dcmom8

Will be in the Rhine area for a few days. We have a free day to explore a town/ castle (we will do the Burg Eltz later in trip).

Which town is best for exploring, shopping and dining? Can you recommend any restaurants for lunch and/ or dinner?

We are staying at Castle Hotel auf Schonburg (so excited). Has anyone had dinner there? Wondering if it is appropriate for well behaved children- or is it very stuffy?

Thank you!!

bettyk

Glad you are staying at the Auf Schoenburg. The restaurant is rather formal, but if your children are well behaved, I see no problem. The food is good, maybe a little on the "gourmet" side so I don't know if your kids will enjoy it or not. Maybe ask at Reception to see a menu to help you decide.

We loved Bacharach. We enjoyed the food at our hotel, the Rhein Hotel, which overlooks the river. There was a great Italian restaurant (never knew the name) which is down from the Post Office. Small, intimate place with great food.

St. Goar and Boppard were also nice altho we didn't spend as much time there as we did in Bacharach. One thing we really did enjoy was the Chairlift in Boppard. Great views of the surrounding area on a good weather day.

http://travel.webshots.com/album/554...yxotU?start=48

http://travel.webshots.com/album/354616542PMkPVQ

http://www.boppard.de/2001/html/leisure.htm

http://www.bacharach.de/english/code.../frameset.html

bettyk

Here's a sample menu from Aug Schoenburg's restaurant.

http://www.hotel-schoenburg.com/rhin...e/calendar.pdf

dcmom8

Thank you for the reply- your photos are great!

Thank you for the menu from Auf Schonburg- I think it will be too gourmet for the kids.

We will check out Bachrach,and maybe dine at your hotel. The Boppard chairlift was already on our list!! Did you find Boppard a nice town for shopping/ dining? How about Oberwesal? (I like to have a tentative itinerary...)

Russ

Best castle tour is Marksburg in Braubach: www.marksburg.de

Best town for shopping and dining - probably Boppard, lots of variety, sidewalk and riverside places; my favorite in Boppard is the outdoor cafe at the top of the chairlift (I think there are two places up there, actually) not for the food but for the view. I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to food, but a view like that doesn't come along every day. In St. Goar, the view from the restaurant and terrace cafe at the Schlosshotel und Villa Rheinfels is astounding - check out the pix:

www.jpmoser.com/schloss_rheinfels.html

bettyk

Unfortunatley, we didn't have time on that trip to even visit the town of Oberwesel. We arrived at the Auf Schoenburg around 2 or 3 PM and only stayed for 1 night before a flight out of Frankfurt the next day around Noon.

We did enjoy wandering around Boppard. It's a good size town. As I remember, there was a lovely, rather large park that ran along side the River. I seem to remember some dining areas next to the river.

There is also a small park in Bacharach next to the river.

You and your family will have a great time. Hopefully the weather will cooperate!!

hausfrau

I'm so glad to hear you are staying at the Hotel auf Schoenburg! Be sure to go exploring with your kids to find all of the castle's hidden nooks and crannies. (You may want to ask for directions to get out onto the ruined walls; there's a great view of the castle and surrounding countryside.)

I agree that the restaurant is probably a little too stuffy even for well-behaved kids. We had the full 7-course gourmet dinner and it was fabulous - as a romantic dinner for two! There were no other kids in the restaurant and it was a very subdued atmosphere.

We didn't have time to explore Oberwesel either but it looked like a lovely town. As I recall there are lots of interesting wall and tower ruins scattered around. Bacharach and St. Goar also look good for strolling and shopping. Boppard is a bit bigger. It's a great drive along the river to Marksburg and your kids will enjoy the castle tour (not to long, and they offer tours in English).

Have a wonderful time!!

hla

We stayed at Castle Schoenburg with our children and also had dinner there. First, if you are there in warm weather, the castle has several rooms in which to dine, inside, outside, and something in-between amongt the castle walls. We didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable dining there with our children, and neither, so it seemed, did the others around us. Second, they had a special children's meal, which my kids loved. So I hope you don't skip dinner there. The food is absolutely wonderful, as is the setting.

I will say that, again in warm weather with the windows open, we heard the train whistles until about 11 pm. (Or at least that's when I fell asleep.) The train runs along the Rhine, which the castle overlooks. But the views are beautiful, with the Rhine dotted with castles.

It's really magical. Enjoy.

FlaAnn

I second HLA's reply. There are a couple of good reasons to have dinner in the castle restaurant. First, the food is fabulous and second, you really won't want to be driving back after dinner if you've had a glass of wine or it's after dark. You probably need to check on reservations as soon as you decide. Another good call on where to stay! I always think the train sounds good as it winds down the river valley, but my husband enjoys having earplugs. But this place is, as HLA notes, magical. Get there early and stay to allow yourselves time to soak up the scenery and the atmosphere.