A Journey Down the Mighty Rhine

Europe is a continent shaped by its rivers. As political borders, natural military obstacles, highways of commerce, and cradles of culture, rivers are the arteries of civilization. Among all the great European waterways, perhaps none is as storied or as historically crucial as the mighty Rhine. Running for over 765 miles it is birthed in the Alps, and gains power as is flows north until it drains into the North Sea in the Netherlands.

Map courtesy of our legendary hosts at Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.

Although there are many ways to experience the Rhine, a river cruise is certainly the most iconic, allowing you to experience the entire navigable river. These cruises (typically a week in length) can be experienced either northbound or southbound with Basel, Switzerland, and Amsterdam as the two terminuses. As you can see on the map, the river briefly forms the border between France and Germany before pushing through the interior of Germany and Holland.

We recently had the opportunity to participate in a Northbound cruise, originating in Basel. The images below are a mix of sites along the river, and areas which we visited via our cruise line’s fascinating shore excursions. I’ve tried to include a brief caption with each image. You can scroll though using the arrows on the right and left edges. (If you are using a smartphone, hold phone horizontally to see captions.)

Amsterdam City Center

Amsterdam is a joy. Whether you begin or end your journey here, it deserves at least 2 full days. From the Rijksmuseum to biking, boating, and people watching, it’s one of Europe’s most popular destinations for good reason!

The Upper Rhine

That’s our ship, the Uniworld SS Antoinette! Notice that the river does not look very large. That’s because we are in one of the many canalized portions of the upper Rhine (actually the southern end) where the river has been engineered to remain navigable regardless of water-level.

French Wine Country

Looking out over the rich wine country outside Kayersberg, France. This area of the Alsace region is famous of its Pinot Gris.

The Black Forrest

The Black Forrest area of Germany does indeed contain forrest, but also large swaths of farmland and beautiful open spaces. One day in this area is not enough. By the way, Susana is standing on the one of the many Ways of the Camino de Santiago as it makes its way south.

Where Riesling is King

As you can imagine, wine is one of the big draws in the Rhine River region and the most famous grape is the Riesling. An aromatic wine variety displaying flowery aromas and high acidity, Riesling accounts for almost a quarter of Germany’s overall wine production.

Grapes and History

Near Rudesheim, Germany, we pass by other passenger ships, endless vineyards , and the imposing Niederwald Monument honoring the unification of the Germany following the Franco-Prussian War.

Castles, Castles, Castles!

The crown jewell of the river is the iconic Rhine River Gorge, a 65 km section of the Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen, Germany. Our Uniworld Cruise was called “Castles Along the Rhine”, and this is the stretch of the river where the high green bluffs support these fortresses dating back up to 1000 years.

The Gorge

The Rhine River gorge is home to over 60 castles, many of which have been restored to hotels, restaurants or museums. Floating through this UNESCSO World Heritage Site, was one of the most memorable portions of the cruise.

Gutenfels Castle

Dating to 1220, this is but one example of the many fortress/castles built along the Rhine in order to enforce toll collection. Eliminating these onerous river tolls and facilitating open navigation was one of the driving forces behind the eventual transition from autonomous regions to a consolidated Germany.

A View of Boppard

Boppard, Germany is one of the lovely riverside villages we visited. We climbed over 1000 feet to earn this beautiful view. (See our ship in the bottom right corner?)

Cologne 🇩🇪

The crown jewel of Cologne is its massive cathedral, the tallest twin-spire church in the world. It fact, at one point in the 1800’s it was the tallest structure in the world. Period. With over 20,000 visitors a day, it is the most visited site in all of Germany.

A Working River

The Rhine works 24 hours a day. It’s one of the most important commercial waterways in the world, carrying 30% of Central Europe’s natural resources and a significant amount of its commercial cargo.

Industry

The Rhine has always played a part of inudstrial development in Central Europe. Today, almost 20% of the world’s production of industrial chemicals takes place along the lower Rhine. Although once polluted, the Rhine’s water quality continues to improve as government and industry work together to restore the river’s health.

Amsterdam's Canals

No visit to Amsterdam is complete without a canal boat ride. The city has over 60 miles of canals dividing the the old town into a series of small islands connected by over 1200 bridges, some of which date back to the mid-1600’s!

Bicycle Culture

They say every resident of Amsterdam has three bikes: The one they ride, the one they are fixing, and one that they can’t find. 😆

I look forward to helping you plan your own Rhine River adventure! Many outstanding cruise lines operate on the waterway, and each has its own special characteristics. We loved our Uniworld journey and I have no doubt that among so many options we can find the perfect experience for you. Perhaps the most challenging question is “when”. We were very fortunate with the weather in May, although rain in the Spring is always a risk. As you push deeper into the summer, heat can become an issue, especially given the changing climate. It’s also worth noting that lower water levels can create some uncertainty in the Fall season. I would say that May and June are excellent choices for the Rhine. No matter what you decide, I’d love to help make your journey happen. Please reach out! 🥂