Day-trip riverboat cruise excursions depart from Mainz and Wiesbaden on the Rhine River to the Loreley Valley and on the Main to Frankfurt in Germany.
Boat cruises on the Rhein and Main rivers depart daily from Mainz and Wiesbaden in Germany during the high season. Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) has excursion cruises downriver on the Rhine past Rüdesheim to the Loreley Valley and Koblenz. Primus boats cruise occasionally between Frankfurt am Main and Rüdesheim with stops en route in Mainz and Wiesbaden. Primus also offers event cruises from Mainz and Wiesbaden. It is no longer possible to cruise all the way from Mainz to Cologne on a single day-trip excursion.
The longest possible regular day-trip cruise excursion on the Rhine River is currently from Mainz or Wiesbaden to St Goarhausen just downriver from the Loreley Valley. This cruise includes the most scenic part of the river — the narrow, steep valley with endless castles and picturesque villages and vineyards between Rüdesheim and St Goar / St Goarhausen near the Loreley Rock. The once-popular eleven-hour cruise from Mainz to Cologne (Köln) is no longer possible, although, with a boat change, it is possible to continue all the way to Koblenz (around two hours downstream from St Goarhausen).
Cruising on the Rhine River is possible daily from Mainz and Wiesbaden from mid-April (or Easter) to mid-October. In the off-season, special events may bring the boats out but in winter, cruises are more likely from Rüdesheim, Frankfurt, or Cologne. Cruises are usually more frequent over weekends, especially during the spring and autumn seasons.
The Rhine Valley is wide with the river fairly slow-flowing from Mainz to Rüdesheim. Travelers with limited time should consider taking the train from Mainz or Wiesbaden to Rüdesheim or Bingen from where many more cruises are available per day. Boats from here cruise the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage-listed Middle Rhine Valley, the most beautiful part of the Rhine with endless castles and the famous Loreley Rock.
The main cruises from Mainz and Wiesbaden to St Goarhausen are on the Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) riverboats. During the main season, a daily boat departs from Mainz around 9 am and from Wiesbaden-Biebrich 15 minutes later. The boats return from St Goarhauen at around 13:00.
Some of the stops on the Mainz to Koblenz with average cruise times between ports are — note a boat change is usually necessary at St Goar / St Goarhausen:
Down River | Up River | |
Mainz (L) | ↓↓ | 0:30 |
Wiesbaden (R) | 0:15 | 1:40 |
Rüdesheim (R) | 1:30 | 0:15 |
Bingen (L) | 0:15 | 2:50 |
St Goar / St Goarhausen (R) | 1:30 | 1:20 |
Boppard (L) | 1:00 | 2:00 |
Koblenz (L) | 2:10 | ↑↑ |
Note: (L) left bank, R right bank. Passenger and car ferries are available in among other Rüdesheim-Bingen and St Goar-St Goarhausen.
It is easy to return by train from any port — it is mostly just a short walk from the boat landing to the station (except in Wiesbaden).
See timetables on German Railways website.
KD is the largest operator of Rhine River pleasure cruise boats and offers many special discount fares worth considering. Mainz to St Goarhausen on KD is around €63 one way (but only €69 return).
The KD Rhine Pass savings deal has not been on sale in recent years but Get Your Guide offers easy booking (and often sensible cancelation options) for day-trip cruises on the Rhine departing from many popular cities such as Cologne, Düsseldorf, Bonn, Koblenz, Boppard, Ruedesheim, Cochem, and Frankfurt. Most cruise lines now also accept online ticket purchases but several still prefer to sell tickets directly at the quay or on board cruise boats.
Mainz is at the confluence of the Rivers Main and Rhine with Wiesbaden only a few kilometers downstream. During the summer season, Primus Line offers cruises a few times per week from Frankfurt am Main to Rüdesheim with stops en route in amongst others Mainz and Wiesbaden.
The cruise time from Frankfurt am Main to Mainz is around two hours (three hours for the upriver cruise). In contrast to KD, tickets on Primus are almost always for return journeys. It is usually possible to return by train for the same price but this must be indicated when the tickets are bought.
Primus cooperates closely with other cruise lines making it possible to change in Rüdesheim from a Primus line boat to a different boat to cruise down the Middle Rhine and Loreley Valley. However, note that some discount offers and bicycle policies may differ.
Primus Lines and KD offer special panorama cruises from Mainz and occasionally from Wiesbaden. These are mostly only once a week or so during the main season and not as frequent as the regular cruises in Frankfurt am Main, Koblenz, Cologne, or Düsseldorf.
These cruises usually include meals and need prior reservations.
Mainz, the state capital of Rhineland Palatinate, and Wiesbaden, the state capital of Hessen, are located on opposite sides of the Rhine River in Germany. However, both cities somewhat turned their backs on the famous river with the town centers away from the Rhine itself. Getting to the boats from the relevant main train stations (Hauptbahnhof) is fairly easy:
Boat cruises upriver from Mainz and Wiesbaden are very rare, although a few special excursion cruises are available each year mostly heading to Heidelberg. Multiday-boat cruises frequently sail between Mainz and Strasbourg in France and Basel in Switzerland. Cruises upriver from Mainz are possible at larger Rhine towns such as Mannheim (and Worms & Heidelberg) and Speyer.
Day-Trip Excursions and Pleasure Cruises on the Rhine River:
Tips and Savings on Day-Trip Rhine Cruises