Rüdesheim am Rhein

Rüdesheim needs 1 day: the Drosselgasse, a narrow alley packed with wine taverns, on one end, and the cable car up to the Niederwald Monument, with panoramic Rhine views, on the other. May-September is best for a Romantic Rhine cruise. It's mid-priced for the Rhine Valley, with a hotel scene geared toward day-trippers from Frankfurt, 1 hour away. It's the Riesling wine capital of the Rheingau region, and its old town, along with the rest of the valley between Bingen and Koblenz, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.