Marco Rothbrust/Romantischer Rhein Tourismus GmbH
(CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
RheinBurgenWeg (Rhine Castle Trail)
Hiking through the legendary Middle Rhine Valley 🏰🌊🥾
The RheinBurgenWeg leads through one of Europe’s most impressive cultural landscapes, blending magnificent nature with living history. High above the Rhine, you hike along scenic ridgeways through the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley, accompanied by spectacular views of the river, steep vineyards, and an unrivaled density of castles and palaces 🍇⛰️. Hardly any other trail combines romance, panoramas, and culture so harmoniously.
Your journey takes you away from the hustle and bustle onto narrow paths through quiet forests, over sunny heights, and along historic trade routes 🌳👣. Again and again, the view opens up to the Rhine below, where ships drift leisurely through the valley and the water sparkles in the sunlight 🚢✨. The vineyards on the steep slopes tell of centuries-old traditions, while small wine-growing villages with half-timbered houses and cozy alleys invite you to linger 🏘️🍷.
The encounter with the numerous castles, perched like stone guardians over the valley, is particularly impressive 🏰. Some appear fairytale-like and romantic, others fortified and imposing. Each tells its own story of knights, merchants, and life on the Rhine. This proximity to the past gives every stage a truly special atmosphere 📜💫.
The RheinBurgenWeg is also a culinary delight. In traditional Straußwirtschaften (wine taverns) and inns along the route, you can enjoy regional specialties and excellent wines 🍽️🍇. After a day of hiking with great views, a glass of Riesling overlooking the Rhine tastes particularly good.
The stages of the RheinBurgenWeg are varied and manageable. They connect high-altitude trails with short descents into the valley towns, constantly offering new perspectives on the landscape and culture 🌄💚. Whether at sunrise over the vineyards or in the evening light on the castle rocks—the impressions will stay with you for a long time.
The RheinBurgenWeg is more than just a hike. It is a journey through history, nature, and romance—a path full of grand vistas and quiet moments. Anyone who hikes here experiences the Middle Rhine Valley at its most beautiful and takes home memories that linger long after the journey ends ✨🥾🌊.
Day 1
Arrival in Koblenz
Day 2
Bingen - Trechtingshausen
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Day 3
Trechtingshausen - Bacharach
Off to the Middle Ages! Today marks the king's stage, a truly challenging 21 km trek with over 800 meters of elevation gain. But this varied route from Trechtingshausen through the Bingen Forest to Bacharach is record-breaking in another way: an impressive five castles and ruins line the path, truly living up to the name of the Rhine Castle Trail!
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Day 4
Bacharach - Oberwesel
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Day 5
Oberwesel - St. Goar
To start off, Oberwesel surprises with a fantastic passage along the upper city wall before the trail heads into the vineyards north of the town. From there, instead of taking the Ölsbergsteig, you hike up to the Günderodehaus. The journey continues via the Troll-Pfad (Troll Path) to the Skulpturenweg (Sculpture Trail), an entertaining stretch that leads to the Beuslberg hut, where the Ölsbergsteig route reconnects. You then enjoy a relaxed walk along the clifftop to Maria Ruh, a wonderful place for a break directly across from the Loreley. Finally, the route leads through the Lohbach Valley down into St. Goar.
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Day 6
St. Goar - Bad Salzig
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Day 7
Bad Salzig - Rhens
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Day 8
Rhens - Koblenz
The 7th stage begins in the timber-framed idyll of Rhens, tempting hikers with a short climb and a detour to the Königsstuhl (King’s Seat). Following this, lush orchards and varied woodlands ensure an entertaining hike until Stolzenfels Castle presents itself as the next worthwhile detour. You then traverse the forest to reach the Dommelsberg, passing ancient Celtic traces before arriving at the Rittersturz.
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Day 9
Departure or extension
Requirements for hikers
Summary
- Total approx 105 km over 7 hiking days
- 8 nights
- Breakfast
- Luggage transfer
- Travel documents and GPS data
- Service hotline
- ab 888,- € pro Person
Facts about the RheinBurgenWeg
- The RheinBurgenWeg is a long-distance hiking trail in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Germany
- It runs predominantly through the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate
- The route follows the Rhine between Bingen/Rüdesheim and Remagen
- The trail is approximately 200 kilometers long
- The RheinBurgenWeg leads through the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site
- There are over 40 castles, palaces, and ruins located along the route
- The path runs mostly on the left bank of the Rhine
- Well-known towns along the route include Boppard, St. Goar, Oberwesel, and Braubach