The Rhine Valley, Germany — Bella Via Travels
Germany
The Rhine Valley
Castles, vineyards and the great river
The Rhine Valley is the Germany of the Romantic imagination — a river gorge of extraordinary beauty, lined with castle ruins, steep vineyard slopes and medieval towns that have been drawing poets, painters and travellers since the eighteenth century.
The Middle Rhine Gorge, between Bingen and Koblenz, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — 65 kilometres of river bends, with a castle ruin on almost every promontory and a vineyard on almost every slope. The Lorelei rock, the Pfalzgrafenstein water castle and the Marksburg — the only Rhine castle never destroyed — are all within easy reach of each other.
The wine of the Rhine is among the finest in Germany: Riesling from the steep slate slopes of the Rheingau and the Mittelrhein, with a mineral intensity that reflects the geology of the valley. The wine festivals of the Rhine towns in September and October are among the most convivial in Germany.
The river itself is best experienced by boat — the KD Rhine cruise from Bingen to Koblenz takes four hours and passes through the heart of the gorge. Bella Via designs Rhine itineraries that combine the river with the wine culture and the medieval towns of the valley.
“The Rhine at dusk, with the castle ruins lit against the sky and the river turning gold — it is one of the great landscape experiences of Germany.”
What to Expect
The Bella Via Experience in The Rhine Valley
The Middle Rhine Gorge
A UNESCO World Heritage landscape of castle ruins, vineyard slopes and river towns — best experienced by boat from Bingen to Koblenz.
The Marksburg
The only Rhine castle never destroyed — a medieval fortress above the town of Braubach, with views of the river and the valley below.
Rheingau Riesling
The finest Riesling in Germany — steep slate slopes above the river, producing wines of extraordinary mineral intensity and longevity.
Cologne Cathedral
The largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe — a building of extraordinary ambition that took six centuries to complete and dominates the Rhine skyline.
The Rhine Valley rewards those who slow down and stay long enough to understand the landscape and the culture that has grown from it. We will help you design the journey that does it justice.