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The Delectable Town of Bacharach, Germany | Towns on the Rhein River | Half-timbered Towns in Germany | Fairy Tale Towns in Germany | Day Trips from Frankfurt | Small Towns to Visit in Germany | Top Towns in Germany to Visit | Rhein Wine Valley | Rhein River Cruises | #Bacharach #Germany #Deutschland #halftimbered - California Globetrotter

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I might make a little extra spending money, at no extra cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own and these products/services have been found useful during our travels and come highly recommended to you from yours truly!

When you dream of visiting Germany, perhaps you you imagine romantic fairy tale castles perched high up in the mountains or perhaps you imagine towns with endless half-timbered houses that are hundreds of years old, walking down alley after alley of picturesque cobbled-stoned roads and a charm that transports you to another time.

For me, I dream of both. I dream of a world where small towns and villages transport me to a time and place before technology, when life was slower and more relaxed and people were more concerned with the simple things in life.

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Like many half-timbered towns that lie along the romantic Rhine river, Bacharach is brimming with colorful houses, allies of cobbled-stones and adorable little corners to have a romantic moment in and endless vineyards on the hills surrounding the small town and is therefore one of the top towns to visit along the Rhein River!

Bacharach lies along the 67-km UNESCO World Heritage segment of the Rhine River that stretches from the towns of Bingen and Rüdesheim north to the city of Koblenz where the Rhine and Mosel Rivers merge, making for one of the best day trips from Frankfurt! It’s just spewling with that Disney-esque charm we all look for when traveling through Germany and makes my list of stupid pretty towns in Europe!

 

From its early days, Bacharach was an important stop along the Rhine for trading wood and wine, as well as collecting customs duties, all of which made the town one of the wealthiest in the region, which can clearly be seen in its exuberantly beautiful buildings. But clearly, the town managed to keep it’s original size and appeal and was never modernized in terms of big buildings. 

There aren’t many things to do in Bacharach, so you won’t need a full day here, although you could easily slow travel your way through the town by stopping to smell the roses, or in our case, eat some Rose Scented ice cream and of course a Riesling ice cream

Like most historically, picture perfect towns in Germany, you won’t find any of those big name chain restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King or Subway. Here you’ll find traditional mom-and-pop restaurants and taverns cooking home cooked meals offering a more authentic experience. 

So, if you’re wondering where to eat in Bacharach, we stopped to eat at one of the quaintest, smallest restaurants ever called Restaurant Rusticana next to the Post Office, which offered a cozy feeling. The owners were incredibly nice and you could tell they enjoyed having guests come to their restaurant.

There are many amazing, perfectly preserved half-timbered houses throughout the town, offering a plethora of picture perfect snaps and my photographer senses were on high alert. Click, click, click!

Probably the most famous sight to see in Bacharach is the Alte Haus (Old House) located on the market square which dates back to 1568 with its stunning red painted wood frames. 

You’ll find that each and every building, from the Rathaus (City Hall) to the Post Office has its own special character, adding to the beauty of the town. 

As you’re walking around you’ll see the beautiful white and pink St. Peter’s Church, as well as the ruins of the Gothic Werner Chapel, one of Bacharach’s main attractions. 

Just beyond St. Peter’s Church is the most picturesque corner of the entire town, called Im Malerwinkel. It seems that this corner is actually a hotel and boarding house. A small stream flows through this part of the town and there are fairy tale like little bridges leading over the stream.

Perhced high above the town is Burg Stahleck, a castle which has over looked the town since the 12th century, but during the Thirty Year’s War the castle was destroyed by French troops only to be left sitting in ruins until the Rhineland Association restored it between 1925-27, transforming this castle into a modern day Youth Hostel.

We even enjoyed playing between two half-timbered houses through a walkway barely big enough for one person. It was fun backing up and schooching over to let people pass by. I couldn’t resist a photo op!

To reach the castle you can either hike up 10-15 minutes or drive up, but to visit the castle only the inner courtyard and the front of the castle is open to the public. While it was beginning to rain on us, we skipped out. Plus, having already stayed there during an exchange program when I was a tween was enough.

If you’re interested in staying longer and exploring more of the town, here are some ideas you should check out:

  • Walk the town fortifications
  • Southern end of the town was transformed into a Capuchin monastery
  • Enjoy a leisurely visit to a winery
  • Hike the vineyard paths leading to Burg Stahleck
  • The district of Steeg 1 (1 km away from Bacharach)

Overall, we found Bacharach to be less touristy than Rüdesheim, and way more beautiful with a plethora of half-timbered houses. While I’m sure Bacharach can also get busy during peak season, it was kind of nice that the weather wasn’t so perfect as that usually keeps the tourists away.

