Day-trip boat cruises and short excursion tours on the Neckar River and the Rhine in Germany are possible from the historic towns Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Worms.
Visitors to the historic university town Heidelberg may enjoy pleasure boat cruises on the Neckar River or longer cruises that go to towns on the Rhine such as Mannheim and Worms. Panorama cruises in Heidelberg are around an hour but longer cruises to Neckargemünd, Neckarsteinach, and Hirschhorn are also popular. Special cruises go further down the Rhine to Mannheim, Worms, Speyer, and even the Loreley Valley or up the Neckar as far as Bad Wimpfen. The world’s largest solar catamaran cruises daily in Heidelberg. Buy tickets online for Heidelberg panorama cruises or Heidelberg to Neckarsteinach river cruises.
The day-trip pleasure boat cruise season on the Neckar River in Heidelberg is generally from Easter (or early April) to mid-October with the high season from early June to mid-September.
Day-Trip Sightseeing Cruises in Heidelberg, Mannheim & Worms
The Weisse Flotte Heidelberg, or Rhein-Neckar-Fahrgastschifffahrt, is the main pleasure cruise boat operator on the Rhine and Neckar rivers in the Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Worms region. The largest number of tour departures is from Heidelberg.
Day-trip sightseeing cruises may be divided into three categories:
- Round-trip circular panorama cruises (Rundfahrten) of usually around an hour from Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Worms.
- Scheduled excursion cruises (Linienfahrten) that follow a specific route and schedule, roundtrips are possible, or return by train. The best choice here is cruising upstream from Heidelberg to Neckarsteinach.
- Special cruises with specific themes, events, or tour destinations — worth considering but dates are limited.
Round Trip Panorama Cruises in Heidelberg, Mannheim & Worms
Although panorama circular cruises of around an hour are possible in Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Worms, Heidelberg is the clear first choice for natural and cultural beauty.
Neckar River Boat Panorama Cruises from Heidelberg:
Circular sightseeing boat cruises (Rundfahrten) lasting 50 minutes depart daily during the whole cruise season from the Stadthalle pier in Heidelberg. Cruise boats depart every full hour from 10 am to 5 pm as long as at least ten adults are on board. These panorama cruises are easily booked online, at the landing kiosk, or on the boat (cash only).
An interesting and environmentally friendlier alternative is the 50-minute cruise on the Neckarsonne. The “Neckar Sun” is the world’s largest solar catamaran and cruises silently up to six times per day from April to October (not on Mondays) from the Alte Brücke (Karl-Theodor-Brücke).
Another option is the Liselotte Neckarfähre which operates as a ferry service on the Neckar from early April to end October. It stops at the Mariot Hotel, Campus, Neuenheim, Stadthalle and Alte Brücke. This cruise is around half an hour each way. Passengers pay per number of stops traveled or buy a day ticket and stay on board for a round trip or more.
Neckar and Rhein Panorama Cruises from Mannheim:
During the high season, harbor cruises (Hafenrundfahrten) depart a few times per week from the Kurpfalzbrücke in Mannheim. Mannheim and adjacent Ludwigsburg have around 70 km of quays making for one of the largest river harbors in Europe. Industry, rather than nature or culture, is the main attraction here, especially in Ludwigsburg with huge its chemical industries. These 90 minutes to just over 2-hour cruises are arranged by Kurpfalz-Personenschiffahrt.
Rhine Panorama Cruises from Worms:
Panorama cruises on the Rhine are currently very limited from Worms. A few times per year, boats from the Weisse Flotte arrive from Heidelberg (3.5 hours downstream, just over 4 hours upstream). In addition to the cruises arriving from Heidelberg and Mannheim, separate panorama cruises on the Rhine near Worms are offered before the boats return to the Neckar.
Scheduled Cruises on the Neckar River from Heidelberg
Scheduled cruises (Linienfahrten) are generally longer and more interesting than the short circular sightseeing tours. It is usually possible to interrupt cruises at any stop but enquire when buying tickets.
Day pleasure boat cruises on the Neckar River from Heidelberg are usually referred to as the Burgenfahrten (Castle Cruises) as so many castles may be seen en route. This is one of the loveliest and most pleasant river excursion day-trip cruises in Germany. Cruises upriver of Heidelberg pass through numerous locks, which help to explain why the upriver and downriver cruise times are virtually identical when cruising on this part of the Neckar.
The main cruise is from Heidelberg to Neckarsteinach and back — buy tickets online. This cruise takes place usually twice daily during the shoulder season and almost hourly on weekends and during the main season from the end of May to mid-September.
During the high season, it is possible to go further upstream to Hirschhorn on some cruises while a few boats go all the way to Eberbach — usually on Thursdays only.
Approximate Boat Travel Times in Minutes Between Stops on the Neckar River:
| Upstream | Downstream | |
| 0 | Heidelberg | 25 |
| 30 | Kloster Neuburg | 35 |
| 30 | Neckargemünd | 20 |
| 25 | Neckarsteinach | 50 |
| 55 | Hirschhorn | 60 |
| 60 | Eberbach | 0 |
The influence of the locks is obvious from these traveling times — the full-length cruise is only 10 minutes faster downstream than upstream.
