Germany--Rhine River cruising for 2 days
 

Hello,

I am planning on visiting the Cologne area in July of next year. I have done some researching and found that there is a "hop on-hop off" day cruise out of the city. I am thinking of getting on in Cologne and getting off in another city for an overnight stay and then returning to Cologne by cruise again the next evening. Does anyone have good information as to which city/town is best for a one-night visit. I don't mind getting off at other towns along the way for a few hours here and there.
Thanks!

You might think about Rüdesheim / Assmanshausen or Bacharach for small towns, Boppard for a bigger one, or Mainz for a large city but with an interesting old quarter and all the history of Gutenberg, and the 1000 year old Mainzer Dom. The area between Cologne and Koblenz is not very picturesque, likewise Bingen - Mainz is not very interesting. Rüdesheim is very touristy but it allows access to the Rheingau, which is a wine area with a lot of cute villages and castles.

Lavandula

For me the Rhine cruise boats are way too slow! I felt like I was growing roots on a slow boat to nowhere. I got tired of looking at the same scenery a little too long.. I would recommend taking the train which will give you a better view of the Rhine, save your time for exploring the towns. Any of the small towns are ok to visit, I happen to like Mainz for a smaller german city and have visited it multiple times so I get to see it from various angles not just a single visit. The one city I would not recommend is Koblenz, rather generic boring but then again I have only been there once and vowed to never return.

Mainz is a must. The most scenic river leg goes from Ruedesheim/Bingen to Koblenz.
http://www.k-d.de/de/linienfahrten/fahrplan-rhein/
Another gem is the Mosel river
http://www.k-d.de/de/linienfahrten/fahrplan-mosel/

Google for the places you are interested in and compose your own cruise!