suggestions for short Rhine cruise 2024

[Dennis_USA]

Hi everyone. My parents have been retired for a few years and ready for their first Rhine River cruise. I've been to Europe several times and am looking for a short river cruise along the Rhine. I looked at longer cruises before deciding a shorter one would work better for us. Depending on what we come up with I'll add a country or two to explore by train at the beginning or end. Here is what we're looking for:

 

-Coming from US. We'll take care of airfare unless there's a reason to look at bundle offer. 

-September ideally or early October 2024... would like to avoid chilly temps/rain

-4-5 days tops

-My dad is very interested in castles. I read that Rüdesheim was the spot for this. 

-Middle of the road amenities and prices. (budget less than $2000 pp) Not looking for luxury. 

 

Any tips or suggestions would be great. Thanks in advance. 

 

[*Miss G*]

Hello Dennis, and welcome to Cruise Critic!  I HIGHLY recommend Avalon’s Taste of the Rhine.  We did Frankfurt to Amsterdam, last October 2nd to 6th, for our first ever river cruise and absolutely loved every single minute.  I did a “Live” thread if you are interested in reading about it to get an idea.  Rüdesheim was on the itinerary and we saw tons of castles!  It was magical.

 

 

[Dennis_USA]

Thank you Miss G sounds great! I'll begin studying up.

[CastleCritic]

One thing to consider is the effect of the moving ship on temperature.  While it may be 50 degrees or so out in October and fine on land, you're definitely in jacket and gloves category if you're up on deck (and this is one of my favorite things to do, river cruise day1 was out of Amsterdam about lunchtime just me on deck sitting behind a good wind break all day (there was NO ONE else up there with me).

 

As for castles...not rudesheim per say, but the Rhine Gorge day on the ship in that stretch goes past a metric ton of them believe me the cruise line will underscore this.

 

There should be a few castle tours on offer however, in Koblenz (probably) and Cochem and perhaps even to Heidelberg (which is no where close to the river). I have prints of two of these castles hanging in my living room.

 

I cant make a specific recommendation on an itinerary as most of them on the larger lines are 7 day cruises which is longer than you are asking for.

 

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by CastleCritic

[notamermaid]

The Avalon itinerary suggested is a great one for your wishes I find. Look towards European lines as well, if you are a little "adventurous". I say this as the food and the vibe will be a bit different. Viva Cruises offers five-nighters, so does Riviera Travel. If you can arrange it, leave out Amsterdam (other than on the itinerary mentioned above) to Düsseldorf section and focus on Cologne to Strasbourg. Both Riviera Travel and Viva Cruises have itineraries like that. CroisiEurope is a French company you could look at. Definitely include the Rhine Gorge in your plans.

 

Be aware that in September/October you can have low water on the Rhine. The only way you can prepare yourself for that other than the open mindset is to choose a ship that is only 110m long rather than the 135m ones.

 

Castles? Tons of them about. Will look at that another time. Rüdesheim? Old-world charm of Rhine and wine but too crowded for me. Castle there not of great interest to me. Better ones to visit.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by notamermaid
grammar

[notamermaid]

Have just remembered. If Eltville and the monastery there is part of an itinerary, that is a good one. Would be an excursion from Rüdesheim.

 

notamermaid

 

[twototravel]

@Dennis_USA Check out Gate One's Rhine river cruises. I think you will find most river cruises do the same 7 day cruise Basel - Amsterdam with very similar excursions. Whether they include city stayovers before or after and the amenities on the boat will differ slightly. 

[pontac]

Dear @Dennis_USA

 

First I suggest you rethink your 5 day limit, because the first day of a river cruise will be spent tied up at one place while guests depart &  arrive at different times depending where they are going to/coming from and the same on the last day. So your 5 day cruise is 3 days of actual cruising.

 

Secondly, few cruises are shown as 5 days. Riviera has been mentioned but the only 5 day cruise of the Rhine that I can see is Enchanting Rhine and Yuletide Markets River Cruise, which takes place in December.

 

I would suggest you'd find more choice of cruises and cruise companies by looking at 8 day cruises. 

 

The 'Middle Rhine' is a gorge with 20+ castles on the banks close together,  is in Germany in the northern Rhine.

