the colour of its walls. It was built in the first half of the 14th century and keeps one of the oldest altars of its kind in Germany.
  5. Schönburg · In 1885 the New York businessman T. J. Oakley Rhinelander bought the ruined castle and restored it. His family still owns it, which is why the road up is named after him.
  6. Loreley · The rock rises about 130 metres over the narrowest and deepest point of the Middle Rhine, where many boats were wrecked. Heinrich Heine's poem of 1824 turned the local legend of a singing maiden into a song every German child knows.

Romantic castles to the south

Many Rhine castles you see today are not medieval at all but 19th-century dreams of the Middle Ages, rebuilt from ruins by Prussian princes and rich industrialists. South of Bacharach, on the way to Bingen, three of them stand within a few kilometres. The route then crosses by ferry to Lorch on the other bank. Half a day by car; castle paths are steep, so leave time.

  1. Sooneck Castle · In the 1840s the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV and his brothers rebuilt the ruin as a hunting lodge. Inside it is still furnished in the taste of that time.
  2. Reichenstein Castle · King Rudolf of Habsburg destroyed it in 1282 to end the robber knights who preyed on the river trade. It was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century and is now a hotel with a museum.
  3. Clemens Chapel · The small Romanesque chapel stands right on the riverbank below the castles. Legend says it was built for the souls of the robber knights hanged after Rudolf's campaign.
  4. Rheinstein Castle · Prince Friedrich of Prussia bought the ruin in 1823 and rebuilt it from 1825, one of the first castles on the Rhine to be restored in the romantic style. Others along the valley soon followed his example.
  5. Niederheimbach–Lorch ferry · This little car ferry is one of only a handful of crossings on the whole Middle Rhine. The ride takes a few minutes and runs from morning to evening.
  6. Hilchenhaus · The Renaissance house in Lorch was built in the 16th century for Johann Hilchen, a knight who served as a field marshal of the Empire. Its stepped gable faces the river.
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Getting to Bacharach and getting around

  • Bacharach station · Regional trains on the left bank to Koblenz and Bingen, about every half hour; the town gate is two minutes away
  • KD pier Bacharach · The Rhine boats stop here between Koblenz and Rüdesheim, April to October
  • Kaub car ferry · There is no bridge on this stretch of the Rhine: the ferry, 3 km north, is how a car crosses

Cheap eats in Bacharach

Bacharach is wine country before anything else: the steep slopes around it grow Riesling, and a glass in a wine tavern costs about the same as a soft drink. Quick food is limited to a bakery, an ice-cream parlour and a kebab shop on the main street. Most places keep short hours out of season, so in winter eat early.

  • Backhaus Lüning · Rolls and pretzels 1-2 euros, a slice of cake about 3 euros
  • Italia 76 Eiscafé · A scoop of ice cream about 1.80-2 euros
  • Bacharacher Pizza & Kebab Haus · Döner about 7 euros, pizza 8-12 euros
  • Café Burg Stahleck · Coffee and cake about 7-8 euros

Museums in Bacharach

  • Pfalzgrafenstein · Island toll castle; boat from Kaub, closed in winter
  • Blücher Museum · Small and old-fashioned; check opening days
  • Loreley visitor centre · The story of the rock, the river and the legend
  • Rheinstein Castle · Furnished rooms of a romantic Prussian prince

Nature and day trips near Bacharach

  • Seven Maidens viewpoint · View over the rocks in the river; ten minutes from the car
  • Loreley · Clifftop paths and the best view of the river bend
  • Steeg valley · A quiet side valley of vineyards a short walk west of town
  • Rhine castles trail · The long-distance trail passes the castle; walk an hour of it through the vineyards

Holy places in Bacharach

  • Werner Chapel · An open ruin on the castle path; a place to stop quietly
  • Altes Haus and the Rabbi of Bacherach · Heine set his story among the old lanes of this town
  • St. Peter · Protestant parish church, usually open by day
  • Church of Our Lady, Oberwesel · The Red Church, 15 minutes north
  • Clemens Chapel · Romanesque chapel on the riverbank at Trechtingshausen

Where to eat in Bacharach

  • Altes Haus · Wine tavern in the 1368 house; local wine and hearty plates
  • Zum Weinkrug · Wine estate with a tavern; taste the local Riesling
  • Kurpfälzische Münze · Restaurant and wine bar in an old house on the main street
  • Altkölnischer Hof · Half-timbered hotel restaurant by the church
  • Weingut Bastian · Family wine estate in the middle of town; tastings
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Frequently asked questions about Bacharach

What is there to see in Bacharach?

The top sights in Bacharach are Altes Haus, Werner Chapel and Stahleck Castle. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Bacharach?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Bacharach without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Bacharach?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Bacharach, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Inside the walls.

How do you get to Bacharach and get around?

The main ways are Bacharach station, KD pier Bacharach and Kaub car ferry. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Bacharach, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Bacharach that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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