This area is full of castle-hotels and charming country inns that range in comfort from upscale rustic to luxurious. For a riverside view, ask for a Zimmer (room) or Tisch (table) mit Neckarblick (with a view of the Neckar). The Neckar Valley offers idyllic alternatives to the cost and crowds of Heidelberg. Driving time from Eberbach, for example, is a half hour; from Bad Wimpfen, about an hour.