Coach & Minibus Hire in Germany

Wine, Castles and the Loreley: Rüdesheim by Minibus

Rüdesheim opens the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO stretch of castles, vineyards and river towns. A minibus with a driver suits wine-tasting days, wedding parties and club trips that want the valley without anyone having to drive.

Parking by the river

Three Rüdesheim car parks take coaches: P2 "An der Ringmauer / Seilbahn", handy for the cable car up to the Niederwalddenkmal, P4 "Rheinhalle" on the Bleichstraße, and P6 "Auf der Lach". Up at the monument there is coach parking as well, so your driver can be waiting at the top when the cable car arrives.

In Assmannshausen the parks are Unter den Linden on the Rheinallee, Platz von Juliénas at the station and the Höllenbergstraße. There is no green-sticker rule in Rüdesheim itself; Wiesbaden still has one, which matters if your route passes through.

Minibus with side door open for boarding
Minibus with side door open for boarding

One bank or the other

Between Wiesbaden and Koblenz, a stretch of some 90 km of river, the Rhine has no bridge and no tunnel. Bingen, Bacharach and St. Goar on the left bank mean a ferry or a long detour: Bacharach by road is about 70 km via the Mainz–Wiesbaden bridges.

The crossing to Bingen takes around six minutes on one of two car ferries. Look at the timetable, and make sure the ferry will carry your vehicle, before you build a day on it. The Loreley plateau, on the same bank as Rüdesheim, is about 35 minutes by road.

Landing near Rüdesheim am Rhein

Favourite stops in Rüdesheim am Rhein

  • Kloster Eberbach — Former Cistercian abbey in the Rheingau vineyards above Eltville
  • Loreley — Legendary rock and plateau above St. Goarshausen, on the same (right) bank as Rüdesheim
  • Rhine cruises — Boat trips from the Rüdesheim landing stages down the valley past the Loreley; Assmannshausen is also a stop
  • Drosselgasse and the old town — Lane of wine taverns in Rüdesheim
  • Niederwalddenkmal — Germania monument above Rüdesheim, built after 1871 at the entrance to the World Heritage valley; the monument and the Osteinscher Park are freely accessible; cable car from the town
  • Upper Middle Rhine Valley (Oberes Mittelrheintal) — UNESCO World Heritage site of castles, vineyards and river towns between Bingen/Rüdesheim and Koblenz

Good places to be picked up

  • Wiesbaden or Mainz for larger groups
  • Rheingau villages (Geisenheim, Eltville)
  • Assmannshausen
  • Rüdesheim old town by the Rhine

Tastings, boats and the Drosselgasse

Rüdesheim's tourist office has a team for groups that can book a boat, cable car tickets, a tasting or a guide for you. A popular shape for the day is a boat down the valley past the Loreley, with the minibus meeting you downstream on the same bank.

Evenings belong to the Drosselgasse and its wine taverns. With a driver waiting, everyone in the party can join the tasting.

The Rheingau and the Moselle

Kloster Eberbach, the former Cistercian abbey among the vines up behind Eltville, takes 20 minutes or so, and Eltville itself about the same. Wiesbaden and Mainz are both around 35 minutes.

For a longer day, Koblenz and the Deutsches Eck are about 1 h 10 min away. Going on through Koblenz, the Moselle town of Cochem is nearer two hours, and Burg Eltz about 2 hours.

Questions travellers ask

How far is Frankfurt Airport from Rüdesheim?

The run is 52 km on the A3, the A66 and the B42, so three quarters of an hour when traffic is quiet.

Can the minibus cross on the ferry?

Possibly, but confirm it with the operator and the ferry before the day rather than assuming it.

Is the Niederwalddenkmal free to visit?

Yes, the monument and the Osteinscher Park are freely accessible, and the cable car runs up from the town.

Who provides the minibus and driver?

A licensed partner operator. We are the booking service that arranges it for you.

Other trips we can arrange

Other vehicles with a driver