The Middle Rhine - Mainz to St. Goat

Aug 12

The Rhine is Europe’s most important inland waterway and flows past some of its most beautiful landscapes.

This trip was done on one of the many ferries that travel the Rhine. I say this so you know that you do not have to book an expensive riverboat excursion, just merely hop on a ferry. Some of the ferries have dining tables and chairs where you can sit, eat and drink as you enjoy the romantic scenery.

Ferries on the Rhine are more that just transport, they are an institution here. Bridges are few and far between in this part of the world, so ferries are a typical part of the local scene. Don’t spend money on private tours, it is more economical to do it yourself on a public ferry, get on and off where you like.

Here are just a few of the sights that caught my eyes of life on the Rhine from Mainz to St. Goar, Germany. Some of these castles are on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. I hope you enjoy!

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Ehrenfels Castle ruins opposite Bingen

As we dock in Binger

Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Oberwesel

Today the Schoenburg Castle is a hotel and restaurant in Oberwesel. It is not really known when the Schoenburg Castle was built, but it was first mentioned in history between 911.

Some of the river town architecture

A few buildings in Niederheimbach

This is Lorelei, a sculpture created by Natascha Alexandria. The legend is this beautiful siren sits high on a particular rock, distracting sailors to their doom. When she was human, her lover was faithless, so in despair she threw herself into the river and was transformed into a siren whose voice pulled men under her spell and onto the rocks.

Trains travel along the shore through mountain tunnels

Pictured here is one of the barges traveling on the river. Notice the car onboard, the operators of these barges live on them, in the cabin in the rear and bring along the car for land travel.