NECKAR RIVER & RHINE SIGHTSEEING CRUISES - HEIDELBERG
White Fleet from Old Town Heidelberg
One on the most popular ways to view an old world city on a gorgeous river
is from a sight-seeing cruise boat. The White Fleet (Weise Flotte) is a
tourist cruise company which operates on the rivers of Germany, with bases
on the Rhine, Neckar and Mosel Rivers. From one of Germany‘s best
known tourist towns, Heidelberg, the ships of the White Fleet make sceninc
round trip excursion trips on both the Neckar River and the Rhine River.
The Neckar is shallower and narrower than the Rhine, requiring the cruise
bots to pass through the system of locks on the river with the first just
beyond the old Heidelberg Bridge before heading upsteam through the winding
Neckar Valley (Neckartal) with steep sloped hillsides, lined with castles
and wine vineyards. The route known as the "castle road“ follows
the shore of the Neckar River to the east of Heidelberg (see Germany
Castle Road) in this area once controlled by the Staufer kings and Teutonic
Knights, with a castle on view at nearly every bend of the river. The cruise
first passes below the famous Heidelberg Castle, passing through the first
lock then below the Benedictine monastery Stift Neuburg, before heading
on to Dilsberg, Neckargemünd and the town of four castles, Neckarsteinach.
Cruise
boats of the Weisse Flotte at Heidelberg which depart from just below
the old town include the MS Patria (Latin "his country") one of
the older and smaller ships of the fleet which also serves as shore restaurant
The MS Heidelberg Castle, MS Europe and the MS Alt Heidelberg are lagers,
each carrying carry about 600 passengers. The MS Germania and MS Georg
Fischer carry about 200 passengers. Buffet meals are available on board
including hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, hot dogs and soups.
Cruises
are daily depending on season with departures about six time a day.
Round Trip sightseeing cruises from Hedielberg range from about
40
minutes for the short Heidelberg cruise to 1 ½ hours, 2 hours
and 3 hours on the Rhine to Worms and Mannheim and up the Neckar
Valley as far as Hirschhorn (see Hirschorn
Castle Hotel ),
and Eberbach which cost from €6
to €15
for the basic sight-seeing cruise. The Weisse Flotte in Heidelberg
also offers a variety of theme and dinner cruises in the evenings and
weekends
including Candlelight Dinner Cruises, Salsa Dancing Party, Dixieland
Jazz Cruises and Murder Mystery Cruises, ranging in price from about €22
to €48. Also special Rhine in Flames fireworks cruises are offered.
These are half-day long cruises in the summer months one Saturday a
month in July and August and two in September which cost between €60-€85
per person. Other fireworks cruises to Mannheim or Worms on a few special
days are €16-€32. Bicycles can be taken on the cruise boats
for cycling excursions in the woodland hills along the Neckar.
Solar Sight-Seeing -Neckar Sun
If green is your thing, docked nearby
is the NeckarSonne, operated by separate company, is a solar powered
specialty sight-seeing boat, the largest stainless steel solar cruise
craft in the world. The glass enclosed interior
of
vessel powered by the energy of the sun seats about 120 with room
for 110 on its
outdoor deck, offering a 50 minute round trip with bistro snack bars,
sans engine throb or emissions as you glide along the old world sights. © Bargain
Travel Europe
Best hotel and vacation deals in Heidelberg on TripAdvisor
Web Info
Weiss Flotte
Heidelberg
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See Also:
RHINE AND MOSEL RIVER CRUISES - KD FLEET
PHILOSOPHERS WALK - A POETS VIEW
GIANT WINE BARREL OF HEIDELBERG
