Bacharach

It is a small ancient town on the west bank of the Rhine. It existed before the Romans as a Celtic settlement. Its name Baccaracum came from the God of Bacchus as it supplied wine to the ancient territories. The medieval town is extremly well-preserved and can easily be called a hidden gem. Stahleck
Castle, which was built in the 11th Century, was initially the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne's reeves. Nowadays, it is a youth hostel overlooking the town. In the 19th century, Victor Hugo described Bacharach as one of the "world's prettiest towns".

By plane

The airport at Hahn is about 50 km and Frankfurt Airport is about 70 km away.

By train

Trains from Koblenz and Mainz run to Bacharach at least hourly. Sometimes, there are direct trains from Cologne as well. Otherwise, you would have to change the train at Koblenz. The line is Koblenz – Boppard – Oberwesel – Bacharach – Bingen am Rhein – Mainz. From Frankfurt airport it takes between 1 and 1.5 hours (with one change in Mainz).

By road

Is on the B9 16 km north of Bingen. Parking on the side of the main road, 50 cents an hour.

By boat

The Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt, better known as KD, runs cruises and scheduled services up and down the river to towns between Cologne and Mainz.
Bingen-Rüdesheimer operates scheduled services between Rüdesheim and St. Goar.

The town is small so walking is the best way to get around.

• Castle Stahleckis a large castle on a hill that is approx 1,000 years old. It is a bit of a walk but the views of the Rhine are magnificent, so it`s totally worth it.

• Werner ChapelThe ruins are quite lovely and are on the way to Castle Stahleck.

Take a cruise along the Rhine.
Do a wine tasting 'carousel' in town.
Walk through the vineyards, taking the Rheinburgenweg going south. The Northerly direction gives good views but has a steep section not recommended for the casual walker.

Several shops sell souvenirs, especially local wine. Despite its small size, there is at least a supermarket in town.

There is a large number of restaurants catering to tourists in the town. Here are a few suggestions

• Altes Haus

  address: Oberstraße 61

• Altkölnischer Hof

  phone: +49 6743 1339
  address: Blücherstraße 2
  Traditional German style décor and food. Friendly service.

Wine

• Castle Stahleck Youth Hostel

  phone: +49 6743 1266
  This youth hostel is actually located inside the Castle Stahleck overlooking the Rhine Valley! It will be hard finding a place where you make the experience of sleeping in an actual Medieval castle for such a low price.

• Pension Im Malerwinkel

  phone: +49 6743 1239
  address: Blücherstraße 41-45

• Hotel am Markt

  phone: +49 6743 1715
  address: Oberstraße 64

• Trechtingshausen
• Bingen
• Oberwesel