132 Best Sights in The Rhineland, Germany

Sitting just behind the Deutsches Eck, this modern art museum is housed in the restored 13th-century Deutschherrenhaus. Industrialist Peter Ludwig, one of Germany's leading contemporary-art collectors, bequeathed his collection of French, American, and German art to the museum in 1992. There have been many additions since, but the core collection, featuring works by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, and Man Ray, remains.

One of Wiesbaden's most recognizable attractions, this enormous, red, neo-Gothic church was built between 1853 and 1862. The town's main Protestant church, it is notable for its 49-bell carillon (which can be heard regularly every day) and its 6,198-pipe Walcker organ (which can be heard during the free organ recitals held each Saturday at 11:30 am).

Elaborately carved 16th- and 17th-century half-timber houses and a beautiful Renaissance Rathaus (town hall) frame Bernkastel's photogenic medieval market square. In front of the town hall stands Michaelsbrunnen (St. Michael's Fountain), just as it has for more than four centuries. At the beginning of September, the square and riverbank are lined with wine stands for one of the region's largest wine festivals, the Weinfest der Mittelmosel.

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.

This beautiful red-and-white church, which overlooks the corner of Kirchstrasse and Oberbachstrasse, is a remarkable amalgamation of art and architectural styles. Step inside and take a moment to admire the 117 carved bosses in the star-vaulted ceiling of the nave. Among the many fine sculptures throughout the church and the chapel is the town's treasure: a Renaissance stone relief, Christ in the Winepress.

Looking west along the river from Bingen, you can just about spot the Mäuseturm, perched on a rocky island near the Binger Loch. The name derives from a gruesome legend. One version tells that during a famine in 969 the miserly Archbishop Hatto hoarded grain and sought refuge in the tower to escape the peasants' pleas for food. The stockpile attracted scads of mice to the tower, where they devoured everything in sight, including Hatto. In fact, the tower was built by the archbishops of Mainz in the 13th and 14th centuries as a Mautturm (watch tower and toll station) for their fortress, Ehrenfels, on the opposite shore; now an atmospheric ruin. It was restored in neo-Gothic style by the king of Prussia in 1855, who also rebuilt Burg Sooneck, but you can't go inside.

Housed in the beautiful baroque villa Haus Böcking (1750), once frequented by the likes of Goethe and King Friedrich-Wilhelm IV, this museum shows how life was for the 18th and 19th century bourgeoisie. Discover 20 exhibition rooms showcasing magnificent period furnishings and impressive works of art, along with a collection chronicling the historical development of Traben-Trarbach.

Relocated in 2013 to the new Forum Confluentes (right by the Tourist Information office), this museum, founded in 1835, houses the city's excellent art collection, including extensive holdings of landscapes focusing on the Rhine. It also has a notable collection of secular medieval art and contemporary works by regional artists.

Perched on a hill overlooking the charming old town, the castle, which was built in the 13th century, offers stunning panoramic views of the village and surrounding countryside. This medieval fortress, with its imposing stone walls and well-preserved interiors, provides a glimpse into the region's historical past. Once a strategic stronghold, it now invites visitors to explore its towers and ramparts, echoing the tales of knights and nobles who once roamed its halls.

Located just behind Trierer Dom, this collection focuses on medieval sacred art, and includes fascinating models of the cathedral as it looked in Roman times. Look for the 15 Roman frescoes discovered in 1946, that may have adorned Emperor Constantine's palace.

At this small but very well cared-for museum, you can see the most intact set of Roman surgical tools ever discovered (2nd century), period rooms from the Rhine Romantic era, and displays about Abbess St. Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), one of the most remarkable women of the Middle Ages. An outspoken critic of papal and imperial machinations, she was a highly respected scholar, naturopath, and artist whose mystic writings and (especially) music became very popular starting in the 1990s, when her work was rediscovered and popularized by feminist religious scholars. An excellent illustrated booklet in English on Rhine Romanticism, The Romantic Rhine, is sold at the museum shop. The museum is housed in a former power station (1898) on the riverbank.

The town museum, housed in the 14th-century Kurfürstliche Burg (Elector's Castle) built by the archbishop of Trier, has exhibits on Boppard's Roman and medieval past, as well as an extensive collection of bentwood furniture designed by the town's favorite son, Michael Thonet (1796–1871). The cane-bottom Stuhl Nr. 14 (Chair No. 14) is the classic found in coffeehouses around the world since 1859.

This impressive art museum lies at the northern extremity of the Hofgarten, close to the Rhine. The excellent permanent collection that is particularly strong in modern art (especially German Expressionism) reopened in November 2023 featuring 800 artifacts displayed in 49 rooms that range from the medieval period up to today.

A treasure house of medieval art from the Rhine region, the museum has an ideal setting in a 12th-century basilica. Don't miss the crucifix from the St. Georg Kirche or the original stained-glass windows and carved figures from the Dom. Other exhibits include intricately carved ivory book covers, rock-crystal reliquaries, and illuminated manuscripts.

Just outside Düsseldorf, the Düssel River forms a valley, called the Neanderthal, where the bones of a Stone Age relative of modern man were found. The impressive museum, built at the site of the discovery in the suburb of Mettmann, includes models of the original discovery, replicas of cave drawings, and life-size models of Neanderthal Man. A new highlight, the Höhlenblick tower, affords a view onto the spot where Neanderthal bones were found.

