The Rheinsteig hiking trail follows an elevated path for an impressive 320 kilometers along the Rhine. But for shorter hiking fun you can make use of the circular paths that are attached to the trail, leading you up and down hills on narrow paths through steep vineyards, along the river shore and over high plateaus, passing legendary sights such as the Lorelei rock at St. Goarshausen.
10 reasons to love Rhineland-Palatinate
Greetings from the Middle Ages
Above the Moselle valley, the Middle Ages come back to life. From imposing castles like the Reichsburg near Cochem, knights were able to keep a watchful eye on the river at all times. They also made a thriving business by charging a toll from every boat that sought to pass. Cochem today is a tourism hub for the “Terrassenmosel” – named after the highest vineyard terraces in Europe.
10 reasons to love Rhineland-Palatinate
A day just for cyclists and skaters
The slate cliffs along the river in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a World Heritage Site, are lined with castles and ruins. Every year on the last Sunday in June, cars are banned from driving on a 120-kilometer stretch of road from Bingen to Koblenz. This is when cyclists and skaters can enjoy the route, which culminates in a big party celebrated by 150,000 visitors on both shores of the Rhine.
10 reasons to love Rhineland-Palatinate
Cable car fun
The romanticism of the Rhine has drawn travelers for 200 years. You can take a boat ride from Koblenz – home of the German Corner, where the Rhine and Moselle meet – to the Lorelei cliff, or tour the Moselle valley. Visitors can take a cable car to the citadel Ehrenbreitstein, offering great views above the Rhine. And those who wish to stay up top can spend the night at the youth hostel.
10 reasons to love Rhineland-Palatinate
Protected by the cathedral
Worms cathedral is the spectacular backdrop for the annual Nibelungen Festival, a cultural summer highlight in Rhineland-Palatinate. The Nibelungen, one of Germany’s best known sagas, has been inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in recognition of its historical significance. Famous actors and directors have made the festival hugely successful.
10 reasons to love Rhineland-Palatinate
Stone Age sensation
In 2014 a hiker discovered scratch marks on the slate cliffs close to Gondershausen in the Hunsrück region. Archeologists were delighted, for this type of stone carving had until then only been found in Portugal, Spain and France, making this find currently the most northern Paleolithic rock art in Europe. The carvings, which are over 20,000 years old, are thought to represent horses.
10 reasons to love Rhineland-Palatinate
A forest filled with cliffs
The Palatinate Forest nature reserve, along with the northern French Alsace region of North Vosges, forms a large biosphere reserve. Lynxes, wild cats, peregrine falcons and kingfishers have a protected habitat here. The southern rock land around the town of Dahn has made it very popular with climbers, who can test their abilities on more than 80 free-standing sandstone rocks.
10 reasons to love Rhineland-Palatinate
Like the ancient Romans
Riesling grapes grow particularly well on the sun-drenched steep terrace vineyards of the Moselle river. Roman conquerors introduced vines to the Germanic regions some 2,000 years ago, and even back then the Moselle wine trade flourished. Visitors today can charter a replica ancient Roman wine trader’s boat to sample local wines. The Stella Noviomagi weighs anchor in Neumagen-Drohn.
10 reasons to love Rhineland-Palatinate
Ancient landmark
The Roman Empire wanted to display its strength and power with this construction. It’s nearly 30 meters in height and as many as six tons of stones were used to build it without any grouting. The Porta Nigra, or “black gate,” is now a World Heritage Site and also very much a landmark of Trier. The originally pale gray sandstones only turned black over the course of several centuries.
10 reasons to love Rhineland-Palatinate
The jolly town of Mainz
The Rhineland-Palatinate state capital is home to a carnival, the Mainzer Fassenacht or Fastnacht, which dates back to the 16th century. The climax of the carnival is the Rose Monday procession. A lovingly preserved tradition in Mainz are the “Schwellköpp” – oversized papier-mâché heads known as “swollen heads” that exaggeratedly represent typical Mainz characters and weigh up to 25 kilos.
The German Wine Route is a themed tourist route that runs through south-western Rhineland-Palatinate. From almond blossoms in the spring to the grape harvest in the autumn, the multifaceted countryside is always enchanting. Good wine, delicious food, romantic wine-growing villages and castles —Check-in host Nicole Frölich finds the right mixture for a relaxing autumn vacation. She went there in 2019.
Villa Ludwigshöhe
The Villa Ludwigshöhe lies on a hill overlooking the vineyards near Edenkoben. It’s a small palace from the time when the Palatinate belonged to Bavaria. Nowadays the former summer residence of King Ludwig I is devoted to art: from concerts by young classical musicians to exhibitions of paintings by the Palatinate impressionist Max Slevogt.
Upper Middle Rhine Valley
The Upper Middle Rhine Valley between Koblenz and Bingen in northern Rhineland-Palatinate has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2002. With its picturesque castles and steep, vine-covered slopes, it’s considered one of the most beautiful sections along the entire river. Such artists asJoseph Mallord William Turner stylized the romantic lure of the Middle Rhine Valley.
Jerusalem on the Rhine
For more than 900 years, Jewish life shaped the three cities of Mainz, Worms and Speyer. Among Jews all over the world they are known as Shum cities. The metropolises on the Rhine were the center of Jewish scholarship and later were of similar importance as Jerusalem. Join Check-in presenter Lukas Stege on his journey to the cradle of European Jewry.
Trier
Amphitheater, city gate, baths — 2000 years ago, the Romans lived in Trier in the far west of Rhineland-Palatinate. They built a town for themselves with every conceivable comfort — and with it, important structures that now have UNESCO World Heritage status.
The Moselle Valley
The Moselle is the longest tributary of the Rhine and one of the most charming river valleys in Germany. The Moselle meanders in narrow bends, flanked by vineyards, past the town of Perl in the Saarland, via Trier to Koblenz, where it flows into the Rhine. Check-in presenter Lukas Stege went along the Moselle cycle path. He plunged into the underworlds of Traben-Trarbach, found castle ruins and a winegrower on the Calmont, who introduced him to the secrets of the Moselle Riesling.
A Highlight in a 360-degree video
The Moselle river winds its way for over 200 serpentine kilometers between Trier and the Middle Rhine Valley, past green vineyards and idyllic towns such as Bernkastel-Kues.
Use the mouse on your computer or your finger on your smartphone to choose what you want to see. Click on the video and drag the image sections wherever you want. If you are using a PC, use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as a browser. And if you have VR glasses, you can watch the video in virtual reality.
Your trip to Germany
Are you looking for recommendations for your visit to Germany? We’ve got them: Tips for Germany — state by state.
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