Rüdesheim: The Night the Day-Trippers Go Home

Look up from the town and you’ll see the Niederwald Monument: a giant Germania keeping an eye on the Rhine. She has been there since 1883 and does not appear to have missed much.

At the unveiling on 28 September that year, Kaiser Wilhelm I and an impressive collection of princes made a tempting target for anarchists associated with August Reinsdorf. Two plotters placed explosives beneath the procession’s approach road.

Then it rained. Their cheaper, non-waterproof fuse became soaked. The attempt failed. For once, German weather had performed a useful public service.

The aftermath has an equally extraordinary footnote. In his later account of the trial, court reporter Hugo Friedländer describes one conspirator asking for reimbursement of the journey’s expenses at a workers’ gathering. Arrests followed. An assassination plot with an expenses claim: history occasionally writes its own punchlines.

The police already had informants around the group, so the expenses story is not the whole explanation of how the plot was uncovered. Nevertheless, it is a detail worth remembering when you look up at Germania.

If you’d rather have the evening organised for you, this is the one. When offered on your departure, Viking’s optional Rüdesheim dining experience gives you an easy way to enjoy an evening ashore without having to decide where to sit down.

This is Rheingau wine country, and a good local Riesling makes it feel properly German. You do not need to become an expert. “I rather like that one” remains a perfectly respectable tasting note.

Check the description in My Viking Journey or with the onboard team for your sailing’s menu, entertainment, transport arrangements and price. It is an optional, paid experience; do not assume the details are identical on every visit.

If you prefer to make your own evening, step ashore and explore. From our usual town moorings, the attraction is the simplicity: no sightseeing coach to catch, just the pleasure of deciding which way to wander. Confirm your berth and walking route with the ship’s team first.

The Drosselgasse

A narrow lane packed with wine taverns, courtyards and music. It’s busy, a little cheesy, and great fun. You need not pretend it is a secret discovered only by you and a shepherd. Rüdesheim knows it has visitors, and generally seems pleased about it.

Evening music and opening hours vary with the venue and season. Follow your ears, glance at the menu, and decide whether the noise is your sort of noise.

A Rüdesheimer Kaffee

Coffee, local Asbach brandy, sugar set alight, and a mountain of whipped cream. It’s theatre in a cup. The brandy and sugar are flambéed before the coffee and cream complete the performance.

It also contains alcohol. This is worth remembering if you thought you were simply ordering something to help you sober up.

A quieter glass of wine

If the Drosselgasse is too loud, a side-street tavern and a glass of Riesling will settle the evening. Ask for a trocken wine if you prefer a dry style. Or order something without alcohol; enjoying the town does not require taking personal responsibility for its wine stocks.

Planning beyond this visit? Then use my Germany travel guide to choose your next stops and build a journey that fits your time.

Not everyone wants to hit the cobbles after dinner. Staying on board is a perfectly good choice, particularly if the day has already involved enough walking to qualify as a modest expedition.

Check the daily programme for the evening’s entertainment. Enjoy dinner, find a comfortable seat and let Rüdesheim provide the view. A holiday is not an attendance competition, and nobody is awarding extra points for being the last person out of a wine tavern.

On the overnight calls I’m describing, the ship stays until the following morning. That is what gives this evening its wonderfully unhurried feel.

Your actual all-aboard time is the one announced by the ship. Check it before you leave, along with the berth and the ship’s contact number. “Rob said breakfast” is a joke, not a navigational instruction. Sailing and mooring arrangements can change.

But on one of those lovely, leisurely overnights, I won’t say what time the Drosselgasse closes. I’ll say this: the omelette station has seen things.

If you stroll up the gangway in last night’s shirt, smiling about a flaming coffee, we won’t ask questions.

We’ll just pass you the orange juice.