Neckar and Rhine Cruises from Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Worms
During the high season, it is possible to cruise from Heidelberg on the Neckar River to the Rhine cities Mannheim and Worms. Cruises from Mannheim and Worms to Heidelberg and Neckarsteinach are also possible.
Cruises from Heidelberg to Mannheim and Worms on the Rhine and back are usually on Wednesdays and Sundays during the high season. Cruises from Mannheim to Neckarsteinach via Heidelberg are possible most Saturdays. Occasionally, the cruise may start or end in Worms.
Approximate Boat Cruise Times in Minutes Between Stops on the Neckar & Rhine Rivers:
| Upstream | Downstream | |
| 0 | Worms | 60 |
| 90 | Mannheim | 40 |
| 40 | Feudenheim | 20 |
| 30 | Ladenburg | 60 |
| 80 | Heidelberg | 60 |
| 60 | Neckargemünd | 20 |
| 25 | Neckarsteinach | 0 |
The force of the Rhine is clear from these times — just the section on the Rhine alone (Worms to Mannheim) takes 30 minutes longer upstream than downstream.
Special Cruises on the Rhine and Neckar from Heidelberg
The Weisse Flotte often has special cruises on the Rhine and Neckar rivers. Individuals should usually make advance reservations for these cruises.
Special destinations on the Neckar River include the beautiful medieval town Bad Wimpfen (a Michelin three-star sight often missed by foreign tourists) and on the Rhine River as far as St Goar and the Loreley. Special event cruises to shows such as the Rhine in Flames fireworks are also popular. From these longer cruises, passengers often return to Heidelberg at night by bus.
Tickets and Savings Tips for Neckar Cruises from Heidelberg
Neckar and Rhine cruises generally do not offer the wide selection of fares and savings deals that are common on boats operating on the Middle Rhine. However, you may usually cruise for free on your birthday. Small discounts are given on the Heidelberg Card sold by the Tourist Office.
Children 4 and younger cruise for free – maximum two children per paying adult. Children 5 to 15 (and dogs) pay slightly less than the adult fare, while return fares are significantly cheaper than two singles. Bicycle tickets are €1.50 cheaper than the child fare and only possible if space allows. Family discounts (Familienkarte) are available for two adults and three children cruising together.
The most expensive one-way fare is Worms to Neckarsteinach at €40 (including bus return). Return fares from Heidelberg are €22 to Neckarsteinach, €23 to Mannheim, and €32 to Worms.
Panorama cruises in Heidelberg are easily booked online. Online reservations are increasingly possible for other cruises too, especially to Neckarsteinach, or buy tickets from the kiosks at the main landings. Tickets are also sold on most boats but usually, only cash payments are accepted.
Often a minimum of around 10 or 20 paying adults is required for boats to depart. Enquire if such restriction applies before buying tickets, especially during the quieter periods.
In contrast to Middle Rhine Cruises, picnicking with own supplies is not allowed on most boats.
Cruises on the Rhine near Heidelberg are available from Speyer — a pleasant town with a magnificent Romanesque cathedral and interesting technology museum — and from Mainz. The most beautiful part of the Rhine for day cruises is the Middle Rhine between Rüdesheim and St Goar (just past the Loreley Rock). If doing this day trip from Heidelberg by train, starting the cruise from Bingen (rather than Rüdesheim) may at times offer faster railway connections. Similarly, compare travel times and connections before deciding whether to end the cruise at a station on the left or right bank of the Rhine.
More on the Rhine River in Germany
Day-Trip Excursions and Pleasure Cruises on the Rhine River:
- Middle Rhine (Loreley Valley) — UNESCO World Cultural Heritage-listed Area and the best part of the Rhine River for short and all-day boat cruises:
- cruise from Rüdesheim (cruise lines), Koblenz (cruise lines), winter & Christmas
- from Frankfurt — fast trains to the Rhine, or slow boat to the Rhine
- from Mainz and Wiesbaden
- Savings Tips, Best Cruise Lines
- Lower Rhine — Cologne, Düsseldorf, Bonn to Linz
- Special events: Cruises to Rhine in Flames Fireworks, Christmas and New Year’s Cruises in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Rüdesheim
- Moselle River Cruises (Cochem, Bernkastel-Kues, Trier, Koblenz, Burg Eltz)
- Cruises on the Main River in Frankfurt (or better By Train from Frankfurt to the Best Rhine Cruises)
- Cruises from Worms, Mannheim, Heidelberg (on the Neckar River)
- Cruises from Speyer
- Rhinefalls (Rhine Waterfalls, Schaffhausen, Stein am Rhein, Kreuzlingen) in Switzerland
Tips and Savings on Day-Trip Rhine Cruises
- The best part of the Rhine for day-trip excursion cruises in the Middle Rhine between Rüdesheim / Bingen and Koblenz. See Savings Tips and the Best Cruise Lines cruising in the Loreley Valley.
- Check train times for Germany (and most of Europe) at German Railways.
