The river Main infos and river cruising experiences

[bfamily9]

My first river cruise was an Avalon Waterways cruise from Passau to Basel. I chose it as I usually do because of the itinerary. Starting on the Danube, through the Main Danube Canal, the Main, and finishing on the Rhine. It was a wonderful itinerary, especially since it was my first river cruise. I loved the fact that it passed right by my former apartment in GrossKrotzenburg on the Main. I was stationed in Germany in the army for more than 3 years, and as a single soldier I was lucky to be permitted to live on "the economy". My landlord lived on the first floor, his daughter's family lived on the second floor, and I lived on the third floor. My landlord didn't speak a word of English, and at the time I was quite fluent, so I was able to communicate with him quite well. He appreciated the fact that I made an effort to learn his language. Unfortunately we passed by GrossKrotzenburg at about 11 pm, so I wasn't able to see anything worthwhile. 

[notamermaid]

On 3/17/2021 at 6:57 AM, bfamily9 said:

I loved the fact that it passed right by my former apartment in GrossKrotzenburg on the Main.

Thank you for all the info and personal connection to the area. It is a pity you could not see your former home in daylight.

 

Let us have a look at Großkrotzenburg. It is on what is called the "Untermain", that is the last section that leads to the mouth of the river and is relatively densely populated. The area is more urbanized but still has some patches of lovely landscape. The area also becomes more industrial and one landmark of that is the coal power station at Großkrotzenburg.

 

Of interest to tourists from afar may be the Roman fort. At Großkrotzenburg the Limes border hit the Main, coming down from the hills and the Rhine further North. It has a historic synagogue and a museum of local history. The man-made lake - a result of former open-cast mining - is a popular place to spend warm Summer days.

 

Großkrotzenburg is the first district in the state of Hesse on the right bank of the river. Overall the area feels different from around Würzburg for example.

 

There is little info to be had in English, so here is, courtesy of the church district Fulda, a short drone flight over the Catholic church, for am impression of the landscape the town lies in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXwdF359aAA

 

notamermaid

 

[rcaruso]

6 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Thank you for all the info and personal connection to the area. It is a pity you could not see your former home in daylight.

 

Let us have a look at Großkrotzenburg. It is on what is called the "Untermain", that is the last section that leads to the mouth of the river and is relatively densely populated. The area is more urbanized but still has some patches of lovely landscape. The area also becomes more industrial and one landmark of that is the coal power station at Großkrotzenburg.

 

Of interest to tourists from afar may be the Roman fort. At Großkrotzenburg the Limes border hit the Main, coming down from the hills and the Rhine further North. It has a historic synagogue and a museum of local history. The man-made lake - a result of former open-cast mining - is a popular place to spend warm Summer days.

 

Großkrotzenburg is the first district in the state of Hesse on the right bank of the river. Overall the area feels different from around Würzburg for example.

 

There is little info to be had in English, so here is, courtesy of the church district Fulda, a short drone flight over the Catholic church, for am impression of the landscape the town lies in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXwdF359aAA

 

notamermaid

 

Interesting video, can sure see the smoke stacks.  Wonder what the Church looks like inside, as not too impressive from outside.  I recently saw a House Hunters TV Show with a couple looking to rent a place near Frankfurt.  They ended up in Fulda, which looked very interesting to me.  Oh to travel again...

[notamermaid]

I reckon the church will be of medium interest only. I enjoyed the impression the video gave of the small town. It was really difficult to find something descriptive in English.

 

Fulda - now there is a town of major interest. I highly recommend it. It has a Dom (cathedral), a palace with garden, a nunnery, an old town hall, is on the route of half-timbered houses, is on the river Fulda...

 

https://www.deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de/en/Homepage.html

 

It is a little out of the way from Main river cruise ports but it would be nice to have it included on a more intensive itinerary. From Schweinfurt it is about 70 min. by car, from Frankfurt 80 min. meaning by coach between about 80 min. and 95 min. Schweinfurt is the closest port of all suitable ones.

