Castles, vineyards and the legend of the Loreley
Between Bingen and Koblenz, the Rhine cuts a deep gorge through steep slate hills, and nearly every bend has a castle. This stretch, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Loreley rock, where legend says a siren lured sailors to their doom, marks the narrowest point. River cruises and trains follow both banks, and towns like Bacharach and Rüdesheim, with its Drosselgasse, are pleasant stops. Marksburg is one of the few castles never destroyed, and the riesling vineyards are superb.