As we would be visiting both Rüdesheim am Rhine and Bacharach, we opted to stay in the middle of both at the cute little B&B Altes Rathaus ⭐⭐⭐ in Aßmannshausen. The hotel is actually an old city hall building directly located along the Rhine River!

If you’re interested in visiting Germany and are looking for more information, I highly recommend using the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide! Without these guides, I would be lost! This is my travel Bible!

 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I might make a little extra spending money, at no extra cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own and these products/services have been found useful during our travels and come highly recommended to you from yours truly!

Other posts related to the Rhine Valley:

The Darling Storybook Town of Rüdesheim

The Loreley am Rhine

Schloss Johannisberg – The World’s First Riesling Winery

Further Ahead & Worth The Visit:

Cochem & the Reichsburg Castle

Burg Eltz

5 Quick Things to do in Frankfurt

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Replies to The Delectable Town of Bacharach

  1. I’ve never heard of this town before, but I’m pretty sure I’m now obsessed with it haha. Sooo beautiful, I’ll never get over those half-timbered houses!

  2. Looks great! And not far away from where we live either!! That Youth Hostel will be getting a call from us sometime in the very near future ;o) Thanks for the inspiration.

  3. Everything about Bacharach is the reason why I wanted to visit Germany! All of the houses are so beautiful, and it just has that quaint German feel to it! I officially want to visit!

  4. Bacharach looks enchanting! The half-timbered houses are wonderful and I love the skeletal remains of the church. Another Geman stop I need to check out. #WanderfulWednesday

  5. What a wonderful looking town – you’re so brilliant at unearthing these German gems. This town looks just like some of the buildings from my children’s Playmobil sets. I love the fact that it’s quieter and more out-of-the-way than some of the other towns. Thanks so much for linking up with #FarawayFiles

  6. Bacharach seems so quaint and lovely. I love reading about all your recommendations. You’ve given me a long list of places to check out when we finally make it to Germany.

  7. Yet another gem of a town from you Lolo and this one complete with Riesling ice cream. I’m there. Your photos are amazing as always. Thanks for sharing this pretty find with us on #FarawayFiles

  8. Your photo of the Gothic Werner chapel is awesome especially as the sky in the background and the reflection in the glass windows seem to merge, as if it were 2D both in the photo and reality.

  9. I do not know what to say other than: “This place is gorgeous.” I think it is more than one can image. I would definitely stop by if I visit the area. Plus, rose and Riesling ice cream? That sounds delicious.

  10. SOLD! That is seriously chock full of charm. Bacharach will no longer conjure Burt in my head. Did you visit on a Rhine cruise? Is there one you recommend? Thanks for linking and engaging with #FarawayFiles – cheers from Copenhagen, Erin

  11. So pretty, it looks exactly like what I imagine when I think of Germany. Would love to visit! My Germany wishlist is soooo long, haha. I follow way too many bloggers based in Germany 😛

  12. We visited a lot of these amazing German towns last year and found something unique about each of them. We never made it here but I will be adding it to the list if we get to do another German road trip.
    I love all the half timbered houses… so much character.

  13. Oh my!! this place is ridiculously beautiful!!! As I was going down reading and seeing your pictures I couldn’t stop myself.. I am already planning a trip there, I don’t care, I’m in love! haha
    I have been to Cologne, and soon going to Berlin.. and I can say i will never get tired of Germany, I would love to do a road trip there.

  14. Oh my, this place is beautiful. We visited Rudesheim about ten years ago but I don’t remember it being as wonderful as this. Thanks for the tour! And thank you for linking with #MondayEscapes

  15. I’m going crazy from looking at all your photos of these picturesque towns in Germany. I would actually have been highly amused if there was a Starbucks or McDonald’s housed in one of these half-timbered houses in the market square. #MondayEscapes

  16. Bacharach looks like my kind of town: timbered houses and cobbled streets, I love that. No wonder this town is in a world heritage area. #TheWeeklyPostcard

  17. Great to see this post! I thought we were the only ones to have ever been (back in 2008) and even when I speak to Germans they’ll shake their head in confusion when I asked if they had heard of Bacharach.
    Nice photos and good to see the Alte Haus – it’s where I proposed to Spanky during that 2008 trip. Bacharach still one of our favorite German towns.

    Frank (bbqboy)

  18. Love the town in the summer would go and view the people river and sip some wine. Was station 10 miles away. Looking for info of the crystal store that was located in the downtown .

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