 

This is Fulda: https://www.tourismus-fulda.de/fileadmin/user_upload/tourismus-fulda.de/dateien/Englisch_FD_Willkommen.pdf

 

notamermaid

 

[bfamily9]

16 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Thank you for all the info and personal connection to the area. It is a pity you could not see your former home in daylight.

 

Let us have a look at Großkrotzenburg. It is on what is called the "Untermain", that is the last section that leads to the mouth of the river and is relatively densely populated. The area is more urbanized but still has some patches of lovely landscape. The area also becomes more industrial and one landmark of that is the coal power station at Großkrotzenburg.

 

Of interest to tourists from afar may be the Roman fort. At Großkrotzenburg the Limes border hit the Main, coming down from the hills and the Rhine further North. It has a historic synagogue and a museum of local history. The man-made lake - a result of former open-cast mining - is a popular place to spend warm Summer days.

 

Großkrotzenburg is the first district in the state of Hesse on the right bank of the river. Overall the area feels different from around Würzburg for example.

 

There is little info to be had in English, so here is, courtesy of the church district Fulda, a short drone flight over the Catholic church, for am impression of the landscape the town lies in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXwdF359aAA

 

notamermaid

 

Since you are sharing some videos, I'll share some videos of Hanau and of Pioneer Kaserne where I was stationed in Hanau. My office was in one of the large buildings to the left just inside the main gate. The kaserne has been closed for a number of years. Hope I am doing this correctly, as I have not attached video links to Cruisecritic before. I think there is an option to translate the German dialogue, but I'm not sure how to make it happen.

 

And a Google satellite view of 37 Nebenstrasse where I lived on the third floor apartment.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nebenstraße+37,+63538+Großkrotzenburg,+Germany/@50.0795715,8.9782033,142m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47bd3e01a2a66521:0xfe5b20d5fd645b7a!8m2!3d50.0796505!4d8.9790047

 

[rcaruso]

15 hours ago, notamermaid said:

I reckon the church will be of medium interest only. I enjoyed the impression the video gave of the small town. It was really difficult to find something descriptive in English.

 

Fulda - now there is a town of major interest. I highly recommend it. It has a Dom (cathedral), a palace with garden, a nunnery, an old town hall, is on the route of half-timbered houses, is on the river Fulda...

 

https://www.deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de/en/Homepage.html

 

It is a little out of the way from Main river cruise ports but it would be nice to have it included on a more intensive itinerary. From Schweinfurt it is about 70 min. by car, from Frankfurt 80 min. meaning by coach between about 80 min. and 95 min. Schweinfurt is the closest port of all suitable ones.

 

This is Fulda: https://www.tourismus-fulda.de/fileadmin/user_upload/tourismus-fulda.de/dateien/Englisch_FD_Willkommen.pdf

 

notamermaid

 

Wow Fulda does look interesting, maybe we can visit sometime during a land trip and the half timbered trail looks cool too.

[notamermaid]

3 hours ago, rcaruso said:

Wow Fulda does look interesting, maybe we can visit sometime during a land trip and the half timbered trail looks cool too.

Told you. I enjoyed Fulda when I went there, over 20 years ago now. Not sure what it was, but it felt right. You know, like a place is interesting and so is another, but one of them appeals more to you. Happened with me with Fulda.

 

9 hours ago, bfamily9 said:

Since you are sharing some videos, I'll share some videos of Hanau and of Pioneer Kaserne where I was stationed in Hanau.

Thank you for the videos. One part of my family lives near Frankfurt and I used to visit them regularly, been around the area a little. Let us have a look at some famous people who came from Hanau, the Brothers Grimm of the fairy tales fame. When they were still children, the family moved to Steinau, North of Lohr am Main, where in the family home there is a museum now: https://www.spessart-tourismus.de/house-of-brothers-grimm

 

notamermaid

 

[bfamily9]

On 3/19/2021 at 10:45 AM, notamermaid said:

Told you. I enjoyed Fulda when I went there, over 20 years ago now. Not sure what it was, but it felt right. You know, like a place is interesting and so is another, but one of them appeals more to you. Happened with me with Fulda.