 

We all have different concepts on temperature, but I think September and October might be cold in Northern Germany.

 

Remember that cruise pricing includes all meals, most include sightseeing tours and beers/wines at lunch and dinner.

 

Prices vary with dates, and class of cabin, and as there is a lot of competition cruise companies are throwing in extras. Also no-one ever pays the quoted price, there are always discounts.

 

 

I suggest you draw up a check list of what you consider essential, desirable and unnecessary and compare the offerings and prices of several lines. Check the tours: do they visit castles, are they included in the price or an optional extra?

 

Be aware that these castle often require an uphill walk and have worn steep steps and uneven flooring. Are your parents mobile enough to visit the castle on offer, or do they prefer to see them from a distance?

 

And take into account whether it is easy/cheap to get to the departure/arrival port from where you are coming from.

 

FYI we are taking the 8 days Viking cruise from Basel in Switzerland to Trier in Germany, cruising the Rhine, through the middle Rhine gorge to Koblenz the going along the pretty Mosel

Edited April 17, 2023 by pontac

[Dennis_USA]

1 hour ago, twototravel said:

Check out Gate One's Rhine river cruises. I think you will find most river cruises do the same 7 day cruise Basel - Amsterdam with very similar excursions.

I've seen that one listed a lot, just not in a 5 day format. 

 

 

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

The Avalon itinerary suggested is a great one for your wishes I find. Look towards European lines as well, if you are a little "adventurous". I say this as the food and the vibe will be a bit different. Viva Cruises offers five-nighters, so does Riviera Travel.

I'll definitely check them out. I appreciate everyone directing me to specific cruise companies. It's a bit frustrating that my internet searches just keep bringing up Viking, Avalon, and Tauk over and over. 

 

 

36 minutes ago, pontac said:

First I suggest you rethink your 5 day limit, because the first day of a river cruise will be spent tied up at one place while guests depart &  arrive at different times depending where they are going to/coming from and the same on the last day. So your 5 day cruise is 3 days of actual cruising.

This is really good to know. Even 3 days isn't bad as we'll be checking out other places by train as part of a longer trip. I just wanted a taste of the river cruise experience (I've never been on one).  

Edited April 17, 2023 by Dennis_USA

[CastleCritic]

well if we're plugging  companies then AMAWaterways, they have SEVERAL 7 day (or more)  itineraries that go through the Rhine gorge leaving from Basel, Amsterdam or Luxembourg (or I guess technically Nuremberg),.  While when I picked my forum name it was mostly a joke, the very real reason I picked my first cruise (between viking uniworld and amawaterways) I chose the one with the most castles which ended up being  an 11 day cruise that also did the Moselle I dont think there were any castles on the the Moselle portion.  The Basel to Nuremberg also has a pretty good number though when I did it we were off the ship when it left rudesheim so that might be a miss if just seeing 30 castles from a distance is what he wants to do.

 

I know we toured 3 (lahneck, reichsburg and Heidelberg) and saw a bunch more from the ship and could have done another when we were in koblenz (we chose the nearby fortress as well, but didnt really get to see it..just rode the cable car down from that area into town).

Edited April 17, 2023 by CastleCritic

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, pontac said:

Secondly, few cruises are shown as 5 days. Riviera has been mentioned but the only 5 day cruise of the Rhine that I can see is Enchanting Rhine and Yuletide Markets River Cruise, which takes place in December.

Thanks for that. I had not noticed that they limit it to winter. I remember short shoulder season sailings. If one can sail seven days with them I find them attractive as they sail from Cologne very often, creating the greater focus on the Rhine in Germany with all the castles. Having said that, the Netherlands has some fabulous ones, it is just that they are moated or used to be, eerrr, you know the high imposing version does not work in that country.

 

My favourite one - Schloß Bürresheim. A favourite one for an excursion on the Moselle - Burg Eltz. Marksburg - great, but bad for the mobility impaired. Reichsburg Cochem - supposed to be great, do not know it.

 

A 19th century version with nearby ruin - Drachenfels near Bonn at Königswinter.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[pontac]

1 hour ago, Dennis_USA said:

This is really good to know. Even 3 days isn't bad as we'll be checking out other places by train as part of a longer trip.

