All destinations, cities & stops

This is the city of classical music. It’s Mozart and Strauss. It's street art on a sandy beach and fun in the countryside. It’s bohemia and bourgeoisie and the finest baroque. And of course Art Nouveau. It’s bad-tempered waiters in great coffee houses. It’s Sigmund Freud and Gustav Klimt and Adolf Loos and Friedensreich Hundertwasser and Sisi and many others. It is the Spanish Riding School, an event for horse lovers. And of course it is the city of Schmäh (jokes anyone?) and scandals, on which the Viennese feast like cows on fresh grass on the alpine pasture. Last but not least: Vienna is the city on the Danube. Although it was not always so. The Viennese Danube river front is an artificial structure which was only created in the 19th century. Before that, the Danube flowed past Vienna in many arms through floodplains and uninhabited areas. Today, the Riverside Mozart can also dock right in front of the city. And then it starts. Marvel, wonder and rejoice. Vienna is a dream.

What were the robber barons doing in the little rose garden? What makes Dürnstein unique? And anyway, what do you do as a river cruiser in the Wachau? Quite simple: enjoy, enjoy and enjoy again. The Wachau Valley is pastoral perfection. A synthesis of nature's arts: rugged mountains almost 3,000 feet / 900 meters high, terraces for winegrowing, and again, churches and castles from the Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque eras. No wonder unesco has placed its protective hands over this world heritage site. More than 18 miles / 30 kilometers you will sail, yet a single foot you won’t want to miss. The steep slopes keep out cold winds and radiate the heat of the sun again in the evening. Wine and fruit grow here as in the biblical stories of Adam and Eve. The best apricots come from this region. They find their way into chocolates, delicious dumplings, jam and noble brandy. Is your mouth watering? Good! Come aboard. We will spoil you with these delicacies.

In order to understand Krems and, above all, to admire it, one must look at its history: The city was a trading center in ancient times. It’s well-known weekly markets sold cloth, wool, skins, wrought iron, copper, tin, swords, millstones, poppies, pepper, saffron, nuts as well as spices. Above all, salt was also sold from here as far as Burgenland and Bohemia. In the tobacco factory in Krems, 75,000 Virginia cigars were still being produced annually in 1920. The town is considered one of the most ornate in Austria, and one of its special places is the Körnermarkt. Parts of the tobacco factory are now used for the university and the charming Kunsthalle, featuring modern and contemporary Austrian art.

It is no coincidence that many filmmakers have chosen Budapest as a backdrop. Take EVITA (1996), for example – most of the scenes were shot not in Buenos Aires, but in Budapest. Anyone walking through the city, in the shadow of the State Opera House or across elegant Szabadság tér (Freedom Square) in the V. district, sees and feels it immediately. Budapest impresses. It is a metropolis and a spa city. It is Paris, Florence and Vienna in one. Many buildings were copied here. In fact, the Palais Batthyány, is an exact copy of the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. A must: the castle district. Pastel-colored houses, built by their owners to be close to the Royal Palace. Or the National Gallery. Or the Labyrinth: it also served as a prison. Its most famous inmate: Vlad Tepes from Transylvania, who went down in history and stories as Count Dracula. And another suggestion. It is best to simply drift through Budapest. Then you will always come across enchanting stores like the Madison Perfumery. It is housed in the rooms of a 19th-century pharmacy. Not only the fragrances are enchanting, but also the furniture and accessories in the back room, all of which are original.

Passau is first and foremost a university town. That is why it is young, vibrant and full of life. Then there are the three rivers, the Danube, Inn and Ilz, which flow together in the city and give it a special character. Speaking of character, Passau has quite the amount of character thanks to the prevalence of Baroque and Gothic architecture including many beautiful churchs and cathedrals as well as the Veste Oberhaus, a fortress since the Middle Ages.

Little known, but well-worth a visit: Novi Sad was founded in the 17th century and quickly became known for trade and production. In addition, the city developed into a centre of Serbian culture – earning it the nickname “Serbian Athens”. Dunavska Street, with its pretty two- and three-storey buildings, is named after the Danube. Also worth seeing is “Freedom Square” with the town hall and St. Mary’s Church.

Trappists are an order of the Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the “Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance”. Anyone who holds such a title must achieve extraordinary things. Something the monks do well: they brew excellent beer. Their only monastery in Austria (with a stylish Rococo church) is in Engelhartszell. And not only that: Another must-see is the late antique Burgus Oberranna. Here’s to a beer!

The Basilica of Esztergom is the largest church in the country, and the seat of the Hungarian Catholic Church. Its treasury was opened in 1886 with the aim of preserving and exhibiting liturgical instruments and houses outstanding masterpieces of artistic and historical value. One such piece is the gold cross from France known as Calvary of King Matthias, weighing over five kilograms. Special features of this region include the fortress ruins of Visegrád and the excellent wineries.

