11 Best Hotels in The Rhineland, Germany

The hip 25hours chain adopts a French theme with its Düsseldorf property, located in a glassy tower offering fantastic city views. Rooms are chic and homey, with retro-style furnishings, clever design details, and nice touches like a complimentary minibar. 

Considering it's set within an imposing hilltop castle that dates back to the 12th century, the bedrooms in this hotel are surprisingly modern; each one, from the most basic Comfort room up to the signature Gallery suite, is individually decorated and features comfortable beds, flat-screen TVs, and rain showers. Breakfast is served in the attached restaurant, Puricelli, which also provides fresh, seasonal German cuisine every evening (and at lunchtime during summer). The castle museum is well worth a visit for its beautiful period rooms, collections of decorative cast-iron slabs (from ovens and historical room-heating devices), hunting weapons and armor, and paintings—non-hotel guests can also visit for €11 per person.

Set within a 15th-century structure on Eltville's Weingut Koegler complex, this charming boutique hotel brings modern style to its historic setting (the building, Hof Bechtermünz, is where Johannes Gutenberg printed the world's first dictionary in 1467). The rooms are individually and stylishly designed, with a mix of antique furnishings and modern bathrooms, and the breakfast buffet is superb.

West of Bernkastel in Mülheim, this renovated 17th-century manor in a shady park offers comfortable rooms and first-class, friendly service. Relax over a great breakfast or a glass of wine on the garden terrace—or taste the Richtershof estate wines during a visit to the centuries-old vaulted cellars. The hotel has three restaurants, including a regionally inspired gourmet restaurant and a handsome bistro-bar, which serves lunch daily. The spa, reminiscent of Roman baths, has treatments using grapeseed oil and other products from the vineyard.

A magnificent private art collection is displayed throughout this luxury hotel inside a former monastery that overlooks the yellow spires of the neighboring St. Andreas church. Rooms differ in size and design and are largely decorated in a contemporary style, though some historical suites feature lavish antiques.

This elegant, small hotel added a luxuriously indulgent spa during the pandemic, offering virtually all-inclusive rates and looking out over the placid Mosel River at the foot of the town's main bridge. Even the smallest rooms are modern in style and large enough to have both a sitting and sleeping area, and all have a large bathroom with a walk-in shower (not all rooms have tubs); but it pays to splurge on a larger suite, some offering levels and excellent views out onto the river, giving you significantly more space for not that much more cost; the largest suites may make you want to stay for a while. Food in the restaurant is excellent; the breakfast buffet is expansive, and you only need to pay extra for wine and alcohol. The daytime "snacks" offered in the spa may be sufficient for a light lunch, especially if you are spending your day spa-ing. A wide range of treatments, including massages, body treatments, and facials are offered; there's also a hair salon and yoga classes. You can choose from myriad treatment-inclusive packages to make your short or long stay more relaxing.

With roots dating to the 12th century, this elegant hotel is conveniently located about three minutes' walk from the Porta Nigra. Even the modest rooms are tastefully decorated in subtle earth tones and boast box-spring beds—but if you really feel like splashing out, the beautiful Glockensuite (Bell Tower Suite) features half-timber interior walls and exposed wood rafters. Some of the junior suites also have a view of Trierer Dom, as well as walk-in closets and free-standing tubs for a relaxing soak after a day on the town. The historic restaurant, which has been serving hungry locals since 1803, serves hearty German classics, while the vaulted cellar is an ideal after-dinner stop for a glass of wine. 

Traben-Trarbach's premier hotel has a first-class reputation thanks to its distinctive architecture and decor, knowledgeable staff, and gorgeous river views. But it's the large wellness area, including a heated pool, Finnish sauna, and rooftop terrace, that makes it stand out from other hotels along the Mosel. Even if you're not staying the night, book a table at the “Belle Epoque” restaurant; its elegant (if meat heavy) cuisine and extensive wine list make for a memorable meal.

Miraculously quiet despite its central location on the edge of the Hofgarten and at the beginning of the Königsallee, this old hotel is anything but stodgy, especially after a major face-lift in 2013. The soaring ceilings add to the spaciousness of the guest rooms, each individually decorated in a restrained, elegant style. The pampering continues at the breakfast buffet, served in the Menuett restaurant, where champagne and smoked salmon are appropriate starters for a shopping expedition on the Kö.

For solid comfort and a picturesque, central location, the Sternhotel is tops—and their weekend rates are a bargain. Rooms are in a Danish-modern style.