KD Rhine River boats cruise from Düsseldorf on sightseeing, dinner, and party excursions during the Christmas market period and on New Year’s Eve. More departures are possible from nearby Cologne.
Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) offers sightseeing pleasure cruises on the Rhine River from Düsseldorf during the Christmas market period. These cruises, often with live music, last from one to three hours with food optional. On New Year’s Eve, special Silvester party boats allow revelers to welcome the New Year on the Rhine. Many more Rhine cruises are available from nearby Cologne.
In 2020, most advent and New Year’s Eve boats will operate as normal in Düsseldorf although numbers are likely to be restricted and the shortest cruises will be two hours rather than just an hour.
Christmas Market Rhine River Boat Cruises from Düsseldorf
Sightseeing pleasure boat cruises on the Rhine River is possible during the Christmas market period in Düsseldorf. However, boats sail far less often than for example in nearby Cologne.
KD’s Christmas market riverboat pleasure cruises from Düsseldorf are usually available only on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the four advent weekends in November and December. Four kinds of pleasure boat cruises are available in Düsseldorf during the advent and Christmas market season:
- One-hour sightseeing cruises early afternoon – food optional – Friday, Saturday and Sunday;
- Two-hour cruises with live music late afternoon – food optional – Friday, Saturday and Sunday;
- Three-hour romantic evening dinner cruises with live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday; and
- Brunch cruises on Sundays.
New Year’s Eve Party Rhine Boat Cruises from Düsseldorf
Special Silvester (New Year’s Eve) party boats sail on the Rhine from Düsseldorf to welcome the New Year in style. Düsseldorf has a lovely, modern skyline and at midnight sailing on the Rhine offers great views of the private fireworks Germans like to fire off to start each new year with a bang.
The party boats are all-inclusive package deals with live music, buffet dinner, unlimited drinks, and Sekt at midnight. Prices are around €199. A cheaper boat has a disco with unlimited beer, around €110. — the cheaper party boats are unlikely to operate in 2020. The KD party boats usually leave Düsseldorf at around 8 pm on December 31 and return to port around 1 am on New Year’s Day.
KD also has New Year’s Eve party boats departing from Cologne (Köln), Koblenz, Mainz and Frankfurt am Main. More frequent Christmas market and other winter sightseeing pleasure cruises are available from nearby Cologne, as well as Rüdesheim and Boppard in the Middle Rhine (Loreley) region.
