Top Things to do in Rudesheim am Rhein Germany

Wondering about planning a day trip from Frankfurt then how about exploring this cute place in Rhein Area? In this post you will find the top things to do in Rudesheim.

Rudesheim am Rhein, a wine-producing town in the Rhine Gorge, is surrounded by soaring Riesling vineyards. Dramatic scenery can be found if tall canyon walls drop into a wide river that is dotted with islands. Medieval fortresses included as part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley World Heritage Site are manning the banks.

Germans have always held a special place in their hearts for this section of the Rhine, which lies close to the Lorelei Rock. In the 1870s, it was chosen for a grand monument honouring German unification and victory in the Franco-Prussian War. You can take a cable car for unforgettable views of the Rheingau, or you can hike up to the Niederwald Monument through vines and a beech forest.

Let’s investigate the top activities in Rüdesheim.

In case you are still in Frankurt then have you covered all these things to do in Frankfurt or you have missed something?

Top Things to do in Rudesheim

Niederwald Monument

Following Germany’s victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, the Niederwald Monument was erected high on the hill that bears its name. As soon as the war was finished, planning got under way, and it took more than ten years until this enormous celebration of unity was erected, in 1883. The allegorical representation of Germania is perched high on a pedestal and can be seen from a distance. She is seated on a throne and is holding the Imperial Sword in her left hand while hoisting the Holy Roman crown in her right.

A relief of Kaiser Wilhelm I riding a horse with military officers, troops, and aristocracy is located beneath her at the top of a twin staircase.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Cable Car to the Niederwald Monument

You can choose to walk, but the fastest route is to take the cable car from Oberstraße for a 15-minute ride over the Rhine Valley’s vineyards and the old town.

Dreamy vistas of the Rhine and the line of small, forested islands in the river in front of Rüdesheim can be seen while traveling in these open-air, two-seater gondolas.

The Rhine Gorge’s scenic beauty can be enjoyed for longer if you take a special trip at night in the summer to view the moon reflected in the river. There is also a restaurant at the upper station.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet

The main attractions at this wacky museum are automatic musical instruments, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

These range from music boxes to organs on wheels to a small orchestra of 15 instruments and are from the 18th to the 20th centuries.

The complexity of these instruments, whether manually operated, powered by a winding key, or electrical, virtually beyond comprehension.

Viewing the tools needed to produce organ pipes and their constituent parts, such as music rolls, perforated disks, and sheet music on cardboard, can give you a sense of how they were made.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Eibingen Abbey

Eibingen Abbey is one of the sites that make up the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. It still houses a community of Benedictine nuns.

The nuns have lived here since Hildegard of Bingen built the abbey in 1165, with the exception of the 19th century when the monasteries were disbanded. As a writer, composer, philosopher, and pioneering natural scientist, she was a true polymath.

The frescoes in the abbey church, which were created in the 19th century in the Beuron Art School’s aesthetic, depict her narrative.

The sisters own a vineyard and market their wine and other handcrafted goods at the abbey store.

You are welcome to attend vespers in the evening, and there are also concerts during the Rheingau Music Festival at the monastery.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Drosselgasse

Drosselgasse, an alley that is only two meters wide and 144 meters long, was used by Rüdesheim’s boat owners to get their supplies from the riverbank up to the old town.

It is one of the six parallel streets that tumble down the slope from Oberstraße and is perpendicular to the Rhine.

Drosselgasse was once a quarter for sailors who would use the tiny alleyways to bring their oars, sails, and rigging back to their flats while leaving their stripped boats moored on the water.

The Boulevard is as charming as it gets today, lined with half-timbered homes used as souvenir shops, artisan specialty stores, and wine bars that are frequently covered in vines.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Brömserburg

Brömserburg, which dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries, is perhaps the first of the several fortresses that currently make up the Upper Middle Rhine World Heritage Site.

From the beginning until the 18th century, the Mainz Archbishops controlled the castle.

With the exception of losing its southeast wing after an attack by the Duke of Longueville during the Thirty Years’ War in 1640, it has survived in fine condition. Since the Second World War, the town has controlled Brömserburg, which contains a wine museum that documents the development of the industry in the Rhine Gorge.

There are historic bottles and glasses, wine presses, and ancient amphorae, all of which are described in a multilingual audio commentary.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Asbach Besucher Center

Hugo Asbach, a native of Cologne, brought back the techniques for brandy distilling from a trip to Cognac in France in 1892, which is when the Asbach brandy label first appeared.

Before Hugo Asbach coined the German term “Weinbrand” after “Cognac” could only be used to refer to French products, Asbach brandy was formerly known as “Rüdesheim Cognac.”

You can see a movie in the Rüdesheim visitor center that contains all the information you require about the business.

