Koln-Dusseldorf Tours (KD Tours): The Cologne, Bonn and Koblenz Section
KD Tours offers a Rhine Pass from Cologne (or Koln), Bonn and Koblenz. The Koblenz routes operate daily, the others at weekends. The pass allows you to get on and off any KD boat that day.
Cologne is the westernmost end of the Rhine tour, and is a historic city with a wide variety of museums and a noteworthy cathedral, the Dom. There are many walks throughout the city center, and a highly recommended spa, the Claudius Therme, with a range of thermal baths and pools.
Bonn offers a number of attractions related to the composer Ludwig van Beethoven. It also features the Rheinaue Leisure Park, which straddles both banks of the Rhine River, which you can enjoy as part of your hike as you cross it over several pontoon bridges. The Wildfreigehege Waldau is a lovely nature park with cycling and hiking trails, forests and various wildlife.
The cruise continues up the Rhine, stopping on each bank of the river at places of particular interest, including Unkel, with its baroque castle and Remagen, with its neoclassical Apollinariskirche (church). Next is Linz, an attractive medieval town on the banks of the Rhine with a swimming pool and a forest trail.
The cruises then continue on to Koblenz, with historic landmarks dating back to the Bronze age. Koblenz is most famous as a well-preserved example of a fortified medieval town. There are six castles along the banks of the Rhine from Bonn to Koblenz. This cruise takes about five and a half hours.
Köln-Düsseldorfer Boat Tours
Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG
Frankenwerft 35
50667 Cologne
Germany
49-22-1208-8318
k-d.de/englisch/
KD Tours: Koblenz to Rudesheim
KD Tours also offers a special pass from Koblenz, which you can use to either return downstream to Cologne or Bonn, or continue on upstream to Rudesheim and Mainz. You can also use the pass on the Koblenz Nostalgia Route, a round-trip tour of the Rhine from Koblenz to Rudesheim that takes 11 hours round-trip, with an hour's stop in Rudesheim. This route takes in 19 castles from Koblenz to Bingen, most of them visible from the cruise ship.
Of particular note along the route are the medieval town of Boppard, and the famous landmark of Loreley (or Lorelei) Rock between St. Goar and St. Goarhausen. There are remarkable views of the area from the boat, and from the nearby hills if you choose to hike up them.
The cruise continues on to Bacharach, with its white and red floating castle, and Assmannhausen, a picturesque wine-growing region accessible via a steep hike from the river promenade. The cruise stops in Bingen, with its famous cathedral and romantic castles. Bingen also features boating and many walking and palace tours.
The Nostalgia cruise continues on to Rudesheim, with its monastery and rugged countryside. KD Tours pass-holders can choose to visit for an hour and then return to Koblenz, or continue on to the end of the route, Mainz.
Köln-Düsseldorfer Boat Tours
Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG
Frankenwerft 35
50667 Cologne
Germany
49-22-1208-8318
k-d.de/englisch/
KD Tours: Rudesheim to Mainz
KD Tours also operates from Rudesheim to Mainz via Eltville and Wiesbaden. This follows the trail of the so-called Reisling Route through along the Rhine, through Rüdesheim's charming vineyards, all the way to Wiesbaden.
Eltville has many outdoor activities including cycling, bowling and boating. Wiesbaden is famous for its baths. Thermal springs have been used there since the 6th century A.D., and it also boasts a dozen municipal parks with walking trails, boating and many amenities.
Mainz is a historic town with several churches, museums and parks of note, many along the Rhine itself. It offers boating and a beautiful botanic garden. KD Tours offers a pass from Mainz that will allow you to retrace the whole route of their cruises, so that you can return to your point of origin, Cologne, Bonn or Koblenz. The travel time from Mainz back to Cologne is 12 hours.
Köln-Düsseldorfer Boat Tours
Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG
Frankenwerft 35
50667 Cologne
Germany
49-22-1208-8318
k-d.de/englisch/
Roessler Line Cruises, Rudesheim Region
The Roessler Line (Roessler Linie) offers popular one-day Rhine cruises from Rudesheim, giving you a tour of the town itself, plus Rudesheim, Assmannshausen and Bingen.
In the summer months, the tour includes Castle Rheinstein, which perches 270 feet above the river and is a fine example of a restored medieval castle, complete with a drawbridge and a moat.
Other Roessler Line cruises continue on from Castle Rheinstein to Loreley Rock, and St.Goar and St.Goarshausen, before sailing back to Rudesheim.
Roessler Line Boat Tours
Lorcher Str. 34
65385 Rüdesheim-Assmannshausen
Germany
49-6722-2353
roesslerlinie.de/home.htm
