On the banks of the Rhine in Eltville 'city of roses'

There is a precise moment in June when the air along the banks of the Rhine changes density. The pungent scent of the river water mixes with a sweet, enveloping, almost hypnotic fragrance. It happens in Eltville am Rhein, a pearl nestled in the Rheingau region of Germany, which, for more than a century, has held the official title of Rosenstadt, the 'city of roses'. The village is about 20 minutes by train from Wiesbaden and 45 minutes from Frankfurt. Strolling through Eltville is not just an aesthetic exercise among half-timbered houses and cobbled alleys, but a complete sensory experience. Here, more than 20,000 rose bushes of more than 350 varieties bloom, decorating every nook and cranny: from the walls of the historic city wall to the foot of the majestic Kurfürstliche Burg, the electoral residence that dominates the panorama.