Eltville am Rhein is a charming town on the banks of the Rhine River that’s known for its roses, sparkling wine, and old world charm. If you’re searching for a place to visit in the Rheingau that’s not overflowing with visitors coming off of big river cruise boats, you’ve found it!
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Nicknamed “The City of Roses,” Eltville am Rhein is one of my favorite day trips from Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Frankfurt am Main.
It’s a pint-sized town along the Rhine River that’s often overlooked in favor of better-known Rheingau destinations like Rüdesheim am Rhein and Koblenz. While I’ve visited both of those places and adored them, Eltville might just be my favorite of the three.
Why? Because Eltville isn’t a stop for larger luxury river cruise lines, which means it gets far fewer visitors. As such, it feels like a hidden gem in the middle of Germany’s famous wine growing region.
You only need about 2 hours to explore the Old Town on foot, so you can really take your time soaking up the Mediterranean-esque atmosphere before traveling on to nearby Hattenheim am Rhein (a great spot to sip wine riverside) or Eberbach Abbey (to experience firsthand where the world’s first Riesling was created).
Enjoy your time in Germany’s wine region! ~Claire
Map of the Top Attractions
A Self-Guided Walking Tour of the Old Town
I haven’t listed every single attraction in Eltville am Rhein in this travel guide, because many of the locations shared on the map provided by the tourist information office are simply historic addresses that you can admire from afar but can’t actually enter.
With that in mind, I suggest making your first stop the tourist information office so you can pick up said map (for free!) to follow their walking route. Below are simply the main attractions in Eltville am Rhein that I enjoyed the most and consider as “must sees.”
Stop 1: Eltville Castle and Rose Garden
Now primarily in ruins, all that’s left standing of Eltville’s castle (Kurfürstliche Burg) is the East Wing and its tower, now home to the tourist information office.
Claire’s Tip: You can pay a few Euros to climb the 24-meter-high tower for a view of the Rhine and town from above. There’s also a small exhibit about the city’s history inside the tower.
The castle was originally built in 1330 by Baldwin of Luxembourg (then archbishop of Trier), and later served as the residence of the archbishops and Electors of Mainz in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Swedes destroyed the castle during the Thirty Years War and it was never rebuilt — kind of a shame, but the ruins provide a romantic backdrop for the city’s famous rose gardens.
Claire’s Tip: As you cross the stone bridge to access what’s left of the castle and enter the tourist information office, look to your right for a stunning view of the famous rose garden from above.
The rose garden is THE sight to see in Eltville. There are roses within the castle’s fortification as well as more along the Rhine Promenade — more than 20,000 in total!
The roses are at peak bloom in the early summer (I visited in early July of last year and the roses were still going strong!). I suggest starting and ending your tour of Eltville at the rose garden. I had my book with me, so I sat on one of the benches and read for a bit just enjoying the scent and sight of the roses before I traveled to my next destination.
Stop 2: Parish Church of Saints Peter and Paul
It took nearly 100 years to finish, but the Church of Saints Peter and Paul was finally completed in 1440. This lovely church in the heart of Eltville am Rhein was built in the late Gothic style, and after the tower was struck by lightning (eep!) in the 1680s it was rebuilt in the then-popular Baroque style.
The interior of the church is pretty enough, but I think the real gem of any visit are the paintings around the chancel and on the ribbed vaults of the ceiling. I believe they date back to the 1400s (I couldn’t find exact information about this online, so I’m going based off of what I wrote down in my travel journal).
They’ve faded quite a bit over time, but they’re still absolutely gorgeous!
Stop 3: Market Square
Considering Eltville am Rhein’s Old Town is approximately the size of a postage stamp, it’s no surprise that its “Market Square” is equally tiny. It’s not a large pedestrian-only shopping area like Munich’s Marienplatz or Berlin’s Alexanderplatz.
Rather, Eltville’s market square is basically the intersection of two roads surrounded by pretty buildings. Here you’ll find the town hall, the city fountain (built in 1989, FYI) and charming local restaurants that look like they were plucked from a storybook.
Stop 4: “Duck Square”
Labeled as “Am Breitenstein” on the map provided by the tourist information office, “Duck Square” absolutely delighted me!
It’s not really a proper square, just a collection of benches around quite possibly my favorite fountain EVER.
It’s a raised fountain with lots of bronze ducks “swimming” in the water. If you press down on the lever it makes the ducks spit water into the basin. SO CUTE.