 

Thank you for the videos. One part of my family lives near Frankfurt and I used to visit them regularly, been around the area a little. Let us have a look at some famous people who came from Hanau, the Brothers Grimm of the fairy tales fame. When they were still children, the family moved to Steinau, North of Lohr am Main, where in the family home there is a museum now: https://www.spessart-tourismus.de/house-of-brothers-grimm

 

notamermaid

 

When I lived in Grosskrotzenbug nearly fifty years ago my friends and I used to love to drive to the  hähnchenfarm (Chicken Farm) for dinner. I think it was at Steinau near the East German border. They only had a few specialties, kebabs and of course fried chicken. It was delicious.

[notamermaid]

Before we have another look at small places let us have a quick look at Frankfurt again. CNN (article from 2019) has some suggestions for how to spend your time in the city - and beyond: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/best-attractions-frankfurt-germany/index.html

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Onto Wertheim, which most of you will have been to if you have sailed the Main river, as it is such a popular port. Let us just ignore the castle, the old buildings, the history, the lovely shops and scenery for a bit and head to Eichel, a suburb just outside of Wertheim. There, close to the Main, stands a Wehrkirche. What is a Wehrkirche? Basically, the English term says it: a fortified church. In most cases that translates on the ground into fortifications that surround a church, but in many cases that church itself also looks a bit like a castle, with thick walls, small windows that can even double as opening for shooting out of, like an embrasure. You can see what I mean in a photo here: https://www.tourismus-wertheim.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten-kultur/kirchen-kloester-kapellen/wehrkirchen/wehrkirche-dertingen/

 

The one that is easier to reach from Wertheim town centre and the dock is the one in Eichel called Veitskirche. It is dedicated to the Saint Vitus. Here it is (the interior): https://www.tourismus-wertheim.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten-kultur/kirchen-kloester-kapellen/wehrkirchen/wehrkirche-eichel/

 

Fortified churches are not that rare, but are dotted around the landscape in Europe. The one in Biertan, Romania, is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. When you are in Alsace you can also visit the one in Hunawihr.

 

The Veitskirche is perhaps one of the easiest to get to on your own on a river cruise in Germany, but you can have a look on google maps to see what comes up for "Wehrkirche". These churches are often small and not spectacular, but have a charm of their own, are oftenvery old, in a serene setting and for that provide an interesting contrast to massive cathedrals and imposing castles that you may see on a river cruise.

 

On my next trip to the Main river area, I plan to see at least one of the fortified churches.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

A trip out along the Romantic Road 

 

The "Romantic Road" is a themed tourist route through the South of Germany. You follow the Main from the upstream or the downstream direction on a river cruise (land trip is preferable for this formidable route) and when you hit Würzburg turn South along the Tauber valley. Würzburg is where the road starts and one famous stop you will know from hearsay or because you have been there on an excursion: Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

 

Along the route further South is Nördlingen, which I highly recommend seeing. Send a postcard saying that you have just seen millions of diamonds and keep your folks guessing what it means until you return - Nôrdlingen is a geological oddity having diamonds in its rock and quarried stone, hence the streets and many houses having tiny diamonds in them.

 

There is so much to see along this road... I will stop talking and give you some highlights courtesy of Deutsche Welle: https://m.dw.com/en/10-reasons-to-ride-the-romantic-road/g-19293655

 

The grand finale of the route is Schloss Neuschwanstein which is sometimes in a post-cruise package from the Danube.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

There is a particular place along the Romantic Road that is a favourite with river cruisers as an excursion, but before we get to that another look at Frankfurt. A high resolution webcam with the skyline of "Mainhattan": https://www.mainhattan-webcam.de/

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a favourite river cruise excursion from Würzburg. If you are looking for a small Medieval town with town wall this is the place to go to. The name means it lies on the Tauber river, but from Würzburg the standard route would not take you through that valley. Whichever way the coach takes you, the shorter or a longer route, the time spent is worth it. The approach by car to parking lot no. 5 is very impressive, coaches park in a different spot.

