Koblenz Self Guided Tour of Rivers and Rulers

Everyone assumes Koblenz’s giant riverside statue is named for the emperor. It isn’t. The name is centuries older, and the Teutonic monks’ story only gets stranger at this river confluence. Then there is the French official who carved his emperor's coming victory over Russia into a fountain, before that campaign became one of history's great disasters. When the Russian commander read the boast, he quietly signed his own reply underneath. This self-guided walking tour, led by a downloadable audio app, takes you past that fountain and 20-plus more Koblenz stops, including a fortress no army ever beat in battle was blown up by its own defenders, and a mechanical face that has stuck its tongue out at pedestrians for centuries. No set start time, no group to keep up with, just download the app, follow the map at your own pace, and stop for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine whenever the mood strikes. Over 25,000 travelers have used our self-guided tours, backed by a full refund guarantee.

1. 1

   Deutsches Eck (German Corner)

   10 min

   Stand where a giant emperor vanished from his own monument, and stayed missing for decades

2. 2

   Deutschherrenhaus (Ludwigmuseum)

   Pass by

   Spot the giant bronze thumb outside this modern art museum, and find whose actual print it copies

3. 3

   Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

   10 min

   Look across the Rhine at a fortress no army ever beat in battle, yet still lay in ruins

4. 4

   Kastorbrunnen

   8 min

   Decode a fountain's confident boast about a war, then notice who quietly signed beneath it

5. 5

   Stop 5

   10 min

   Step inside the city's oldest church, where three warring brothers once redrew the map of Europe

6. 6

   Altes Kaufhaus

   8 min

   Watch the mechanical face above this merchant house roll its eyes, and hear the curse behind it

7. 7

   Florinskirche

   8 min

   Discover the outrageous fate nearly assigned to this ancient church under Napoleon's rule

8. 8

   Stop 8

   10 min

   Learn the history of this townhouse, once the heart of Koblenz's Jewish community, and the night that changed everything

9. 9

   Alte Burg

   7 min

   Notice why this lordly castle was built facing inward, aimed at the city's own citizens

10. 10

    Balduinbrucke

    7 min

    Cross the oldest bridge in Koblenz, built over decades and funded partly through promises of spiritual reward

11. 11

    Stop 11

    8 min

    Step into the birthplace of Europe's most powerful coachman, the man who redrew an entire continent

12. 12

    Liebfrauenkirche

    10 min

    Look up at two onion domes that exist only because an enemy army blew the originals apart

13. 13

    Stop 13

    8 min

    Stand in the square where a robber was executed and an opera legend was born

14. 14

    Jesuitenplatz

    8 min

    Piece together how a Jesuit school for training priests became this state's very first parliament

15. 15

    Schangelbrunnen

    7 min

    Watch a grinning bronze boy spit water at unsuspecting visitors, and learn the insult hidden in his name

16. 16

    Stop 16

    7 min

    Trace two thousand years of Koblenz's history climbing a single bronze column from base to crown

17. 17

    Theater Koblenz

    Pass by

    Uncover how two caretakers may have saved this theatre with a message that never really existed

18. 18

    Koblenzer Sektmuseum

    Pass by

    Follow this wine cellar's rise into a sparkling empire, and hear the composer's dry joke inside it

19. 19

    Kurfurstliches Schloss

    8 min

    Walk the gardens of a palace built as one archbishop's triumph, and the start of his downfall

• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.