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Bargain Travel Europe
guide to Europe on a budget for vacation destinations, travel ideas and
secret spots missed by travel tours.
RHINE AND MOSEL RIVER
CRUISES
Explore Germany Rivers on the KD Fleet
The
mighty Rhine River flows north from Switzerland, forming the border
between France and Germany
past Baden and Alsace,
then drifting in its wide ribbon of shimmering water through the western
German Rhineland to the North Sea. The section of the river which flows
between steep mountain shores from Mainz to Cologne, called the Middle
Rhine (Rhein), is one of the world’s best renowned river views.
Medieval castles cling to the steep hillsides of dark stony sentinels.
Defensive
towers from centuries past sprout from islands and on the shores below
terraced grape vineyards in this famous wine growing region. The rock
cliff of legend called The Lorelei where stories of the long haired Nordic
sprite of stuning beauty
would
sing
her
song and
doom
sailors to crash on the shoals where the river made its wide curve around
the shear stone mountain cliff. A distance farther the Mosel (Moselle)
River flows from the eastern hills of Belgium and meets the Rhein at
Koblenz.
One
of the best and popular ways to enjoy the rare beauty and fascination
of these rivers lined with historic quaint villages, wine vineyards and
castles is by boat. River Cruises run up and down the wide streams
daily. One of the largest and oldest river cruise companies the operate
on the Rine and Mosel Rivers is the KD Fleet. (Koln-Dusseldorf Deutsche
Rheinschiffart AG). They operate 14 ships on three major routes. The
crusing ships range from the grand old dame nostalgia of steam days The
Goethe paddle wheel steamer to the ultra modern MS Rheinenergie, a collection
a larger and smaller boat from the nostalgic and cosy, to the sophisticated
and futuristic.
Daily
panoramic cruises run from Old Town Cologne (Köln) to Düsseldorf
(see Dusseldorf
on the Rhine) with
descriptions of passing sights and scenery starting from €7
for a simple day sight-seeing cruise up €44 for a weekend buffet
dinner and drinks evening cruise. Daily scheduled cruises travel on the
middle Rhine from Cologne to Mainz and on the Moselle from Koblenz to
Chochem (see Cochems
Moselle Imperial Castle).
How much does a sight-seeing cruise cost? Ticket prices depend on distance
zones traveled, much
like bus or subway fares. A one-way
trip in 1 zone of one or two stops is under €3, but from Koblenz
to Bingen, where most of the castles are is about €27. This trip
takes about 6 hours north to south (upstream) and 4 hours south to north
(downstream). From
Koblenz to Chochem on the Moselle River is about €25. A round-trip
return is only about €2 additional to the one way. Peak season
is from the end of April until the beginning of October. The Rhine
Cruises run through the off-season on a lesser schedule and
The Moselle cruise route doesn't run in the off-season from October
to April. There are restaurants
on board the ships and it is possible to get off and on at the landing
ports to explore castles and towns. The DB rail lines follow the rivers
and you can take a cruise in one direction and the train or a public
bus to return if time matters. Schedules for trains and buses have
to be found separately.
A popular family adventure, seniors over 60 years can travel at half price on all the scheduled cruises on Mondays and Fridays, children under 4 years old travel for free, kids from 4 to 13 can travel for a children’s price of only €3.50. A bargain for a full day of family bonding. © Bargain Travel Europe
Rhine River Stops: Cologne, Porz, Wesseling, Bonn, Bad Godesberg, Königswinter, Bad Honnef, Unkel, Remagen, Linz, Bad Beisig, Bad Hönningen, Andernach, Neuwied, Koblenz, Neiderlahnstein, Oberlahnsten, Rhens, Braubach, Boppard, Kamp-Bornhofen, Bad Salzig, St. Goarshausen, St. Goar, Oberwesel, Kaub, Bacharach, Lorch, Assmannhausen, Bingen, Rüdesheim, Eltville, Wiesbaden-Bieb., Mainz
Mosel Stops: Koblenz, Winnigen, Kobern-Gondorf, Alken, Brodenbach, Moselken, Treis, Cochem
Find best hotel deals in Rhineland
Web Info
KD Fleet
Mainz
Tourism
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See Also:
CASTLE
RHEINSTEIN WATCH ON THE RHINE
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