Toronto -- Germany’s rivers are nothing if not romantic. You may sing the Lorelei on the river Rhine; recite Mark Twain on the Neckar river; hum bars of Strauss on the "Blue" Danube; sip riesling on the Moselle river and whistle Dixie on the Elbe, which runs right through Dresden, famous not only for its Baroque cityscape, but also for its annual Dixieland Jazz Festival. People are catching on, bookings on Germany’s river cruise ships are up, and cruise lines are expanding their fleets and increasing the variety and numbers of their cruises.

In contrast to the speedy autobahns, the great rivers that crisscross Germany have served for centuries as leisurely-paced thoroughfares, mainly for cargo. Today they have also become a relaxing, luxurious way to take in much of the country and its diversity, from the comfort of your deckchair, Sky scrapers dominate the banks of the river Main at Frankfurt, Cologne’s cathedral reigns over the Lower Rhine, and medieval monasteries and fortresses dot the Danube, as they do all of Germany’s rivers.

On a leisurely cruise, enjoy Germany’s countryside and her cities, her culture and history, and of course her regional foods and wines. The Elbe river, with the port city of Hamburg at the mouth, runs through Dresden and Meissen, of porcelain fame, on its way from the Czech border to the North Sea. On the other side of the country, the Rhine marks part of the western border, with France’s Alsace, continuing north towards Ruedesheim and the Rhine gorge, Cologne and beyond. The Moselle winds charmingly through its valley’s steeply angled vineyards, visiting such towns as Trier, of Roman descent, Bernkastel-Kues, Cochem and Koblenz, at the confluence to the Rhine. In the more southern part of the country, the Danube passes through Ingolstadt, where Audi cars are made, Kelheim, where barges travelling to or from the North Sea on the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal join its swift currents, and the cities of Regensberg and Passau before crossing into Austria and on to the Black Sea.

Smaller rivers also offer much to see. In the northwest, the Weser river runs through Germany’s Fairy Tale Country. The rivers Oder and Neisse mark the border between Germany and Poland, and the Mueritz-Elbe Waterway, with its lovely canals, is exactly the right choice for those seeking an off-the-beaten-track alternative.

Cruise Packages

Canadians have a wealth of companies to choose from for river cruises to Germany, including Collette Vacations, Exclusive Tours, Globus, Horizon & Co and Trafalgar, all exploring Germany’s great waterways in various ways.