AmaWaterways New Emphasis on the Moselle and Main Rivers
By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71, European Destination and River Cruise Expert
Our first Europe river cruise was on the Main and Moselle Rivers in 2009. It was on AmaWaterways. As I have written before, I was hooked—for a person who has never taken a Europe river cruise, it is very hard to describe how good it is—I knew what the brochures said, which made it sound awesome, but it was just so much more than I expected!
The key for me was the easy access to so many wonderful sites, that would be difficult to do on your own, and luxury travel aboard the ship facilities, great food and wine all rolled into one package—it was easy and fun.
But that is not the purpose of this blog—the purpose is to tell you about the expanded options to visit the Main River on AmaWaterways. In last week’s blog, I provided you a complete overview of the 7 routes that AmaWaterways offers on 2 great rivers—the Moselle and the Main.
There are now 3 different route options that explore the Main River area better than any other of the 8 river cruise companies we follow. We have sailed every part of these 3, as well as the 7 offerings on the Rhine, Main & Moselle Rivers on AmaWaterways that I wrote about last week, and these 2 blogs will provide you some first-hand knowledge of the great ports and experiences you can expect on any one of these cruises.
Imagine sailing on the either of these 2 rivers through the legendary wine growing regions of Germany, getting the chance to sample good German wines, explore quaint villages and visit and tour castles and palaces!
Don’t let the 7 different routes confuse you—many ports are very similar on each route and if you just look at the maps carefully and our pictures, you will quickly get a great overview. And, as always, we are here to clear up any confusion.
Since there are so many ports involved in these routes, I have organized last weeks blog to provide an overview of the routes of the Moselle and Main Rivers and will provide you in this blog a good description of the ports on the Main. Last week I concentrated on the ports of the Moselle River.
So let’s sail together on the ports of the German Main River—you won’t be disappointed—it is that good!
Ports on the Main River
Mainz
Mainz is located where the Rhine and Main Rivers meet. About 80% of the city was destroyed in WW II, but they have rebuilt most of the area around market square. It was a major trade center in the Middle Ages. The 2 most famous sites are the huge cathedral and the Gutenberg printing museum—he printed the Gutenberg Bible—also known as the 42-Line Bible, for the number of lines in each column. It also has a famous stained-glass windows by Chagall in the Stephen’s Church.
Mainz Cathedral
Mainz Market Square
Gutenberg Printing Museum
Chagall Stained-Glass Windows
Miltenberg,
The old town of Miltenberg is about 150 meters wide and 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.
Old Town Miltenberg
Miltenberg Castle
Wertheim,
Wertheim is located where the Tauber River and the Main River meet. Overlooking the town are ruins of a castle that was built in the 12th century. The old town and its market square are ringed with several half-timbered houses. This old walled city has an impressive watch tower that still remains.
Wertheim
Wertheim Market Square
Watchtower—one of the few remaining parts of this former walled city
Würzburg,
Würzburg is located in the heart of Franconia’s wine country. As you move to the town from the port, your first sights are the Marienberg Citadel and the old stone bridge to enter the town. The key sight in Würzburg is the baroque Residenz Palace and its amazing gardens. You should tour the palace—about 40 of the 360 rooms are available for visitors.
Marienberg Fortress
Old Stone Bridge
Residenz Palace
Residenz Palace Gardens
Bamberg
Bamberg is about 7 Km from the Main River, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria. It has a wonderfully preserved old town area on the west bank of the Regnitz River. Key sights include the Altes Rathaus (old town hall), the Bamberg Cathedral, and the Neue Residenz (home of the prince bishops). Bamberg has a special beer—it is a historic smoked beer.
Bamberg
Old Town Hall in Bamberg
Bamberg Cathedral
Rose Garden of the New Residence in Bamberg
Nuremberg.
Nuremberg’s old city has some very large protective walls and most are intact. It also has impressive Gothic churches & a castle. Nuremberg is where the Nazi War Crimes Tribunal took place in 1946. Nuremberg has a special sausage—the Nuremberg sausage. It is prepared several different ways—don’t miss it!
