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Cruising Germany’s Middle Rhine Valley

The Middle Rhine Valley — Mittelrheintal in Deutsch — is without a doubt one of the more fascinating regions of Germany.

Of course, there are castles here and there alongside the Rhine River from its headwaters in the Swiss Alps till it flows into the North Sea. But when people speak of “Castles on the Rhine,” they’re most likely talking about this stretch of river. Known for its steeply terraced vineyards and many castles, the Rhine Gorge offers many opportunities for river cruising — from inexpensive short trips on tourist boats to long excursions with private staterooms and all the trimmings. It makes the Middle Rhine a worthwhile destination for people who love to travel by water.

	Rhine Cruises & Excursions Water travel on the Rhine takes many forms, from inexpensive tourist excursions to long-distance luxury cruises.
	Middle Rhine Wine Country Vineyards and wine making have been a feature of the Middle Rhine since Roman times.
	Lorelei The large, famous rock is near the town of Sankt Goarhausen at the point where the Rhine Gorge takes a sharp bend.
	Cologne (Köln) When the invading Roman army arrived in what is now Germany, they got a mixed and mostly hostile reception.
	Cologne Cathedral At 157 meters (515 feet), Cologne’s Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria is the third largest Gothic cathedral in the world.
	Natural History Museum The Romano-Germanic Museum houses a wealth of  artifacts depicting life in Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium.
	Remagen For many, the name will always be associated with Operation Lumberjack and the crossing of the Ludendorff Bridge.
	Sankt Goar Sankt Goar is located on the west bank of the Rhine near Burg Rheinfels, not far from the famous Lorelei rock cliff.
	Rüdesheim am Rhein The town is perhaps the most frequented of all the tourist spots along the Middle Rhine Gorge.
	Sterrenberg and Liebenstein These two castles, perched above the pilgrimage town of Bornhofen, are often referred to as the “enemy brothers.”
	Auf Schoenburg Like Burg Rheinfels, the Auf Schönburg castle has a richly colorful and bloody history.
	Rheinfels Perched above the town of Sankt Goar, Burg Rheinfels was constructed to collect tolls from the Rhine ship traffic.
	Marksburg This well-preserved property is only hilltop castle on the Rhine which was never damaged significantly in wars.
	Gutenfels and Pfalzgrafenstein These two neighboring castles are situated respectively just above and just offshore from the town of Kaub.
	Stahleck In 1135 it was the possession of Goswin von Stahleck. Today the castle is used as a youth hostel.
	Reichenstein Once the home of notorious "robber barons," Reichenstein today is open to the public as a hotel and restaurant.
	Rheinstein One of the oldest, smallest and most picturesque castles on the Rhine, Rheinstein was originally a customs house.

Middle Rhine

Cruises

Vineyards

Lorelei

Cologne

   Cathedral

   Museum

Remagen

Sankt Goar

Ruedesheim

Enemy Brothers

Auf Schoenburg

Rheinfels

Marksburg

Gutenfels and Pfalz

Stahleck

Reichenstein

Rheinstein

Middle Rhine Hotels

All of Germany Hotels

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