Holiday in the Rhine Valley - what is there to do?

[Wherethewildthymeblows]

Dh wants to holiday in Germany and the Rhine valley seems fairly accessible but I am struggling to put together an itinerary. I'm a little worried the main attractions are the vineyards (I don't drink alcohol) and the industrial heritage (motor museums etc) - no interest to me sadly.

Have you holidayed in the Rhineland? What attractions are there? Where did you stay? How did you find the food? Any suggestions please!

Castles. Walking. Cycling. Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cakes) in cafes. Beautiful scenery. River cruises (day trips, or just across the Rhine to another village). Sometimes there are musical events and summer festivals, depending on which towns you are in. The most scenic stretch of the Rhine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so there is plenty of free info.
Are you planning to be based in any particular location? Koblenz is a bustling city. You can take a cable car up to a castle on the other bank of the river. Food varies from traditional German to pizzas to the usual international fare, depending on your tastes and pockets.
What are your own interests?

Lots of pretty towns to wander around. And coffee and cake is a big joy of Germany.😀

Castles, castles and more castles.
Walking to the castles (or just walking in general)
Wandering around cute riverside towns.
Amazing Roman stuff in Trier.
Cologne Cathedral + museums

OK and there is the wine as well.

Food was great. Only thing we didn't like was some sort of green herbal sauce in Frankfurt that they were v proud of.

Thank you for responding.

I did wonder if Heidelberg might be a good place to base ourselves? You hear about castles but I can't find out which are the best to visit, or which stretches of the river are most scenic. Coffee and cake sounds great but only for so long. We are quite active people. I like the sound of walking and cycling but dh less so. He would be happy with the motor museums/industrial sites. I would prefer views and pretty places.

Oh yes, I forgot we had discussed Trier and Cologne too. I think we thought they might be too far away?

Heidelberg is lovely but Cologne is a good three hours away. If you want Rhine Valley then Heidelberg is great. Or have you considered other areas of Germany? I love the south with lakes like Bodensee and Chiemsee.

We were looking to try another area as we have already had a holiday in Bavaria. Plus, I am not willing to fly so the Rhine seemed relatively easier to get to from the UK. Yes, I think Cologne will have to wait, maybe for a weekend city break.

I love Heidelberg! The castle is really interesting, and the old town is lovely. There's also a cable-car up the hill behind the castle. There's a cafe half-way up, and a hotel & restaurant at the top, where you can admire the scenery for miles. If you like, there are loads of walking trails from there. Or you can just go back down, either by cable car or on foot.

Heidelberg is linked to Ludwigshafen and Mannheim by an extensive tram network. Last summer we stayed about 10km north of Heidelberg, in a small family-run hotel, in a village. A day ticket on the tram was about €5 and you could use it to go all over.

Trier is a very nice city. Lots of possibilities for hiking in the area. Trier has Roman monuments, the Porta Nigra, Roman Baths, nice museum.
If you travel by car, you could visit Bernkastel-Kues which really is very touristy but also very very beautiful. All the little villages along the Mosel are really pretty. You can drive all the way to Cochem and visit the castle there and all the other castles along the way.

Heidelberg is also nice, but the area is less rural, with big cities nearby. More something of a city trip. Depends on what you prefer.

Well this thread has helped me to decide to do a short break to Cologne with DH and DD in October 😀 I lived in Germany for three years and DD is taking German as a GCSE so it will be good for her language learning (that's my excuse, really I just want a few days in Germany). We went to Berlin just before COVID and DD loved that so she's keen. Already perusing Cologne hotels...

Glad its helped you. 😀
I'm not sure we're any further forward with our holiday plans. Nothing seems to inspire me this year.

Well we had a big (and much saved up for) holiday last year so this year we're having a couple of days away in a UK city this summer. So I can mentally justify a short break to Cologne 😋

The most beautiful place I've ever been!