Bad Ems
Bad Ems is a beautiful little town, built along the Lahn River (a tributary of the Rhein River), that is a perfect place to take a weekend trip and spend a night or two. There’s plenty of things to fill a full day in Bad Ems itself. You could even spend an entire weekend in Bad Ems. However, it’s also a short train or boat ride from Koblenz which is a main port along the Rhein River, right where it connects with the Mosel River. From here you can catch river cruise boats to dozens of little towns up and down the Rhein and Mosel Rivers.
Where to Stay
Stay at Häcker’s Grand Hotel. The Häcker’s Grand is a wonderful hotel, and really it is more of a Palace. This historic building has housed royalty from all over Europe and is one of the nicest places to stay in the Rhein/Mosel River Valleys. It has a fantastic 24 hour restaurant, a bar, and an opulent spa area.
Explore Bad Ems
Spend a day exploring Bad Ems. There’s dozens of fantastic little cafes, restaurants and pop up biergartens along the water of the Lahn River. Walking around the town is a delight. There’s a couple churches in the town that are worth stopping in (a Catholic Church and a Russian Orthodox Church), as well as one of Germany’s oldest Casinos, Spielbank. Finally, take the Kurwaldbahn, a fun trip to the top of the largest hill in Bad Ems, overlooking the Lahn River in one of the steepest Funiculares in the world. The entire trip takes only 70 seconds, but is well worth it for the fantastic views. There’s also plenty of paddle boats, paddle boards and kayaks to rent up and down the Lahn River.
Castles
Visit Nearby Castles. From Bad Ems, you are a close car ride to many nearby castles like Burg Eltz, Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, Rheinfels Castle and Stolzenfels Castle.
River Cruises
Take a day trip to Koblenz and pick up a river cruise that takes you down the river, serves you wine and drops you off at some of the quaint little towns that dot the edges of the Rhein and Mosel Rivers. If you just head to the main part of Koblenz along the river you’ll see a handful of docks and tourist stands where you can buy tickets for all different types of river cruises for between 2 to 12 hours worth of boat trips for the day. You don’t spend the entire time on the boat. You jump on, grab some wine, take a ride down the river, get off at a town and explore a bit and then get back on the next boat that stops at the dock. The boats run in loops, so you can kind of build your own adventure jumping on and off the boat as you like. You can stop at a number of different towns.
