The 15 Best Rhine Valley Tours & Boat Trips

1.Top Sights Rhine River Cruise – Skyline Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 3,030 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $28Our pick

A 90-minute Rhine cruise in Cologne with recorded English and German commentary, Cathedral views, Rheinauhafen cranes, and 5 bridges.

“The tour was enjoyable! With a good selection of refreshments on board. We really enjoyed it and the scenery is great. Only downside is the boat gets busy so we could not really hear the guide. However, there was a stag party next to us. Not complaining though it was great!”

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2.Rhine Valley Castles and Palaces Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,824 reviews · 2 hours · from $21

Koblenz Rhine Valley castles cruise: 2 hours on a clean boat with German and English commentary, UNESCO sights, optional Braubach stop.

“Excellent 2 hr boat ride down the Rhein to see the castles and palaces. Cold beer and kuchen was great too!”

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3.Rhine Valley Castles: 1.5-Hour Boat Tour from Rüdesheim

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 1,390 reviews · from $19

1.5-hour Rhine cruise from Rüdesheim showing UNESCO Middle Rhine castles, vineyards, and literary lore, with cash-only food and drinks.

“We very much enjoyed the views of the castles. It was a relaxing experience with very accommodating services.”

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4.Rhine Valley Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,317 reviews · 8 hours · from $175

Day trip from Frankfurt to the Middle Rhine Valley with a UNESCO cruise, castle views, included lunch, and a wine-growing history lesson.

“Enjoyed the cruise past all the castles and the commentary on the history and the towns we passed. Our driver was great, informative, friendly and funny. My only complaint and wish was for better weather. It was cold and wet. But you can’t control that.”

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5.Rhine Valley Trip from Frankfurt including Rhine River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,179 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $167

Rhine Valley day trip from Frankfurt with an UNESCO steamer cruise, wine lesson in Assmannshausen, lunch or dinner, and scenic viewpoints.

“Such a great trip. The views were amazing and the castles were beautiful. I'd definitely do this again.”

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6.Rhine Valley boat tour along the castles and palaces

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,084 reviews · 2 hours · from $22

2-hour Koblenz Rhine Valley cruise on La Paloma, passing Deutsche Eck and castles like Marksburg and Stolzenfels. Food and drinks onboard.

“Everything was very nice. The only two things I would recommend is turn the volume up for the folks outside. At times it was hard to hear what she was saying. And not everything was in English. So sometimes it was hard to follow. Other than that the trip was absolutely excellent.Highly recommend.”

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7.Rhine River Winter Cruise with Festive Music

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 676 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $28

Cologne’s Rhine winter cruise brings you festive skyline views, live Christmas music, and Glühwein in a cozy 1.5-hour ride.

“The staff were very friendly & the atmosphere was amazing we would definitely be doing the trip again. Thank you 😊😊😊”

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8.Rhine River to Linz Sightseeing Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 358 reviews · 4 hours · from $30

Bonn to Linz Rhine cruise with passes to Königswinter and Remagen, Bridge of Remagen Peace Museum views, plus food and drinks.

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9.2-Hour Evening Rhine River Cruise with Live DJ

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 248 reviews · 2 hours · from $34

A 2-hour Düsseldorf Rhine cruise at dusk with panoramic views and a live DJ, plus an onboard bar for drinks and snacks.

“Vielleicht lag es am Donnerstag, den wir gebucht hatten + am schlechten Wetter, aber es war leider absolut lahm. Keinerlei Stimmung, niemand getanzt in- oder Outdoor alle saßen Spießig unter sich an ihren Tischen und haben gegessen und gesittet getrunken. Null Stimmung. Alles sehr sehr groß daher verläuft es sich auch sehr. Und wenn man indoor sitzt kann man sobald es dunkel ist nicht mehr wirklich rausgucken da sich alles von innen in den Scheiben spiegelt, man muss also raus. Aber das ist eben nur bei gutem Wetter möglich. Ich würde es nicht nochmal machen.”

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10.Rhine River Cruise with Local Music

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 133 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $30

Cologne Rhine cruise with local music and Kölsch. Heated boat views of the cathedral, Rheinau cranes, and the ride to Rodenkirchen.

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11.From Boppard: Loreley Sightseeing Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 120 reviews · 2h 30m · from $23

Enjoy a 150-minute KD cruise from Boppard to St. Goarshausen, with onboard explanations of the UNESCO Rhine Valley sights and Loreley views.

“de kapitein was erg ruw in het aanleggen van de boot. elke keer kreeg je een flinke klap, hij om het wel want 1x ging het perfect. de loreley had ik van verwacht dat ze toch heel even stil zouden liggen zodat je op je gemak wat foto's kon maken, hier ging het om. voor de rest vriendelijke medewerkers top mensen heel aardig en behulpzaam”

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12.Heidelberg and Rhine Valley Day Trip With Wine Tasting and Dinner from Frankfurt

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 101 reviews · from $309

One 11-hour day from Frankfurt to Heidelberg and the Rhine, with castle ruins, Rhine cruise, dinner, and included wine tasting.

“Tour guide and driver were great, however we expected much more for the price we paid based upon the write up. There was wasted travel time as it was really two half day tours, not one full day trip. Dinner was lackluster, the wine tasting wasn't at a winery and they only gave you thimbles worth.”

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13.Rhine Valley Castle Sightseeing Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 98 reviews · 1 hour · from $16Best value

1-hour Rhine Castle Trail cruise from Koblenz to Deutsches Eck, passing Lahneck and Stolzenfels, with German and English commentary.

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14.Rhine Valley Wine Tasting Tour from Frankfurt and Mainz

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 87 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $476Top rated

Rhine Valley wine tasting from Frankfurt or Mainz with pickup, 2-3 wineries, 10+ wines, wine tapas lunch, and optional shipping.

“This was a fabulous tour - I wanted something special for our wedding anniversary and Carl, our host for the day delivered over and above our expectations. We visited two wineries where the focus was on Reisling; if you have a prejudice against this variety I suggest you set it aside as we sampled some delicious wines. The trip includes a tasty lunch with more sampling of a variety of regional wines. Carl provides an excellent commentary about the wines we sampled and the history of wine production in the Rhine valley. We were part of a small group in a very comfortable van. We thought this tour was excellent…”

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15.Evening Sightseeing Cruise on the Rhine River

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 78 reviews · 2 hours · from $30

2-hour Bonn Rhine evening cruise with a DJ, open-deck views, and lit-up landmarks like Post Tower, Langer Eugen, and Villa Hammerschmidt.

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