Today’s capital of Serbia always aroused great covetousness because of its strategic location. The symbol of many conflicts and the current landmark of the city is the fortress over the Danube and the Sava. There is so much to see and experience here. Among other things, the only preserved Turkish bath from the early 19th century. And, speaking of Turkish. The cuisine of Serbia is so interesting because the meat dishes are Turkish and Hungarian and the pastries are Austrian-Bohemian. It exudes its scent especially in Knez Mihailo Street with its numerous cafés and restaurants.

It is one of the oldest Hungarian cities and its approximately 17,000 inhabitants are proud of their history and traditions. You can see, for example, the 200-year-old “House of Folk Art” with its colourful floral murals by local artisans. These motifs can also be found on plates, furniture, and other household objects. Kalocsa is famous for the paprika that is hung and dried everywhere. Paprika is the emblem of Hungary and the main business of the Kalocsa region.

Gourmet mecca on your river cruise

Lyon is a mecca for gourmets. Is 2,000 years of history. Is the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Is an old town with cobbled streets. Is the Basilica of Notre-Dame and a magnificent view over the city and countryside. Silk painting in the pretty working-class district of La Croix-Rousse. Is the gourmet temple Les Halles de Lyon de Paul Bocuse. Is the finest cuisine in the bouchons. Oh là là – so much sensuality. So much pleasure.

Beautiful town on your Rhône river cruise

Marc Seguin's most beautiful suspension bridge spans the Rhône between Tournon and the neighbouring town of Tain-l'Hermitage. Tournon is France in miniature, with a castle, a fine museum on the history of the Counts of Tournon, navigation and Seguin's work. And a very cosy botanical garden! Don't miss the exhibition at the historic chocolate factory of Tain-l'Hermitage, it’s very delicious!

A jewel on a Rhône river cruise

This city is a jewel for those interested in the past and the present. Vienne is a small town, but in the 2nd century it already had 30,000 inhabitants. Trade and steam navigation brought a commercial boom in the 19th century. And what should you see? The Archaeological Museum, the St-Romain-en-Gal Museum complex with the House of the Sea Gods and the remains of the old thermal baths. Afterwards, why not sit down in a café and enjoy the present.

No other city between Constance and Rotterdam has integrated the Rhine into its city life as grandly as Basel. Pretty art nouveau baths have been installed in the river, there are small restaurants and pubs and bars on its banks, pop concerts are held here, and the residents are all too happy to plunge into the waters for a swim. Another detail not to be missed in Basel is probably the most beautiful museum in Switzerland, perhaps even in the whole of Europe: The Fondation Beyeler, whose transparent building was designed by Renzo Piano. The best thing to do in the old town is just to drift along, and then at some point you will automatically come across the red cantonal town hall or the stately guild houses on Barfüsserplatz, which got its name from the “Barfüssler” monks.

Not too many towns have such a lofty landmark as Breisach: the enormous cathedral with Romanesque and Gothic elements is enthroned on the 70-metre-high Münsterberg. A magical work of art can truly be marvelled at there: The high altar from 1525, hand-carved and positioned right at the centre, depicts the coronation of Mary. Just around the corner from the cathedral is a large black marble bull – the work of the artist Helmut Lotz. From the cathedral, the view all around is also worth taking in: to the west into Alsace, to the north-east to the Kaiserstuhl, to the south to the Eckartsberg with the remains of a fortress, to the east to the southern Black Forest. It is only a stone’s throw from Breisach to Furtwangen. There, the German Watch Museum boasts 8,000 exhibits from all over the world. 1,000 are on show. Super exciting stuff.

Can office buildings dance? In Düsseldorf, the answer to this question is a resounding “yes”. The architect Frank O. Gehry designed it – its model must have been the Leaning Tower of Pisa. They are located in the city’s famous “Medienhafen” quarter, where other international architects have also immortalised themselves in style between quay walls and railway tracks. Definitely worth a visit. Just like the house where Heinrich Heine was born in the old town, the Hofgarten and right next to it the K20 art collection: Klee, Picasso, Matisse and Andy Warhol, all there! And if you want to let the art reverberate a little longer, take a stroll through one of Düsseldorf’s many green parks.

Frankfurt, the first things that come to mind are the sausages, the banks and finance. A feature even more famous than the sausages is, of course, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was born in the house on Großer Hirschgraben. Here, he also wrote two of his important works, the original version of “Faust” and “Die Leiden des jungen Werther”. His birthplace can be visited today. It is one of a total of 39 museums on the city’s waterfront. An absolute must! And the old town with the Paulskirche, which became the seat of the first German National Assembly in 1848 and where the Peace Prize of the Frankfurt Book Trade is awarded every year, is also a must-see place. Frankfurt, anything else spring to mind? Right. The “Palm Garden” with the “Palm House” from 1869, as well as the “Butterfly House”. A green moment, whether summer or winter.