 

The reason most short cruises are 8 days is that the boat goes one direction with a set of passengers who then get off on the same day a new set of passengers board. The boat then goes back to the starting point, the current set of passengers disembark and the new set arrive. The tours start on the same day of the week from either end, boat goes back & forth. The airport busses and airport staff employed by the cruise line take care of seeing departing customers off and greeting arriving customers. So, although billed as an 8 day cruise, it's really 7 days, with 7 nights accommodation.

 

A 15 day cruise is two weeks back & forth.

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, Dennis_USA said:

I'll definitely check them out. I appreciate everyone directing me to specific cruise companies. It's a bit frustrating that my internet searches just keep bringing up Viking, Avalon, and Tauk over and over. 

That's google for you...

 

When I do that in German I get nicko cruises and A-rosa mainly - the German market ones. Actually, Arosa is on the North-American market, you can book them. They will be bilingual German/English, so perhaps a bit adventurous.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

3 minutes ago, pontac said:

The reason most short cruises are 8 days is that the boat goes one direction with a set of passengers who then get off on the same day a new set of passengers board.

That is the preferred version on the North-American market. Some European lines offer some more round trips in comparison, it will vary from company to company.

 

notamermaid

 

[*Miss G*]

Another line we researched for short and inexpensive cruises was Feenstra Rhine Line.

 

Here is a selection of cruises from when I clicked on the Castles and Fortresses Link.

[*Miss G*]

6 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Rüdesheim? Old-world charm of Rhine and wine but too crowded for me. 

 

Just wanted to mention that the weather was lovely and there were no crowds during the first week of October last year in Rüdesheim.

[Dennis_USA]

39 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

Another line we researched for short and inexpensive cruises was Feenstra Rhine Line.

 

Here is a selection of cruises from when I clicked on the Castles and Fortresses Link.

Wow this is great! Looking at this one too. Keep the suggestions coming. 

[notamermaid]

55 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Just wanted to mention that the weather was lovely and there were no crowds during the first week of October last year in Rüdesheim.

That's good. I went in September on a Sunday and found it too much for me.

 

Have just remembered: 3 October is a public holiday in Germany. This should not affect an itinerary as such, but shops are closed on that day (few exceptions).

 

4 hours ago, CastleCritic said:

I know we toured 3 (lahneck, reichsburg and Heidelberg)

That is Lahneck just before Koblenz (when sailing downstream), Cochem on the Moselle and the famous city on the Neckar (popular excursion). Just to explain. I love the outside of Lahneck castle, have not been inside. It is privately owned and an exclusive one with Amawaterways I believe.

 

If you prefer balmier evenings I recommend September. The first week of October is still fine but the nights do get colder and morning excursions can start to get chilly.

 

TUI river cruises is another British company you may want to have a look at.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[CastleCritic]

22 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

That's good. I went in September on a Sunday and found it too much for me.

 

Have just remembered: 3 October is a public holiday in Germany. This should not affect an itinerary as such, but shops are closed on that day (few exceptions).

 

That is Lahneck just before Koblenz (when sailing downstream), Cochem on the Moselle and the famous city on the Neckar (popular excursion). Just to explain. I love the outside of Lahneck castle, have not been inside. It is privately owned and an exclusive one with Amawaterways I believe.

 

If you prefer balmier evenings I recommend September. The first week of October is still fine but the nights do get colder and morning excursions can start to get chilly.

 

TUI river cruises is another British company you may want to have a look at.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Man, how much Ive forgotten in details on that trip in 4 years, we didnt do Lahnstein, that was the day that the choice was the nearby Ehrenbreitstein fortress or that castle, and we chose the fortress...which was a mistake...we basically just tooled around, never going into the fortress and then took the cable car down.  The castle (ruins) I was thinking about is Landshut which is further down the Moselle...I guess for touring castles we didnt do any "on" the Rhine.  (Heidelberg we did from Ludwigshafen which was literally an industrial port and then took an hour plus bus ride over there).

 

That itinerary is "RHINE & MOSELLE FAIRYTALES"  on Amawaterways which is an 11 day cruise, longer than was requested by far.

