Loreley circular route

Directly at the ferry landing in St. Goarshausen by the parking lot is the bus stop from where the bus (line 535) takes us up to the Loreley high plateau in a few minutes - the bus runs every half hour during the main season.

Those who want to skip the bus ride and prefer to hike the entire circular route walk down the stairs to the Rhine shore right next to the road to the ferry landing and follow the Leinpfad about 500m upstream, then leave it near the Loreley statue by turning left, following the sign "Rheinsteig Loreley Extratour." A narrow path - partly over ladders - leads steeply uphill to the Loreley high plateau.

Once there, it is best to first visit and learn about the myth and legends of the Loreley as well as the nature and history of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in the visitor center, for which you should plan about 1 hour. Then head to the rock summit with its magnificent view and afterwards enjoy a packed lunch break at one of the 6 beautifully designed viewpoints. If you have enough time available, before starting the actual route, you can still enjoy a summer toboggan ride on the Loreley plateau with the "Loreley-Bob."

Refreshed, the further path first leads back to the parking area where, right next to the access road, you find the entrance to the "Loreley Extratour" marked with the "red wave logo." This marking now leads us relatively parallel to the Rhine Graben along the high plateau toward Bornich. Along the way, like "pearls on a string," you pass one breathtaking view after another - a viewing pavilion, Spitznack, rock pulpit - shortly before the town of Bornich you reach the Rheinsteig rest "Hof Leiselfeld" in a beautiful location. A welcome opportunity for a coffee break - coffee and drinks are plentiful. Outside there is a great terrace with about 30 seats. Afterwards, the path leads up to the town limits of Bornich, which we leave immediately again to the left. We continue following the "Loreley Extratour" logo, crossing the access road to Leiselfelder Hof, and after about 200m at a junction, we leave our previous path logo by going straight ahead here, then after about 250m turn right and after another approx. 100m follow the little road to the left. Continuing along this, soon the access road to Loreley is crossed and the path goes along the forest edge towards the village of Heide. Along the way, enjoy the view across the open field to the Loreley settlement and the summer toboggan run. Upon reaching the village "Heide," follow the first street to the left up to shortly before the village end; here you should not miss the viewpoint "Hühnertempel," which is located only about 100m to the left. Retrace the same way back into the village where we turned off and now, going left past the Loreley school, reach two more wonderful viewpoints one after another. From here, the path leads down to Katz Castle - which, as it is privately owned, unfortunately cannot be visited. So, we continue down the steep path that leads in switchbacks down to Sankt Goarshausen.

If you have time, you should definitely take the opportunity to visit the pretty old town of Sankt Goarshausen. There are also numerous dining and accommodation options. However, it should be noted that - unfortunately often in the Middle Rhine Valley - some gastronomy establishments focus solely on day guests (tourists) and have no desire to win regular customers, which unfortunately often results in poor quality at inflated prices. Therefore, it is better to ask locals where it is worth dining; personally, I can recommend the "Gasthaus zum Schiffchen" at Dolkstraße 23.