5 Great Ports on the Main River
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
One of the tributaries of the Rhine River is the Main River.
Today, I thought I’d write about 5 ports on this often-overlooked European River Cruise River.
The ports, traveling west to east on the Main are Miltenberg, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg and ending in Nuremberg.
So, let’s explore together and learn about this unique river.
Main River Overview
The Main is the longest tributaries of the Rhine River—it is about 326 miles long and all the river is in Germany. About 246 miles are used for shipping and river cruising. At one end of the river, towards Nuremberg, the river is now linked to the Danube River by the Main-Danube Canal.
Miltenberg
If picture perfect, fairy-tale like houses and buildings surrounded by a lovely town square known as the Schnatterloch (in German literally the “Gossip Hole”) has interest for you, then Miltenberg is a great village for you to explore. The village has a population of about 9,000.
The old town of Miltenberg is about 150 meters wide but about 2.5 Km long from the banks of the Main River up the hillside. There are over 100 half-timbered houses in this scenic town.
This is a place time seems to have stood still—almost all the older buildings have survived.
Its market square is often cited as one of the most attractive in all of Germany. And, to just round out the fairly-tale feel of the city, there is a castle perched on a hillside.
It was also a walled city and has two gate towers that protected the city in days gone by, but now are an interesting photo chance for visitors.
Wertheim
Your first views of this village are dominated by the old castle ruins, but there are much more than ruins to see in the quaint place. This town has a population of about 23,000.
Wertheim is located where the Tauber River and the Main River meet.
Overlooking the town are ruins of castle that was built in the 12th century.
The old town and its market square are ringed with several half-timbered houses. The market square has a wonderful well, named the Engelsbrunnen (in German it translates to the Angel’s well). The name comes from the 2 little angels holding the coat of arms of Wertheim.
Another interesting building is the Gothic Stiftskirche. It was built in 1383 and has 2 clocks on the church tower—one with an hour and minute clock hands and one with a clock hand only for the residents of the castle—guess being royalty has its advantages!
This old walled city has an impressive watch tower that still remains.
Würzburg
There is a lot to like about Würzburg. As you approach the city, two key sights emerge—the Marienberg Citadel, a Renaissance fortress and the old bridge that reminds us of the famous St. Charles Bridge in Prague.
But the star here is the Residenz Palace, a UNESCO world heritage site. Along with the impressive palace (which can be toured on an AmaWaterways cruise), the gardens here are whimsical, and colorful. These gardens were built when the Residenz was fortified, so all the gardens had to be inside the walls.
There are 2 gardens here. The first is the Court Garden, a Baroque, formal garden. The central feature of this garden are 8 large yews that shaped in perfect cone shapes. The second garden is an English garden of meadows and small forests.
The English Garden
Würzburg is in the Franconia wine region is less well-known producer of dry white wines made from Silvaner grapes. The official name is Grüner Silvaner. A lot of this wine is grown around Würzburg. One unique feature of this wine is its special bottle—it is in a bottle called a Bocksbeutel (in German)—a distinctive green oval shaped bottle.
One feature of wine cruises on the Main River on AmaWaterways is a special wine tasting in Würzburg’s baroque Residenz Palace. Wine in a palace—how cool is that!
Bamberg
Bamberg is about 7 Km from the Main River, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria. It is UNESCO world heritage site due its well-preserved medieval buildings.
It has a wonderfully preserved old town area on the west bank of the Regnitz River.
Perhaps the Altes Rathaus (old town hall), is one of the most stunning town halls built in all Germany. It is on a bridge and the legend is it was built over the Regnitz River, as the town bishops denied the townsfolk permission to build the hall on the land owned by the church.
The Bamberg Cathedral is also famous for its architecture and is the burial place of Emperor Henry II and Pope Clement II.
The Neue Residenz (home of the prince bishops) has a wonderful rose garden that is one of our favorite gardens. There are about 4,500 roes planted in 70 different flower beds. It also provides some of the best views of all of Bamberg on the outside walls of the garden.
Bamberg has a special beer—it is a historic smoked beer. In German it is known as Rauchbier. Bamberg is home to 11 breweries.
Nuremberg
Nuremberg’s old city has some very large protective walls, and most are intact. It is the 6th largest city in Germany. It is place we visit often—at least 6 times or more.
Nuremberg Castle is one of the largest in Germany. We have toured the grounds several times
The main market square is famous for its Christmas Market and one of our absolute favorites. If not being renovated, the Schoner Brunnen--the Beautiful 19-meter Fountain on the edge of Market Square is quite impressive. There are two rings on the fence that are some popular legends about the power of the fountain. One is that if you turn the “golden ring” and make a wish, it will come true. The black ring is said to bless women with children.
The market also has an impressive church on the square. Church of Our Lady constructed as an imperial royal chapel. Every day at noon the "Männleinlaufen" (mechanical clock and glockenspiel) chime to the delight of watchers below.
Nuremberg is where the Nazi War Crimes Tribunal took place in 1946. There are special tours offered by most river cruise companies about the huge influence of the Nazi regime in Nuremberg.
Culinary tourists can taste the city's famous food offerings. This includes lebkuchen (gingerbread), a great local red beer and the star for us Nürnberger Rostbratwürstchen, or Nuremberg sausages. It is prepared several different ways—don’t miss it!
Our Final Thoughts
The Main River has 5 great ports--We hope you enjoyed this report. You should try this great river cruise route.
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ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
