Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [438]
For picnic supplies, Nahkauf grocery (Koblenzerstrasse 2; 8am-12.30pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-12.30pm Sat) is about 150m north along Oberstrasse from the church.
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BACHARACH TO BINGEN
Along the southernmost stretch of the Romantic Rhine, three impressive castles affording spectacular views grace the craggy left-bank slopes. First up (if you’re coming from the north) is the state-owned Burg Sooneck ( 06743-6064; www.burgen-rlp.de; adult/concession guided tour €2.60/1.30; 9am-6pm Apr-Sep, 9am-5pm Oct, Nov & Jan-Mar, closed in Dec & 1st workday of each week, usually Mon), carefully restored in the 19th century and filled with neo-Gothic and Biedermeier furniture and paintings.
Looming above the village of Trechtingshausen, the mighty Burg Reichenstein ( 06721-6117; www.burg-reichenstein.de, in German; adult/under 12yr €4/2.50; 10am-6pm Mar–mid-Nov, closed Mon except perhaps Jul & Aug) now harbours a museum with a prized collection of furnishings, armour, hunting trophies and even cast-iron oven slabs. Also has a restaurant and rooms for rent.
The most picturesque of the three is the privately owned Burg Rheinstein ( 06721-6348; www.burg-rheinstein.de; adult/child €4/2.80; 9.30am-5.30pm mid-Mar–mid-Nov, 10am-4.30pm Sat & Sun mid-Nov–mid-Mar), which in the 1820s became the first Rhine castle to be converted – by Prussian royalty – into a romantic summer residence. The working drawbridge and a portcullis evoke medieval times but the interior is mostly neo-Gothic.
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BINGEN
06721 / pop 24,600
Thanks to its strategic location at the confluence of the Nahe and Rhine Rivers, Bingen has been coveted by warriors and merchants since its founding by the Romans in 11 BC. Repeatedly scarred by war, these days it’s an attractive, flowery town that’s rather less touristy than some of its smaller neighbours.
Bingen was the birthplace of the writer Stefan George (1868–1933) and, more notably, the adopted home of Hildegard von Bingen (see the boxed text, Click here).
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Orientation & Information
Bingen’s centre is along the left (south) bank of the Rhine, just east of its confluence with the Nahe River. The town has two train stations: the Hauptbahnhof, just west of the Nahe in Bingerbrück; and the more central Bahnhof Bingen Stadt, just east of the town centre.
Post office (Am Fruchtmarkt) Situated on the main street near the bridge. Has an ATM.
Tourist office ( 184 205; www.bingen.de; Rheinkai 21; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat Easter-Oct, 10am-1pm Sun May-Oct, 9am-12.30pm & 1.30-4pm Tue-Thu, to 6pm Mon, to 1pm Fri Nov-Easter) Facing the Rhine 250m west of Bahnhof Bingen Stadt; it has brochures and maps for hikers and cyclists.
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Sights
Thanks to the 2008 State Garden Show, the once-derelict bit of Bingen between the train tracks and the Rhine has been turned into a delightful riverside promenade, with lawns, flower beds, a beer garden and a stylish wine bar.
Bingen’s commercial centre is centred around pedestrians-only Basilikastrasse, named after Basilika St Martin, a 15th-century, Gothic-style church – built on the site of a Roman temple – at its western end. Up a staircase at the top of Rathausstrasse is the town’s most prominent landmark, Burg Klopp, an imposing castle restored in the late 19th century. The views are superb and the terrace is the perfect spot for a first kiss – or a 10,000th. To get a bit higher you can climb the tower (admission free; 8am-6pm in the warm months), which proudly flies the town’s red-and-white flag. The old Roman well seems bottomless (it’s actually 52m deep).
The Historisches Museum am Strom ( 991 531; Museumsstrasse 3; adult/concession/family €3/2/6; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun), on the riverside promenade, has exhibits on Rhine romanticism, both engraved and painted, and the life and achievements of Hildegard von Bingen (see the boxed text, Click here).