Last updated on May 25th, 2023 at 04:29 pm

If you guys are looking for a romantic getaway or a perfect weekend road trip in Germany, then you’ve hit home. In this 2-day itinerary blog post, we will take you through dozens of medieval castles on the Rhine with fine German Riesling wine and explore the cutest small villages in Germany.

Although overnight Rhine river cruises are more popular here, Gaurav and I preferred driving at our own pace on this road trip in Germany. Having said that, we did sneak in a river cruise for a fraction of the price you would pay otherwise. All that and more information below –

PS: This was such an easy layover trip for us, something you guys should look into when flying via Frankfurt.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Mosel River region is another popular destination for castles, wines, and the river cruises. If you haven’t heard of the Rhine or the Mosel River then no sweat, I am sure you might have heard of the famous Riesling wine from Germany? Or perhaps the really popular castle Burg Eltz? Or the medieval castles near Frankfurt? This was such an off the tourist trap trip that I highly recommend anyone visiting Europe to add this on your Germany itinerary.

Related: How to spend 3 perfect days in Munich

Transportation in the Rhine River Region

We picked up our rental car from Frankfurt airport and drove this entire stretch along the Rhine River. I summed up our trip as –

Cruising along the Rhine, chasing castles and wine.

By Car:

While everyone fancies driving down the German AutoBahn (Highway), don’t forget they do have speed limits as opposed to the popular contrary belief. So watch out for those speed signs on the Autobahn. You can easily start your road trip from either Frankfurt in the south or Cologne or Koblenz in the north. 

In case you do not want to drive, then below are a few other ways to see Rhine Valley region by train or by cruise.

By Train & Cruise:

You can easily cover this region by a combination of Deutsche Bahn trains & K.D. cruises along the Rhine. You will have to take the Inter-city Express trains (ICE) between bigger cities and regional express trains or a cruise ship between smaller towns.

K.D. (Koln-Dusseldorfer) Cruise Ships are part of regional transportation and a perfect way to do a Rhine river cruise on a budget. While taking K.D cruise you can get down at their multiple stops to explore the cute little German towns.

TIP: If you are doing a round trip via ship then check the K.D. cruise schedule for the last ferry out. Otherwise, consider taking the DB train on your return. Some tips on booking transportation (you can buy boat ride tickets at the port) –

• You will need to take the ICE train to either Koblenz or Mainz or Frankfurt from any other big city in Germany.
• From Koblenz hbf change from ICE trains to regional express to get to Boppard hbf and then walk till Boppard K.D. where the K.D. cruises begin.
• Similarly from Mainz hbf change from ICE to regional trains to get to Bingen hbf and then walk till Bingen K.D. port where the cruises begin. 

Private Cruise:

A popular way to see Rhine valley and castles in the German wine region is by taking a Rhine river cruise. If you like to spend overnight on a cruise and can shell a little extra cash then this is a great way to travel. I get motion sick so I preferred mixing trains and a road trip along with a mini K.D. cruise instead.

Rhine River Valley 2-day DIY Itinerary

Below is our itinerary broken down by each day. We hope this helps you plan the most romantic holiday in Germany.

Tip: There is a castle at every bend on Rhine river (no joke) so choose your stops carefully on this weekend trip. Here’s a great map of all the castles on the Rhine.

Day 1

We collected our rental car at Frankfurt airport and hit the autobahn early in the morning. If you are taking the train instead of driving then head to Mainz or Bingen to start exploring all the castles near Frankfurt.

Stop 1: Mainz

Mainz is a big city close to Frankfurt and known for hosting several festivals along the river. Check out Mainz festival calendar to see if you want to tap on it. We stopped here for a morning stroll through the market on the riverfront

Stop 2: Rudesheim am Rhein, Burg Rheinstein and Reichenstein (Near Bingen)

‘Rudesheim am Rhein’ is a small town in Germany and popular for its Riesling wine (of course!). Take the Rudesheim cable car ride, if you have the time, to Niederwald Monument passing over the German vineyards. 

We skipped the cable car but drove by some of the castles nearby namely Burg Rheinstein and Burg Reichenstein. Both these castles can be seen on your drive or from the K.D. ferry.

TIP: If you ever dreamed of staying in a castle then this is your chance – Reichenstein castle, built in the 12^th century, is also a castle hotel in Germany. 

Stop 3: Bacharach (Overnight Stay)

Next up we headed to Bacharach, my favorite town, also popular for its Riesling wines (duh!). We chose to spend our first night in Bacharach as it was centrally located on our planned route. And not only that, the quaintness of this small town was as a bonus to stay overnight. We explored the town of Bacharach the next day so more info on that below.

TIP: Another great place to stay overnight would be the town of Oberwesel.

Stop 4: Bacharach to St. Goar Rhine River cruise with K.D.

After checking in our Airbnb in Bacharach and finding street parking for our rental car, we decided to take the afternoon ferry from Bacharach to St. Goar. We could only go till St. Goar to avoid missing the last ferry back for the day. 

The scheduled K.D. river cruise we took had an English speaking tour guide who explained the history and folklore behind all the castles and the Lorelei (rock pictured below) on Rhine River. Burg Katz is another beautiful medieval castle that you will see from St. Goar.