 

This is a view of the town wall near the car park:

 And a view from the walkway over the roof tops towards the church:

 

The place is filled with old buildings from various centuries, mainly Medieval but there are some impressive Baroque townhouses as well. This is a really nice one standing out from the smaller (also nice ones) in this younger street. Now called the hotel "Altes Brauhaus", it really is the old brewery building:

 

In this year of 2021, Rothenburg is a calm town, it is easy to go sightseeing in as the herds of foreign tourists are still absent. So it was possible to take a photo of the most famous half-timbered building relatively undisturbed. The "Plönlein":

 

There is so much to see and do in Rothenburg as regards history and regional culture, there are some small independent shops that are worth browsing in and the town wall is just stunning (this coming from a German girl that has seen many town walls) mostly because you can walk along it, being so well-preserved and renovated, but also for its many different towers and the fortifications (bastion) on one end.

 

I highly recommend the place, but think that a three hour excursion does not do it justice. I have read that a standard procedure is to bus passengers from Würzburg and the ship picks them up in Ochsenfurt further upstream (if you are headed in that direction on your itinerary). You could stay with the ship in Würzburg and Ochsenfurt I also recommend for a longer stroll, but if you have the chance and it is within your range of mobility do go to Rothenburg. By the way, mobility, you can book means of transport to take you around the old town.

 

You can read a bit more about my day in Rothenburg here, from post #1072:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2765759-river-cruising-water-cooler/page/43/

 

This is the Rothenburg website: https://www.rothenburg-tourismus.de/en/

 

notamermaid

 

 

[jpalbny]

Notamermaid, have you been to Nördlingen? It's another town with a great intact city wall and a church tower to climb. And no crowds at all.

 

Our guidebook said that it was just as pretty as Rothenberg but very empty. I don't completely agree that they are equal in beauty (Rothenberg is more decorated and maybe more kept up) but Nördlingen is definitely a nice place for a half day visit.

[notamermaid]

10 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Notamermaid, have you been to Nördlingen?

I have and I loved it. Not sure how to say this in a comparison, but I would regard Rothenburg as superior when it comes to "German Medieval, oh my goodness, look at all those buildings"-quaintness. Nördlingen is more for the regional tourists and a more "working" Medieval place. I mean, you have less of the museum feel to it. But there are two things for me that give Nördlingen an edge on Rothenburg in a personal preference way: the weird diamond story of Nördlingen's buildings and the fact that it has a railway museum. The relative absence of tons of foreign tourists also helps, I admit.

 

I love this aerial photo of Nördlingen: https://www.bavaria.by/visit/noerdlingen/

 

And this is the railway museum: http://www.bayerisches-eisenbahnmuseum.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=37:welcome-to-the-bavarian-railway-museum-ev&catid=2&lang=en&Itemid=262

 

Unfortunately, Nördlingen is not an obvious choice as an excursion as it is almost 2 hours by coach from Würzburg. If one wanted to it would work better from Nuremberg, but unless you want to go off the beaten track, Nördlingen will probably not enter as an excursion on an itinerary. There is so much to see in Nuremberg and that city also has a railway museum, the national, i.e. huge Deutsche Bahn, one!

