Andernach

Roman and medieval remains, including much of a remnant city wall, in a small package, with a geyser nearby - that's the little-known Rhine town of Andernach. It's a short train ride north of Koblenz and can be appreciated in a few hours' walk.

Stroll the walls and the remains of 26 towers and gates, the castle ruins, the 17th century riverbank bastion and the crane and climb the 56m high round tower. The parish church of Maria Himmelfahrt has a precious west facade in the so-called Rhenish Transitional style and older Romanesque sections. There is even a Roman soldier's grave monument and a fragment of Roman sewer.

The town with the Celtic-Roman name reminds us of the centuries-old importance of river traffic, tolls and fortifications along the Rhine.