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Living in and around the Rheingau region
We have put together everything you need to know about where to live near EBS: hints on looking for places to stay, the best areas to live, and useful advice about beginning your life as a student.
How to find a place to live
Are you going to study at EBS Universität and looking for accommodation? There are various possibilities, depending on what kind of place you have in mind. You might prefer to live alone or share a flat, you might prefer city life or want to live very near campus. We have put together a list of contacts to get in touch with so that you can get accommodated as quickly as possible. Further down, you will find advice about looking for a flat, as well as a map of the area to help you familiarise yourself with it.
After enrolment, you have further options for finding accommodation. These include the EBS Housing Portal, the EBS Canvas platform as well as private Whatsapp and Facebook groups of the EBS Community.
EBS residences
EBS student residences are run by private providers that work alongside the university. EBS students are given preference when it comes to flats and rooms, and live together with other students near campus:
- Swan1628 serviced apartments by Hotel Schwan (Oestrich-Winkel)
- Rhein Village operated by Cube Real Estate GmbH and managed by KAFEMA (Oestrich-Winkel)
Residences in Rheingau
There are other student residences near EBS and run by various private providers:
- 503 Design Student Living operated by Immobilienservices GmbH (Oestrich-Winkel)
- Studierendenwohnheim Geisenheim operated by Studentenwerk Frankfurt (Geisenheim)
- Alte Sektkellerei operated by Gebäude Alte Sektkellerei GmbH & Co KG (Geisenheim)
- Studierendenwohnheim Oestrich-Winkel operated by VEGIS® Immobilien (Oestrich-Winkel)
Residences in Wiesbaden and Mainz
As cities with their own colleges and universities, Wiesbaden and Mainz have lots of accommodation for students:
- Studierendenwohnheim Friedrich-Naumann-Straße by SteSta Real Estate Verwaltungen GmbH & Co. KG (Wiesbaden)
- Max Kade Haus / Studierendenwohnheim Adolfsallee by Studentenwerk Frankfurt (Wiesbaden)
- Studentenwohnheime Junges Wohnen by Wohnen für Studis (Wiesbaden)
Flat shares, known in German as WGs (pronounced “vay-gaze”), are a popular form of accommodation in Germany. Multiple people rent a flat and share the cost.
Each member of the shared flat has their own room, while the general living areas such as the bathroom and kitchen are shared by all residents. Some shared flats have existed for a very long time, so only the residents change from time to time. Getting together with fellow students and setting up your own flat share is not difficult, but should be discussed with the landlord or landlady of the flat in advance.
Germany’s best-known WG search website is WG-Gesucht. Apart from that, there are various websites such as Kleinanzeigen, ImmoScout, Wohnungsboerse, and Immowelt where WG rooms are also often advertised.
If you want to live alone, there are various websites where you can rent an apartment. We have listed the most popular ones for you here:
Accommodation agencies
Accommodation agencies can help you find the right apartment for you. Make sure you check what agencies charge for finding accommodation:
There are various options if you need accommodation at short notice or for just a few days. Hostels, youth hostels, hotels, and Airbnb’s are affordable and very flexible when it comes to booking. This might allow you to have a look around before term begins, for instance, and take your time to look for somewhere more permanent to stay.
We have put together a few useful websites for you here:
Accommodation in Oestrich-Winkel
- Gästehaus Strieth (Oestrich-Winkel)
- Hotel Ruthmann (Oestrich-Winkel)
- Liegenschaft Guesthouse (Oestrich-Winkel)
- Gutshotel Schönleber (Oestrich-Winkel)
- Nägler's Hotel (Oestrich-Winkel)
- Rheingauer Hof B&B (Oestrich-Winkel)
- Pension Marianne Berg (Oestrich-Winkel)
- Gottesthaler Mühle (Oestrich-Winkel)
- Kühns Mühle (Oestrich-Winkel)
Accommodation in the Rheingau region
- Waldhotel Rheingau (Geisenheim / Marienthal)
- Haus Neugebauer (Geisenheim / Stephanshausen)
- Hotel Kronenschlösschen (Eltville / Hattenheim)
- Hotel Lindenwirt (Rüdesheim)
- Central Hotel (Rüdesheim)
- Hotel Felsenkeller (Rüdesheim)
- Rheinhotel (Rüdesheim)
- Rüdesheimer Hof (Rüdesheim)
- Hotel Germania (Rüdesheim)
- Weingut Mack, Fremdenzimmer (Oestrich-Winkel / Hallgarten)
- Hotel Zum Rebhang (Oestrich-Winkel / Hallgarten)
- Gästehaus Rheinblick (Eltville / Hattenheim)
- Zum Krug (Eltville / Hattenheim)
- Die Adler Wirtschaft (Eltville / Hattenheim)
The best places to live
Oestrich-Winkel is an ideal place to live and very close to EBS Universität. But what if you don’t find any accommodation there? Rheingau does, of course, offer lots of other attractive options. The region is well connected by bus and rail. Other places along the Rhine River are easy to get to and from.
