Travel by Train from the Hauptbahnhof and FRA Airport for Rhein Boat Trips

Day trips and boat pleasure cruises on the Rhine River (Rhein) and Loreley Valley can easily be done from Frankfurt am Main Hauptbahnhof and Airport (FRA) in Germany.

photo credit: randwill

Regular day pleasure boat cruises on the Rhine River (Rhein) do not depart from Frankfurt am Main but can easily be arranged. Fast trains from the Hauptbahnhof and Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) allow even passengers with a few hour stopovers to enjoy cruising Germany’s most famous river and see popular sights including castles and the Loreley Rock. It is  a short train ride from the main station or directly from the airport to Rhine towns including Rüdesheim, Bingen, and Koblenz which are ideal departure ports for Rhine river valley day pleasure cruises.

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Dom Cathedral, Chagall Church Windows, Roman Ships, & Gutenberg Museum

Top sights in Mainz are the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral (Dom), Chagall windows, and the Roman Ships and Gutenberg Museums. Transportation from Frankfurt Airport is easy.

photo credit: Luhai Wong

The historic city Mainz is a popular destination for travelers with a short stop-over at Frankfurt International Airport. Many travelers prefer Mainz to more modern Frankfurt and transportation by train is equally easy to either city. The top sights in Mainz include its large cathedral (Mainzer Dom), the Gutenberg Museum, Roman Ships, and the magnificent blue Chagall windows in the St Stephan church.

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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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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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Top Luxury German and European Riverboat Cruise Tour Operators

Peter Deilmann Cruises, Tauck, Viking, and Amadeus Waterways are amongst the top luxury European riverboat cruise line companies.  German Arosa is a new addition to the Rhine River in 2009.

MS Heidelberg on the Rhine River (Photo: Peter DeilmannKreuzfahrten)

Many different cruise lines have luxury cruises on the Rhine (Rhein) and other German and European rivers. Some of the top riverboat cruise lines marketing in the USA and other non-European markets include Tauck World Discovery, Peter Deilmann Cruises, Amadeus Waterways, and Viking River Cruises. Arosa, a German shipping company, added the Rhine in 2009 to its cruise itineraries on the Danube and Rhone Rivers.

• It is worth comparing prices online and through different reservation services. However, always read the fine print when comparing cheap prices. Some cruises include more excursions, more meals, free wine, tips, and services in the base fare when the tour is sold in international markets. Cancellation conditions and refund policies also vary widely.

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