Germany Guide
Hesse
Rüdesheim
After the beauty of the Riesling route's landscape, first impressions of Rüdesheim can come as a shock, above all on noisy, crowded Drosselgasse, the narrow lane leading up from the river into which tour groups are funnelled for a pre-packaged, over-amplified facsimile of German joviality. Having suffered wartime bombardment, it's not even consistently pretty.
Yet there are quaint and peaceful corners, and beneath the veneer of plastic oompah there is a perfectly genuine wine-growing village worth exploring. At the western end of the village, the twelfth-century Brömserburg castle provides an atmospheric setting for the Rheingauer Weinmuseum (March– Oct daily 10am–6pm; €5, English audio guide included in price; 
www.rheingauer-weinmuseum.de ), whose exhibition begins with a huge collection of old wine presses before progressing through viticulture's origins in the ancient world and its arrival in the Rhineland. The vertigo-inducing battlements offer views over vineyards towards the Niederwald Denkmal, a bellicose bit of Wilhelmine-era nationalistic statuary that offers wonderful views over the Rhine. You can reach it on foot or via a cable-car ride on the Seilbahn Rüdesheim (March– Nov daily 9.30am to between 5pm and 7pm; also during Christmas market; €4.50 single, €6.50 return or €10 for "Ringtrip" including boat trip back from Assmannshausen; www.seilbahn-ruedesheim.de ). Down on the river between Rüdesheim proper and its sister settlement of Assmannshausen are the picturesque ruins of the medieval Burg Ehrenfels, which faces the equally romantic Mäuseturm on an islet in the river.
Rüdesheim's Bahnhof is at the western extremity of the village; the village is also a stop for the KD line's boat trips ( 
06722 /38 08, www.k-d.com ), or you can take castle- or Loreley-themed trips with the Bingen-Rüdesheimer fleet ( 06722/29 72, www.bingen-ruedesheimer.com ).
Accommodation is fairly plentiful, but Rüdesheim gets busy in summer. Try the cyclist-friendly Burg Hotel, Oberstrasse 7 ( 06722/23 94, www.rheinromantikhotel.de ; Price: €41–80), in a quiet and pretty location close to the Boosenburg, or in town Zum Grünen Kranz, Oberstrasse 42–44 ( 06722/483 36, www.gruenerkranz.com ; Price: €61-80), with modern, renovated rooms above a historic restaurant, or the attractive, low-key Gasthaus Zur Lindenau, Löhrstrasse 9 ( 06722/33 27, www.zur-lindenau.de ; Price: €61-80). Rüdesheim's youth hostel ( 06722/ 27 11, www.djh-hessen.de ; €17.90) is in a scenic setting above the town with excellent views and walks through the vineyards. Zum Grünen Kranz and Zur Lindenau both have typical Weinstuben; for a special meal, head out of town to the Michelin-starred Gourmet Restaurant Burg Schwarzenstein, Rosengasse 32, in Johannisberg ( 06722/995 00; closed Mon & Tues), where the views of the Rhine Valley are as memorable as the French-influenced cuisine, with menus from €48.