Rhine Gorge

The B9 along the left bank of the Rhine through the UNESCO-listed Upper Middle Rhine Valley, 56 km from Bingen to Koblenz past Bacharach, Oberwesel, St. Goar and Boppard, with a castle on almost every hilltop.

From Bingerbrück the B9 follows the left bank of the Rhine north into the gorge, passing Burg Rheinstein at Trechtingshausen and then Bacharach, whose 12th-century Stahleck Castle is now a youth hostel. Beyond the Kaub ferry, with the Pfalzgrafenstein toll castle on its island in the river, it reaches Oberwesel, midway between Bacharach and St. Goar, then runs opposite the Loreley rock, whose plateau stands 132 m above the water, to St. Goar below the ruins of Rheinfels. After the long bend of the river at Boppard the road continues through Rhens to Koblenz and ends below Stolzenfels, a ruined castle rebuilt as a Gothic Revival palace for the Prussian crown prince. The railway runs beside the road most of the way and car ferries cross to the right bank at several points. The B42 on the opposite bank has been closed at the Loreley since 28 September 2026 after a rockfall, and B9 works with temporary traffic lights around Bacharach are planned to run until the end of 2028.