Rüdesheim am Rhein, Cochem Castle, and Eltz Castle
April 2025
The Rhein (Rhine in English) and Mosel (Moselle in English) Valleys are in a picturesque part of western Germany. These beautiful rivers wind their way through the valleys with steep terraced hillsides covered in Riesling vineyards, quaint towns with cobbled streets and half-timbered buildings, lush green forests, and hilltops with abundant old castles and fortresses. Wandering through the region generates feelings of romantic beauty, historical charm, joy, and connection.
This area has been a hub of tourism for years. It is popular for river cruises (be prepared for possible crowds), camping (many options along the river), hiking (lots of trails), and cycling (watch out for bikes when driving!).
We planned a perfect 2-day itinerary for our first trip here. The first day was spent in the town of Rüdesheim am Rhein in the Middle Rhein Valley. The second day was spent visiting two historic castles – Cochem Castle in the Mosel River Valley and Eltz Castle in the Mosel Region.
We started and ended our journey in Heidelberg, making it 423 km (263 miles) round trip and 6 hours of driving. You can see our route below.
The rivers twist and turn carving breathtaking valleys, where some of Germany’s best Rieslings grow. Driving the smaller roads offers a meandering path with majestic castles, cozy towns, hillside vineyards, and stunning landscapes at every turn. Visiting the region offers a relaxed experience, perfect for stopping and exploring.
Some tips:
- Allow ample time: The winding roads and picturesque stops require more time than a direct route
- Explore the vineyards: It’s wine region! Take the opportunity to sample local wines
- Enjoy the pace: Embrace the slower pace, don’t over plan, and let yourself to be captivated by the beauty of the surroundings
Day 1 – Rüdesheim am Rhein
We left Saturday morning from our home in Heidelberg and headed for Rüdesheim am Rhein in the Middle Rhein Valley. This was an easy 90-minute drive.
Upon arrival in Rüdesheim, we parked our car in public parking lot P2, checked in to our hotel, and stored our bags in our room (more information on our hotel below). The hotel receptionist provided great tips on sights to see, and made our dinner reservations for that evening.
It was a bright, sunny morning so we decided to hike up the hill to the Niederwald Monument first. We started our climb from the P2 parking lot. There are 3 paths up the hill from this parking lot. We opted for the path closest to the kasse (where you pay to park). There are many forks in the trails – so multiple options for getting to the monument. It’s about 2.3 km (1.5 miles) and takes about 45 minutes to reach the top. The trails are wide, well-marked, and have amazing views of the monument up above, the town down below, and the vineyards all around you. They are also steep in places so be prepared for hills if you choose to walk.
Other options besides walking include taking the gondola from the center of town, riding a bus, or driving. Regardless of how you get there, visiting the monument is a great way to spend part of a day in Rüdesheim!
When we reached the top of the hill, we got to the Neiderwald Temple first. This spectacular gazebo-like structure was built by Count von Ostein in 1790. During the romantic era of the 19th century, the temple became a place for many intellectual greats of their time to visit and gather – including Brentano, Beethoven and Goethe. Destroyed by Allied bombers in November 1944, it was reopened in June 2006 after complete reconstruction. And the views were outstanding!
From there, we walked a short distance to the Niederwald Monument. It was built between 1871 and 1883 to commemorate the Unification of Germany, or the founding of the German Empire in 1871, after the end of the Franco-Prussian War. It is an impressive structure at 38 metres (or 125 ft) tall. The centerpiece of the monument is a large statue of Germania, a personification of Germany, holding a crown and a sword. Germania’s crown and sword represent the new unified nation and its strength, while the monument’s location overlooking the Rhine River highlights its historical significance as a border river.
To enjoy more time in town, we opted to take the gondola down instead of walking. Our one-way gondola ticket was 7 euros per person (3.50 for children) or you can buy a roundtrip ticket for 11 euros (5.50 for children). It was an awesome ride down, with great views, and it dropped us right in the center of the old town.
From there, we wandered Drosselgasse. This narrow, cobbled street is 144 meters of wine taverns, garden cafes, and a few shops. There is music playing, people dancing and singing, and fun to be had.
We stopped for lunch in the outdoor Weingarten at the wine tavern Lindenwirt. The staff was friendly and the food was good. There were gorgeous wisteria blooming all around. Mike had schnitzel with mushroom sauce and I had a salad with warm goat cheese. We also enjoyed some local dry Riesling. It was a nice place to rest and refuel after our hilly walk.
