Luxury Rhine, Danube, Elbe, and Rhone Cruise Liner Shut Down in 2010

German luxury riverboat cruise liner Peter Deilmann Riverboat Cruises is going out of business and shutting down all Rhine, Danube, Elbe, Seine, and Rhone boats from the 2010 season.

photo credit: martinroell

As has been suspected for some time, luxury German riverboat cruise liner Peter Deilmann Riverboat Cruises (Peter Deilmann Flußkreuzfahrten) is going out of business at the end of the 2009 European river cruise season. Peter Deilmann has already sold some boats and suspended cruises on less popular rivers including the Elbe but from 2010 Peter Deilmann will not operate any riverboat cruises at all in Europe. Peter Deilmann continue as a very up-market luxury ocean cruise liner. All Peter Deilmann riverboat cruises will continue until the end of 2009.

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Getting to the Top Departure Port for Danube Cruises

Passau with its lovely Baroque old town is the premier departure port for Danube River boat cruise vacations in Germany and Austria. Getting here is easy by train, car, or plane.

photo credit: digital cat 

The Bavarian city Passau is right on the German-Austrian border at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz Rivers. Passau is the most popular departure port for luxury riverboat cruise vacation cruises on the Danube River (Donau). Getting to Passau is easy by car or train, which is fortunate as the town has many splendid sights making it worth arriving a day early for cruise vacations. The Passauer Dom is the largest Baroque cathedral in Germany but even more impressively has the largest pipe organ in the world.

Passau can easily be reached by car or train. Passau is a stop on the fast high-speed Inter-City-Express (ICE) trains that runs from Frankfurt to Vienna vie amongst others Nuremberg and Regensburg. Good rail connections are also available to Munich. The Autobahn A3 passes near Passau allowing for fast driving times. The nearest airport to Passau is Munich Airport (MUC) but intercontinental passengers may well prefer to take the train from Frankfurt International Airport if direct flights are not available to Munich.

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Top Cruising on the Rhine, Moselle, Main, Danube, and Elbe in Europe

The Rhine (Rhein), Moselle (Mosel), Main, Danube (Donau), and Elbe Rivers offer the best luxury riverboat cruise vacation trips in Germany.

photo credit: ♠ le max

Luxury riverboat cruises are a wonderfully convenient way to travel Europe. German rivers including the Rhine, Moselle, Main, Danube, and Elbe see many luxury multiple day riverboat cruises on cruise lines including Peter Deilmann, Viking River Cruises, Tauck, Amadeus Waterways, Arosa, and others. Cruises are available year round although spring, summer, and autumn are the most popular seasons to cruise German rivers.

When comparing prices bear in mind that not all internet reservation services can book all saving discounts, e.g. discounts for children or major anniversaries. Do compare rates and use a traditional travel agent if necessary to secure the best deals.

Note: Peter Deilmann will suspend riverboat cruises from the 2010 season.

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The Rhein / Rhine / Rijn in Switzerland, France, Germany, Holland

The Rhine River, Europe’s premier waterway, flows from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

photo credit: jessicafm

Traveling along and on the Rhine River has long been popular. Europe’s premier waterway has been very important for commerce in the pre-industrial era and although the Rhine is now less vital for trade, the river is still very much used commercially. The Rhine is also very important for tourism. Boat cruises – from short day-trip excursions to multiple-day cruises – are very popular. The banks of the Rhine are also popular with hikes and cyclers while simply driving through parts of the Rhine Valley is most enjoyable too.

The Rhine River is 1,320 kilometer (820 miles) from its source in Alps in Switzerland to the North Sea in the Netherlands. The Rhine River is Der Rhein in German, Rhin in French, and Die Rijn in Dutch.

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Best Rhein Riverboat Trips from Köln, Bonn, and Düsseldorf

Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) offer cheap day trip cruises on riverboats on Rhine River (Rhein) from Cologne, Bonn, and Düsseldorf, to Remagen, Linz, and Koblenz.

photo credit: el_tommo

Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD), the largest operator of day cruises on the Rhine River (Rhein), offer many roundtrip cruises in both Cologne (Köln) and Düsseldorf. However, most Rhine River day cruises on this section of the Rhein are from Bonn to Linz. Many more cruises are available in the Middle Rhine (Loreley) Valley between Koblenz and Rüdesheim / Bingen.

Rhine River day pleasure boat cruises are generally available from late March to end October. The high season is from late April to early October when more Rhein cruises are operated. Winter cruises on the Rhine is rare but sightseeing cruises in Cologne (Köln) and Düsseldorf are popular during the Christmas market Advent season.

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Tour the Rhein and Loreley Valley on Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) Riverboats

Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) is the best-known day-trip riverboat cruise line on the Rhine River. Several further boats tour the Loreley Valley between Rüdesheim, St Goar, and Koblenz.