It is the pearl on the Ijsselmeer and gave its name to the southernmost point of the American continent: Cape Horn. Its heyday was in the 17th century. Monuments, churches and pretty little houses still bear witness to this time. Yes, if the word idyllic can still be justifiably used, then it is in the case of this small Dutch town of Hoorn. A former prison houses the Museum of the 20th Century. It shows a life between rubber trees and tape recorders. A little further on, in the “Little Café at the Harbour”, sailor’s yarn is still being spun. And small shops with original displays will deliver a surprise or two in the narrow streets. Simply incredible.

One pretty detail in the old town of Koblenz is the “Augenroller”. It is discovered under the tower clock of the old department stores’ on Florinsmarkt. To the beat of the pendulum, the man with the moustache and helmet twists his eyes – and every half hour he sticks out his tongue. According to legend, the robber baron Johann Lutter did this in front of his executioners. But that’s just a small feature in a city that otherwise has great things to offer. The equestrian statue of Wilhelm I at the Deutsches Eck, for example, where the Moselle and Rhine rivers meet. Or the Electoral Palace and, of course, right outside the city gates, the castle Burg Stolzenfels, which was built in 1250 and extensively restored, indeed almost rebuilt, in 1826 according to plans by Karl Friedrich Schinkel.

We love Maastricht. And not without good reason, of course. Fashion fans may lose their heart and a bit of money in the trendy Wyck district, where boutiques and grandiose design and antique shops can be found. Other, even more exclusive places include Stokstraat and Wolfstraat with super exciting fashion in small shops. And, of course, Maastricht has much more than that. There is the oldest brewery here with an interior that is over 100 years old, the beer tastes delicious. And then there is Bisshopsmolen, the oldest working watermill in Holland. Those interested in history can walk through the casemates, a 14-kilometre-long underground defence system from the 18th century. Back in the present, a visit to one of the terrace cafés or a cosy pub is recommended. So casual.

In the past, Rüdesheim was regarded by young people as stuffy German and highly provincial. In the meantime, even the hipster scene from Berlin can be seen here from time to time. The town is best known for its 144-metre-long “Drosselgasse”, the venue for wine events in small half-timbered houses and garden pubs. If you want to get an insight into the history of the Rüdesheim nobility, visit the beautiful courtyards on Oberstraße. The Frankensteiner Hof, for example.

Ok, it is a former Electoral Palatinate residential town. It is the second largest city in Baden-Württemberg and its port facilities are among the largest inland in Europe. Since the city was all but destroyed during the Second World War, it is not exactly considered the pearl of the country today. And yet it is worth a visit. Mannheim is young, also due to the students at the university and the State University of Music and Performing Arts. Incidentally, the city’s National Theatre hosted the premiere of Friedrich Schiller’s drama “Die Räuber” in 1782. Visitors are best advised to stroll along the main shopping street, called “Planken”, because wooden planks were once laid out there to get across the square on dry feet. The old town hall is a gem, and the largest synagogue in Germany is also worth seeing. The Jewish community was an integral part of Mannheim’s population from 1660 onwards. Today, a glass cube in the city commemorates the terrible deportation of the Jews during the Second World War. The 2,400 names of the Jews deported from the city are engraved on it.

It lies between the hills of Spessart and Odenwald. It bears the title “Bavarian Place of Pleasure” with maximum pride. And yes, it has one very clever feature – a “Schnatterloch”. In all probability, this village is one of the most beautiful in Bavaria. Anyone standing in Miltenberg’s market square is in no doubt about this. Medieval half-timbering frames the square, at the end of which a footpath leads through the tower of the city wall to the Mildenburg. There is also a hole in the tower through which the water can drain off during heavy rain – the “Schnatterloch”. Incidentally, the museum in Mildenburg shows icons from Greece, Russia and Romania. A real box of gems.

Fine wooden toys, jumping frogs and tin music boxes, colourful tableware and stationery – all handmade in local manufactories. The Handwerkerhof in Nuremberg is perfect for small and original souvenirs from the trip. Because your loved ones back home will definitely ask of such a special river cruise: Did you bring me something? Those who have been to Nuremberg also bring back stories. For example, from a visit to the Albrecht Dürer House, from a stroll through the Old Town with the Kaiserburg and the churches and the medieval fortress walls, from the Nazi Party Rally Grounds, where the National Socialists held their party congresses and where the Nuremberg Trials were later held. From the “Marriage Carousel”, a fountain with larger-than-life bronze figures thematising the “bittersweet way of conjugal life”. And from the hangman’s house. There is a lot to tell.

