The Rheingau is in the South of the state of Hesse, in Germany.
: <br/>Alte Bauernschänke](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Assmannshausen_0623-dh.jpg/440px-Assmannshausen_0623-dh.jpg)
The locals dialect is known as Rheingauer Platt. The word you will probably come across is Gude, which basically means Hello. But if you understand standard German you should have no issues with the local accent. In the more touristy areas such as Rüdesheim English is widely understood.
Frankfurt Airport is easily accessible just south east of the region. Almost as close by car is Hahn airport but is a challenge with public transport.
From the take the A66 Wiesbaden exit of the A3 then B42. From the west the A61 then one of the Rhine ferries.
The Rheinsteig or the Rheinhöhenweg (right hand side)
A large number of luxury cruise operators sail up (and down) the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel, Zurich or Strasbourg or from the Rhine cruise up the Main and Danube to Budapest. The leisurely journey with plenty of stopovers typically takes anywhere from one to two weeks, with accommodation on the boat itself. Large operators include Avalon and Viking.
The Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt, better known as KD, runs cruises and scheduled services up and down the river between Cologne and Mainz. The summer season (May-Sept) sees up to 8 services daily on the busiest parts of the river, but services are cut considerably in the shoulder seasons of April and October and slow down to a trickle in the winter. Traveling end to end takes over 11 hours (€49 one way), so most travellers opt for much smaller segments.
While KD has the most extensive network and schedules, there is quite a bit of competition. For example, Bingen-Rüdesheimer (dead link: January 2023) operates scheduled services on the south half between Rüdesheim and St. Goar.
The Rheinsteig walking trail passes through Wiesbaden-Biebrich, Kiedrich, Kloster Eberbach near Eltville, Schloss Vollrads near Oestrich-Winkel, Monstera Marienthal near Geisenheim and Niederwalddenkmal near Rüdesheim.
With over 3000 hectares of vineyard this is a great region to buy and drink quality wine. The main grape is Riesling with Spätburgunder (Pinot noir) making up most of the rest and a little Müller-Thurgau. Spätlese and Eiswein wines can also be found in the region.
This area is generally rather safe if you take common sense precautions against theft and pickpocketing.