St. Goar and Bacharach

My wife and I stayed in Bacharach in 2008 and loved it. We stayed in a pension, so I can't help you with accommodations. But I can tell you that the apple strudel at Altes Haus is the best I have ever had. We really enjoyed the self-guided walk in Rick Steves' guidebook. If you climb the stairs in the tower above town, there are spectacular views of the Rhine. We stopped by St. Goar and it seemed very pleasant also. I think Bacharach is slightly quieter than St. Goar, but both are charming. Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar is a good ruined castle, with great views. The river cruise between Bacharach and St. Goar is very worthwhile. If you have time, the nearby Mosel River very is beautiful and very peaceful. It also has a great castle, Burg Eltz. The white wine in this region is very good.

Thank you. That was very helpful.

Not sure what you have against a pension. I've stayed in both pensionen and hotels, and I don't think I could tell you from the inside if I were in a pension or in a one or two star hotel. A hotel might have a front desk manned part (or all) of the day whereas a pension would give you a key to the front door, but that would be the major difference. If you want a front desk manned full time, a restaurant open most hours, and room service, then you want a 4 or 5 star hotel. There is one, Romantik Hotel Schloss Rheinfels (4*), in St Goar.

Carol, If you decide to stay in Bacharach, a few places you could consider for accommodations.... > Hotel Kranenturm - very comfortable rooms but no Elevator. The owners are wonderful and they have great food in the restaurant! Although it's right next to the rail lines, I didn't have any problems at all with train noise (the walls are solid stone and about 6-feet thick). It's an easy walk from the station. > Hotel Im Malerwinkel - I haven't stayed there, but it gets great reviews on Trip Advisor. It's a bit farther from the rail station, but still a fairly easy walk. I've also stayed at Pension Lettie and while it's not a "Hotel", it is very comfortable and Lettie is a wonderful host! One of my favourite memories of staying there is having fresh Waffles for breakfast! I agree with Lee that some Pensions are well worth considering. Happy travels!

I've stayed in both and think Bacharach is a little more scenic. I really liked Rick's walking guide the first time I visited Bacharach. I've stayed in hostels and pensions, rather than hotels, in both.

In St Goar, definitely walk up to Berg Rheinfells (Rheinfells Castle), the remains of a castle that once stood in that space. Some of it remains, but in much of it, only parts of the exterior walls still stand, which just makes it that much more interesting. It was definitely 1 of the highlights of the Rhine region for me. Up top at the castle, the views of the Rhine below are great. I also enjoyed just strolling around St. Goar, especially in the water-front area; it's just a very pretty little town, and very picturesque.

Burghotel Schonburg in Oberwesel. Close to Bacharach! Book early-it's hard to get a reservation.

I love Bacharach and Sankt Goar! These are two of the best Rhine cities. I stayed at the Bacharacher Hof Hotel. They were very nice, and we had a view of the Burg Stahleck castle! They make complimentary breakfast every morning for their guests. They also had a mini fridge in the room with beer, wine, and champagne/sparkling wine from the area and not too pricey either. Bacharach is definitely where you want to stay on the Rhine. Yes, like every nearby little town, it for the most part closes down pretty early at night, but it definitely has the most charm! The Burg Rheinfels castle in Sankt Goar is absolutely fantastic! It's one of the best castles on the Rhine. It's super cool - definitely a must see, I promise you. They sell the miner's hat, so that you can go through the dark tunnel areas. The views from both of these castles are breathtaking. Burg Stahleck has a cafe, where they make macchiatos and have Nestles' ice cream. Burg Rheinfels has a terrace restaurant and bar.

Highly recommend Pension Malerwinkel in Bacharach. Very nice young couple that own the pension/hotel and breakfast is great. You can also purchase wine very reasonably there and sit on their lovely patio. Very important about Pension Malerwinkel is that it is not by the train tracks so thus not noisy.