Like a Rhineland village, stacked on a Missouri bluff
Hermann: 48-Hour Escape from St. Louis
A Missouri River wine town where German settlers planted vineyards in the 1830s and the brick cellars are still in use.
Hermann: A Missouri River wine town where German settlers planted vineyards in the 1830s and the brick cellars are still in use.
At a glance
Hermann, Missouri is a 1 hr 25 min drive from St. Louis, best visited September-October, May. Like a Rhineland village, stacked on a Missouri bluff. Top things to do: Stone Hill Winery and its limestone cellars, Deutschheim State Historic Site, The Katy Trail and the riverfront. Where to eat: Vintage 1847 at Stone Hill, Hermann Wurst Haus, Tin Mill Restaurant. Stay at Hermannhof Inn and cottages or Hermann's 1800s bed and breakfasts.
71
of 100
Escape score
A solid 48 hours
A modest weekend: reasonable rooms, plenty to do.
- Drive
- 1 hr 25 min from St. Louis
- Best window
- September-October, May
- Typical stay
- ~$173/night
Escape score: what there is to do and eat (40%), typical weekend lodging cost (30%), drive time (25%), rounding (5%). Computed from our own guide data, never from paid placement.
Why here
Hermann was founded in 1837 by the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia, a group of emigrants who wanted a German-speaking town of their own in the American interior. They picked a slope above the Missouri River, laid out streets with German names, and gave every settler a lot and a vineyard. By 1900 the town's Stone Hill Winery was the second-largest winery in the United States, shipping claret and riesling east in barrels. Prohibition closed the cellars for decades, and the industry only came back in the 1960s when a few families reopened the old vaults.
What survived is the shape of the town: four blocks of brick and stone storefronts climbing away from the river, a white-frame courthouse on the hill, and wine cellars dug into the limestone underneath. Deutschheim State Historic Site preserves two 1840s houses and a working printing press, and the Katy Trail, the railbed of the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas line, runs along the river past the bottom of town. The wineries are all within a few minutes of each other, which is why people come here on bicycles and stay two nights.
A weekend in Hermann is a wine-and-walking weekend. Taste at two or three wineries on Saturday, ride the Katy Trail in the afternoon, and eat a German dinner in town. Sunday is for Deutschheim and the bluff road out. Come in October for harvest and the wine trail weekends, or in May when the vines are leafing out and the town is quiet.
The plan
48 hours in Hermann
Same town, two different weekends. Pick the arrival that matches your Friday.
Friday, on arrival
Check inHermannhof Inn and cottages
From ~$185/night
Rooms and small houses in restored 1800s buildings around the Hermannhof winery, some with brick walls, most within a walk of the tasting rooms. The w...
Leave St. Louis after work: the 1 hr 25 min drive lands you here in the evening.
Friday night
Dinner, then the main streetVintage 1847 at Stone Hill
The winery's own restaurant in the old cellar, serving German plates, pork and sauerkraut, and wine by the glass under brick arches. Book ahead on wee...
Eat first and walk it off after. Most small-town kitchens stop seating by 9.
Saturday morning
First stopStone Hill Winery and its limestone cellars
Tours ~$10. A winery running since 1847, with vaulted cellars dug by hand under the hill, a tasting room, and the best long view of the town from the...
Saturday midday
LunchHermann Wurst Haus
A butcher counter and lunch spot making bratwurst, summer sausage, and landjaeger in house, with sandwiches to take down to the river. The midday stop...
Saturday afternoon
Second stopDeutschheim State Historic Site
Entry ~$8. Two 1840s German houses with original furniture, a period garden, and a working 1870s printing press, run by the state historical society....
Saturday night
DinnerTin Mill Restaurant
A room in an old mill building with tall windows and a long bar, serving steaks, catfish, and a serious whiskey list. The Saturday dinner.
Sunday morning
Last stop, then homeThe Katy Trail and the riverfront
Free. A crushed-limestone rail trail along the Missouri River, flat and easy for a rented bike, with the old Hermann riverfront and a landing at the b...