After lunch we walked to RheinVeinWelt (RhineWineWorld). This is a super fun wine tasting venue in the historic building that formerly housed the Asbach Uralt Distillery. It is series of 8 rooms with information from 80+ local winemakers and includes 100+ wines to taste. The “do it yourself” wine tasting experience means you buy tokens from the front counter then use the self-serve tasting machines to taste your selected wines. There is also a café and shop on site. Tasting tokens cost 12 euros for 10 tokens (tastes) or 22 euros for 20 tokens (tastes). Posters on the walls provide information on the winemakers and wines. All posters are in German so you will need Google Translate if you want to translate the information to English. WiFi is available for free to help with this.
Following wine tasting, we headed back into town to roam the streets and look at some of the gift shops. We’d read about the Bromserburg Castle and the Rheingau Wine Museum housed within but, unfortunately, they were closed for renovations.
We decided it was time to sit at an outdoor café by the river and try the local coffee specialty – Rüdesheimer Kaffee! This is an alcoholic coffee drink invented in 1957 by the German television chef Hans Karl Adam and is a very popular drink in coffee houses in Rüdesheim.
The local Asbach Uralt brandy and sugar are added to a specially designed cup for this drink. The brandy is flambéed and stirred for a minute until the sugar dissolves. Strong coffee is added, followed by a topping of whipped cream sweetened with vanilla sugar. Shaved chocolate flakes are scattered onto the cream as garnish. It was VERY good! You MUST try one if you visit Rüdesheim!
Note: You can also visit the Asbach Uralt Distillery where the local brandy is made, for a free tour on Saturday mornings at 10:00. We found out about this after the tour time so didn’t take the tour this on this trip.
After kaffe, we walked through town looking for a park our hotel receptionist recommended. She said it was her favorite place in town to sit outside with a glass of wine enjoying a lovely view of the river. We found the park! It was near the cruise ship docks. There was a restaurant where we purchased a glass of wine. We sat on a park bench watching the cruise ships, people, river, and enjoying live music. It was a relaxing way to spend part of the afternoon.
We then did more wandering through the town, checking out the cobbled streets, shops, and half-timbered buildings. We walked by Eagle Tower – a 20.5-meter-high late Gothic corner tower that was built in the 15th century and was formerly located directly on the Rhine. In the previous century, the tower housed the inn “Zum Adler,” from which the name of the tower is derived.
We ended up in a pretty town square by the Church of St. James, which dates back to the 14th century. The tower atop the church is topped by a weathervane featuring a crescent moon and star – commemorating the Crusades in which the knight who built the church took part. It was rebuilt after being almost completely destroyed in 1944. The copper-colored doors were stunning.
We sat at a little outdoor bar in the square with a great view of the church. The energy from the people drinking at the bar, wandering by, playing with their kids… was contagious. Europe is meant to be enjoyed outside at a table with a drink of some sort, people watching, relaxing, and enjoying the company you are with!
At one of the stores in the square, we bought some of the local brandy (Asbach Uralt) for our place here in Germany and to take back for our bar in Oregon. And we grabbed some small bottles to share with friends.
From there, we wandered to our dinner reservation at Rüdesheimer Schloss, which was recommended by our hotel receptionist. The ambiance was great with a live band and people eating, drinking, dancing and enjoying themselves. For appetizers, Mike ordered the cream of asparagus soup (it’s white asparagus season!) and I ordered a cheese plate. Both were fantastic! For our main courses, I had local sausage with white asparagus and Mike ordered pasta. The environment was fun. The service was fantastic. And the company was unbeatable!
On our walk home, we stopped at Baumstriezel Art Café to pick up a funnel cake (which I love!). I got my favorite – cinnamon and sugar – and it was amazing. We also bought some local wine at the little wine shop next door, then headed back to the hotel for the night.
What a great day enjoying Rüdesheim am Rhein!
Where to stay?
We stayed at Hotel Zum Baren. I’d recommend this hotel! The staff was kind and helpful. They provided great suggestions on what to do, where to eat, and checked in regularly to make sure we were doing well. The room and bathroom were well appointed and spacious for a European hotel room. The bed was comfortable. They let us check in several hours early, which was great.
They have a small number of parking spaces available if you drive. They were all taken by the time we got there, but the public P2 parking lot was close and only cost 12 euros for 24 hours. It worked out perfectly for our needs.
Note: Check out the end of this post for some other sites in Rüdesheim that we did not visit on this trip.
Day 2 – CASTLE TIME! Reichsburg Cochem (Cochem Castle), and Burg Eltz (Eltz Castle)
The breakfast buffet the next morning at Hotel Zum Baren was very nice. We came down to a table reserved with our name on it and the buffet had options like omelets, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, cheese, deli meat, yogurt, fruit, cereal, overnight oats, breads and pastries, and more. Plus coffee, tea, water, and a selection of juices.
