Discover Eltville am Rhein

Castle, views and printmaking

The Electoral Castle is Eltville’s historic landmark. Its grounds include the castle tower, courtyard, moat and official garden; the museum can be visited in the tower. The castle thus offers several areas that present the building and its surroundings in different ways. If you are interested in the view, you can reach a viewing platform in the castle tower via 123 steps. From there, the view extends over Eltville and the Rheingau, across Rheinhessen and as far as the Rhine-Main region. The number of steps is a practical detail to bear in mind when planning a visit to the castle.

The castle tower also houses a Gutenberg exhibition devoted to the art of printing. Public printing days are held there several times a year. Original prints are produced on a historic Florentine printing press, as in Gutenberg’s time; visitors can experience the “black art” of the period. These events offer something distinct from the view from the viewing platform: the focus here is not the panorama, but historic printing techniques and how they are brought to life.

Art and traces of the town’s history

Another cultural highlight is the Catholic parish church of St. Peter and Paul. This late Gothic church was built around 1350–1440 and houses significant works of painting and sculpture. Its architecture and artworks offer different reasons to explore the church’s historic character. Together with the castle and the Gutenberg exhibition, they give culturally minded visitors a varied impression of Eltville, without reducing its appeal to a single theme.

Remnants of the town fortifications also form part of its historic character. Sections have survived at the lower end of Leergasse. The fortifications were built after Eltville was granted town status in 1332. This connection places the remains in the context of the town’s history: they tell of fortifications built after Eltville became a town. If you are particularly interested in architectural history and historic traces in towns, the castle, church and surviving fortification remains can each provide a different reason to visit.

Rose garden and routes through the countryside

The rose garden reveals another side of Eltville. The roses are especially striking in the moat and along the Rhine riverbank. Unusual Japanese rose varieties grow in the Japanese bed in the rose garden within the moat. The garden can therefore be described not only by its location between the moat and the Rhine riverbank: its Japanese bed adds a distinctive feature with its special varieties. If roses and gardens are part of the kind of stay you enjoy, this area offers a different interest from the historic exhibitions and buildings.

For walking and varied scenery, there is an easy-to-follow route connecting the Eltville districts of Martinsthal, Rauenthal, Hattenheim and Erbach, as well as the neighboring municipality of Kiedrich, with Eltville’s old town. It passes through vineyards, forests and meadows, runs along the Rhine riverbank, and leads to wine estates, wine taverns and restaurants. The route therefore links several types of landscape and destinations; it may appeal to you if you would like your trip to extend beyond the historic sites.

Choose a holiday apartment based on the experiences you would like to make a priority during your stay in Eltville.

For the broader travel overview: Rheingau-Taunus district.

More destinations

More places in the same destination:

Rüdesheim Am Rhein, Waldems, Heidenrod.