[*Miss G*]

51 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Have just remembered: 3 October is a public holiday in Germany. This should not affect an itinerary as such, but shops are closed on that day (few exceptions).

 

Oh my gosh.  I feel so terrible for seeming so contradictory, yet again!  In Frankfurt (New) Old Town all the shops were open on October 3rd.  In fact, they had holiday bands and vendor tents so it was a proper festival!  We really enjoyed it.  (Sorry)

[notamermaid]

17 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Oh my gosh.  I feel so terrible for seeming so contradictory, yet again!  In Frankfurt (New) Old Town all the shops were open on October 3rd.  In fact, they had holiday bands and vendor tents so it was a proper festival!  We really enjoyed it.  (Sorry)

Oh, interesting, that is unusual. But there can be exceptions and when it is a festival that may be exempt from the usual restrictions that are on regular shops in town. Or the whole town has applied for Sunday shopping trade. Rules vary a bit from state to state as well.

 

Sounds as if your day in Frankfurt was really nice. I still have not seen the rebuilt part of the old town. I have heard they have done a great job with the restoration.

 

I really like the idea of a cruise starting in Frankfurt but I struggle to come up with a castle or similar structure in Frankfurt or thereabouts. All that I know are too far out. Mainz is a bit better for this I think and as I mentioned before, the Eltville monastery I find interesting.

 

The Rhine Gorge has officially the highest density of castles. Amazing to sail past.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by notamermaid

[CastleCritic]

The Main has a good number of explorable castles (Miltenberg, Wertheim, WurzBurg).

 

But I kind of hesitate the suggest the Main as your first cruise, especially if you aren't looking to be in gogogo mode the entire time.  Ive never seen the bow or stern of my own ship as it sailed without me as  much as I did on that trip and it was usually moving even when we were on it.

[notamermaid]

50 minutes ago, CastleCritic said:

Man, how much Ive forgotten in details on that trip in 4 years, we didnt do Lahnstein, that was the day that the choice was the nearby Ehrenbreitstein fortress or that castle, and we chose the fortress...which was a mistake...

As regards view Ehrenbreitstein can hardly be beaten. As regards charm Lahnstein beats it. And the waffles in the small restaurant are good, too.

 

Landshut is above Bernkastel-Kues. That is a nice small town and I would call it the Moselle version of Rüdesheim. Perhaps a little nicer. Did not have time to go up the hill.

 

This discussion has made me think. If you had time for an itinerary that straddles the Moselle that would be nice, too. Or a train ride along the Moselle would be good too, if your itinerary is only on the Rhine.

 

There are three-night cruises by the way, they exist but are usually not in the time frame the original poster wants.

 

Nearly forgot: there is also Amadeus River Cruises.

 

notamermaid

 

[CastleCritic]

I actually looked again after I posted that, AMA has an itinerary that is Luxembourg to Basel (never been to Luxembourg but Basel isn't really a huge highlight) that does the Moselle and the Rhine in 7 days, so maybe that kind of itinerary?,

 

Im sure I would have thought much more about Ehrenbreitstein if I had more than 5 minutes to explore it before having to leave.  The view on the cable care was pretty good yes. And yes I walked up that hill at Landshut other than an abortive attempt to reach the ruins of the castle in Durnstein in my spare time (Danube) thats the hardest hike Ive done on a cruise to date.

Edited April 17, 2023 by CastleCritic

[notamermaid]

6 minutes ago, CastleCritic said:

The Main has a good number of explorable castles (Miltenberg, Wertheim, WurzBurg).

 

But I kind of hesitate the suggest the Main as your first cruise, especially if you aren't looking to be in gogogo mode the entire time.  Ive never seen the bow or stern of my own ship as it sailed without me as  much as I did on that trip and it was usually moving even when we were on it.

That is very descriptive. If the Main, for the OP I would suggest only going downstream, i.e. Frankfurt to the confluence with the Rhine and then turn North (the Rhine Gorge) or South (leading to Speyer for a possible excursion to Heidelberg and further, perhaps to Strasbourg or Basel).

 

The more I think about all this the more I like the Avalon Waterways itinerary. Just check which and how many castle and palaces are visited. You can always add another edifice if you extend your stay with a hotel stay and/or train ride.

 

notamermaid