Nestled between both sides of Rhine valley in Germany’s prime riesling region, is a gorgeous little town called Boppard, just shy of ten thousand residents. The major hotel in town is the Bellevue Rheinhotel and throughout this post, I’m going to show you why it’s a lovely choice for a weekend getaway.

Pulling in to Bellevue Rheinhotel – Boppard.
If you’re a fan of riesling, large European rivers and smaller towns as opposed to really hectic major cities, then Boppard is going to be a nice choice for you if you’re in the area.

Tulips in spring – my favourite.
I should point out that I’ve stayed here many times and I normally visit twice a year either with my family or my in-laws. I’m a big fan of weekend getaways as I’m based in Frankfurt’s Red Light District, which is not only noisy but super seedy. This means that I’m always on the lookout for cute little spots when I want to escape Frankfurt. Boppard is only 1.5 hours away from Frankfurt, which makes it perfect for a Friday-Sunday scenario.

The building in the back of the image is Bellevue’s first & more traditional location. Images of its second location are below.
The Bellevue Rheinhotel has been in the family for more than 5 generations, so there’s a lot of history steeped in the business. However, just last year, a second location was newly built just five doors down. This means when you book you’ll have two location options.
The original hotel (pictured above) is more traditional and is where both the restaurants and spa facilities are. For example, just last week I took my grandpa there who was visiting from Australia. He absolutely loved the look of it and the authentic ‘German’ feel.
However, if I’m staying by myself or with my partner, I prefer to stay in the residence as it has high ceilings and everything is brand new inside. Whatever you decide, spend the extra money and get a river view. You’ll be fascinated by how much traffic works its way up and down the Rhine.
The Residence:

Bellevue – The Residence

Bellevue – The Residence

Sampling some local riesling.
One of the best reasons to visit the Bellevue Rheinhotel is for its gourmet restaurant Le Chopin. I have eaten here a total of four times in the last couple of years and each time it’s been a delight. It’s a very beautiful space and you will truly feel like a king or queen sitting there. The staff members speak a very high level of English too so don’t feel embarrassed if you can’t speak German.
Le Chopin is a member of JRE Deutschland, an organisation dedicated to gourmet food in Germany. (They actually have a Europe-wide network so if you’re looking for gourmet food in another European country, click here: https://www.jre.eu/)
They have a special deal for young gourmet fans which means if you’re a couple both under 30, you can book a gourmet meal at any of JRE’s restaurants for only 59 euros per person. The following offer is available to under 30’s at Le Chopin Boppard:
TWENÜ
For young gourmet fans who are under 30, our team at Jeunes Restaurateurs offers top chef art in the form of an exclusive 3-course menu at an affordable price of € 59 per person. The price includes: aperitif, amouse bouche, 3-course menu, 2 glasses of wine (à 0,1l), mineral water and coffee.
Wondering what gourmet food looks like?
I was recently invited to a very special JRE dinner at this restaurant near the Bellevue Rheinhotel and below are the meals we ate, with a list of the talented chefs who created the meals. If you are interested in gourmet food, I’ve provided links to their restaurants. (All of them are in Germany.)

A little greeting from the kitchen.

This was a salmon dish with tomato sorbet. It was a cold dish and tasted very fresh. Cooked by: Patrik Kimpel (former president of the JRE organisation) & Sebastian Messinger. (Head chef of Le Chopin.)

Good to see a quality vegetarian dish making its way to the gourmet food sector. It doesn’t always have to be meat! Peas, morel mushrooms and Black Forest Miso cooked by: Thomas Merkle from the restaurant Merkles Restaurant

We were told before this came out that it could be a somewhat ‘polarising’ meal. Can you identify what type of meat this is? I have to admit, it was my first time trying it. It’s beef tongue with asparagus, rhubarb and tiny raisins. Cooked by Le Chopin‘s home chef: Sebastian Messenger.

Another interesting type of meat – this is called Wollschwein which basically translates to ‘wool pig’. This Hungarian breed is called Mangalica in English and it grows a very thick, wooly coat similar to that of a sheep. I was told it’s good to eat because its meat is very juicy and as you can see there’s a thick layer of fat. Cooked by: Jochen Helfesrieder from the restaurant Storchen in Schmidhofen.

Dessert of fried chocolate cream from the company Original Beans with champagne sorbet and passionfruit tapioka cooked by Stefan Kniep, another home chef from Bellevue Rheinhotel.
Remember how I mentioned above that the JRE “59 euro 3-course deal” applies only to under 30s? Don’t fret if you’re over 30. (Besides it’s hip to be over 30 these days….)
There is a 5 course degustation offered at JRE restaurants too. Prices vary from place to place but this is the following degustation available at Le Chopin:
REINSCHMECKER
5-course menu for two people including aperitif and one night in a double room with breakfast for the price of € 264,00 for 2 people in a double room.
If you’re a big fan of gourmet food then both offers are quite a good Schnaeppchen. (That’s German for a ‘good little deal’.)
Marek Gawel, the owner of Bellevue told me, “The TWENÜ price is the same at every JRE restaurant and it is great value. When I was under 30, I had something like 20 meals around Germany with this offer. It was a great way to learn about different kitchen styles.”
Of course if you’re looking for more traditional German food like a schnitzel or whatnot, Bellevue has another restaurant with that sort of stuff too, so just ask at reception.

My friend Grace and I at the hotel. This elevator is so old-school and has a chair inside!
Boppard itself is a sweet little town and you can definitely do everything on foot in a couple of hours. My big tip is to exit the Bellevue Rheinhotel, turn left and walk all the way down the river until you’ve officially come to the end of Boppard. In spring there will be beautiful flowers along the way and it’ll give you the chance to take a nice panorama photo of the town.

Such a lovely walk along the river.

The view from my hotel room balcony.

Spring time is lovely in town.
If you’re getting restless, there’s a passenger ferry which comes twice a day and does Rhine River cruises.

One of the many ferries offering to take you on a day trip.
One of the famous things to see in the region is the Lorelei rock. Legend has it that a beautiful maiden with luscious and flowing blonde hair was sitting up there naked when a captain sailed his ship past and sunk it because he was too busy looking at her.
“Die Lorelei” describes the eponymous female as a sort of siren who, sitting on the cliff above the Rhine and combing her golden hair, unwittingly distracted shipmen with her beauty and song, causing them to crash on the rocks.
Alternatively, if the weather is good, how about doing nothing? Sit out the front of the hotel in their garden bar ‘Le Jardin’, watch the world pass you by and enjoy the sun.

Bellevue’s Le Jardin.
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Look at this cute little find in Boppard!

Thanks for reading!
2 Comments
Angela Marti
April 18, 2017 at 6:55 pmWoow, first of all, let me start by saying that the Bellevue Rheinhotel Boppard has officially been added to my list of future hotel destinations. What a cozy, romantic and tranquil place! It definitely looks like the perfect weekend getaway! Also, being under 30 myself, I had no idea it was so affordable and possible to have a gourmet dining experience like that… not only did the food look amazing but the presentation is truly an art! I will definitely have to convince my boyfriend to come with me sometime in the future!! Thank you for this wonderful post and for sharing this beautiful place with us!! xx
kaptainkennytravel
April 18, 2017 at 7:02 pmAnglea what a sweet comment! It’s so lovely to read that you enjoyed the piece 🙂 Phoebe