Rheingau-Taunus District: Rhine, Wine and UNESCO Heritage
Accommodation in Rheingau-Taunus District
The Rheingau-Taunus District is a cultural landscape shaped by the Rhine, steep river slopes, vineyards on steep hillsides and terraces, numerous castles and historic townscapes. With the municipal areas of Rüdesheim am Rhein and Lorch, the district is part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. When looking for a holiday apartment, you can consider whether the Rhine landscape and its historic towns or the history of the Limes should be a particular focus of your stay.
Panoramablick über den Rhein auf Lorchhausen am Abend
Photo: Jörg Braukmann via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Rhine Landscape and the Limes
The Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes also gives the region a distinctive historical theme. It crosses the Rheingau-Taunus District for about 35 kilometres and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2005. In the Rhine-Taunus Nature Park, the Limes runs for around 33 kilometres. These figures refer to different areas: one to the district and the other to the nature park. Zugmantel Fort is also located in the nature park and was part of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes UNESCO World Heritage Site. Those interested in Roman history will find both the route of the Limes and a named fort to serve as starting points for planning their trip.
Riesling and Routes Through the Rheingau
The 14 Riesling trails are circular routes between Flörsheim am Main and Lorch am Rhein. Each is 4 to 8 kilometres long and focuses on Riesling, viticulture and the Rheingau cultural landscape. The range of route lengths offers a useful point of comparison when planning outings with children and taking the distance into account when organising your day. At the same time, the trails’ themes provide guidance for anyone who wants to discover viticulture not only as a regional speciality, but also as part of the landscape.
History in Eltville and Johannisberg
The tower of the Electoral Castle in Eltville houses a Gutenberg memorial with an exhibition on the art of printing, as well as a historical collection on the town’s history. This brings the art of printing and the history of Eltville together in one place. In the courtyard of Schloss Johannisberg, a monument to the Spätlesereiter commemorates the discovery of late-harvest wine in 1775. Both examples offer different ways to explore history: the art of printing and the town in one case, and an event from the Rheingau’s viticultural history in the other.
Wine Tasting and Choosing a Location
Another way to discover the region’s wines is at the wine shop in the former coach house in the courtyard of Schloss Vollrads. Wines can be tasted there without an appointment during opening hours. For wine enthusiasts, a tasting can be a dedicated activity during their stay. When choosing between the district’s towns, your preferred excursions and rail connections are also useful considerations.
The right-bank Rhine railway line runs from Koblenz via Rüdesheim am Rhein and Wiesbaden to Frankfurt am Main. Lorch, Geisenheim, Oestrich-Winkel, Eltville and Walluf in the Rheingau are therefore directly connected to Deutsche Bahn’s regional and long-distance rail network. If you include these towns in your search, you can take the rail connection into account as a specific factor when choosing a location.
Other Towns in the District
For further information about the Rheingau-Taunus District, find the pages for the following towns here: HohensteinHohenstein, HünstettenHünstetten, HeidenrodHeidenrod, LorchLorch, AarbergenAarbergen, KiedrichKiedrich, WaldemsWaldems, SchlangenbadSchlangenbad, Rüdesheim Am RheinRüdesheim Am Rhein, NiedernhausenNiedernhausen, IdsteinIdstein, GeisenheimGeisenheim, Eltville Am RheinEltville Am Rhein, Bad SchwalbachBad Schwalbach, WallufWalluf, Oestrich-WinkelOestrich-Winkel and TaunussteinTaunusstein.
For the broader travel overview: Hesse.
