Charming wine towns reflected on the Mosel River

In early October 2021, I packed my bags for an AMA Waterways cruise sailing the Mosel, Rhine, and Main Rivers. The cruise was originally due to start in Luxembourg but due to new entry requirements we instead flew into Frankfurt and AMA brought us to the German city of Trier where we boarded the AmaPrima for our 7-day cruise.

Trier, Germany’s oldest city, boasts nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, most related to Roman ruins like the Porta Nigra/black city gate, the Imperial baths and the amphitheater.  We sailed through the steep vineyards on the Mosel before moving into the castle-studded Rhine Valley and the River Main where the skyscrapers of Frankfurt could be seen standing proud, glittering in the darkness. Having lived in Frankfurt for many years I loved seeing the city from the top deck of our ship as we sailed under the many bridges.

Stops along the way included Reichsburg Castle in Cochem, a charming town along the Mosel, then the cobbled streets of Rüdesheim on the Rhine and onto one of my favorite towns – Mainz, home to the Gutenberg Museum, one of the oldest museums of printing in the world where you can see two original 42-line Gutenberg Bibles on display. It is named after Johannes Gutenberg, who invented printing from movable metal type in Europe more than 550 years ago. Standing in the marketplace at the base of the imposing cathedral you can just imagine how bustling it was on market days in the Middle Ages. Not to be missed is St. Stephan Church with its beautiful blue stained glass windows by artist Marc Chagall.  

After enjoying the skyline of Frankfurt at night we sailed onto Wertheim, a little city that sits where the Main and Tauber Rivers meet. With a castle perched high on the hill, wood-timbered houses and cute cafes lining the cobblestone streets it was an enjoyable place to spend a relaxing afternoon. This is also an interesting part of the River Main where you can sail in two different German states - Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

We later docked in Würzburg – a city with both a fortress and a palace high above the River Main. From there we did a day trip to Rothenburg on the Tauber River, home to the famous Christmas store and museum from Käthe Wohlfahrt. Another day trip was to Bamberg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site best known for its Rauchbier or smoked beer. The town is built over seven hills, much like ancient Rome, where the Regnitz and Main rivers meet. It has a lovely historic town center/Altstadt and a Romanesque and Gothic cathedral first built in the 13th Century.

Due to some technical issues we ended the cruise in Würzburg instead of Nuremberg as originally planned but then spent a few additional days visiting Nuremberg and Munich. It was so lovely to be back in Germany again with everyone happy to see visitors again.  

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