Picturesque Moselle & Rhine

Check-in on the ship, Koblenz

On board MS Leonora, the Ship’s Cruise Manager will be welcomed in the Lounge after arrival, where safety procedures and practical information on board will be reviewed.

M/S Leonora stays in Koblenz overnight and sails early the next morning onto the Rhine and towards Rüdesheim.

Our cruise starts with us sailing onto the Rhine and up towards Rüdesheim. This stretch is best known as the “Romantic Rhine” and was added to UNESCO’s “World Heritage List” a few years ago. On the way into the Rhine, we round the “German corner” Deutches Eck, where a riding Kaiser Wilhelm I sits over the merging of the two rivers Moselle and Rhine.

Enjoy the great view on the sun deck or relax with a good book in one of the ship’s lounge bars. On the way to Rüdesheim, we pass the famous Lorelei rock. According to myth, Lorelei was a sorceress who enchanted the sailors and with her beauty diverted their attention so that they were shipwrecked on the dangerous rocks.

Before dinner, there will be a welcome meeting and presentation of the ship’s crew, where welcome drinks and canapés will be served in the Lounge bar.

Revisit the Lorelei cliff and the fantastic castles on the way back to Koblenz and onto the picturesque Moselle to the small cozy wine town, Alken. Above the town rises the impressive castle, Burg Thurant, from which there is a fantastic view of the Moselle valley.

You can choose to visit Burg Thurant or take the just 20 kilometers to Koblenz and take a city tour on foot in the old town, Altstadt. We stay in Alken until early the next morning, when M/S Leonora sails on to Zell and Traben-Trarbach.

The beautiful sailing can be enjoyed on the sun deck. We have to go through 5 locks in total before we reach the small, cozy wine town, Zell, which will forever be associated with its world-famous white wine “Schwarze Katz”.

In the afternoon, the cruise continues through the beautiful landscape of the Moselle, until in the late afternoon we reach another breathtaking wine town, namely Traben-Trarbach.

Traben Trarbach is a small town in the middle of the Moselle Valley in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The city has been connected by a bridge over the Moselle since 1898 and with its surrounding areas, the city has just over 6,000 inhabitants. After city fires in Trarbach in 1858 and in Traben in 1879, the city has been rebuilt in Art Nouveau style. The castle ruins of the castle Grevensburg, built in 1350, lie above Trarbach, and the town has previously been a centre for wine trade on the Moselle. Of course, we offer a visit to one of the city’s many wineries in the late afternoon.

MS Leonora departs in Traben-Trarbach early in the morning, heading for Germany’s oldest city, Trier.

Early in the afternoon, we dock in the small town of Mehring – 18 kilometers from Trier. After a short bus ride, we will arrive in Trier itself, ready to take in this amazing city founded by the Roman emperor, Julius Caesar. He named the city Augusta Treverorum, and the city became the regional capital of the Gallic part of the Roman Empire. Trier oozes culture and Holy Roman history, dating back to the year 100 AD.

Another wonderful morning of sailing. MS Leonora now sails downstream to the “Pearl of the Moselle” Bernkastel-Kues. An indescribably charming town whose buildings date back to the late Middle Ages. From the old market square there are small streets and alleys with adorable houses, pavement cafés and shops. Yes – Bernkastel-Kues is a true fairytale town.

MS Leonora continues its journey down the Moselle to reach one of the Moselle’s most charming and well-visited towns, Cochem.

Here, small shops, wine shops, patisseries and restaurants lie side by side, and above the cities sits the impressive Reichsburg. The castle has had a formidable history, but in 1868 it was bought by a Frenchman for 300 gold marks. He renovated the entire castle so that it now appears beautiful and inviting. You can hike up there or take a bus. On the other side, the Pinner Kreuz stands on a cliff ledge. In memory of the shepherd Pinner, who in an attempt to save one of his sheep lost his own life. You can get to the viewpoint with a cable car.

If you are not into heights and hiking, you can take the small city train that runs around Cochem, but also runs over to Cond on the opposite bank. Also visit the small Market Square, with the beautiful town hall. Or find a cozy café on the Moselle Promenade and enjoy a nice glass of Moselle wine.

You can also visit the Bundesbank-Bunker Museum. During the Cold War, the West German National Bank chose to save 15 billion kroner from the Cold War. Mark in a bunker in the event of a nuclear war. Today, the money is gone, but the bunker stands as a museum for one of the most closely kept secrets in West Germany’s history.

 We leave Cochem in the late afternoon and head for Koblenz. At midnight we are docked outside Koblenz and dock very early Sunday morning.

An unforgettable river cruise on the Moselle and Rhine is over for this time.