The S.S. Antoinette

1 March 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Cruise Ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  8 minutes

at Oberwesel © Alf van Beem

at Oberwesel © Alf van Beem

The S.S. Antoinette (long form: Super Ship Antoinette) is a cabin passenger ship of the Swiss S.S. Antoinette GmbH that went into service in 2011, which is used in the time charter by the American tour operator Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection on the Rhine.   read more…

Bacharach on the Rhine

25 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Joschi71/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Joschi71/cc-by-sa-4.0

Bacharach (also known as Bacharach am Rhein) is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not within its bounds. The original name Baccaracus suggests a Celtic origin. Above the town stands Stahleck Castle (Burg Stahleck), now a youth hostel.   read more…

The Lake Constance

19 May 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Lindau Island © Edda Praefcke

Lindau Island © Edda Praefcke

Lake Constance (German: Bodensee) is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee (“upper lake”), the Untersee (“lower lake”), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein. The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps. Specifically, its shorelines lie in the German federal-states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, the Austrian federal-state of Vorarlberg, and the Swiss cantons of Thurgau and St. Gallen. The Rhine flows into it from the south following the Austro-Swiss frontier. Car ferries link Romanshorn, Switzerland to Friedrichshafen, and Konstanz to Meersburg.   read more…

Koblenz, at the confluence of Rhine and Moselle rivers

11 December 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Panorama Fortress Ehrenbreitstein © Holger Weinandt

Panorama Fortress Ehrenbreitstein © Holger Weinandt

Koblenz is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) and its monument (Emperor William I on horseback) are situated. As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the town celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 1992. The name Koblenz is from Latin (ad) confluentes, confluence or “(at the) merging of rivers”. Subsequently it was Covelenz and Cobelenz. In the local dialect the name is Kowelenz. After Mainz and Ludwigshafen am Rhein, it is the third largest city in Rhineland-Palatinate, with a population of c. 106,000 (2006). Koblenz lies in the Rhineland, 92 kilometers (57 miles) southeast of Cologne by rail.   read more…

Büsingen on the Upper Rhine

24 September 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Büsingen am Hochrhein © Prekario

Büsingen am Hochrhein © Prekario

Büsingen am Hochrhein, commonly known as Büsingen, is a German town (7.62 km2 or 2.94 sq mi) entirely surrounded by the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen and, south across the Rhine, by the Swiss cantons of Zürich and Thurgau. It has a population of about 1,450 inhabitants. Since the early 19th century, the town has been separated from the rest of Germany by a narrow strip of land (at its narrowest, about 700 m wide) containing the Swiss village of Dörflingen.   read more…

Xanten on the Lower Rhine

31 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Mitteltor (Middle Gate) © Frank Vincentz

Mitteltor (Middle Gate) © Frank Vincentz

Xanten is a historic town in North Rhine-Westphalia, located in the district of Wesel. Xanten is the only German town whose name begins with X.   read more…

Oestrich-Winkel in the Rheingau

10 September 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  5 minutes

Vinyards and Vollrads Castle © Brühl

Vinyards and Vollrads Castle © Brühl

Oestrich-Winkel is a town in the Rheingau-Taunus district in the Darmstadt region in Hesse and is characterized by winegrowing. The Rheingau Music Festival has its office in Oestrich in a former winery, the presshouse (Kelterhalle) converted to a hall for intimitate concerts and events.   read more…

The Nibelungen and Luther City of Worms

15 August 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

Nibelungen Bridge over Rhine river © Heidas

Nibelungen Bridge over Rhine river © Heidas

Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate on the Rhine River with 82,000 inhabitants. The climate in the Rhine River Valley is very temperate in the winter time and quite enjoyable in the summertime. Rainfall is below average for the surrounding areas. Snow accumulation in the winter is very low and often melts within a short period of time.   read more…

Rüdesheim on the Rhine

6 August 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Rüdesheim on the Rhine around 1900

Rüdesheim on the Rhine around 1900

Rüdesheim is a winemaking town in the Rhine Gorge and thereby part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It lies in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis district in the region of Darmstadt in Hesse.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top