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

From quaint Medieval town to modern city: Frankfurt. Again, I know, but there is a special exhibition at the renowned Städel Museum that I suggest you go and have a look at. "Nennt mich Rembrandt", on the great Dutch painter and how he rose to fame in Amsterdam. The opening ceremony is available online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2l1z0mBfQw

 

If you happen to be in Frankfurt at another time - the Städel Museum I highly recommend to see anytime if you like art.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

This autumn has seen the completion of the construction work at the new landing stage for river cruise ships in Aschaffenburg and at the beginning of October the MS Excellence Princess was the first ship to be greeted there: https://www.bayernhafen.com/first-cruise-ship-docks-at-new-pier-in-bayernhafen-aschaffenburg/

By the way, the Excellence Princess is 135m long, 122m were "lost in translation", the German page gives the correct figure.

 

The pier is outside of Aschaffenburg in an industrial area downstream from the centre, but in the photos it looks a nice enough setting. Bayernhafen operates several ports in Bavaria (as the name suggests), one of them is Bamberg, where in photos from last year, when the first ship returned after several months of travel restrictions, the area looks more industrial: https://www.bayernhafen.com/a-warm-welcome-to-the-world-heritage-city-of-bamberg/

 

This is how the company advertises the docking locations in Aschaffenburg: https://www.bayernhafen.com/services/cruise-services/

 

notamermaid

 

 

[bfamily9]

On 11/7/2021 at 6:55 AM, notamermaid said:

This autumn has seen the completion of the construction work at the new landing stage for river cruise ships in Aschaffenburg and at the beginning of October the MS Excellence Princess was the first ship to be greeted there: https://www.bayernhafen.com/first-cruise-ship-docks-at-new-pier-in-bayernhafen-aschaffenburg/

By the way, the Excellence Princess is 135m long, 122m were "lost in translation", the German page gives the correct figure.

 

The pier is outside of Aschaffenburg in an industrial area downstream from the centre, but in the photos it looks a nice enough setting. Bayernhafen operates several ports in Bavaria (as the name suggests), one of them is Bamberg, where in photos from last year, when the first ship returned after several months of travel restrictions, the area looks more industrial: https://www.bayernhafen.com/a-warm-welcome-to-the-world-heritage-city-of-bamberg/

 

This is how the company advertises the docking locations in Aschaffenburg: https://www.bayernhafen.com/services/cruise-services/

 

notamermaid

 

 

This reminds me of a story of my first river cruise when I traveled from California to Passau. I flew from San Francisco to Munich via London. Took a bus to the train station. Took the train to Passau. Then I had no idea where the boat was docked. Fortunately there was another cruise company with a representative there who called to find my docking location. I took a taxi to the boat. Then I boarded the boat an hour before it departed!  If I had been just an hour late on any connection I would have missed the boat.

[notamermaid]

19 hours ago, bfamily9 said:

If I had been just an hour late on any connection I would have missed the boat.

What a long journey, with little time for delays.  But it all worked out in the end. My river cruise was a return trip from Passau so like you I arrived by train, having traversed my country from the Rhine valley in the West to Passau in the Southeast. I had a connection to catch in Würzburg and my train was running late. I was so nervous about missing that connection. That train was then also delayed, a blessing in disguise. I arrived with reasonable time to spare to get the cruise ship shuttle bus (jointly operating for two companies) and arrive at the ship. I was glad to have heeded the advice of the travel agent to allow for delays along the route and book an early train.

 

Speaking of trains. If you are alright with travelling independently with luggage and reasonably mobile, I recommend looking into train journeys and different pre- and post-cruise places. Starting your Main river cruise in Nuremberg? You could fly into Prague or Munich instead. Starting in Frankfurt? You would fly into Frankfurt, but could also choose Düsseldorf or Cologne in order to see the Rhine Gorge as well (check which trains go through the valley rather than along the high speed route).

