Passenger Ferry Bonn-Mitte - Bonn-Beuel Landing stages: Beuel: Hans-Steger-Ufer, near Steinstraße Bonn: Brassertufer, near 1. Fährgasse It would be simply wrong to view the numerous ferries on the Rhine as mere means of transportation. They are a true institution and belong to the Rhine valley just like the castles and the wine. Their tradition is long-standing, and the profession of ferryman has existed on the Rhine since the Middle Ages. The shallows and rock outcrops were once treacherous, and only a good connoisseur of the river could bring his guests safely and dryly from bank to bank. Even today, skill and experience are required, as the ferries are part of one of the busiest transport routes in Europe. The Rhine is an important waterway and thus continues to maintain its significance as a transport route. Shipping and ferry operations on the Rhine are therefore not nostalgic but are part of the daily landscape. Bridges are thinly scattered here and concentrate around the Koblenz region. Upstream and downstream, however, the ferries are typical residents of the Rhine. With a rich tradition and even a venue for the "Festival of the Flying Bridge" between the neighboring towns of St. Goar and St. Goarshausen. When the first ferry was pulled across the Rhine by ropes between St. Goar and St. Goarshausen in the 16th century, the Easter custom surrounding this "Flying Bridge" was also established: The ferryman received an egg as a token of gratitude from passengers for the crossing at Easter.