We will have two nights in late May to cruise the river, watch the barges, go to some wine bars, and walk thru a couple of towns. No castles this time. Looking for recommendations on where to stay, please. Bacharach looks cute but Boppard has riverfront hotels. Thanks!
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
8591 posts
Well, I originally booked a place in Bacharach in 2022 as it is a very charming town, but then changed it to the Bellevue Rheinhotel in Boppard. The biggest reason was that several people on this forum mentioned that Bacharach is very small and the hotels are not next to the water. In Boppard, my hotel was right on the Rhine. You could walk out the door and straight down to the water in about 30 seconds. I loved the hotel, too, and many of the rooms have views over the water. They also owned a cafe where you could sit next to the river and watch the ferries go by.
I also liked that Boppard had a quite a few restaurants, cafes and groceries there, and it's a quick 10-15 minute walk to the train station. There are a few people here who have stayed in Bacharach and enjoyed it, but I'm very glad that I changed my booking to Boppard.
Posted by
Paradise
7206 posts
Riverfront hotels: St Goar and Boppard are very good options.
There are more wine/food options and everything else in Boppard. It's a bigger town. St Goar has restaurants but not many. Of those we have patronized, we liked the Italian one - Alla Fontana - best.
The views from St Goar's Rheinhotel and Hotel Rheinfels (which are adjacent to each other) across the river to St. Goarshausen are unmatched. And St Goar is extra-convenient for cruising - that's where most cruises terminate - AND the cruise boat landing is right there by your hotel, as the photo above shows, with the train station only a couple minutes' walk as well.
This is the view, with Katz Castle, from the Rheinhotel.
Boppard is only 12 minutes from St Goar by train, a quick train ride for meals, wine, strolling, the chairlift ride (and Gedeonseck Terrace.) Bacharach is only 10 minutes from St Goar in the opposite direction- and in between is Oberwesel, only 5 minutes from St Goar. St Goar also has a convenient ferry crossing which allows you to use the train on the opposite riverbank (to visit Rüdesheim and/or to board a cruise boat in Rüdesheim and then cruise back to St Goar.) So St Goar is a pretty slick location for your needs, I think.
The Rheinhotel has a couple of balcony rooms - we had one of those on our last visit - really nice.
But you should be pretty happy if you book in Boppard instead. I have stayed at a couple of less-expensive, non-view hotels... the Hotel Sonnenhof and the Hotel Hubertus (which may have closed?) with no complaints and a very good breakfast at each. The Bellevue is at the top of the scale. Besides the Bellevue, I have heard very good things (on Tripadvisor, I believe) about the Ebertor, which shares the waterfront promenade with the Bellevue. The Ebertor is part hostel / part hotel, as I understand it, and should be less expensive than the Bellevue, but the upper-end hotel Ebertor rooms are said to be very good. The Boppard ferry gets you across the Rhine - but it drops you some distance from the nearest train station (in Filsen) so expect a longer walk than you'd have if you cross in St Goar.
Posted by
Columbus, OH, USA
2123 posts
We had a pleasant stay in Bacharach with a car at Hotel Restaurant Altkölnischer Hof. It was comfortable and well maintained with a balcony overlooking a lovely area. The restaurant was quite good and very attractive. We spend very little time in our hotel so views don’t much matter and we were happy enough. Later as we checked out Boppard briefly I felt that if we returned to the area we would stay there…it’s larger but not that big and seems to have much more to offer a tourist’s needs. Also, the wonderful, little restaurant we stumbled on in Bacharach and returned to a few times has sadly closed so it loses a few points right there in my book. Safe travels.
Posted by
OP
11 posts
Thank you, everyone for your wonderful details. I think I will look further into Boppard and St Goar.
Bellevue looks beautiful but a bit pricey but who knows, maybe we’ll splurge!
Any opinion on Boppard hotels Baudobriga or Rheinhotel Lilie? They are near Bellevue.
Thanks!
Posted by
Paradise
7206 posts
Any opinion on Boppard hotels Baudobriga or Rheinhotel Lilie?
Boppard is less-often booked by the Rick Steves crowd. Unsurprisingly, Rick Steves' followers tend to follow his fancies, and Rick, who was swept off his feet at some point by Bacharach - and emphasizes Bacharach above all other Rhine Gorge destinations - has never mentioned Boppard, AFAIK.
Even if you do get a response or two here about those two hotels, I suggest you have a look at the reviews on booking.com or Tripadvisor to learn what others have liked/disliked in the Rhine Gorge hotels.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g198631-Sankt_Goar_Rhineland_Palatinate-Hotels.html
https://www.booking.com/city/de/sankt-goar.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/SmartDeals-g198627-Boppard_Rhineland_Palatinate-Hotel-Deals.html
https://www.booking.com/city/de/boppard.en.html