Our day 2 itinerary led us from Rüdesheim am Rhein to Cochem to see Reichsburg Cochem (Imperial Castle Cochem) and from there to Burg Eltz (Eltz Castle) – then home to Heidelberg.
We started with a ferry ride across the Rhein River from Rüdesheim to Bingen. It was a 10-minute ride and it was fun to see Rüdesheim from the water. We had a clear view of the old town, as well as the terraced vineyards, gondola, and monument we’d walked to the previous day. The price to cross the river (the two of us with our car) was less than 10 euros. The ferry runs back and forth between Rüdesheim am Rhein and Binge, from 10:00 until 21:10.
From Bingen to Cochem was about 93 km (58 mi) and took a little less than 2 hours. The first part was on a highway and the second part was on some small curvy roads over a hill and into the Mosel River Valley. Once we got off the highway and wound down to the river valley, we passed many adorable little towns on the Mosel River and saw SOOO many castles. It was hard not to stop and see them all! (but we didn’t have time)
There was also a lot of infrastructure along the way for camping, biking, and hiking. And the mustard fields were in full bloom and you couldn’t stop looking at them. It’s a beautiful region!
When we got to Cochem, the castle was a sight to be seen sitting majestically up on the hill above town and the Mosel River! Cochem Castle is the largest castle on the Mosel and one of the highest hill castles in this region.
We found a car park, parked our car, and walked through town – before we hiked up the hill to the castle. On our way, we stopped at a great viewpoint to take photos both up and down the hill.
It is generally assumed that Reichsburg Cochem was built around 1000. In the 1300s, the old part of the castle was fortified and walls were built around the city connected to the castle. In 1689, Louis the XIV, the French King, set the castle on fire and nearly destroyed the entire town. The castle then sat in ruins until it was rebuilt beginning in 1868.
The interiors and the courtyards of this castle can only be visited with a ticket for a guided tour. We did not see the interior as we opted not to do the tour (which takes about 40 minutes and costs 10 euros for adults and 5 euros for children).
Once we’d had a chance to enjoy the external view of the castle, we walked back down the hill and back to the car. The town was busy as this is a river cruise stop and there was a boat in town. The local Catholic church had just let out and there were lots of families with kids who’d just finished their first communion. All of that meant lots of great celebratory energy in town.
We then drove from Cochem to Burg Eltz (Eltz Castle). The drive was 28 km (17 mi) and about 30 minutes. We followed the road to what was going to be a parking lot a little bit closer to the castle but the traffic was backed up and no one was moving. We turned around and parked at the first parking lot marked with a hiking sign. Note: The parking fee was 4 euros and the machine took only coins!
The walk to the castle was about 2.2 km (1.5 mi) through beautiful forest on a well-marked trail. It was mostly downhill (which meant we hiked up the hill on the way back to the car). We enjoyed being outdoors hiking through the forest on a beautiful spring day!
Towards the end of the trail, there is a hill on your left. Once you round that corner, there it is! It was an impressive first glance.
You cannot go on castle grounds without buying a ticket. The ticket cost 14 euros per adult and included entrance to the grounds (where there is a restaurant, gift shop, and bathrooms), entrance to the treasury, and a guided walking tour inside the castle. We chose not to do the guided tour but did spend some time in the treasury – which houses a collection of over 500 exhibits spanning nine centuries and features artifacts, including gold and silver ornaments, swords, jewelry, and china.
After viewing the treasury exhibits, we hiked up the hill back to the car. When we got back to the parking lot, we ran into an older German gentleman who did not speak English. Through some “sign language” and rudimentary English/German, we figured out he wanted to know how far it was to the castle. He told us he was 86 years old and he was going to hike to see it – – – #AMAZING #GOALS!
From there, we drove back to Heidelberg, which was about a 2 hour and 15-minute drive.
Take away
We had an absolutely fabulous and relaxing weekend exploring the sites in this area. This will not be our last time to this part of Germany. It is very pretty and there are so many towns and castles we’ve yet to explore!
Below are some other Rüdesheim sites we did not see on this trip.
- Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum – Dedicated to over 400 self-playing musical instruments, dating back three centuries. Tours are offered in multiple languages.
- Torture Museum – Housed in historic vaulted cellars covering an area of 1000 square metres and showing the legal history of the Middle Ages including the persecution of witches in Germany.
- Abbey St Hildegard – Benedictine monastery for nuns founded in the 20th century, located above the town of Rüdesheim.
- Castle Ruins Ehrenfels – Ruins of the 17th century Castle Ehrenfels. It can only be visited from the outside
So informative! I’ll be following you two on your adventures and can’t see where you head next.
Thank you for sharing