The Loreley is a 132-metre slate cliff rising sheer from the river at the narrowest point of the Rhine Gorge, where the current is swift and the channel shallow — genuinely dangerous for boats before the river was properly charted. The rock juts from the right bank near St. Goarshausen, its silhouette visible for kilometres upstream and downstream.
The rock itself is accessible from above: a road and path from St. Goarshausen winds up to the summit, where a viewing platform overlooks the whole valley. On a clear day you can see the curve of the river upstream toward Oberwesel and downstream toward the broad valley near Boppard. The visitor centre at the top has an exhibition on the geology and myth of the valley. Below, the river cruise ships slow as they pass and guides deliver the Brentano story in multiple languages.