If you prefer to live in an urban environment, then Mainz and Wiesbaden are good choices. Both cities are very well connected to Rheingau and offer a wide range of cultural and social activities.
Another advantage for EBS students: When you enrol at EBS, you will receive a Semesterticket. For a one-off fee per semester, you can use public transport as often as you like and commute easily between your place of residence and your place of study.
Places right on the banks of the Rhine in Rheingau offer the best infrastructure. You have access to public bus and rail transport for commuting.
Rüdesheim am Rhein (11 km from EBS)
Rüdesheim is a picturesque town in the heart of Rheingau and is known for its delightful old centre, wine estates, and famous Drosselgasse. It is very much a tourist place, and there is always something to discover and experience.
Geisenheim (8 km from EBS)
This town is home to the renowned Hochschule Geisenheim University, where people study viticulture and oenology. With its young, vibrant urban lifestyle and numerous bars and restaurants, Geisenheim is the nearest thing you can get to a student town.
Oestrich-Winkel
Situated in the middle of Rheingau, Oestrich-Winkel offers a charming blend of historical architecture and wine culture and is ideal for students at EBS Universität who favour both the countryside and culture. The town is known for its exceptional vineyards and offers lots of leisure opportunities along with a relaxed pace of life.
Hattenheim (1 km to EBS)
Hattenheim is especially close to EBS Universität and offers students the benefit of getting quickly and easily to and from campus. It is near the cities of Wiesbaden and Mainz (the Hattenheim train station is just a ten-minute walk from EBS), and, combined with its peaceful yet well-connected living environment, is an attractive place for students to reside.
Erbach (5 km to EBS)
Erbach am Rhein is a charming town situated picturesquely on the banks of the Rhine and boasting a historical town centre. For students, it offers a relaxed place to live, lots of leisure opportunities, and proximity to bigger towns such as Wiesbaden and Mainz with their varied cultural scene and nightlife.
Eltville (7 km from EBS)
Eltville offers the best of both worlds. On the one hand, this little town has a historical heart and an especially beautiful Rhine promenade. On the other, Eltville is very close to Wiesbaden, whose shopping streets and numerous restaurants and bars give you a dose of city life.
Walluf (12 km to EBS)
Walluf am Rhein offers young people a relaxed atmosphere with direct access to the Rhine, making it ideal if you like outdoor activities and boat trips. This town has a lively wine and cultural life, good shopping, and an easy travel connection to EBS Universität. It is also just a stone’s throw away from Wiesbaden and Mainz.
Living in one of the more elevated towns of Rheingau has its own particular charm. Surrounded by nature, vineyards, and woodlands, things there are especially tranquil and there are lots of rural leisure activities available. There are buses connecting these towns, but it is advisable to have a car to make it easier to get around.
Johannisberg (8 km to EBS)
Johannisberg, known as the birthplace of Spätlese or late harvest wine, provides a picturesque and historical backdrop with its famous Johannisberg Castle, which itself is renowned for its outstanding wines. Johannisberg offers a peaceful and unspoilt environment for students at EBS Universität.
Hallgarten (3 km to EBS)
Hallgarten, a suburb of Oestrich-Winkel, lies above EBS Universität and offers students an idyllic place to live. It even has its own small public outdoor swimming pool. The town is known for its magnificent setting, intimate wine festivals, and stunning views over the Rhine valley.
