Germany
A river valley lined with over forty medieval castles, then a sandstone massif that inspired Caspar David Friedrich's Romantic paintings
Germany
A journey far from Berlin and Munich: the Middle Rhine Valley between Koblenz and Bingen, UNESCO listed, where more than forty medieval castles and fortresses follow one another over sixty-five kilometres above terraced vineyards, then Saxon Switzerland, a sandstone massif of spectacular rock formations that inspired Caspar David Friedrich's 19th-century Romantic paintings, whose famous Wanderer above the Sea of Fog was painted from one of its summits.
When
April to Oct
Price
From 2 200€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
5 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-2
The first chapter unfolds in the Middle Rhine Valley, UNESCO World Heritage listed, where more than forty medieval castles and fortresses follow one another over sixty-five kilometres between Koblenz and Bingen, most built between the 11th and 14th centuries by local lords who levied a toll on river traffic. The Lorelei rock, a hundred and thirty-two metres above the river, marks the Rhine's narrowest and most dangerous point, a passage legend attributes to a siren's beguiling song said to have lured boatmen onto the reefs.
Day 1
A Rhine cruise to the Lorelei rock
A river cruise through the Rhine Valley, between medieval castles and terraced vineyards, to the Lorelei rock and its legendary passage.
Day 2
A visit to Marksburg Castle
A visit to Marksburg Castle, the only fortress in the valley never destroyed or conquered, whose original medieval architecture remains intact since the 13th century.
Days 1-2
The road to Saxon Switzerland, a sandstone massif sculpted by the Elbe and its tributaries into a landscape of isolated rock tables, deep gorges, and forests that inspired an entire generation of 19th-century German Romantic painters. Caspar David Friedrich, a major figure of the movement, painted his famous Wanderer above the Sea of Fog from the region's summits, while the Bastei Bridge, a stone footbridge built in 1851 some hundred and ninety-four metres above the Elbe, links together several spectacular rock spires.
Day 1
Crossing the Bastei Bridge
A crossing of the Bastei Bridge, a stone footbridge linking several spectacular rock spires nearly two hundred metres above the Elbe.
Day 2
A hike in the footsteps of the Romantic painters
A hike across the rock tables of Saxon Switzerland, at the very viewpoints that inspired Caspar David Friedrich and the German Romantic painters.
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