Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [437]
High above the town’s upriver edge is the majestic Schönburg (www.hotel-schoenburg.com) castle, saved from total ruin when a New York real estate millionaire purchased it in 1885 (it’s now a hotel). Legend has it that this was once the home of seven beautiful but haughty sisters who ridiculed and rejected all potential suitors until all seven of them were turned into stone and submerged in the Rhine. You may be able to spot them from the Siebenjungfraublick (Seven Virgins Viewpoint), reached via a lovely vineyard trail beginning at the town’s downriver edge.
The tourist office ( 710 624; www.oberwesel.de; Rathausstrasse 3; 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri Apr-Oct, to 2pm Fri Nov-Mar, plus 9am-1pm Sat Jul-Sep) is across the street from the Rathaus.
The 206-bed DJH hostel ( 933 30; www.jugendherberge.de; dm from €19.90) overlooks the town from near the Schönburg.
Half-timbered Hotel Römerkrug ( 7091; www.hotel-roemerkrug.rhinecastles.com; Marktplatz 1; s/d €50/80), run by three generations of a friendly local family, is in the most picturesque part of town, facing the Rathaus. The seven rooms have an antique feel and it has an excellent traditional restaurant (mains €12-25; daily May-Sep, Fri-Tue Oct-Dec, Mar & Apr, Sat & Sun Jan & Feb).
Picnic supplies are available a block from the Rathaus at the Edeka Markt supermarket (Koblenzstrasse 1; 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat).
Bicycles can be rented from Höhn ( 336; Liebfrauenstrasse 38).
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BACHARACH
06743 / pop 2100
One of the prettiest of the Rhine villages, tiny Bacharach – 24km downriver from Bingen – conceals its considerable charms behind a time-worn, 14th-century wall. From the B9, go through one of the thick arched gateways under the train tracks and you’ll find yourself in a medieval village graced with exquisite half-timbered mansions such as the Altes Haus, the Posthof and the off-kilter Alte Münze – all are along Oberstrasse, the main street, which runs parallel to the Rhine.
Also on Oberstrasse is the late-Romanesque Peterskirche ( 9am-6pm Easter-Oct), with some particularly suggestive capitals. Look for the naked woman with snakes sucking her breasts (a warning about the consequences of adultery) at the end of the left aisle. A path that begins in between the church and the tourist office takes you uphill for 15 minutes to the 12th-century Burg Stahleck (now a hostel), and past the filigreed ruins of the Gothic Wernerkapelle.
The best way to get a sense of the village and its surrounds is to walk the new, signposted Stadtmauer Rundweg (Town Wall Walking Circuit). The lookout tower on the upper section of the wall affords panoramic views.
Bacharach’s tourist office ( 919 303; www.rhein-nahe-touristik.de; Oberstrasse 45; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat, Sun & holidays Apr-Oct, 9am-noon Mon-Fri Nov-Mar) has handy information about the entire area. There’s an ATM across Oberstrasse from the church.
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Sleeping & Eating
There are places to eat along Oberstrasse.
Campingplatz Sonnenstrand ( 1752; www.camping-sonnenstrand.de, in German; Strandbadweg 9; per person/tent/car €5/3/3; Apr-Oct) On the Rhine about 500m south of (upriver from) town.
DJH Burg Stahleck ( 1266; www.jugendherberge.de; Burg Stahleck; dm from €18.90; ) In a dream setting inside the medieval Burg Stahleck, this hostel has 168 beds in rooms for one to six people, almost all with private bathrooms.
Rhein Hotel ( 1243; www.rhein-hotel-bacharach.de; Langstrasse 50; s €39-59, d €78-118; closed Jan & Feb; ) Right on the town’s medieval ramparts, this homey, family-run hotel has 14 well-lit rooms with original artwork and compact bathrooms. Those facing the river, and thus the train tracks, have double double-glazing. The restaurant (mains €8.30 to €21; closed Tuesday) specialises in regional dishes such as Rieslingbraten (riesling-marinated braised beef). Bikes are free for guests to use.
Zum Grünen Baum ( 1208; Oberstrasse 63; snacks & light meals €2.40-7.50;