 

There are nice options and train travel is quite comfortable in Germany. For long- distance journeys I would go for First class. There are also overnight trains that connect countries, so while a journey from London to Nuremberg is probably only something for the real enthusiast, it is certainly doable. London to Frankfurt I would have no hesitation in going by train.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[bfamily9]

On 1/9/2022 at 9:15 AM, notamermaid said:

What a long journey, with little time for delays.  But it all worked out in the end. My river cruise was a return trip from Passau so like you I arrived by train, having traversed my country from the Rhine valley in the West to Passau in the Southeast. I had a connection to catch in Würzburg and my train was running late. I was so nervous about missing that connection. That train was then also delayed, a blessing in disguise. I arrived with reasonable time to spare to get the cruise ship shuttle bus (jointly operating for two companies) and arrive at the ship. I was glad to have heeded the advice of the travel agent to allow for delays along the route and book an early train.

 

Speaking of trains. If you are alright with travelling independently with luggage and reasonably mobile, I recommend looking into train journeys and different pre- and post-cruise places. Starting your Main river cruise in Nuremberg? You could fly into Prague or Munich instead. Starting in Frankfurt? You would fly into Frankfurt, but could also choose Düsseldorf or Cologne in order to see the Rhine Gorge as well (check which trains go through the valley rather than along the high speed route).

 

There are nice options and train travel is quite comfortable in Germany. For long- distance journeys I would go for First class. There are also overnight trains that connect countries, so while a journey from London to Nuremberg is probably only something for the real enthusiast, it is certainly doable. London to Frankfurt I would have no hesitation in going by train.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Notamermaid. My Danube cruise in July ends in Munich. I then need to find transport from Munich to Le Quesnoy, France near Belgium. I will be staying in a gite (country house) for two weeks. I am wondering if I should try to arrange a train all the way or fly into Paris, then arrange a train from there? It looks like trains from Munich will require a long day trip.

[notamermaid]

14 minutes ago, bfamily9 said:

I then need to find transport from Munich to Le Quesnoy, France near Belgium.

That is certainly quite a distance. And from what I can see from a quick glance is that by train it does not seem possible to do under nine hours. Le Quesnoy is just too small, so whether you choose the axis South, by that I mean going via Paris, or the axis North, by that I mean going via Brussels, it makes hardly any difference. Although I am a big fan of trains, I think for this distance you may well want to consider going plane (does not look as if there is a night train). You suggest Paris which naturally comes to mind as the first airport, but also consider Lille and Brussels and see how you may be able to get to Le Quesnoy from there.

 

A nice area to go to, quite off the beaten track. I have only been near so far, not right there yet. google maps tells me it has a New Zealand Memorial. And Vauban has been there as well. Which puts it instantly on my list of interesting places. Yes, this girl loves ramparts .

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

 

[bfamily9]

On 1/15/2022 at 1:51 PM, notamermaid said:

That is certainly quite a distance. And from what I can see from a quick glance is that by train it does not seem possible to do under nine hours. Le Quesnoy is just too small, so whether you choose the axis South, by that I mean going via Paris, or the axis North, by that I mean going via Brussels, it makes hardly any difference. Although I am a big fan of trains, I think for this distance you may well want to consider going plane (does not look as if there is a night train). You suggest Paris which naturally comes to mind as the first airport, but also consider Lille and Brussels and see how you may be able to get to Le Quesnoy from there.

 

A nice area to go to, quite off the beaten track. I have only been near so far, not right there yet. google maps tells me it has a New Zealand Memorial. And Vauban has been there as well. Which puts it instantly on my list of interesting places. Yes, this girl loves ramparts .

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

 

Thank you. I thought so. I'll probably ask my cruise company to arrange a flight.