For a modest price, you can also take a quick tour of the distillery to see the century-old stills and fermentation vats and sample some brandy.

Visit the store offering Asbach’s award-winning Privatbrand, aged eight years, if this appeals to you.

Assmannshausen Chairlift

In 1977, Rüdesheim integrated the village of Assmannshausen, which is located on the other side of the Rhine bend. You may already be familiar with the moniker from the Pinot Noir-based red wine produced there.

You may access Jagdschloss Niederwald, a former hunting lodge that is now a hotel and borders a wildlife reserve, via a chairlift from the riverbank.

Assmannshausen, which is densely packed into the fold of an adjacent valley, may be seen below as you gaze down from the higher station on the climb up, which offers views of the high right bank of the Rhine.

On the way back to Rüdesheim, a popular trip is a 30-minute stroll through a forest to the Niederwald Monument.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Klunkhardshof

One of the oldest and most picturesque half-timbered houses in the town is located on the named side-street that leads away from St. Jakobus church.

One of the nicest stops on a walking tour of the city is Klunkhardshof, a building with a slightly concave front that was constructed for the Klunkhard merchant family in the middle of the 15th century.

The three-story house, which has been in the same family since 1906, includes a big inscription on the first floor summarizing its history.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Burg Ehrenfels

The ruins of this medieval castle can be found on the steep hillside between Rüdesheim and Assmannhausen, along the vineyard route.

The edifice dates back to the Middle Ages, but its current structure dates to the early 13th century.

The Archbishop of Mainz gave the order to build Burg Ehrenfels as a border post and a defense against the hostile Counts Palatine of the Rhine.

The castle suffered damage during the Thirty Years’ War, and near the end of the 17th century, the French partially destroyed it during the Nine Years’ War.

Despite the shield wall’s two 30-meter towers being in outstanding shape, it has been allowed to decay since that time.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Wine Culture

Romans were the first people to fully exploit the ideal wine-growing conditions of the Rhine Gorge 1,900 years ago.

Since wine has played such a significant role in Rüdesheim’s history, wine cups from the Early Middle Ages have been found in local cemeteries.

Due to the expansiveness of the Rhine, rows of Riesling vines are nourished by more than 1,640 hours of sunlight each year on the south-facing slopes.

Slate, sandstone, and quartzite make up the very diverse soil on this 38-kilometer section of the Rhine, which results in subtle flavor variations from one vineyard to the next.

Riesling is the town of Rüdesheim’s specialty, and it is served in many of its wine bars and cellars.

The annual Weinfest also takes place in the middle of August on the market square under the plane trees.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Niederwaldtempel

The best vantage point at the Niederwald may be this classical temple in the English landscape park.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who observed the Rhine Gorge on September 3, 1814, would be one among those who would concur. The 1790-built temple then started going by the name Goethe-Tempel.

The original was destroyed during World War II, but it was quickly reconstructed with seven Doric columns encircling a rotunda.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Rüdesheim’s Carillons

On the hour and half-hour, bells will chime to provide background music for a stroll through Rüdesheim.

The Rüdesheimer Schloss hotel and restaurant on Drosselgasse has 14 bells on the tower, playing music like Die Lorelei (more on that later), and has wooden automata portraying each of Rüdesheim’s four notable wine vintages of the 20th century.

Then, Meissen porcelain bells made for Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet’s facade chime every half-hour starting at 09:30.

River Trips

The Rheingau serves as a major route for tourist cruises in the summer, and during this time you have the option of booking your trip with one of three companies: Bingen-Rüdesheim Riverboat Tours, Rössler Line Riverboat Tours, or KD Köln-Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG. The Lorelei, a rock 25 kilometers down the Rhine that is shrouded in legend, is the most popular destination during the peak season when they all make at least three excursions every day.

Heinrich Heine and Eichendorff, two romantic authors, waxed poetic about this 132-meter behemoth, and Clara Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, and Johann Strauss I all wrote music in honor.

Things to do in Rudesheim

Rhein in Flammen

A synchronised boat ride and fireworks display are held on the Rhine on the first Saturday in July.

This stretches between Brömserburg and the Niederheimbach in the Rüdesheim region, which is roughly 15 kilometers downstream.

Rhine in Flames is as dramatic as it sounds: A convoy of 50 cruise ships travels up the Rhine, passing Burg Ehrenfels and the Assmannshausen vineyards as pyrotechnics light up the night sky.

There are roughly 90 minutes between the first and the last fireworks, and the event is currently in its fifth decade.

Things to do in Rudesheim

That was our in detail post around Top Things to do in Rudesheim. It is also one of the best thing to do on Day Trip if you live in Frankfurt.

Some more post for you

• 17 Most Beautiful Lakes in Germany
• 20 Gorgeous Beaches in Germany
• Best Mountains in Germany to Visit