Discover Lorch: Wine, Trails and Culture

Lorch brings hiking trails, wine and culture together in a remarkable way: St. Martin’s church has an unusual organ stop, Lorcher wines take centre stage at the Hilchenhaus, and museums preserve finds from different eras.

Wine and regional specialities

The Ransel Local History Museum is in the Ransel district, at the end of Kirchstraße. On certain dates, freshly baked bread from its own small bakehouse is sold on the grounds. Check the museum’s current baking schedule for bread sales.

At the Historic Hilchenhaus, the Tourist Information team offers wine tastings featuring wines from various Lorch winemakers. The City of Lorch’s Vinothek, in the same building, offers a wide selection of wines from almost all of Lorch’s wineries and makes it possible to enjoy a small, spontaneous tasting. The two offerings have different focuses: one features wines from various winemakers, while the other offers the Vinothek’s broad selection. Ask the Tourist Information office or the Vinothek about current tasting arrangements.

Hiking trails and access to Nollig Castle

Numerous long-distance and regional hiking trails cross in Lorch. The “Rhein-Über” hiking trail runs for 6.7 km in Lorch and another 6 km on the opposite bank of the Rhine in Niederheimbach. When planning, you can therefore distinguish the Lorch section from the stretch in Niederheimbach. Nollig Castle has a different access requirement: it can only be reached on foot via the Rheinsteig; driving there is not possible. If the castle is part of your plans, take the walk into account when planning your visit.

Church, museum and history

At St. Martin’s church, the organ’s “Riesling stop” produces birdsong. A small door opens to reveal two bottles of Riesling and two wine glasses. The church is generally open as far as the grille from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; check locally for the usual opening hours before your visit.

Visits to the Robert-Struppmann Museum are possible by prior arrangement. Its collection consists mainly of medieval sacred sculptures dating from around 1400. The museum also displays archaeological finds from the Lorch area, including a neck ring and a child’s bracelet from the Bronze Age. The collection spans everything from Bronze Age finds to sculptures dating from around 1400. Lorch was also a former garrison town. In Ransel, the Feuerpfeil family’s World Heritage Garden boasts a magnificent display of blooms.

In the Rheingau-Taunus district

The Rheingau-Taunus district is part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site through the municipal areas of Rüdesheim am Rhein and Lorch. Its cultural landscape is shaped by steep river slopes, steep-slope and terraced vineyards, numerous castles, historic townscapes and the Rhine. This broader regional context adds a distinctive cultural landscape to Lorch’s hiking and wine themes.

The Rheingau also has 14 Riesling loops: circular trails between 4 and 8 km long, running between Flörsheim am Main and Lorch am Rhein and devoted to Riesling, winegrowing and the Rheingau’s cultural landscape. For rail travel, the right-bank Rhine railway runs from Koblenz via Rüdesheim am Rhein and Wiesbaden to Frankfurt am Main; this connects Lorch to Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance rail network. For specific journeys, check the timetables with RMV.

Discover more destinations

Lorchhausen, Idstein, Geisenheim, Oestrich-Winkel, Hünstetten, Taunusstein, Rüdesheim Am Rhein, Aarbergen.

For the overview of the wider region: Rheingau-Taunus district.