WIESBADEN, Germany - Looking for a quick and easy way to dazzle your family or friends visiting from faraway places?
How about offering them an opportunity to soar over vineyards, sample the locale cuisine and vintages, enjoy a ride on a river boat and learn a little about what makes the upper Rhein River Valley one of Europe’s treasured World Heritage sites?
While most people who have resided for any length of time in the Hessen or Rheinland Pfalz regions know about the tourist allure of the castles and villages that overlook the Rhein Valley between Mainz and Koblenz, some may not be aware that the towns of Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen offer a combination “Ring Ticket” valid for a ride on the cable car to or from Rüdesheim, the chairlift from or to Assmannshausen and an excursion boat connecting the neighboring towns with Bingen on the opposite riverbank.
It makes for the ideal day trip offering a variety of views from lookouts along the trail connecting the two cable cars and the river vantage on the excursion boat, a short hike to work up a decent appetite and the chance to stop off all along the route.
If you decide to start in Rüdesheim, you’ll want to join the tourist masses in wandering through its narrow streets and alleys, including the famed Drosselgasse, a cobblestoned pedestrian passage that has attracted wine lovers and those making their way down the river since the 15th century. You might also want to visit the Brömersburg " the oldest castle on the Rhein which features a wine museum.
Once you’ve had your fill of the tourist crowds, hop on the Seilbahn Rüdesheim " two-person cable cars " and float over the growing grapes as you are transported up to the Niederwalddenkmal " a 38-meter-high statue that pays tribute to German unity. Built in the 1870s and ‘80s, the statue of Germania commemorated Germany’s success in the Franco-Prussian War.
Signs at the top of the hill show the way through the Nieder Forest to the top of the chairlift which descends to the town of Assmannshausen. The roughly 20-minute walk offers several short side hikes to vantage points high over the Rhein River, towers and other attractions constructed to entertain visitors, such as the Zauberhöhle " a building that opens onto a dark, serpentine passage offering a spooky thrill.
Visitors also have the option of stopping to take in a falconry show just above the Niederwalddenkmal.
From one lofty lookout visitors can gaze back at Bingen and a small tower set on an island between the two river banks. Youngsters will appreciate the folk tale surrounding the tower " a story of avarice and greed from the 10th century.
According to legend, Mainz Archbishop Hatto II sequestered himself in the tower after tricking starving peasants with the offer of grain from his hoard and then ordering them to be killed in a barn fire. After observing that their screams sounded like the squeaking of mice, Hatto was set upon by an Army of mice that swam across the river to his island and ate him alive in the tower.
Hikers are invited to stop for a cold drink or a meal at the Jagdschloss (hunting lodge) restaurant or continue down the mountain via chairlift to Assmannshausen, which is noted for its red wines.
Be sure to look at the schedule (provided when purchasing the Ring Ticket) carefully before deciding where to stop for lunch as the boats back to Rüdesheim only run every hour or so and less frequently in autumn.
The excursion boat ride back offers one more look at the sights along the river " the Ehrenfels Castle ruin, the mouse tower and a stop in Bingen. Passengers can pick up postcards and snacks during the short ride back on the river.
Cost of a Ring Ticket is ,11 for adults or ,5.50 for children ages 5-13. They are available at the cable car stations in Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen and at the excursion boat stop in Bingen.
Those who would rather spend more time hiking may decide to simply purchase a one-way ticket up to the Niederwalddenkmal and then walking back down through the vineyards, stopping for picnic along the way " either way a great way to spend time with friends and family while enjoying a truly unique setting.
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