Braubach Germany Rhineland-Palatinate
16
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Frequently Asked Questions
Along the bank, about 350 metres from the old centre. A few underpasses beneath the road and railway lead straight to the first lanes: allow five minutes on foot.
The only hilltop castle on the Romantic Rhine never to have been destroyed in seven hundred years. Not wars, not Louis XIV's French troops, not time itself: nothing got the better of it. You spot it from far off on deck, planted on its rocky cone above the vineyards.
On foot by a steep path, twenty to thirty minutes of effort depending on your pace, or by shuttle on the excursions offered on board. The climb is part of the experience: at every switchback the valley opens out. Anyone wanting to save their legs for the tour should check the coach option.
No, entry is by guided group only, and that is a good thing: the guides bring each room to life. Allow about an hour for the tour.
A kitchen with soot-blackened chimneys, the knights' hall, a painted chapel, the lord's bedchamber, a medicinal herb garden hanging over the drop, and a battery of cannon aimed at the river. Nearly everything is original, without the 19th-century romantic additions that transformed so many other fortresses in the valley. The armour collection fascinates young and old alike.
Closed shoes, without question: the cobbles and stone stairs are anything but modern, and the approach path is steep. This visit does not suit travellers with limited mobility, even arriving by shuttle.
Yes, it deserves more than a quick pass-through. Leaning half-timbered houses, wall turrets, small flowered squares and winegrowers' cellars make up a remarkably dense medieval setting for so small a town.
From the castle terraces the eye drops to the curve of the river, the convoys of barges and the vine-planted slopes. It is one of the most complete viewpoints on the Middle Rhine, the stretch inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Yes. Braubach has grown vines since the Middle Ages and a few producers keep the tradition going on these slopes. The walk back down to town goes easier with a stop at a cellar: the local Riesling goes very well with a plate of regional charcuterie.
The euro and German. In a town this size cash is the safer bet: several cellars and small shops do not take cards. Marksburg guides generally offer tours in English.
