It’s part of the spiel: At some point during each wine trip your family (including your most supporting spouse) is going to revolt. They have been patiently joining you on ‘small detours’ to peek into a winery; they have been more than good as you took a full liquid exploration of the tasting room; and they haven’t complained as it took you forever to settle on which bottles will finally fill your luggage allowance.
But sure enough there is that one moment when even Coke and Ipad are failing… and you have no choice but to get back to being a responsible parent on holiday in Germany.
If that mutiny happens to take place while you are exploring Rhine River wineries of the Rheingau region this family-pleasing day trip will take off some pressure (route and text curtesy of Rheingauprinzessin – many thanks!):
The romantic town of Rüdesheim is a great place to spend an entire day. And it’s a classic. If you are traveling to Rheingau you have to have been to Rüdesheim. Here’s an idea how to spend your day:
Explore the the town, definitely make sure you stroll down Drosselgasse, check out shops, restaurants and bars that feel good to you. Eventually you will come by the cable car station. It’s almost in the middle of the town, just a bit up the hill. Get a one-way ticket (it’s 5 Euros) and hop on.
You will enjoy a beautiful and unforgettable ride up to the statue of Germania. Once you’ve arrived and left the cable car station it’s a short walk to the impressive monument. Enjoy the great view from up here, maybe get some refreshments.
Once you’re ready, walk past the monument, parallel to the Rhine river and follow the path through the forest towards Assmannshausen. You will pass by the Hotel Jagdschloss Niederwald – if you feel like it, sit down and have a snack and some refreshments, it’s a nice place to rest for a while. From there it’s only a few minutes walk to the the cable car station of Assmannshausen.
Depending on how fit you are and what your plans are for the rest of the day – you will have to decide now wether to walk down to Assmannshausen or take the cable car. The walk will lead you through a patch of forest, it’s all downhill and fun to walk, but there’s not much of a view. The cable car ride is spectacular, quite steep and with a view of the Rhine almost for the entire trip.
Whatever you do – enjoy your way down. Once you’ve accomplished that, take a quick walk around the town of Assmannshausen. There’s not very much to see, but nice places to sit, have a drink or lunch.
You will then take the boat back to Rüdesheim. The cable car station on top of the hill of Assmannshausen will be able to provide information at what time the next boat will leave. Of course you can prepare in advance and get all the information you need on the internet.
English page of the Ruedesheim Cable car
English page of the Ruedesheim/Assmannshausen Boat Tours
First published at Rheingauprinzessin on March 17th, 2017
++++
The Rüdesheim cable car season reopens March 17th, 2018.
For more tips on family friendly wine tours through Germany … reach out.
