It was a sunny May day that we visited Rudesheim and the first thing on the agenda was a Rhine…read moreriver cruise. Whether you want to get off or not, it's a pleasant ride up and down the river with ample chances to take in the views of the many castles, vineyards, and Germanic scenery. We took the chance to hop on and off, saw a castle, ate some lunch, and then enjoyed our ride back to Rudesheim on the patio of the boat. You can order the famous Rudesheim coffee drink on board, along with some other goodies, which adds an element of fun to it. Overall, it's a fun thing to do when in the region. Don't expect a luxury liner, but you'll be comfortable.

We took the passenger ferry from Bingen to Rüdesheim and it's really nice to go on the river like…read morethat. As public transportation works so well in Germany we were going by train and bus, but Bingen and Rüdesheim are separated by the Rhine, so boat was in order. Fare: 2.20€ per person. The bus from Bad Kruznach to Bingen stopped very close to the ferry but be aware that on the Rüdesheim side the boat stops near the station, which is a bit of a walk to the city center, and the buses are infrequent.

We enjoyed this Main River cruise…read more We took the 100 minute cruise, up and down the Main River. The weather was great. Mostly sunny, light breeze and no rain. We sat outside on the top deck at a table that was partially covered from the sun. The audio narration is done in German and English. The food and beverage service was nice and had an extensive offering. The restrooms were on the lowest level (-1) and were modern and clean. The cruise was slow enough to walk around safely, which I did, taking about 100 photos. I can recommend this cruise to anyone. And I'd suggest taking the 50 minute cruise as you see plenty.

We decided to do the 100 minute cruise. Upriver and downriver…read more Very calm and simple There is a full bar and WC. I recommend the 100 minute cruise the difference in money is minimal. Nice view on the river Main, Frankfurt.

Segway fahren macht unglaublich Spaß. Die Guides erklären die Funktionsweise der Segways in einer…read morehalben Stunde vorab, wobei man schon ein bisschen üben darf. Von der Tour habe ich weniger mitbekommen, weil ich zum Einen Frankfurt schon kenne und wegen des Segway Fahrens die Tour gebucht habe. Nach 2,5 Stunden hat man ein gutes Fahrgefühl, einziger Wermutstropfen ist, dass die Geräte auf 9 km/h gedrosselt sind, daher ein Stern Abzug. Schade, dass es nur so wenig Anbieter dieser Touren gibt; ich würde mir sogar so ein Gerät mal ausleihen. Die Guides waren sehr freundlich und man bekommt am Ende einen Segway Führerschein, wofür man bei einer Wiederholung der Tour bei dem Anbieter auch in anderen deutschen Städten 5 EUR Rabatt bekommt.

Es war nicht die erste Tour, die ich/wir mit Herrn Niebergall gegangen bin /sind. Herr Niebergall…read moreist Wiesbadener und Historiker zugleich, hat die Entwicklung der Stadt Wiesbaden selbst miterlebt und kann aufgrund seiner Ausbildung auch sehr viel geschichtlichen Hintergrund vermitteln.

We had a fun time on the KD river cruise along the Rhein. It stops in many places but it's…read moreinconvenient to get off at any of them if you want to eventually make it back to Rüdesheim because the boat comes back a lot later and then you're in one of the small towns for many hours. The boat ride was super relaxing though and the people were really nice. Total it was around 5 hours round trip, but it didn't even feel that long. There is a cafe on the main floor and then sitting upstairs was peaceful.

A great (if super touristy) way to enjoy the scenic Rhine valley, the KD cruises give you both…read moreshort-trip, and all-day excursions, as well as one-way or round-trip options. They start up north in Köln and end in Mainz, with stops at nearly every lovely little Rhein town along the way. You can buy your ticket at the booth by the gangway where the boat docks, and the price varies, depending on how far you're going and if you are making a return trip. I've been on this line a couple of times now, once in '96 and once this summer, and it's pretty much exactly the same. On the boat, you have different seating and standing options. There is an indoor deck with dining tables and air conditioning. There is a main outdoor deck with patio chairs that people rearrange to their preference and a snack bar where you can purchase beer wine and soft drinks, as well as würstchen, chips, and a few other items (at a premium captive audience price, of course). There is an additional upper deck that is for standing only. The weather the day we went was gorgeous and we were going to be on a plane home the next day, so we opted to hang out on the top deck during our 4-hour trip from Boppard to Bingen. I imagine the indoor deck is popular on rainy or cold days. A pre-recorded explanation in multiple languages (German, English, and I think Spanish -- possibly another) comes over the loudspeakers as they pass different landmarks and points of interest. They even play Die Lorelei (famous German folk song) as you sail past the Lorelei. It isn't particularly clear and easy to hear when you're outside, but you can at least hear the names of the points of interest, so you can look them up later if you so wish. If you want to meet fellow Americans and their families while you're on your trip, this is a place to do it. It's also a great place to people watch and guess what the relationship is within certain groups traveling together on board. You will most assuredly be taking photos for other people as well. Overall, it's worth the time and money to travel the Rhein this way, and I'd definitely recommend it to first-time visitors to Rheinland.