Stop 5: Old City Wall
Located at the end of Leergasse, near where the street intersects with Platz von Montrichard, you’ll find a surviving section of the 14th century city wall. It has a half tower at the end, and I really wish it was open to visitors!
Stop 6: Wine Stand on the Water
You’re in the Rheingau baby, so there’s an almost unlimited number of places to sample the local wines (look for places on Google Maps labeled as a “Vinothek” or “Weingut”).
Personally, I’m partial to the laidback atmosphere of the wine tasting stall that’s located right on the water, near the rose gardens. If you follow the walking tour I’ve laid out in this day trip guide, you’ll be able to enjoy a brief but leisurely stroll along the Rhine Promenade as you make your way back in the direction of the castle from the Old City Wall.
At the wine tasting stall, eight vintners are represented and they take turns providing the wines each week. You can sample the local Riesling, which the Rheingau in general is known for, but Eltville is actually most famous for its sparkling wine (called Sekt). Bring cash with you since stalls like this are often cash-only, but since you’ll be sampling wines grown right in Eltville you can expect to pay no more than a few Euros per glass.
Claire’s Tip: The wine stand in Eltville is only open on weekends in the winter and in the summer you can enjoy the town’s best wines from 4pm Monday – Friday, from 2pm Saturdays, and from 11am Sundays.
If the wine stall isn’t open yet for the day, I can highly recommend the restaurant RheinSchänke (Auweg 2) just down the road in Hattenheim. It’s a riverside restaurant with a large terrace, and they have very affordable glasses of the local Riesling and Spätburgunder wines that you can sip in the sunshine.
Have More Time? Visit Eberbach Abbey Next!
Eberbach Abbey is where Riesling wine was created, so I highly recommend visiting while you’re in Eltville! A day pass costs just 13 Euros, and you’ll get to see where the monks lived and worked, the small church on site, plus the wine storage facilities and historic wine presses.
After exploring the monastery on your own, be sure to leave enough time to peruse the onsite wine store (located within the former wine press) and enjoy a glass outdoors. You can also order a wine flight to sample several wines.
I rarely drink alcohol, but even I loved the various Rieslings that I sampled at Eberbach Abbey. As the birthplace of Riesling, they definitely know what they’re doing!
To reach Eberbach Abbey from Eltville’s Old Town: Walk back to the central train station and ride bus #172 18 minutes to the stop “Eltville (Rhein)-Hattenheim Kloster Eberbach.” From there, it’s just another 5 or so minutes of walking to reach the entrance.
Where to Eat in the Old Town
- Café & Konditorei Frankenbach (Wilhelmstr. 13) — A Viennese-style coffee house with a lovely outdoor terrace.
- Eltviller Rosenstübchen (Schwalbacher Str. 7) — A traditional German restaurant in the heart of the Old Town. Heads up: this place is cash-only!
- Altstadt Café Glockenhof (Marktstr. 3) — A super cute, family-owned cafe where you can sample the local “Rosentörtchen.” It’s a gorgeous little confection made with marzipan, rose jelly, and buttercream.
- Bäcker Dries (Marktstr. 12) — Part of a very small bakery chain you’ll only find in the Rhaingau region. If you just want a simple sandwich or baked good to tide you over until your next sit-down meal, this is a great option. There’s seating inside too!
Enjoy Your Day Trip to Eltville am Rhein!
Eltville am Rhein is more of a half-day trip destination versus a full day trip, but it’s a must-visit town in the Rheingau nonetheless.
The last time I visited Eltville I spent the morning and early afternoon exploring the town at a very leisurely place, then I rode the regional train not even 15 minutes downriver to visit the wine stall in Hattenheim and read my book, glass of Riesling in hand. You can also pair a visit to Eltville with a stop at Eberbach Abbey — both are great choices, it just depends on the type of day you want to have!
Let me know if you have any questions about visiting Eltville am Rhein. I’m happy to help in any way I can!
My Favorite Places to Visit Nearby:
- 10+ Things to do in Wiesbaden: Hesse’s Stunning Spa City (15 minutes by train)
- How to Spend 1 Day in Rüdesheim am Rhein (17 minutes by train)
- Koblenz Day Trip Guide: Where the Rhein and Moselle Rivers Meet (1 hour 20 minutes by train)
- What to Do, See & Eat in Mainz in a Day: Germany’s Wine Capital (35 minutes by train)
- All of my FREE Rheingau travel guides!
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