It’s quite possible that you will find yourself saying “WOW” every now and then as you stroll and wander through Strasbourg. What you get to see here is impressive and touching, and quite simply beautiful. For example, the cathedral surrounded by half-timbered buildings with colourful decorative glass from the 12th century and one of the highest church towers in the world (142 metres). Or the lock bridge (17th century) can be described without exaggeration as a grandiose work of art by the engineer, Barrage Vauban. And that is by no means all: Be sure to stroll through the “Quartier des Tanneurs”. Half-timbering at its finest. Lanes with cobblestones. Covered bridges. In the Middle Ages, fishermen, tanners and millers lived and worked here. The architecture from this period is almost perfectly preserved. If you need a little break afterwards to really take in the beauty: There are cosy bistros in the former Gerber quarter.

Scottish houses in the Dutch town of Veere? Yes, the city once had intensive trade relations with Scotland. Of course: the wool. The Scots had their own warehouses here, and even their own church with a priest. This special relationship is told in the Lammeken and In de Struijs Scottish Houses, which are part of the Veere Museum and focus on the city’s maritime past. Yes, Veere is a historic place. The church “Grote Kerk” and the pretty town hall with its tower and the family tree of the House of Orange-Nassau also bear witness to this. And, last but not least: Visit “Omas Snoepwinkel”. Sounds original, and it is. This small shop sells typical Dutch sweets.

Bavaria and Baroque. In Würzburg, it’s like nowhere else. One of the main works is the city’s Residenz, one of the most important castles in Europe, designed by Balthasar Neumann, built between 1720 and 1740 and protected by UNESCO. In the stairwell, every visitor is left feeling amazed: What a fresco! The largest continuous fresco in the world. Any questions? Then it’s on to the city, a baroque dream come true. And finally, we cross the oldest bridge over the Main (don’t worry, it has been lavishly restored time and again) to Marienburg Fortress, which was the residence of the Würzburg prince-bishops for over 400 years. From up here you look down on the old university with its domes and towers. What a view! Perhaps a visit to the art ship ARTE NOAH? It is one of the few floating galleries in Germany.

In Trevoux, numerous ateliers will surprise you time and again with arts and crafts. Until the 18th century, Trevoux was the capital of the independent principality of Dombes. The city wall, the large houses in the city centre and the ruins of a castle still bear witness to this glorious time. From the castle ruins, the view over the Saône is incredibly impressive.

Antwerp is funky, Flemish, rich in art, cosy, relaxed and exciting, all at the same time. Belgium’s second largest city is, to put it briefly, simply wonderful. If you’re in the mood for sightseeing, be sure to visit the Rubens House. The world-famous painter is a child of the city, and the house is a jewel of unparalleled beauty – with a studio and garden and, of course, paintings. No less exciting is the DIVA Diamond Museum; Antwerp has been a trading centre for precious stones for centuries. Experts believe that four out of five of the world’s rough diamonds have been in this city at some point. And, last but not least, architecture fans rave about the Museum an de Strom, or MAS for short. An imposing warehouse with metre-high glass walls and a panoramic roof on the 10th floor. And even those who don’t feel like sightseeing will get their money’s worth. Simply stroll through the special quarters of the city, admire original clothes in shop windows: After all, this is where the Belgian fashion revolution began with designers like Dries van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Bikkembergs, Raf Simons, Martin Margiela – trained and inspired by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Or stop off at one of the beautiful cafés – it is there that the city will give you a sense of what it is all about. Simply adorable.

Bamberg is the dream of a city that has become northern Bavaria. With charm from the Middle Ages and with listed buildings, yes, with baroque splendour architecture, to be more precise. In addition to numerous museums and historical sights, beer connoisseurs and aficionados will get their money’s worth in Bamberg in much the same way as wine lovers do with a top vintner. Beer is something like the lifeblood in the city. There are numerous breweries and plenty of pubs. But you’d better visit them after a tour of the city. This is because here you should not miss the following first: the Alte Hofhaltung (once the bishops’ residence), the cathedral (dating from 1002) and the Neue Residenz (what splendid halls!) with the rose garden designed by Balthasar Neumann (what a view over the old town). And as a little extra, after all you are on a river cruise: in Bamberg there is lock 100. It is the last lock of the Ludwig Main Danube Canal built under King Ludwig I. It is still operated by hand. The lock-keeper’s cottage is simply magical.

If you want to swap the river for the beach for a little while; if you want to experience a nature park with marshes, meadows, hundreds of bird species and the wild Przewalski horses; or if you are interested in a shipyard where historic ships are built and renovated according to historic methods; and last but not least, if you want to experience a young city that was only founded in 1967 and built on a piece of land clawed from the sea, then, yes then we say: Welcome to Lelystad. A small miracle: The city rests just five metres below sea level.