St Goar or Bacharach

We stayed in St Goar at the Rheinhotel St Goar for 4 nights in September 2012, and really liked the hotel and town. The hotel owner - Gil - was quite a good host. breakfast was served in the front room by the lobby, surrounded by windows. We had a room on the second floor with a balcony and enjoyed watching the ferry action on the river in the evenings, and the pedestrians and bikers on the riverside path. It is quite a small little town with just one main drag, so it's very quiet in the evenings. There are a few good restaurants on the little back lanes behind the hotel which we found interesting. We took a KD boat down to Bacharach one day, and it was pretty crowded in the middle of the day, but that is to be expected. I remember that it's bigger than St Goar with more shops and more going on. Probably more hotel choices in Bacharach. We were happy to escape back to ST Goar in the evening.

Bacharach is a very small town on the Rhine in the area with so many castles along the river. It's a good place to spend the night, but is otherwise a very quiet place. Hospitality is very good, and they have some very good local restaurants. I stayed there twice in two years driving from Amsterdam to Bavaria. There is also a small train station in the middle of the town that goes to Koblenz, Bonn, Cologne and Amsterdam. You can also be at the Frankfort Airport in 45 minutes. Trains transfer at Koblenz to other places, including Paris. You can read about accommodations on Bavaria Ben at
http://www.bensbauernhof.com/accommodationsrhinemosel.html

Tina, I prefer Bacharach rather than St. Goar. It some nice restaurants, hotels and shops and I really like the "smaller town ambience" there.

We visited St. Goar but stayed in Bacaharach, and felt it was the right choice. The castle above St. Goar is nice to visit, but the main street seemed like a strip mall.

I think there's little to separate the two. They're both about the same size and have about the same concentration of restaurants, trinket shops and visitors. Maybe a slight tip to St. Goar, because it has a nice view across the river, and because Bacharach doesn't have Rheinfels castle.

The Verkehrsverbund (transit district) Rhein-Mosel (VRM), which extends down the Rhein to the border with Nordrhein-Westfalen and up the Mosel to Bullay, starts at Oberwesel, between Bacharach and St. Goar, so St. Goar is in the district, Bacharach is not in it. From St. Goar, you can buy a VRM Tageskarte for 18,00€ single, 21,20€ for 2-5 people, and travel all the way, for example, to Koblenz, Cochem or to Bernkastel. From Bacharach, you would need to buy a Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket (22€ - 38€) to go the same places.

My husband and I spent 3 days in this area last June and had a wonderful time! We stayed in St. Goar and did the KD cruise to Bacharach and back. We disembarked at Oberwessel and explored then re-boarded on to Bacharach. Take a jacket with you because unless you purchase a food or drink they kick you up onto the bow, which is beautiful but can be chilly! Bacharach was just as beautiful and we could have just as easily stayed there as we. The hotel we stayed was Zum Golden Lowen, it was cheap €79! And sits directly across from the Rhine so you can watch the boats from your room. The staff was extremely helpfull! They are a cash only place but there is a bank directly across from their back door. There is a restaurant on site and we had a delicious weinerschnitzel wit pomme frites.
Have a Great trip! We are headed to France on Sunday!

I was just up that way last week, so here are my thoughts. In my humble opinion, Bacharach is the more attractive town, and a bit larger than St. Goar. It has more little winding streets to go strolling down, and more fachwerk buildings. Presently the whole street in front of the church and the Hbf in St. Goar is torn up, as they are repaving the whole thing. So, pretty much from the boat dock to up past the church, you have to detour around. This really detracts from the look of the place of course, as only construction can, but it will look nice when finished. When I asked in one of the stores when it would be done, they said in a year, that the entire street was going to get redone. The Tschu-Tschu train going up to Burg Rhinefels, now begins and ends down the street at the market place.

I think Bacharach is a marginally nicer town. I like the remnants of the wall in Bacharach, Rick publishes (or used to publish) a self-quided walk for Bacharach that includes some vineyards and a church ruin. Bacharach also has one of the best hostels anywhere in Burg Stahleck. St. Goar has the Rheinfels ruins, which are some of the best ruins I've visited. Both have decent eating choices and access to river cruises. Both roll up the streets at night after about 9 pm.

We stayed at both in 2009. We liked St Goar a bit better as our hotel had views directly on the river from its dining room. I was fascinated by the river traffic. There are a couple castle views across the river and a good strolling route along the river to a point opposite the Lorelei. Bacharach was also very nice, more half-timber houses. The Pension Malerwinkel was a great stay. You will not make a mistake with either except perhaps regarding Jo's warning about construction.

Hi, Tina, I spent a night or two in Bacharach a few years back and spent a day in St Goar. Bacharach is smaller and quieter than St Goar. If you enjoy a quiet town, I recommend Bacharach. If you are looking for a little more nightlife, try St Goar. Note that one can easily get back and forth via rail or boat. I enjoyed my stay at Hotel Kranenturm in Bacharach, built right into the old city walls with a river view.

We stayed in Bacharach in April for 4 nights. We stayed at RS recommended Malerwinkel. Great place! It's built rift into the city wall. There are some really nice restaurants there as well. We drove to the Marks burg Castle and to Reinfels. Enjoyed both places. We also rode the KD line all the way to Koblenz and back. Lovely relaxing day!

We stayed in Bacharach in April for 4 nights. We stayed at RS recommended Malerwinkel. Great place! It's built rift into the city wall. There are some really nice restaurants there as well. We drove to the Marks burg Castle and to Reinfels. Enjoyed both places. We also rode the KD line all the way to Koblenz and back. Lovely relaxing day!

We stayed in Bacharach in April for 4 nights. We stayed at RS recommended Malerwinkel. Great place! It's built rift into the city wall. There are some really nice restaurants there as well. We drove to the Marks burg Castle and to Reinfels. Enjoyed both places. We also rode the KD line all the way to Koblenz and back. Lovely relaxing day!

We stayed in Bacharach in April for 4 nights. We stayed at RS recommended Malerwinkel. Great place! It's built rift into the city wall. There are some really nice restaurants there as well. We drove to the Marks burg Castle and to Reinfels. Enjoyed both places. We also rode the KD line all the way to Koblenz and back. Lovely relaxing day!

Did you stay in Bacharach 4 times, Les?

Hi Tina. Definitely, visit both towns, but I recommend staying in Bacharach. St. Goar is a beautiful town. Rheinfels Castle, as well as the main drag, Heerstrasse, with it's shops and restaurants are the highlights of this town, and worth the visit. However, Bacharach with its vineyards, Stahleck Castle, half timbered buildings, had more of a "small town feel".