Bidish Rüdesheim am Rhein, this beautiful town located in Hesse, qualifies to be labeled as a “fairytale town” in Germany. With cobblestone streets, old architecture, and to top it all off, an authentically vibrant vibe, it will energize you as soon as you enter the town.
Rüdesheim is situated alongside the majestic Rhine River. Though the town may seem small, it offers a ton of activities to ensure a day well spent.
Here are the 10 best things to do in Rüdesheim.
Explore the streets without Google Maps
It goes without saying that exploring without a plan and expectations is the best way to travel, especially in a small town like Rüdesheim. You don’t need to know exactly where to go.
You can simply wander around and explore the town for an hour or so. Walk where the streets are energetic, and you’ll likely find yourself in the best places to see in Rüdesheim.
Stroll the Drosselgasse
Image by Jaipria
This small and beautiful street is the main attraction of Rüdesheim. With restaurants, cafes, chocolate shops, and wine tastings on each side, walking down this street will give you so much of the travel energy.
Like most major attractions, it tends to be crowded. However, unlike other places, the crowd contributes to the beauty of this street. If you want to have this street to yourself and take nice pictures, consider going early in the morning.
Try the Federweisser shot
In September/October, you can get a seasonal Federweißer shot at many wineries in the town. It is a sweet drink, with the alcohol content hovering around 8 to 10 percent.
It costs 1 Euro for 0.1L. I liked it so much that I had it thrice. It’s these simple things that you take back from the places you’re traveling to, and I say you should go for it.
Try Baumstriezel
On the street of Drosselgasse, you will come across a beautiful bakery selling “Baumstriezel”. Originally, it is a Hungarian specialty named “Kürtőskalács,” which is famous in different parts of Europe, including Germany.
If you’re up for something sweet and satisfying, try it out. One Baumstriezel costs 6 euros.
Ride on the Rüdesheim Seilbahn
Take the scenic Rüdesheim cable car route. It travels over the beautiful vineyards and the Rhine River, offering a scenic landscape to the passengers. It will take you up to the historic Niederwald Monument, which offers a brilliant view of the vineyards, the Rhine River, and the town of Bingen on the other side of the river.
There are multiple ticket options you can choose from.
To the top and back: cable car up the Niederwald monument and down.
Around 40 minutes | Adults: 10 Euros | Children (5-15 years): 5 Euros
Assmannshausen tour: A tour with cable car, a hike and a chair lift
Around 1.5 hours | Adults: 12 Euros | Children (5-15 years): 6 Euros
Ring tour: Round trip with a short hike and boat ride
Around 2.5 hours | Adults: 20 Euros | Children(5-15 years): 10 Euros
Romantic tour: Exciting tour with round trip, hike, boat ride, and castle visit
Around 5 hours | Adults: 22 Euros | Children(5-15 years): 11 Euros
For the 2024 season, the cable car service will start on March 23rd and will run until October 29th. It will reopen again for the Christmas season. You can check more details here.
Hike up to the Niederwald Monument
If you would prefer not to ride the cable car, there is always the option to hike. From Rüdesheim, it will take you about an hour of hiking through the vineyards to reach this historic and beautiful monument atop the hill.
Near the monument is the Niederwald Temple, which offers a place to take a breather and enjoy the marvelous scenery while enjoying your hiking snacks.
Enjoy a Rüdesheim river cruise
Boat cruises are always my most enjoyable experiences when visiting places where they’re possible. Rüdesheim offers the same experience, where you can hop on a boat and have a romantic river cruise down the Rhine River.
It takes you along the beautiful Rhine River towns with magnificent views of the castles and vineyards. There are many river cruises you can choose from. The most affordable is a 1.5-hour-long cruise where you can taste the cruise experience while visiting a few towns and castles. It costs 12 Euros.
You can also choose from a variety of other cruise options to find what you like.
Try the Rüdesheimer Coffee
This unique drink is the specialty of the town and worth trying while visiting Rüdesheim. It is made with a combination of local Asbach brandy, strong coffee, and sugar cubes, which are topped with chocolate and vanilla. At 8.5 Euros, it is a bit expensive. But if it doesn’t break the bank, don’t hesitate to try it out.
Go for wine tasting and maybe buy one
Along with Asbach Uralt, Rüdesheim is also quite famous for its wine. Many regional wines, like Riesling and Grauburgunder, are available in many wineries in the town.
Weingaus Drosseleck is a nice winery where we spent our time tasting different wines and browsing the wide collection of regional wines.
Take a ride on the Rüdesheim WinzerExpress
A visit to this traditional town can be well rounded off by hopping on the Rüdesheim WinzerExpress. Riding on a quaint train cruising along the cobblestone streets of Rüdesheim is an experience you will never forget.
If you are traveling with your family, this would be a great way to experience the town.
Getting there
Rüdesheim is a good day trip destination. The VIA RB10 train line running from Neuwied to Frankfurt passes through major cities like Koblenz, Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Frankfurt, so a day trip from these places would be ideal.
When I visited Rüdesheim, it felt completely different from the other German towns and cities. I would suggest you visit during the months of April to October or during the Christmas season. The town becomes quite bland during winter. Let me know how your trip to Rüdesheim went.
Very noice information 😘
Appreciate your work bro
Thank you very much, Gaurav. 🙂