3 Best Sights in Oberwesel, The Rhineland

Popularly known as the "red church" because of its brightly colored brick exterior, the towering Liebfrauenkirche has superb sculptures, tombstones, and paintings, as well as one of Germany's oldest high gothic shrine altars (from 1331). It's at the southeastern end of the town center, near the train station.

A fortresslike tower on a hill, the Roman Catholic St. Martin church is well worth the short but steep climb up from Wernerstrasse. Decorated in white and pastel pink inside and out, it's particularly notable for its beautifully painted vaulting and magnificent baroque altar. Take time to explore Martinsgarten, a medley of manicured hedges and flower beds on the northern side of the church—the vistas of the town and river from here are second to none—before walking back to the center via the old Roman ramparts.

Part of the Kulturhaus Oberwesel, a historic winery turned culture center, this museum offers a virtual tour of the town, as well as a multimedia "journey through time" showing the area from the Stone Age to the present day. It also houses a fine collection of old etchings and drawings of the Rhine Valley, including one by John Gardnor, an English clergyman and painter, who published a book of sketches upon his return to England and kicked off a wave of Romantic-era tourism in the late 18th century.