The 10 Best Quaint Villages to See on a European River Cruise

By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

I write all the time about Europe river cruising and its value. One of best aspect of a river cruise, in my opinion, is the chance to see the small places you wouldn’t otherwise know about. With the exception of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, we probably would not have visited these sights listed in this blog on our own because we didn’t know they existed. So, after 17 Europe River Cruises, here are my 10 favorite.

Now, let me defend my thoughts—are these the 10 best? Please let my descriptions and our pictures help you decide if these are the 10 best!

Please feel free to reach out to us and offer you own suggestions if we might have missed your favorite quaint village that you saw or could see while on a river cruise in Europe.

Overview

I have a rather complicated definition of what a quaint village or town is—some dictionaries list quaint as meaning “attractive because of being unusual and especially old-fashioned” and that just is way too simple for me.

Here is my definition of quaint. It must be small or feel small; must have preserved in some form old buildings (perhaps best described as looking back to the past history with pride); it must have a somewhat peaceful feel and invites you to explore; it must have real character (something unique); it usually is so interesting you want to take pictures even if you don’t like to take pictures and it has a soul—perhaps beauty, or a sense of history, or a unique, dramatic location. Usually it is protected from further development to retain and keep alive its charm. Most of these places are pedestrian only zones or limit vehicles to help preserve their charm. Often, these places were once wealthy but got bypassed. They also often were once walled cities—this natural restriction boundary helps them keep their charm. Sometimes, these place served as inspiration for fairy-tales, have legends of deeds that add to their allure and have a castle nearby.

In short, you want to linger, visit and explore at a slower pace for a glimpse back in time.

On the Rhine River

There are 2 here—Rüdesheim and Riquewihr--that make my list.

Rüdesheim, Germany 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. A lively lane, the Drosselgasse, is lined with taverns and wine-cellars. We have been to a wine tasting here and watched and tasted Rüdesheimer coffee during a coffee making presentation—it was fun and dramatic as they light the Asbach brandy! This is a festive place, famous for Rieslings, and reconstructed half-timbered buildings, replacing the originals that were destroyed in WW II. It is not as authentic as some others on this list, but still fun!

**The crowded streets of the Drosselgasse**

**Hank & Jim enjoy a Rudesheimer coffee**

Riquewihr, France is a constant splash of colors, half-timbered buildings and wine shops jumbled together that just is so charming you will not know where to look next. This medieval walled city, with a tiny population of 1000, still has most of its walls. There is a watch tower that today houses a museum about the defensive structures of the city, the people who manned the defensive structures and the weapons they used. Don’t forget to shop, enjoy the food or a snack and sample the white wines this region is so famous for and brought wealth to this village. I recently wrote a blog about Riquewihr—here is the link: Read More About Riquewihr

On the Main River

Miltenberg and Rothenburg make my list.

The old town of Miltenberg, Germany is about 150 meters wide but about 2.5 Km long from to banks of the Main River up the hillside. There are over 100 original 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. This is a great, picturesque place.

Rothenburg, Germany (the correct name is Rothenburg ob der Tauber), ob means above the Tauber River, is one of the most visited towns in German. This walled city has all its ramparts intact, has massive gates, and many folks walk the walls or part of the walls as I did during our visit. Its medieval past is everywhere—the impressive town hall, half-timbered buildings, a criminal museum, a carved wooden altarpiece masterpiece in St. Jacobs Church, are surrounded by massive fortifications. It is very touristy but still fun.

**One of the massive gates of Rothenburg**

**One of the most photographed sites in all of Germany in Rothemburg**

**Dunking Cage outside the Medieval Criminal Museum**

On the Mosel River

Cochem, BernKastel and Zell make my list.

Cochem, Germany, on the Mosel River, is a former walled city. It has a population of about 5,800 and is a traditional old German town. The town has many fine buildings, quaint cottages, guild houses, and winding cobblestone streets. The town square, lined with half-timbered houses, is a wonderful, scenic area of this small town. Cochem Castle (the correct name is Schloss Reichsburg) is perched over the town and is toured by several river cruise companies.

**2 suits of Armor inside the castle—the one on the right is about 7 feet tall!**

BernKastel is a wonderful town of around 8000. It is located about halfway between Cochem and Trier on the Mosel River. There are many half-timbered buildings, especially around market square. St Michael’s church, built in the 14th century, had a dual purpose—it served as a house of worship and its tall bell tower served as a watch tower in the old city ramparts. The city has some wonderful fountains—they include St. Michael's fountain on the Market Square, the bear's fountain and the doctor's fountain. Overlooking the town is the Landshut Castle ruins. It was first built in 1277 but was ruined by fire in 1692.

**Half Timbered Buildings in BernKastel. In the background, you can see the Tower of St. Micheal’s Church which served as a watchtower.**

Zell is famous for its white wine zellerschwartzkatz (Zell’s black cat). It is a small town of about 4,300 people. It has an interesting market square and the town hall has a wine museum. According to legend, a large quantity of local wine was being stored in barrels in a regional cellar. When people approached, a black cat jumped on the barrel from Zell and started hissing to protect its contents. Seeing the hissing, caused the wine merchants to believe the wine from Zell was special and better quality than the other wines stored in the wine cellar building. Today the black cat is the symbol of this town. It too was a walled city but not much of the old walls remain.

**Zell Festival onboard the AmaLyra 2009**

On the Danube River

Dürnstein and Český Krumlov make my list on the Danube

Dürnstein This small village of about 600 is a true gem. Two key sites immediately catch your eye at first glance. First, the castle ruins above the village on the steep hillside loom above the former walled village. Some hike to the castle ruins, about a 20-30 minute hike. Richard the Lionheart was held for ransom in this castle on his return from one of the crusades. The other stand out is the blue and white tower of the Abbey. We also like just walking and exploring this small village.

The area is famous for apricots and white wine. Please try both while you port here.

Český Krumlov, roughly translated means “Czech Bend in the River”. The best thing to do here is wander—the castle, the old town area, and cobblestone streets are just fun to view. It really looks like the town is in a time warp. It also has a pretty good puppet museum that allows children to try and pull the attached strings on puppets.

The large castle complex requires a tour to see the interior. It features the living and dining spaces of the royals who lived there. You can visit the bear pits and outside courtyards for free. Perhaps the most unique tour is the Baroque Theater tour—only 2 remain that can be seen in Europe that are in reasonably good shape (most of the others burned down from the extensive use of candles and fireworks for special effects). There is a strict limit of 25 per tour and it is often sold out in advance and of limited value if you can’t get one of the tours in English but still it is a rare chance to see a historical entertainment venue and learn about their use of their use of special effects during the plays.

The Round Tower of the castle in Cesky Krumlov

On the Rhone River

Les Baux is a hilltop town of Les Baux occupies a spectacular position in the Alpilles Mountains. This medieval town, set atop a rocky outcrop that is crowned with a ruined castle, overlooks the plains to the south. Les Baux’s name refers to its site—a bauc is a rocky spur. This is a gem of a place—go if you get the chance. It is a place of stark stone buildings but is small, has winding lanes and is fun to explore. Another plus is that the town founder was the Magus King Balthazar, one of the 3 wise men of the Bible.

**Plaque honoring the founder of Les Baux Bavtezar, one of the 3 Wise Men from the Bible**

My Final Thoughts

Small, quaint villages and towns are part of the charm of Europe. It was fun writing this—I hope it inspires you to want to visit some or all of these places!

As always, we are here to help as needed!

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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

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