Rhine Romanticism & Loreley

A World Heritage Valley on the Rhine

The Upper Middle Rhine Valley between Koblenz and Rüdesheim has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002. Along roughly 130 kilometres, more castles per river kilometre crowd together here than anywhere else in Europe. Rocky crags, vineyards, and Gothic towers succeed one another at a breathtaking pace. This three-day route combines the highlights of both Rhine banks and ventures up the Moselle for an unmissable detour.

Day 1 — Koblenz and the Gateway to the Moselle

The journey begins at the Deutsches Eck, where the Rhine and Moselle flow into one another. Ehrenbreitstein Fortress is one of the largest surviving fortress complexes in Europe. Those with half a day to spare can travel up the Moselle to Cochem: the Reichsburg presides over a steep conical hill above the old town and, despite its destruction and nineteenth-century reconstruction, presents an imposing image of medieval lordship.

Day 2 — World Heritage Panoramas and the Loreley Rock

Boppard is the ideal starting point for the second day. The rival castles of Sterrenberg and Liebenstein — according to legend built by two quarrelling brothers — stand on the eastern bank. Further south awaits the Loreley Rock: 132 metres of slate rise from the Rhine, and the current beneath was long considered the river’s most dangerous stretch by boatmen. Opposite, Burg Katz presides as the perfect backdrop.

Day 3 — Burg Eltz, the Undestroyed Jewel

Burg Eltz lies away from the Rhine in a wooded side valley, as though history had forgotten it. Never destroyed, in the possession of the Counts of Eltz since the twelfth century, the castle unites Romanesque and Gothic building phases in an authentic ensemble that has no equal in the Rhineland.