It's hard to believe: the cable car that carries passengers over the Rhine daily was actually supposed to be dismantled after the federal horticultural show of 2011. What luck that it was allowed to stay! With the Ring Ticket, the cable car ride becomes part of a very special Koblenz experience: Float up to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in the panoramic cabin. After your tour, take the fortress funicular down into the valley to the Ehrenbreitstein district. Finally, enjoy a ferry ride across the Rhine back to the old town.
The highlight: the outing is largely handicap accessible! Wheelchairs and prams can be brought along without hesitation. The excursion with the Ring Ticket is also worthwhile for visually and hearing impaired travelers. The cable car and the fortress have been tested and certified by "Reisen für Alle" (which translates to "Travel for All").
The large panoramic windows offer a clear view of the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley. You can see the Rhine glistening in the sun through the glass floor of gondola number 17 (insider tip!). There really is plenty of space here, and thanks to the step-free boarding, the cable car is also very comfortable for wheelchair users. After seven weightless minutes, you will reach the exit point and the entrance to the fortress.
Scan your Ring Ticket once and you're in! The Ehrenbreitstein Fortress is one of the largest preserved fortifications in Europe, but it is much more than that for the people of Koblenz. For us, it is a lively cultural centre with countless facets and a full calendar of events. Concerts and comedy events take place regularly in the fortress moat in summer, while the Christmas light and sound installation "Christmas Garden" attracts visitors in winter. The best wines from the region are tasted in the WeinReich wine cellar and lavish wedding celebrations keep the fortress spirits awake... There's always something going on up here!
The thick historical walls, several exhibition areas and the State Museum invite you to visit for several hours. If you decide to take part in a guided tour, you can choose between a classic guest tour and the discovery tour "Station of Fortress History", where an audio guide leads you through the fortress. The audio guide is available in German, English, French and Dutch and there is an easy-to-understand version in German for children.
Special emphasis is placed on accessibility. In addition to ramps and elevators, there is a handicap toilet, a guided tour in sign language and many exhibits also have explanations in Braille.
The fortress ravelin is home to a post-war apartment furnished with great attention to detail, which exhibits the importance the fortress had for Koblenz residents during the period following the Second World War. Starting in the late 1940s, families who had lost their homes to World War II bombings found a home high above the city. Unfortunately, the post-war apartment is not wheelchair accessible.
After visiting the inside of the fortress, you cross the curtain wall. The huge upper castle courtyard opens up in front of you. By the way: visually impaired people can use their hands to "get a feel" for the impressive fortress complex with the help of various 3D models—you will pass one of these models on your way to the Upper Castle Courtyard. Surrounding today's viewing terrace are central buildings that played an important role in the life of the fortress in earlier times, as well as the entrance to the State Museum. Enjoy the fantastic view of the old town and the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers with an ice cream in your hand.
To use the fortress funicular with your Ring Ticket, pass through the turnstile and take a free ticket from the machine (simply select "Ringticket"). There is no lift guide, so it is up to you to press the right buttons—and your panoramic ride down into the valley begins.
Take a short stroll through the historic town centre of the Ehrenbreitstein district. Surrounded by half-timbered houses and cobblestones, you will find owner-operated stores and little gems, such as the Dähler Born, which dispenses sour spring water behind the front door. You can quench your thirst here for a small donation. Don't be afraid of the slightly yellow water, it is clean and tastes wonderfully refreshing!
The Rhine Museum is just a few streets away. The legendary Rhine Romanticism is just as much a part of the exhibition as the Neanderthals, the expansion of the Rhine and the development of Rhine shipping. The discovery tour through the historic centre of Ehrenbreitstein leads past the Mother Beethoven House (Ludwig van Beethoven's mother was born here in 1748) and to the Capuchin Square with the Capuchin Church and the Capuchin Monastery. A small but very nice weekly market is held here on Wednesday afternoons. Well worth a visit!
The Schängel shuttle staff will be happy to help you negotiate the gangway, which is unfortunately a little steep for wheelchairs depending on the water level. At the end of your Ring Ticket excursion, you can take a relaxing trip back to the other side of the Rhine to the starting point near the cable car.
The Koblenz Ring Ticket is available from the tourist information office at Zentralplatz, at the lower cable car station and the upper station of the fortress funicular (if your tour starts in Ehrenbreitstein, first take a free ticket in the valley to get to the fortress).
- 1x trip with the cable car to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
- 1x admission to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
- 1x ride on the fortress lift to the Ehrenbreitstein district
- 1x ride on the ferry across the Rhine from Ehrenbreitstein back to the old town
- The tour is handicap accessible (cable car, fortress, fortress lift and ferry)