It was my husband's birthday weekend and he wanted to spend a day on the Rhein. We picked a spot we hadn't been to before and headed out. Surprisingly we have only visited the Rhein a couple of times in the near year and a half we have been here. Last spring we drove from Bonn down the Rhein stopping at some of the castles even though they were all closed from COVID. It was our first exploration of the region since our fall 2020 arrival and the winter COVID lockdowns. After that, our last trip was Mother's Day 2021 when we spent the day in Oberwesel. So this trip we had a wide variety of spots to choose from so my husband picked St. Goarshausen.
It was a short and easy drive from Wiesbaden through the Taunus mountains. We easily found our way into the town and parked. The town was small and very quiet so we parked and walked to the river. It was a gorgeous sunny day, albeit windy. We watched the boats sail by and saw the town had a ferry. My toddler was clamoring for eis and once mind gets something in her head she will not let go of it. Thankfully, right across from the ferry lanes we found the sweet little Cafe am Rheinsteig. All of the outside tables were filled with customers eating eis or enjoying beers and coffee. We walked in to find a cooler filled with delicious looking pastries and a tasty selection of different eis. We all grabbed a cup and walked back to the river to enjoy our eis in the sun.
While eating, we noticed a castle on a hill above the town on the other side of the river. We decided that was our next stop. With our mouths still delighting from the sweet treat we hopped in line for the ferry. It was incredibly easy. For our car and family of four it was €7.30. Having lived on Bainbridge Island in Seattle I know ferries well, but this was a bit different. I love getting out and being able to watch the crossing, but this was so short there wasn't enough time to get the whole family out and back in again before we were ready to drive off. It bit disappointing for the kids, but they were pretty thrilled they were on a boat to begin with. Our departure off the ferry took us into town and looking for the castle. There are easily readable signs that direct you straight to Burg Rheinfels.
The castle has a parking lot, although not huge, and it is shared with the hotel. It was pretty full already and the castle was nearly empty. I can imagine on a warm summer day when tourists are out and about this parking lot fills up quickly. Parking passes are required and there are a couple of autopay stations in the parking lot. The castle itself is right there, and the Kasse for entry to the castle is around the corner from the gift shot at the main entrance to the castle. We purchased a family ticket for €13. The inside of the burg was fascinating. Remnants of walls towered high above the grassy base, tunnels, towers, and an underground great hall were just a few of the highlights. There wasn't a lot to see, but it was enough to keep my kids in 'enjoy' mode instead of throttling them into 'oh god make it stop' mode. You can find out the specifics of Burg Rheinfels here: https://www.burgen.de/burgen-und-schloesser/deutschland/burg-rheinfels/
After touring the castle the kids were ready for food and we were ready for happy hour, so we headed into St. Goar. We unfortunately got there at a time in-between lunch and dinner on Saturday. Most of the restaurants were closed and the shops were in the process of closing. We walked around a bit finding some neat little side streets and visual treats, but we quickly decided we needed to move on.
We headed back towards Mainz. I had the idea to stop in Bacharach. We had tried to visit last Mother's Day, but it was so packed with people we couldn't find a single parking space. This trip there was no issue. The town itself is absolutely gorgeous! It had the amazing German style we love and was just magical. Just like St. Goar most shops and restaurants were closed, but we could tell it was definitely a village we wanted to come back to.
Our main goal was food. After walking around the village and finding two restaurants open but full, we wound up on the doorstep of a pizzeria. The gentleman who greeted us was very sweet and welcoming. He ushered us in, after 3G checks, and sat us just behind the front door. The inside was tiny with two rooms each fitting a max of around 12 people. Food and drinks came quickly and were absolutely delicious. Now I am a picky, picky eater. I'm not talking picky about the foods that I eat, I'm talking picky about quality. I spent several weeks in Italy and only enjoyed the food a handful of times.
This pizzeria, however, is making my mouth water just typing its praises. My son and I ordered pasta carbonara, German style. My husband ordered the pizza diablo, and we ordered pasta bolognese for my daughter. I inhaled my pasta having to remind myself to breath. I could bathe in that flavor. I did not get to try my husband's pizza, but he said it was incredible. He thought it was spicy, which says a lot being that we spent the last 15 years in Tucson and go through a large bottle of Tapatio in a week. My daughter, being the bird of an eater she is ate about half of hers so naturally we all had to try a little bit. That little bit turned into an utter lack of leftovers we thought we would have. It was incredible! I only made it out with a photo of my carbonara, because the rest of the meals were devoured so quickly. If you make it to Bacharach, give the pizzeria a try.
Google does not have a name for the pizzeria on the latest map of Bacharach that I searched, but I've circled its location on the map to the right. It's where Rosenstrße and Blücherstraße meet.
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