Cologne's only ethnography museum displays a collection of over 3,500 items that belonged to Wilhelm Joest, a 19th-century German ethnographer and traveler. The permanent exhibition looks at, among other things, the practicality of life in a Native American teepee, explains the importance of tattoos to Maori people, and reveals European perceptions of other cultures in the world as portrayed in travel reports and art. The largest—and perhaps most popular—item in the collection is a 7.5 meter-tall rice granary from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

The 15-minute walk to this 1,000-year-old castle overlooking the town will reward you with great views of the area. English guided tours lasting 40 minutes take place on the hour between 11:30 am and 4:30 pm; it's not possible to visit the castle and courtyards without a tour. During the first week of August, there's a medieval festival including colorful tournaments. Regular medieval banquets are available with advance booking only. These take place in German but with English translation sheets to accompany the feasting and merriment; the price includes a castle tour.

Traffic is routed away from the river and underneath this mile-long pedestrian strip, which stretches from the Altstadt south to MedienHafen. The shady upper level is popular with joggers, cyclists, and casual strollers, while the lower level along the Rhine's banks is packed with buzzy cafés.

The forested plateau of the Rochusberg (St. Roch Hill) is the pretty setting of the Rochuskapelle, the most visible Bingen landmark from across the river in Rüdesheim. Originally built in 1666 to celebrate the end of the plague, it has been rebuilt twice. In August 1814, Goethe attended the consecration festivities, the forerunner of today's Rochusfest, a weeklong folk festival in mid-August. The chapel contains an altar dedicated to St. Hildegard of Bingen, with relics and furnishings from the convents she founded in modern-day Bingen and Eibingen. While the chapel is only open for services, it's worth a trip to stroll the leafy chapel gardens, with its shaded outdoor pews, tree-lined trails, and lovely Rhine and vineyard views.

For a look at 19th- and 20th-century rural life in the Mosel-Saar area, visit this hilltop Freilichtmuseum (open-air museum) near Konz-Saar, 10 km (6 miles) southwest of Trier. Numerous farmhouses and typical village buildings in the region were saved from the wrecking ball by being dismantled and brought to the Roscheider Hof, where they were rebuilt and refurnished as they appeared decades ago. Old schoolrooms, a barbershop and beauty salon, a tavern, a shoemaker's workshop, a pharmacy, a grocery, and a dentist's office have been set up in the rooms of the museum proper, along with period rooms and exhibitions on local trades and household work, such as the history of laundry. In addition to a large collection of tin figures, there's also a Biedermeier rose garden, a museum shop, and a restaurant with a beer garden on the grounds.

Just south of Wiesbaden, this 20th-century "castle" is the headquarters of the international wine producer Henkell & Co. There are regular English-language tours of the property (lasting 60, 90, or 120 minutes), which take in both the impressive Rococo marble hall and the seven-story sektkellerei (sparkling wine cellars), followed by tastings of locally-produced bubbly. For a group tour, you'll need a minimum of five people, but there's also the opportunity for self-guided tours with your phone. There are regular events held here, from art exhibitions and classical concerts to wine parties and festivals.

On the outskirts of Koblenz, on the road to Boppard, the neo-Gothic towers of Schloss Stolzenfels come into view. The castle's origins date to the mid-13th century, when the archbishop of Trier sought to counter the influence (and toll rights) of the archbishop of Mainz, who had just built Burg Lahneck, a castle at the confluence of the Lahn and Rhine rivers. Its superbly furnished period rooms and beautiful gardens are well worth a visit. From B9 (curbside parking) it's about a 15-minute (uphill) walk to the castle entrance. By public transit, Bus 670 from the train station stops at the castle, as do boats from the Koblenz waterfront from mid-April through October.

A squat tower is all that remains of the palace built by the Berg family, which ruled Düsseldorf for more than five centuries. The tower also houses the SchifffahrtMuseum, which charts 2,000 years of Rhine boatbuilding and navigation.

Take a ride on this 70-year-old chairlift and you'll be whisked a half-mile uphill to the Vierseenblick (Four-Lake View). It's called that because, at this particularly bendy point of the Rhine, the river appears to be a chain of four unconnected lakes. The journey takes approximately 20 minutes, but it's a rickety ride with your legs dangling, so it's not ideal for those scared of heights. Once at the top, as well as enjoying the views—including of Marksburg across the water—there are a number of hiking trails heading off into nature.

It was in this sturdy Romanesque basilica, consecrated in 836, that plans were drawn for the Treaty of Verdun, which formalized the division of Charlemagne's great empire and led to the creation of Germany and France as separate states. Inside Koblenz's oldest church, compare the squat Romanesque columns in the nave with the intricate fan vaulting of the Gothic sections. The St. Kastor Fountain outside the church is an intriguing piece of historical one-upmanship. It was built by the occupying French to mark the beginning of Napoléon's ultimately disastrous Russian campaign of 1812.

This Gothic church is near the palace tower on Carlsplatz. Its spire became distorted because unseasoned wood was used in its construction. The Vatican elevated the 14th-century brick church to a basilica minor (small cathedral) in 1974 in recognition of its role in church history. Built in the 13th century, with additions from 1394, St. Lambertus contains the tomb of William the Rich and a graceful late-Gothic tabernacle.

The Renaissance philosopher and theologian Nikolaus Cusanus (1401–64) was born in Kues. The St.-Nikolaus-Hospital is a charitable Stiftung (foundation) he established in 1458, famous for his library that contains more than 300 handwritten manuscripts from the 9th through 15th centuries, and it still operates today as a home for the elderly and a wine estate. While the library is only accessible by guided tour, you can visit the gothic chapel and wine museum for free.