A powerful start to the autumn

Holidays on the romantic Middle Rhine

At the heart of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site, which stretches from Koblenz to Bingen, is the famous Lorelei, the legendary rock in St. Goarshausen. The KD Lorelei cruise takes you right into this incomparable landscape. The Middle Rhine Valley attracts countless visitors, partly because of the huge number of castles and palaces on both sides of the Rhine. There are more than 30 castles and palaces along the approximately 67-kilometre stretch of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley between Rüdesheim and Bingen. Rheinfels Castle with the Romantik Hotel Schloss Rheinfels, which by the way is very pleasant, is one of the tourist highlights of the Middle Rhine Valley, as are Schönburg Castle near Oberwesel,  Stahleck Castle near Bacharach or the Pfalz near Kaub. A short holiday on the Middle Rhine is highly recommended. The picturesque wine villages surprise visitors with their beauty.

The Siebengebirge is a popular destination

For a relaxing day trip during the autumn holi-days, a boat trip to the Siebengebirge is a great idea. The low mountain range has been one of the most popular destinations on the Rhine for decades. The route between Cologne and Linz features castles, wine villages such as Königswinter or Unkel, and cultural institutions like the museums in Bonn or the Arp Museum in the district of Rolandseck in Remagen. Königswinter especially is not only worth a visit because of the Drachenfels with the Drachenburg Castle; the rack railway and the Siebengebirgsmuseum are also well worth seeing. The town is a fantastic starting point for a hike through the Siebengebirge. And what’s more, the mostly flat landscape with excellent bicycle trails offers the perfect conditions for combined trips by boat and bicycle.

If you want to walk up the Drachenfels hill from Königswinter, you can take the Eselsweg path for the ascent or walk along the edge of the old town through the Nachtigallental (Nightingale Valley). Hikers are unlikely to meet a nightingale, but perhaps a musician: in the lower valley there is the monument to the famous Cologne singer Willi Ostermann. The songwriter wrote songs about his homeland but was especially musically active at Carnival. He was immortalised by the song: “Heimweh nach Köln” (Homesick for Cologne), in which he claims to want to go to Cologne on foot (ich möchte zo Foß noh Kölle jon).

Carnival on the Rhine

From Willi Ostermann to the current bands: with the event “11.11. om Rhing” (11th of the 11th on the Rhine), KD officially launches the new Carnival season on 11th November. The KD DJs will provide the perfect atmosphere on board with classic and current hits. The band “Miljö” will be performing live. The Carnival warm-up for fans of the silly season begins as early as 5th November at the “Karneval om Rhing” (Carnival on the Rhine) parties. Lupo, Kuhl un de Gäng, Fiasko and Planchemalöör will be there, among others. The popular party series will continue in February on all weekends until the peak of Carnival season. Currently, the stricter “3G rule” applies to all party cruises in North Rhine-Westphalia where there is dancing, which means that only passengers who have been fully vaccinated against, have recently recovered from or have a negative PCR test for coronavirus are allowed on board. However, the past months have shown that the rules frequently need to be readjusted to reflect the current pandemic situation. KD always provides up-to-date information in the FAQs on its website.

Limitless indulgence

A cruise, culinary delights and sightseeing can be wonderfully combined in Cologne and Düsseldorf at Sunday brunch. The first breakfast is already laid out for guests at their reserved table. A wide assortment of cold and hot dishes including dessert is offered at the buffet. The all-inclusive evening cruises in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz and Koblenz offer an atmospheric and delicious end to the day. A sumptuous buffet of specialities awaits the guests. They can choose between wine, beer and soft drinks. At all buffets, KD follows its strict and constantly enhanced hygiene concept.

Safety is the number one priority

All cruises follow the successful hygiene concepts that Köln-Düsseldorfer has drawn up, tested and constantly enhanced since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. KD complies with the guidelines of the RKI (Robert Koch Institute) and the local health authorities. Since the coronavirus protection regulations are not always the same in the individual federal states and are frequently changing due to the development of the infection figures, guests can find the answers to the most important questions, for example about the “3G rules”, mask requirements and the use of the official coronavirus warning app, in the FAQs menu on the KD website. All information is, of course, updated regularly.