Andernach combines the geoscientific theme of geysers with a city full of Romanesque and medieval buildings. When planning your visit, it is important to know that visiting the geyser requires a boat trip. The nature reserve, hiking trails and city history offer further highlights for your stay.
Geyser and Rhine Landscape
The Geyser Expedition at the Geyser Museum Andernach takes you through six museum areas. Exhibits and interactive learning stations explore geysers, volcanoes and the related geoscientific processes. The geyser experience therefore includes not only the natural phenomenon, but also an explanation of how it works.
The Andernach Geyser is located on Namedyer Werth. It can only be reached aboard the Geyser ship MS Namedy, which departs from the Rhine embankment in Andernach and takes visitors to Namedyer Werth. Sailings are subject to seasonal and operational changes; check the latest information about access and sailings before your trip.
The Geyser Museum, the Geyser ship and the geyser site are certified as accessible for people with mobility impairments at level 2; an accompanying person is recommended. Check the current certification again before your trip.
Namedyer Werth is also a nature reserve on a wooded stretch of the Rhine. Its habitats support numerous animal and plant species, including black kites, kingfishers, golden orioles and nine different bat species. Alongside the geyser, the protected natural landscape on the Rhine is a central feature.
Hiking and Cycling
In Andernach’s Eich district, there are three marked circular hiking trails measuring 4.1, 5.6 and 7 kilometres. They lead through fields, gentle hills and quiet stretches of woodland around Nastberg. The different trail lengths give you a clear choice of routes for a hike in this landscape.
Another option is the Namedyer Weg, which leads from the Namedy district through Andernach’s municipal forest and uphill to Krahnenberg, with views over the Rhine and the surrounding landscape. Andernach is directly on the Rhine Cycle Route, making it a convenient stop for cycling trips. The city can be reached along the Rhine from Cologne/Bonn or Koblenz; well-signposted regional cycle routes also lead here from the Eifel and the Neuwied Basin.
City Gates, Churches and Commemorative Sites
The Mariendom, also known as the Church of Our Lady, is a richly decorated three-aisled Romanesque gallery basilica dating from around 1200. The Koblenzer Tor, also called Burgpforte, is a restored, four-storey medieval double-gate complex and one of Andernach’s surviving city gates. The Rheintor is one of the oldest double-gate complexes on the Rhine and invites visitors to pass through this historic entrance to the city.
Individual buildings along the city wall also tell the story of Andernach’s defences. The Helmwartsturm is one of six fully preserved semicircular towers in the medieval city wall. Nearby, a wooden structure recreates a historic battlement walk. The Hospitalkirche, also known as the Hospitalkapelle St. Nikolaus und Elisabeth, was the church of the Annunziata convent. This late Baroque complex dates from 1737 to 1739 and features extensive wall and ceiling paintings.
The Andernach memorial to the Aktion T4 is a walk-through mirrored container that commemorates the victims of Nazi deportations and invites visitors to reflect. On the banks of the Rhine, the Bollwerk serves as a memorial to those killed in both world wars; it is also a historically significant stop along the Rhine promenade.
Green Spaces and Getting There
The Edible City project uses public green spaces to grow vegetables, fruit, berries, espalier trees and culinary herbs. Visitors are welcome to pick the produce; individual plantings may vary seasonally. The main area is at Stadtgraben 1–27, directly beside the city wall between Koblenzer Tor and Ottenturm.
Andernach railway station is centrally located on the edge of the Old Town. Direct connections include RE5, RB26 and RB23 services towards Koblenz, Mainz and Bonn/Cologne. Timetables may change, so check your connection before travelling. When planning your visit, you can choose between a stay focused on the geyser and boat trip, trails around Nastberg or Namedy, and the city’s historic sites.
Discover more destinations: Bassenheim, Kettig, Weitersburg, Wierschem, Lind, Kottenheim, Kalt, Kirchwald
Back to the regional travel overview: Mayen-Koblenz.