1 hr 25 min back to St. Louis still leaves you the afternoon.
Timings are a suggestion, not a schedule. Shift the whole plan by how late you leave.
The Basecamp
Where to stay in Hermann
Hermannhof Inn and cottages
Rooms and small houses in restored 1800s buildings around the Hermannhof winery, some with brick walls, most within a walk of the tasting rooms. The wine-country stay.
Hermann's 1800s bed and breakfasts
A handful of restored German-town houses renting rooms and suites, with porches over the street, breakfast, and a two-night minimum through October. The quiet pick.
River-bluff cabins and farm stays
Cabins and farm rentals ten minutes outside town, with decks over the Missouri bottoms and room for bikes and dogs. The outdoors pick.
What to do
Stone Hill Winery and its limestone cellars
Tours ~$10. A winery running since 1847, with vaulted cellars dug by hand under the hill, a tasting room, and the best long view of the town from the top of the property.
Deutschheim State Historic Site
Entry ~$8. Two 1840s German houses with original furniture, a period garden, and a working 1870s printing press, run by the state historical society. Closed early in the week.
The Katy Trail and the riverfront
Free. A crushed-limestone rail trail along the Missouri River, flat and easy for a rented bike, with the old Hermann riverfront and a landing at the bottom of the hill.
Pack for Hermann
Wine country kit
Curated for tasting rooms, patios, and the bottle that comes home in Hermann.
Insulated wine tote
Keeps the buy-of-the-day cold on the drive back.
See price on Amazon →Waiter-style corkscrew
The only opener worth packing, in a pocketable size.
See price on Amazon →Unbreakable stemless glasses
Stemless Tritan glasses for porch pours without the porcelain risk.
See price on Amazon →Portable cheese board set
Board, knife, and corkage in one roll for picnic tastings.
See price on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, book2escape earns from qualifying purchases.
Where to eat
Vintage 1847 at Stone Hill
The winery's own restaurant in the old cellar, serving German plates, pork and sauerkraut, and wine by the glass under brick arches. Book ahead on weekends.
Hermann Wurst Haus
A butcher counter and lunch spot making bratwurst, summer sausage, and landjaeger in house, with sandwiches to take down to the river. The midday stop.
Tin Mill Restaurant
A room in an old mill building with tall windows and a long bar, serving steaks, catfish, and a serious whiskey list. The Saturday dinner.
Most reviewed on Yelp
The most-reviewed restaurants in Hermann. A solid indicator of where locals actually eat.
Hermann Wurst Haus
Meat Shops, Delis, Butcher
Doxie Slush
Seafood, Cocktail Bars, New American
Tin Mill Steakhouse
Seafood, Steakhouses, Burgers
Review counts and ratings are curated from Yelp and may change over time.
Getting there
Drive logistics
From St. Louis, take I-70 West to MO-19 south through Montgomery City, about 85 miles and roughly 1 hour 25 minutes. The wineries and the historic district are within a mile of each other and parking is free; a bicycle is the best way to cover the winery loop and the Katy Trail. Cellar tours fill up on fall weekends, so book Saturday tastings ahead.
Drive time
1 hr 25 min
Best time
September-October, May
Questions & Answers
Hermann weekend FAQ
Hermann is about 85 miles west of St. Louis, roughly 1 hour 25 minutes via I-70 West and MO-19 south.
Yes. Two nights covers the wineries, Deutschheim, and a Katy Trail ride without rushing, and the town is small enough to walk once you park.
October, for harvest and the wine trail weekends, or May, when the vineyards leaf out and the town is quiet. Summer weekends are the busiest and the hottest.
Yes. The Katy Trail passes along the river and the wineries sit within a couple of miles of each other on quiet roads, which makes a bike the easiest way to taste without driving.
It runs the first four weekends of October, with the wineries hosting tastings and food, a parade, and a lot of people in town at once. Book lodging months ahead for those weekends.
Yes. A cellar tasting, a walk through the 1840s streets, dinner in a brick room, and a room upstairs in an old German house is the whole appeal.
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