On this cold winter Sunday, let me take you on a summer cruise trip on the Rhine River, starting from the Netherlands, all the way through Germany, and finishing close to the border with Switzerland.
I did this journey on a cruise ship and it took six days in total. At the end of my story I will present to you the time to get the same experience on your own if you decide to get on a train, car, bike, or just to hike.
Rotterdam
The major city of South Netherlands, Europe’s largest seaport, is a home of 180 nationalities and a symbol of modern architecture.
Somewhere near Cologne
Our sister ship Viking Kvasir, sailing in the opposite direction.
Unkel
A small beautiful town, about 20 km from Bonn. Famous for its baroque palace built for Ferdinand Freiligrath.
Koblenz
Stunning view from the city of Koblenz to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. The cable car facility was built in 2010 and elevates 110 m. It connects the city with the hill next to the fortress.
Marksburg Castle
Built in 1117 next to the town of Braubach, Germany, and one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. The castle was used for the protection and residence of the German royal families.
Boppard
Famous as a wine center for several prestigious Riesling wines. With more than 75 hectares of vineyards, one of the largest wine-growing towns on the Rhine River.
Castle Mariensfels
The Mariensfels Castle is located near to the city of Remagen, Germany. It was built in 1859 and it is famous with the legend of the “Devil on the Castle Hill”, which says that Lucifer lived in a cave on the same hill. Nowadays the castle is private property and cannot be visited.
Lorelei
Beautiful place in the middle Rhine, famous with the legend of a beautiful maiden who threw herself into the river and later transformed into a siren, who lured ships to destruction. Actually, there is a very sharp and dangerous turn that led to many accidents due to the low visibility from the ship’s wheelhouse. It is a fact, there were no radar systems years ago.
Entville am Rhein
Entville is a medieval German village famous for its beautiful roses blooming along the Rhine River.
Ehrenfels Castle
A ruined castle near the town of Rüdesheim, Germany. The castle gave its name to the famous grape variety ‘Ehrenfelser’. The ruins of the castle can be visited only via a hiking trail.
Rüdesheim
The city of Rüdesheim, Germany is known for making Riesling wines, its mechanical museum, and the very tasty food, which I was able to enjoy in a small but fancy Italian restaurant called ‘Da Toni’. I highly recommend visiting it and enjoying the unforgettable culinary experience prepared by these charming Italian guys ❤️
Breisach
The small city of Breisach, Germany is the last port of our trip. It is close to the border with Switzerland and near the Black Forest, famous for its handmade cuckoo clocks. This enigmatic place inspired Brothers Grimm to create the world-famous fairy tale about Hensel and Gretel, who lived deep there in a house made of cake and outwitted the wicked witch. I am sure you remember this beautiful story from your childhood. 😊
Total trip distance: 666 km
With a car: 12 hours
On a train: 20 hours
On a bike: 3 days
Walking: 7 days