The Best River Cruises Through Germany's Fairytale Towns
Germany has a travel problem: it's so big and so well-endowed with extraordinary small towns that most visitors never get beyond Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg. The country's most remarkable places the half-timbered medieval towns along its great rivers, the castle-topped hillsides of the Rhine and Moselle, the baroque imperial cities of the Danube are rarely visited by Australians doing a standard European tour. A river cruise fixes this entirely.
Why German River Towns Beat German Cities for the River Cruiser
Germany's major cities are magnificent but they're also large, complex, and best experienced with several days of exploration. Germany's river towns are different: compact enough to understand in a morning, beautiful enough to remember for years, and accessible only by boat in a way that no train tour can replicate.
The Best German Towns on the Rhine
Rüdesheim am Rhein
A wine town on the right bank of the Rhine, where the famous Drosselgasse (a narrow lane of wine taverns) has been welcoming visitors since the 19th century. The surrounding vineyards produce some of Germany's finest Riesling tastings are a standard excursion offering. The cable car to the Niederwald Monument offers panoramic views over the Rhine.
Bacharach
One of the most intact medieval villages in Germany half-timbered houses, a 14th-century church ruin draped in ivy, and a hilltop castle that now operates as a youth hostel. Bacharach is best seen from the water, which is exactly how CroisiEurope passengers see it.
Koblenz
At the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle the Deutsches Eck ('German Corner') where the two rivers meet is marked by an enormous equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I. The old town is substantial and well-preserved; the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress on the opposite bank is accessible by cable car with views over both rivers.
Boppard
A Roman fort, then a medieval town, now a Rhine river town with a beautifully restored Carmelite church and a famous bend in the river the Bopparder Hamm surrounded by Riesling vineyards.
The Best German Towns on the Danube
Passau
The 'City of Three Rivers' at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz a fully baroque city of extraordinary visual drama. The Cathedral of St. Stephen has the world's largest church organ (17,774 pipes); the Inn River's blue-green water contrasts visibly with the Danube's grey as they meet below the city. Many Danube cruises start here.
Regensburg
A UNESCO World Heritage city on the Danube one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Germany, somehow largely undamaged in World War Two. The Stone Bridge (1146 AD) is one of the oldest preserved bridges in Germany. The old town is extraordinary Roman walls, Romanesque churches, and Gothic civic buildings in a compact, walkable area.
Getting There: Which CroisiEurope Cruise Covers These Towns
Rhine towns (Rüdesheim, Bacharach, Boppard, Koblenz): Rhine & Moselle itineraries, Amsterdam to Basel, and Rhine Gorge short breaks.
Danube towns (Passau, Regensburg): Full Danube itineraries starting in Passau or Nuremberg. The Passau Budapest cruise is the most comprehensive.
Book Your 2027 River Cruise with CroisiEurope Australia
CroisiEurope Australia handles all bookings for Australian travellers local support, AUD pricing, no credit card surcharges on Visa or Mastercard.
Phone: 1300 739 652 | Email: contact@croisicruises.com
Website: www.croisieuroperivercruises.com.au | Office: Tweet World Travel, 544 Magill Road, Magill SA 5072
2027 Early Booking is open now. Enquire today.