SS Goethe Historic Rhine Steam Boat

The Rhine River is a very popular day-trip destination from cities such as Cologne (Köln) and Frankfurt am Main. Trains run on both banks of the Rhein but nothing beats a cruise on the river itself. Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) has the largest number of boats on the Rhine River and many cruises through the lovely Loreley Valley. However, several further companies operate cruises on the Rhine and past the Lorelei.

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Short Riverboat Pleasure Trips from Frankfurt on the Mittel Rhein

Cruising on riverboat on the Rhine, especially the Mittelrhein with the famous Lorelei Rock, is a popular day-trip excursion from Frankfurt am Main, Airport or Cologne (Köln).

photo credit: Daxis

A day-trip excursion including a pleasure cruise on a riverboat on the Rhine River is for many travelers a highlight of a German vacation. Few tourists can afford luxurious, multiple-day riverboat cruises on the Rhine River (Rhein) but shorter day cruises are more common and fairly cheap. The Loreley Rock (Lorelei) is the most popular spot along the romantic UNESCO-listed Mittelrhein – many riverboats cruise this section of the Rhine River. Great public transportation links bring the Rhine within easy daytrip reach from Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt International Airport (FRA), Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Cologne (Köln).

Many cruise lines have special savings offerings for children, pensioners, birthdays, anniversaries, and even cyclists.

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Comfortable Pre-Danube River Cruise Vacation Accommodation

Cheap Passau hotels are ideal for pre- and post-Danube River cruise stays. Hotels range from the comfortable Holiday Inn, Passauer Wolf, Residenz, and Wilder Mann to the Rotel Inn and youth hostel.

Passau is by far the most popular port for luxury Danube River cruise departures and arrivals. Danube riverboats often make round trip cruises from Passau on the German-Austrian border. Good transportation links bring Passau within easy access of major German and Austrian cities but few would regret arriving a day early for a cruise and stay over in this interesting Baroque town. Hotels in Passau are relatively cheap and within easy walking distance of the best sights in the old town.

Many experienced cruisers find it wise to arrive a day early in town for cruises to make sure there is no last minute delay or rush to catch the cruise ship. Although it is of course much easier to catch up with a Danube river cruise boat than with an ocean going liner, staying in a pleasant hotel in Passau pre or even post-cruise will add to the relaxing European riverboat holiday.

Passau is a provincial city in the far southwestern corner of Germany, right at the border with Austria and near the border with the Czech Republic. Hotels in Passau are not the most opulent or luxurious but are generally family owned and managed, comfortable, and above all relatively cheap. All hotels listed below, except the youth hostel, are in or on the edge of the old town in Donaustadt – the promontory between the Danube and Inn Rivers.

• It is sensible to use various internet reservation services to compare what prices are available – different booking agents may have better prices for German hotels than others. Once aware of the prices available, check directly with the hotel as well. Direct bookings may give similar or even lower prices but generally better cancellation conditions and often better rooms too. It is very rare for a German hotel to charge a credit card prior to the actual hotel stay.

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European Cruising Vacations on the Donau, Rhine, Moselle, and Main Rivers

Danube (Donau) River cruise vacations depart from Passau, Vienna, or Budapest with stops at Melk, Linz, and Bratislava. Cruise extensions up to the Rhine River are possible.

MS Mozart on the Danube River (Photo: Peter Deilmann River Cruises)

The Danube River competes with the Rhine for being Europe’s most popular waterways for riverboat cruises. With up to a hundred river passenger boats cruising on the Danube each year, many routings are available for cruise vacations. Up and downstream cruises are usually of similar length but more time will be spent cruising when going upstream.

• The Danube is Donau in German, Duna in Hungarian, and Dunare in Romanian.

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Cheap European Cruise Vacations on Luxurious German Donau Boats

Booking luxury Danube (Donau) River cruise vacations on German boats operated by A-Rosa, Peter Deilmann, and Viking can save money if less inclusive packages are preferred.

Arosa Daunbe Riverboat (Photo: A-ROSA Reisen)

Luxury Danube riverboat cruises marketed in international markets often include more meals and excursion and may therefore seem more expensive cruise vacations sold in the European market. For travelers keen on arranging their own shore excursions booking such riverboat cruises can save money. Popular rivers for riverboat cruises in central Europe include the Danube (Donau), Rhine (Rhein), Moselle (Mosel), Main, and Elbe with boats available from luxury to rather basic.

Tauck World Discovery, Peter Deilmann Cruises, Amadeus Waterways, and Viking River Cruises are well-known riverboat cruise line operators with excellent reputations. All these companies market extensively in international markets and sell luxury cruises not only on the Danube but on the Rhine River as well. A-rosa is a fairly new German company currently selling riverboat cruises mostly in the German market while Peter Deilmann and Viking River Cruises also sell riverboat cruises in some markets without including transfers, shore excursions, and some onboard services. Booking such cruises can save money but remember to include additional expenses in the budget before comparing final special offers.

• Online reservations services often cannot book special discounts (such as child fares and special anniversaries) making it sensible to compare what is available at different service providers.

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