One of the Watch Gates of the Walled City of Nuremberg
Fountain in Market Square Nuremberg
Nuremberg Castle
Nuremberg Sausage
Port on the Rhine River
Rüdesheim
This is a charming wine village. It is famous for the great white wines grown in the region, along with a special coffee drink, aptly named Rüdesheimer coffee (Flambé Asbach brandy, sugar cube, coffee garnished with whipped cream). A lively lane, the Drosselgasse, is lined with taverns and wine-cellars. Nearby is the Germania monument, better known as the Niederwald Monument, erected in 1883 to celebrate the unification of German after their victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.
Sailing into Rüdesheim
Rüdesheimer Coffee Poster
Drosselgasse street in Rüdesheim
Moselle & Main Routes on the Same Cruise
Europe’s Rivers & Castles (Route 1)
Route Map from AmaWaterways
There are 15 sailing dates on Europe’s Rivers & Castles route in 2020, which cruises from Nuremberg to Luxembourg. This is the cruise route we first took on AmaWaterways, and it is just so fun, we have done this route twice. The second time Anne & I were lucky to lead a group of my West Point classmates and introduce them all to the joys of Europe river cruising.
Depending on the direction you are sailing, the trip begins in either Trier or Nuremberg. I am describing the cruise starting from Trier. The only difference in sailing from Nuremberg to Trier is that docking times and days are different–you still get to see the same sights.
The trip starts in Trier, the oldest city in Germany. It continues through the meandering Moselle River Valley, its steep hillsides covered with vineyards. The German villages of Bernkastel and Cochem, with their castles overlooking the town below and Zell on the Moselle River make this stretch memorable.
Continuing up river, you’ll enter the Rhine River Gorge. Many fortresses and castle ruins are strategically placed on the steep hills. Once these castles served to defend and extract tolls, now they provide beautiful sights—it always makes the best river cruise lists of travel writers.
Along the Main River, a tributary of the Rhine, the stops include medieval towns, often with the half-timbered homes that seem to be untouched by time and important smaller cities that have unique palaces, churches and even the first printing press. The cruise ends after sailing through the Main-Danube Canal to historic Nuremberg. The ports on the Main River are Rüdesheim (OK, technically it is on the Rhine, near the border of the Main River but since these rivers flow into each other, it is hard to make a clear distinction and really doesn’t matter much to travelers, only geographers), Mainz, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg and it ends in Nuremberg.
Main River Routes (2 Routes)
Medieval Treasures (Route 2)
Route Map from AmaWaterways
Medieval Treasures is a 7 night cruise from Basel to Nuremberg. There are 5 sailing dates in 2020, and the AmaWaterways cruise ship is the AmaDante. On the Rhine, the ports are Strasbourg, Speyer, and Rüdesheim. On the Main, the ports are Miltenberg, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg and ending in Nuremberg.
One factor about this route—it misses the Rhine River Gorge I wrote about above.
Treasures of the Main & Rhine (Route 3)
Route Map from AmaWaterways
This is a 7 day cruise, starting from Nuremberg to Amsterdam. There are 4 ports on the Main River (Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg and Nuremberg) and 3 ports on the Rhine (Rüdesheim, Cologne and Amsterdam). It does sail through the Rhine River Gorge.
Our Rhine, Main & Moselle River Port Guides
A unique feature for you that we make available to you for free is to learn about these ports with our Rhine River Cruise Port Guides (there are 25 total for the Rhine & its tributaries—8 on the Rhine; 8 on the Main; 5 on the Moselle and 4 for the Northern Tulip Time ports). It is really easy to get them—just use the button below, and fill out the short request form and we will send these guides. We have a total of 51 River Cruise Port Guides on our website that you can order—trust me, there is nothing like all these to our knowledge available on the web in one place and they are all our pictures. It should help you decide if this is the right cruise for you and also help you decide on which tour to take at each port stop.
My Final Thoughts
One of these routes that should be on everyone’s bucket list, in my opinion. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you to start this or any other river cruise trip. We have a wealth of free information about all Europe river cruises and really useful river cruise tips on our website www.dreamdestinations.com, so check us out—you will be glad you did.
We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise experts, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations. As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.
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Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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
