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Hiking in the Rhine valley

Posted by (Nashville, TN, USA) on

Trying to fine tune my packing and I am wondering if anyone has hiked the RheineBurgenWeg trails recently can provide some guidance on how the trails are-rocky, smooth? If we can avoid bringing 4 pairs of hiking shoes that would be great. Will running shoes or similar be ok?

We will either do the Bacharach to Oberwesel:
RheinBurgenWeg 03. Etappe Bacharach - Oberwesel (Süd-Nord)
13,3 km | 4:30 h | 355 m | 334 m | Difficulty: medium

OR the Oberwesel to St. Goar:

RheinBurgenWeg 04. Etappe Oberwesel - St. Goar (Süd-Nord)
8,8 km | 3:00 h | 404 m | 396 m | Difficulty: medium

Has anyone done these and can comment on how difficult they are (I know it says medium but I am not sure what that really means)? We are fairly experienced hikers. We hiked Monterosso to Vernazza last year and loved it. I think I have seen Russ recommend the Oberwesel-St Goar hike but was wondering if the Bacharach to Oberwesel was similar in terms of sights/views (I know it's longer). I ask bc we are staying in Bacharach and would be nice to be able to leave from our town. Not sure my kids would let us hike both stages so I will have to choose one :)

Thanks!

Posted by
6632 posts

Bacharach - Oberwesel is a little fuzzy for me at this point... I've done the other segment twice; the views moving from north to south were better than vice-versa. Rocky spots were few - it was largely easy going over earthy terrain with just sneakers. Trails can be damp depending on weather of course.

I ask bc we are staying in Bacharach and would be nice to be able to leave from our town.

If you are making a one-way hike that includes Bacharach, the train to Oberwesel takes only 5 minutes - then return to Bacharach on foot - or vice-versa. From a Bacharach base, St. Goar to Oberwesel would mean a 10-minute train ride + a 5 minute-train ride.

You could also do a less time-consuming walk/hike just around Bacharach; click on the numbers at the page below to find the highlights:

http://www.rhein-nahe-touristik.de/english/code/stadtrundgang/pg1.html

And here's a clickable map of the town: http://www.bacharach.de/stadtinformationen/stadtplan/

Posted by
444 posts

Thanks Russ! I thought that you had recommended the Oberwesel-St Goar hike. Maybe we will just play it by ear. But it seems that serious hiking shoes probably won't be necessary. :)

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