Three-night Rhine itinerary recommendations

In your case, you might do well to stay in Rüdesheim on the 27th. It's probably the biggest "wine town" in the Rhine Gorge. Just steps from the Rüdesheim rail station is Broemserburg Castle, home to a wine museum, and on the 27th there'll be an "Oldtimer-Treffen" there - the castle will be the terminal point for a classic car cruise that begins at the Niederwalddenkmal (gigantic statue and hiking destination that towers over vineyards and the Rhine River, just outside of town.) The "Rheingau Motor Classics" event page (in German) indicates the event is free of charge, with the Burggarten (Castle grounds) opening at 17:00 for informal wine and snacks, with music.

https://www.rheingaumotorclassics.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_6878-scaled.jpg

I've happened upon 2 Oldtimer events previously. Saw cars I'd never seen before, lots of fun. And the thing is, with your arrival mid-afternoon, it's the sort of low-demand activity that fits in nicely, the only event in the area I'm aware of during your stay.

Rüdesheim is a bit of a tourist zoo on weekends. However, you are arriving on Sunday at a time when most tourists are heading home. So I think it could serve you nicely for 3 nights. On Monday morning, you'd be perfectly poised for boarding a northbound KD cruise boat (9:00 > 10:50) to St. Goar (all boats on this day terminate in St. Goar/St. Goarshausen, where the most intense scenery ends.) The cruise takes you past castle after castle and past the Loreley Cliffs as well. St. Goar's Rheinfels Castle, a set of ruins + museum, is there at the end and open to visitors, after which you could use the train to visit Bacharach and/or Oberwesel to the south (5-10 minutes south of St. Goar., possibly by afternoon cruise boat leaving Bacharach at 17:20 (arrive Rüdesheim at 19:00.)

On Tuesday, I'd strongly recommend a visit to Marksburg Castle in Braubach.

https://img.fotocommunity.com/marksburg-braubach-bc203e81-d606-4f2f-bb8d-17e275e8ba88.jpg?height=1080

https://www.marksburg.de/en/circuit/#/

It's a fully-intact medieval castle with an excellent tour in one of the Rhine's most overlooked half-timbered towns. Take a direct train from R'heim to Braubach and back 45 minutes each way... this journey will show you the remainder of the Rhine Gorge. I would probably spend some time Tuesday morning in Rüdesheim seeing what interests you there before making this trip. Have lunch, then board the 14:06 train to Braubach (14:53) - walk up, tour the castle, back down... maybe catch the 18:06 back to R'heim.

Russ, your replies on this forum have been immensely helpful, and this one was no exception. Thank you for the insight and detail. Rheingau Motor Classics and Marksburg Castle both look fantastic. I'll be looking into Rüdesheim hotels now.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Marksburg castle. Be sure to plan your time around the English tours at 1 & 4 pm. You can’t see the castle without a tour. Be sure to check out the gift shop - lots of unique items. And it is quite a walk uphill from the train station. I would take a taxi.

We’ve stayed in Boppard and Bacharach and much preferred Boppard. More restaurants and hotel options, the beautiful promenade along the river, the chair lift up the hill for great views. Bacharach is adorable, but very small. Our hotel was in between the busy main road and the train tracks, and quite noisy.

Marksburg and Rheinfels Castles:

The standard walks from town to castle in both cases involve some elevation gain. In case you aren't able or interested in walking up from town to the castles... For Rheinfels Castle there's a regular shuttle that runs between town and the castle on the clifftops. For Marksburg Castle, a local bus (#540) gets you from the station to the Johannisfriedhof stop. From there it's just a 9-minute walk to the castle. Because this bus runs only every 2 hours during mid-day hours (10:15, 12:15, 14:15...) it's wise to coordinate your train arrival time accordingly. Bus #540 schedule:

https://ekap-download.vrs.de/downloads/linien/mini-fahrplan/2023_3540_VRM540.pdf?1670826769

That said... because you listed "hiking" and the "Rhine's history" as interests, visiting both Rheinfels and Marksburg on foot seemed reasonable to me as "combo" activities.

Note that in both Braubach and St. Goar, and in Rüdesheim as well, you will find additional hiking options that can be very enjoyable. There's a hike from Rheinfels in St. Goar that takes you south along the cliffs through fields and forest to the Maria Ruh lookout for an outstanding view of the Loreley:

https://www.rlp-tourismus.com/en/infosystem/infosystem/Aussichtspunkt-Maria-Ruh_Urbar/infosystem.html

In Braubach, there are 20+ different hikes that include Marksburg Castle at the following site:

https://www.komoot.com/highlight/124376

Click on "see hikes here" in the green box near the top, right of center. The new page (P. 1) shows hikes 1-5 of the 22 hikes. On P. 2 you will find the most basic/direct trail up from the station. The walk up is labeled "easy" and estimated at 45 minutes (naturally, your time and energy level depends on many factors and may vary! Have a modest lunch if it's a hot day.) Look for the hike titled "Blick auf Marksburg – Marksburg loop from Braubach." Click on that trail for details and a map.

The path(s) to Maria Ruh from Burg Rheinfels or St. Goar are detailed at the same website. A hike to Maria Ruh and back would constitute a small segment of the longer hike titled "Spitzenstein mit Aussichtsturm – Loreleyblick Maria Ruh loop from Biebernheim," the route shown in purple and the first hike listed.

https://www.komoot.com/discover/Burg_Rheinfels/@50.1536330,7.7053740/tours?map=true&max_distance=30000&sport=hike&startLocation=&toursThroughHighlight=190798

I'd like to second travel4fun's suggestion for a stop in Boppard and for doing Boppard's Chairlift Ride. Very nice views up there from Gedeonseck terrace and the Vierseenblick lookout. I wonder if you might fit that into your travel day to Amsterdam. Possible schedule for Wednesday:

• 8:06 train from R'heim to Koblenz; store bags in locker during 24 m. layover. Train to Boppard (9:44) plus 2-min. bus ride #670 to chairlift (ar. 9:54, opens at 10:00.)

Then spend 4-5 hours on the lift and in Boppard before your trip to A'dam...

• 14:12 train to Koblenz (14:27)... or 14:40 train (ar. Koblenz 14:54)... or 15:12 - 15:27... or 15:39 - 15:53... for bags.

• 15:16 or 16:13 train departures from Koblenz to A'dam (both arrive before 9 pm.)

The Brömserberg Wine Museum has been closed for renovations since at least 2020.
If you are in Rüdesheim, visit Siegfrieds Musical Cabinet.

For wine tasting, go to RheinWein Welt in Rüdesheim. Or you can go up the Rhein, to Eltville and Eberbach Monastery. Stunning basilica and some of the best wines in the Rheingau.
https://www.rheinweinwelt.de/en/
https://www.eltville.de/freizeit-tourismus/
https://kloster-eberbach.de/en

Thanks all for the new responses. Very excited to add Eberbach Monastery and the Maria Ruh hike to the itinerary. We've booked accommodations at Breuer's Rüdesheimer Schloss.