Kiedrich (7 km to EBS)
Kiedrich is an idyllic wine village in the upper Rheingau which has picturesque vineyards and is near the historical Eberbach Abbey. Living in Kiedrich is all about a relaxed, natural atmosphere featuring well-preserved medieval architecture and a lively wine culture.
Living in a city offers a wealth of possibilities and conveniences, including outstanding infrastructure, diverse cultural and leisure opportunities, and plenty of places to shop. People living in a town or city are also very well connected to everywhere else in Rheingau, which means maximum mobility.
Wiesbaden (21 km to EBS)
Wiesbaden is a green city in the heart of the Rhine-Main region, one of Germany’s economic and cultural centres. The state capital of Hesse also offers a wide variety of leisure activities and a rich urban lifestyle.
Mainz (28 km to EBS)
Mainz is the state capital of Rhineland-Palatinate and is known for its rich Roman history and as the birthplace of printing. As well as historical sites like the Mainz Cathedral and the old town, there are countless cafés, restaurants, and bars to enrich student life, as well as leisure activities on the Rhine River and in the surrounding parks. Mainz is also an important media centre and is the headquarters of the major German broadcaster ZDF.
Frequently asked questions about finding accommodation
Before you start looking for a flat, you should be clear about your financial budget. Think about the ideal location for your future flat. Consider the proximity to the university, but also your personal preferences - whether you would prefer to live in the city or in the countryside. The size and furnishings of the flat should meet your needs. Bear in mind that a larger flat or additional amenities are usually linked to higher costs.
Also consider hidden costs such as service charges, heating costs and any renovation costs. During the viewing, check whether the flat has any defects or is in need of repair.
A landlord will usually ask you to provide some information to check your reliability as a tenant. This often includes a tenant self-disclosure, which contains information about you, your income (or that of your parents) and your living circumstances. In addition, a “Schufa” report is often requested to check your creditworthiness. Schufa is a credit agency that provides landlords with information about the creditworthiness of potential tenants. If you have rented before, the landlord may also ask for proof of punctual rent payments. Prepare these documents well in advance to speed up the application process.
Before you sign a tenancy agreement, you should read it carefully. Pay particular attention to clauses on the rental period, notice period, deposit, renovation obligations and utility bills. In Germany, the statutory notice period is usually three months. Some tenancy agreements also require repairs that you must carry out when you move out. Check whether these obligations are fair and legally permissible. If you are unsure, have the contract checked by an expert.
You should find out about your rights and obligations as a tenant before handing over the flat. From a legal point of view, the date for handing over the flat should be proposed by the tenant. When handing over the flat, you should create a handover protocol together with the landlord in which the condition of the flat is recorded. You should also document this condition in a separate protocol. If repairs are necessary, these should be carried out before the handover. If you are unable to be present at the handover, you can consider whether you would like to authorise a person you trust to carry out the handover for you.
An important point when handing over the flat is the deposit. It serves as security for the landlord and can be paid in up to three monthly instalments. In order for you to receive the deposit back in full at the end of the tenancy, you must hand over the flat in a proper condition and have fulfilled all contractual obligations.
Once you have moved, there are a few organisational steps you should not forget. Register your new place of residence with the residents' registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt). Also inform your insurance company, bank, post office and other important organisations of your new address. Make sure you register your gas, electricity and water supply with the relevant utility companies in advance and check whether you need to take out household and liability insurance.
Don't forget to register with the GEZ (Gebühreneinzugszentrale) to fulfil your legal obligations. This fee is payable by every household in Germany and is used to fund public broadcast services on television, radio and the internet.
Offering accommodation on the EBS Housing Portal
If you are a landlord and want to offer accommodation in Rheingau, Mainz, or Wiesbaden to students at EBS Universität, the EBS Housing Portal represents the ideal platform for advertising vacant rooms, apartments, and flats efficiently. It is this easy:
- Set up an account on the EBS Housing Portal.
- Upload the accommodation you have available.
When they enrol, EBS students are given exclusive access to the EBS Housing Portal. You can use this free, straightforward opportunity to present the accommodation you have to rent out to an affluent target group. Register and advertise your accommodation today!
The benefits
- Effective reach: At EBS University, around 2,200 young people are studying and you can reach them directly with your offer.
- Reliable tenants: Our students are reliable and responsible.
- Longer-term tenancies: Most students stay for more than one semester.