Romantic Rhine series - Rudesheim

Rudesheim is one of Germany's best known wine towns.  Vines are cultivated on the steep banks of the Rhine.  Before we head up the hill for a better look, let's first visit the cozy & friendly town.

Drosselgasse:  The town is perfect for tourists.  Which apparently they get a lot of those.  We heard that 3 million tourists visit this town every year and I can see why.  Narrow streets wind through town, letting you meander along stopping for a glass of wine, the yummy Rudesheimer Coffee or do some Christmas ornament shopping.

We chose to stop at a small restaurant to sample the "coffee".  The drink is served hot with coffee, some kind of liquor and chocolate which they light it on fire and put it out with heavy whip cream.  I have NO IDEA how many calories this drink was, but that's what vacations are for - to try new things.  This drink was tasty, but a little lethal if you have more than two.

Next, we visited the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments: This museum has lots to look at, from cute to really odd musical instruments.  It's a unique and expensive collection.

We decided to take the chair lift to see the statue of Germania.  This statue is made from 32 tons of bronze and was cast in 1883 to celebrate the German unification 12 years prior.  It's called the Niederwald Monument.

Niederwald Monument

Burg Ehrenfels:  After visiting the monument, it's an easy stroll through the vineyards to this romantic ruin that has great views of the "Mouse Tower" toward Bingen with it's own fortress, Burg Klopp. It's started getting dark, so we decided to make this a brisk stroll.

Rudesheim is the perfect German town to visit during the warm summer months.  Known for their white wine and beautiful river views, this town is tourist friendly.  I would definitely go back and stay a couple of nights at one of the boutique hotels.  Remember, the Rhine is not only beautiful it's also a way to get up or down the river.  They offer commute ferries (hop on/hop off) that are inexpensive and allow you to use Rudesheim as an affordable place to sleep while enjoying all the cities along the Rhine.

Don't miss the next post as we show you a glimpse at the most famous part of the Rhine - the Rhine Gorge.

Happy Traveling!