[notamermaid]

On 11/7/2021 at 3:55 PM, notamermaid said:

This autumn has seen the completion of the construction work at the new landing stage for river cruise ships in Aschaffenburg and at the beginning of October the MS Excellence Princess was the first ship to be greeted there

Could this be a port of interest for international cruisers? Let us have a look at Aschaffenburg. A town of 71,000 people, it is in Bavaria in the region called Lower Franconia, but it is close to the border with Hesse. As you expect it has a famous old building... castle or palace? Palace! In fact, there are two. Outside of the centre is the mouth of the river Aschaff with the Main. If you are interested in WWII history have a look at this page and take it from there: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aschaffenburg_(1945)

 

For architectural enthusiasts there is Johannisburg Palace. The town council provides some info in English: https://www.aschaffenburg.de/Culture-und-Tourism/Portrait-of-the-City/History-of-the-City/EN_index_3289.html

but the palace is described here: https://www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/as_joh.htm

Also have a look at the Pompeiianum and the second palace: https://www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/uebers/aschaff.htm

Plenty to see for one day I would say!

 

Aschaffenburg is not a standard port for cruise lines, but a few European ones do stop there. Some of those itineraries are only during the evening or as an overnight port, so do not give the town much chance to introduce itself to passengers. Of river cruises for international travellers this one sticks out for me as it actually has Aschaffenburg as a first or final destination and (dis)embarkation port. A bike and barge cruise: https://www.tripsite.com/bike-boat/tours/aschaffenburg-to-bamberg/

 

notamermaid

 

 

[rcaruso]

17 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Could this be a port of interest for international cruisers? Let us have a look at Aschaffenburg. A town of 71,000 people, it is in Bavaria in the region called Lower Franconia, but it is close to the border with Hesse. As you expect it has a famous old building... castle or palace? Palace! In fact, there are two. Outside of the centre is the mouth of the river Aschaff with the Main. If you are interested in WWII history have a look at this page and take it from there: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aschaffenburg_(1945)

 

For architectural enthusiasts there is Johannisburg Palace. The town council provides some info in English: https://www.aschaffenburg.de/Culture-und-Tourism/Portrait-of-the-City/History-of-the-City/EN_index_3289.html

but the palace is described here: https://www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/as_joh.htm

Also have a look at the Pompeiianum and the second palace: https://www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/uebers/aschaff.htm

Plenty to see for one day I would say!

 

Aschaffenburg is not a standard port for cruise lines, but a few European ones do stop there. Some of those itineraries are only during the evening or as an overnight port, so do not give the town much chance to introduce itself to passengers. Of river cruises for international travellers this one sticks out for me as it actually has Aschaffenburg as a first or final destination and (dis)embarkation port. A bike and barge cruise: https://www.tripsite.com/bike-boat/tours/aschaffenburg-to-bamberg/

 

notamermaid

 

 

You can see the Pompeiianum from the river if you are on the ship when it passes.  Really neat looking building.

[notamermaid]

The river cruising season has started on the Main as well of course. At Wertheim, the "Viva Tiara" was the first ship to dock, on 12th March and it was important enough for tourism in the town for the local newspaper to write an article about it: https://www.fnweb.de/deutschland-welt_artikel,-seite-1-mm-viva-tiara-eroeffnet-die-saison-_arid,1924844.html

The article says that the Viva Tiara is 110m long and on that occasion carried 98 passengers. The ship will dock another 15 times during the season and will also be the one to end the season at Wertheim, she will be the last ship this year, planned for 27th December. In between those two dates altogether 502 dockings of river cruise ships are scheduled at the three landing stages available. One may wonder how many passengers might this be? 502 times 100? Or more? It would be interesting to see a figure at the end of the year. Whichever it may be, river cruise ships are an important revenue for the town, which is a staple of many river cruise companies on their itineraries.

 

And Wertheim knows how to market itself well. I was quite impressed to see this extensive brochure especially designed for river cruise operators and their passengers (download): https://www.tourismus-wertheim.de/en/tourist-boat-trips

Great photo, by the way, of one of my favourite ships on the rivers - the River Cloud as she was called and which is now the Royal Crown (which makes the photo a bit "old" of course).

 

In post #64 I mentioned that I have been through Wertheim but did not stop. So I know hardly anything about the town.

 

What did you folks do in Wertheim? What was offered on your cruise? If you feel like it, tell us about that popular river cruise port...

 

notamermaid