Boat Trips on the Rhine

The mighty Rhine River flows from Austria to the North Sea in the Netherlands, passing through Switzerland, Germany, France and Lichtenstein along the way.

River cruises are a great way of experiencing one of the most famous waterways in Europe, with trips of varying length on offer. Take a weeklong trip and you might expect to sail from Basel in Switzerland to the Netherlands. Most boats tend to be well-appointed, and the cruises can be pricey, but it’s a great way to see multiple countries at once.

If you have less time, daytrips are also a possibility. You can pick up a sightseeing boat in cities such as Cologne or Dusseldorf, and the Köln-Düsseldorfer company is one of the best known. There are also lots of smaller companies that are offer cheaper, but KD has the most boats.

Return tickets tend to be only marginally more expensive than one-way tickets, worth bearing in mind. You can also normally transport a bicycle if you are on a longer trip. With some companies this service is free, but KD charges around $3 per bike.

High season runs from April to October, with cruises rarely running in winter. That said, there are some special Christmas market cruises that will let you see some of the traditional markets along the river.