Stop 5: Schloss Rheinfels in St. Goar

Since St. Goar was our last stop we decided to explore the town for an hour before heading back.  Right away, we headed to Rheinfels Castle which was built in the 13^th century. You can either take a shuttle bus to go up to the castle from the town center or hike up a paved path. Given the little time we had, we took the shuttle back and forth.

TIP: For those dreaming of staying in a castle, Burg Rheinfels is another castle hotel in Germany to get pampered like a royal.

On the return boat ride, a glass of wine each made for a perfect companion to relax and enjoy the beautiful views of castles on the Rhine.                 

Day 2

Stop 1: Explore Bacharach

We woke up at the crack of down to explore Bacharach the next day. That was the best decision ever since we were the only two souls out in the whole town which happens probably never in Europe.

On that note, if you are wondering when to visit Germany, we highly recommend spring or fall i.e. right before or after the summer tourist season hits to avoid the crowd. 

What to see in Bacharach:

• Burg Stahleck Castle: The castle in Bacharach is now turned into a youth hostel. Yes, that means you don’t have to pay a bomb to stay in a castle, grab yourself a bunk bed or a small private room on a budget.
• Hiking: There are a few great hikes in Bacharach taking you through the vineyards. One of those trails takes you up to Burg Stahleck. We hiked to the old post tower to get the below postcard view of the town and the castle.
• Vineyards: You don’t have to go far to explore vineyards in Bacharach, you are already surrounded by it. And if you haven’t noticed already, most of these vineyards are situated on the mountain slopes giving the local wine a fine flavor.
• Ancient ruins: Wernerkapelle is an unfinished gothic ruin still standing tall in Bacharach. There is a trail which goes behind the Bacharach church that leads you here.
• Walk around the town: Bacharach is one of the prettiest towns in Germany with some of the oldest buildings, take some time to leisurely walk around.

Stop 2: Explore Boppard

After breakfast, we drove to the town of Boppard passing by the town of Oberwesel. It was a beautiful Sunday morning in Boppard where farmer’s market and a spring festival was taking place. Boppard is a bigger town so you will find tons of local stores and German food places to try here.

Stop 3: Marksburg Castle

Marksburg Castle is another popular castle in the Rhine valley located on the east side of the river. We were driving on the west side and the only way to cross the river is on a boat (there are no bridges!). So we saw the castle from a viewpoint across the river. TIP: If you have the time then take a tour of this castle, it is highly recommended by Rick Steves.

Stop 4: Burg Eltz

Ideally, the next stop on our Rhine river road trip was Koblenz but we took a little detour into the Mosel River region to see Burg Eltz. The Mosel river cruises are also a popular road trip in this region and would make for a perfect weekend getaway in Germany. If you have the time explore the nearby town Cochem on the Mosel valley.

TIP: You guy, you have to visit Burg Eltz castle while you are here! More info on how to get to Burg Eltz below –

Getting to Burg Eltz: Driving is the best way to get here and there is plenty of parking available at Burg Eltz. From the parking lot, you can either take a shuttle bus to the castle or a short hike on the marked trail through the forest to get here. The views are different so I recommend taking both routes, one going up and the other to come back.

TIP: Walk the paved shuttle bus route for the best postcard view of castle Burg Eltz.

Inside Burg Eltz: There is no entrance fee to see Eltz castle’s surroundings. You only have to pay an entrance fee if you want to see the rooms inside the castle. It is very similar to visiting Neuschwanstein Castle near Munich.

Having seen both, we’d say just skip the tour unless you really want to see the room layouts and Eltz family’s belongings. Yes, the family still owns this castle. Instead, spend more time walking around the castle, the river behind it and enjoy the views from the restaurant/bar.

Stop 5: Spend the night at Koblenz

After a long second day, we reached Koblenz just before sunset. Koblenz is a big city in Germany and a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the confluence of Rhine River and the Mosel River takes place.

After checking into our hotel, we did a self walking tour of the old town Koblenz. We ended our walk at the confluence of Mosel and Rhine just in time for sunset. The beautiful riverfront walkway ends at a big statue of Kaiser Wilhelm which opens up to a gorgeous view of the convergence of two rivers.

A few other popular things to do in Koblenz:

• The Koblenz cable car above Rhine River which takes you to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress,
• Schloss Stolzenfels is the other castle in Koblenz which you can tour.
• Visit Basilica of St. Castor.
• Walk around the streets of old town Koblenz.

Day 3

Return Trip

We had an afternoon flight from Frankfurt, so this time we took the autobahn (highway) to get back to the airport from Koblenz. If you are taking the train from Koblenz then you just need to hop on an ICE train to get to Frankfurt hbf.

Where to Stay in Rhine Valley

Here are some of our recommendations to help you with accommodation in the Rhine Valley. We stayed at Trierer Hof and it was a perfect location to explore old Koblenz town.

In closing, take it from us and skip the big cities to go explore the Rhine River valley or the Mosel River region in Germany. It has to be one of the most romantic places to visit in Germany!

More on Travel in Europe

• Visiting the Bavarian Castles Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau – An easy day trip from Munich
• How to spend 3 fun days in Munich – A self guided itinerary
• 7 Days in Iceland Itinerary – The Ultimate Summer Road Trip Guide
• Roman Holiday Guide – Must see & do things in Rome

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Happy Traveling!