Bacharach
Bacharach features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Rhine Valley. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Rhine Valley Rhine Valley guide
About Bacharach
A small walled wine town on the Rhine's left bank, once a major medieval wine-trading hub. Half-timbered streets, surviving town walls and towers, with Burg Stahleck rising above the town.
Bacharach is a small walled wine town on the left bank of the Rhine in Rhineland-Palatinate, within the UNESCO Upper Middle Rhine Valley. About 48 kilometres south of Koblenz, it had a population of around 1,525 in 2025. First documented in the early 11th century, it was granted town rights in 1356. Construction of its town wall began in 1344 and was largely complete by about 1400, and substantial stretches of wall and several towers still stand.
In the Middle Ages Bacharach was a major Rhine wine-trading and transshipment point, and 'Bacharacher' became a common name for Rhine wine, because the Binger Loch quartzite reef downstream forced goods to be transshipped here. The Protestant parish church of St. Peter, from the 12th to 14th century, stands in the centre, while the ruined Gothic Wernerkapelle overlooks the town. Bacharach's setting drew Romantic painters and writers, and inspired Heinrich Heine's unfinished novel 'Der Rabbi von Bacherach'.
Did you know? Bacharach was granted town rights in 1356, and its defensive wall was built between 1344 and about 1400; substantial stretches of that wall and several towers still survive today around the old town.
How long is a visit to Bacharach?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Bacharach. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Bacharach worth your time?
Bacharach is among the 13 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Rhine Valley, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Rhine Valley
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Bacharach and read more:
Day 1 of the Rhine Valley in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Bacharach
Preview the Rhine Valley tour free in the Gingerguide app.