Bacarach Germany

Yes. the HI/DJH castle hostel is the only one I'm aware of. You will find it a very steep walk up from town, however. Makes sure you've finished seeing Bacharach before you head up or see it on your way down, because you probably won't want to climb 500 steps twice. Or maybe even once with bags. There are hostels in nearby towns too. St. Goar (much easier walk, in old villa just beneath Rheinfels Castle. Love that place.) Bingen (also an easier walk, overlooks the Rhine, a ruined castle (Ehrenfels) and the Mäuseturm (mini-castle in the river.) Kaub: brand new hostel in an ancient building, very sharp. Oberwesel: don't bother, also too high on the cliffs for coming and going. Copy and paster: www.jugendherberge.de/en/hostels/search/map/index.jsp?ID=9

Emphasizing what Russ said, here are two views I took of the path up to Stahleck. The first view is of stairs from the Werner Kapelle. They were closed off when I took the picture. The stairs are the shortcut. Instead, you can take a path (2nd view) around them, but it goes right past Im Malerwinkel. For €15 more per night, you could stay at Im Malerwinkel and avoid the long climb.

We stayed there as a family in June, 2010 and loved it. People complain that it isn't a "real" castle because it was in disrepair a century ago and then rebuilt. But by that definition, hardly any of Europe is "real". As for the climb, we did it several times over the course of three days and never considered it a problem. You're a tourist in Europe. You're going to be climbing a lot. Better get used to it. I wouldn't climb that path to stay at a Motel6, but the hostel in Bacharach is a site in itself, worth seeing and certainly worth staying at. The view from the patio is to die for. They also offer a meal at dinner which is simple but very filling and very inexpensive. Overall, it's a bargain and a great memory, too. Note; the interior looks nothing like a castle, though. It looks like any hostel inside - sort of dorm-like - though I would argue slightly nicer than average.

Saying Stahleck was in "disrepair" a hundred years ago is like saying Lincoln had a headache after the play. Napoleon's troops destroyed it, as they did almost every castle in that part of Germany when they occupied it in the early 1800s. If you want to see an authentic castle, go to the Marksburg in Braubach, the only castle that didn't get destroyed.

Lee, "Saying Stahleck was in "disrepair" a hundred years ago is like saying Lincoln had a headache after the play." LOL!!! That really brightened up my afternoon!

Martha, As the others have mentioned, there's only one Hostel in Bacharach. It's located well above the town, but as mentioned the views from the Patio are incredible! That's an HI property, and I can't recall if having an HI membership is compulsory (it is in some HI properties in Europe). Would you absolutely prefer to stay in a Hostel, or would other accommodations suffice? In addition to the Hotel that Lee mentioned, you could look at This B&B. The rooms are basic but very comfortable, and it's located right in town, a short distance from the train station. The owner is wonderful and she'll make sure you have a great stay in Bacharach. Cheers!

Don't bother going to Rome then, as many of those ruins were "put back together" or do people think they found them all like that, just waiting to be uncovered. Might as well write Munich off your list of places to visit then too, as well as Dachau, while you are at it, as everything there has been reconstructed. Best to visit Sachsenhausen, where they have the original buildings. Rothenburg for that matter, was also heavily rebuilt, but I don't see anyone complaining. Seriously, does it really matter that stones were put back into their original spots, that new paint was put on the walls, or frescos re-touched or cleaned? How in the world does this detract from enjoying a historic site? Perhaps the Marksburg wasn't bombed, but they have certainly done a lot of work on it. I really wonder about this attitude of things not being "worthy" of seeing or visiting because they aren't completely original and intact.

When are you going? A look at the availability calendar shows it is mostly filled already through summer. I know the appeal of the hostel is the castle and view, but cost wise, there are rooms in the lower town that are just as inexpensive. The town has a nice website - www.bacharach.de that lists places to stay