Main möter Rhen

In the morning we enter Mannheim. In the morning we make an excursion to the charming university town of Heidelberg where we start by visiting the famous castle ruins Schloss Heidelberg. The castle has been watching over the old town since the 13th century and on the facade are sculptures of German kings and emperors from the German-Roman Empire. Here we get a beautiful view of the Neckard Valley before heading down to the charming city center where we take a walk among Baroque buildings and Gothic churches.

We board our Gernsheim to enjoy our lunch on board as we cruise on to Mainz. 

Mainz is the capital of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and located where the rivers Main and the Rhine converge. In the afternoon we take a guided tour of the city founded by the Romans. Our guide will share interesting stories about everything from the Isis Temple to the medieval buildings and the famous Fastnacht carnival before it's time for lunch aboard the ship.

We then return to our ship and cruise on the Rhine River.

In the morning we enter the picturesque town of Miltenberg where our guide waits to show us around the half-timbered houses and Renaissance monuments. The river area marked the boundary of the ancient Roman empire, but the city itself was founded in the 13th century by the Archbishop of Mainz.

During the 1600s, Miltenberg went from being a central city in the Kurf Principality of Mainz to ending up on the outer edge of the Bavarian Empire, which is why more major investments were made after this time. Therefore, the city is still full of romantic old architecture, such as the sandstone fountain on the market square, the Alte Amtskellerei administration building and the Schnatterloch tower. We end the tour by visiting a vineyard near Wertheim for a wine tasting of indigenous wine varieties.

We cross over and have dinner together on board.

We end our cruise in the historic city of Würzburg. After a last breakfast on board we have time for our own tram.  

Würzburg has been one of the most important religious centers in Europe since the 7th century and there are many beautiful churches and chapels to visit. The city's main landmark is the World Heritage listed Episcopal residence, one of the most prominent buildings of German 18th-century Baroque.