Main-Danube Canal Germany Bavaria
242
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Viking River Cruises (242 Cruises)
Viking Longship Gefjon
44 Cruises
Viking Longships Baldur
23 Cruises
Viking Longships Lif
23 Cruises
| 21 July | 22 days | One-way from Bucharest to Amsterdam |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
| 28 July | 15 days | One-way from Budapest to Amsterdam |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
Viking Longships Magni
28 Cruises
| 25 April | 14 days | One-way from Amsterdam to Budapest |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
| 25 April | 15 days | One-way from Amsterdam to Budapest |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
Viking Longships Mimir
26 Cruises
Viking Longships Ve
41 Cruises
| 18 May | 14 days | One-way from Amsterdam to Budapest |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
| 18 May | 15 days | One-way from Amsterdam to Budapest |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
Viking Longships Vidar
27 Cruises
| 18 August | 22 days | One-way from Bucharest to Amsterdam |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
| 25 August | 15 days | One-way from Budapest to Amsterdam |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
Viking Longships Vili
27 Cruises
Frequently Asked Questions
A day of cruising, with no going ashore. The Main-Danube Canal is not a port: it is a 171 km run between Bamberg and Kelheim that the ship transits end to end, and the show is watched from the upper deck.
In Bavaria, between Bamberg in the Main basin and Kelheim in the Danube basin. Opened in 1992, it links the Rhine and Danube basins and allows uninterrupted navigation from the North Sea to the Black Sea.
Sixteen. Three of them, at Hilpoltstein, Eckersmühlen and Leerstetten, raise or lower ships 24.7 m in a single movement; their chambers are among the deepest in Europe.
Watch. The upper deck, forward if possible, is the best vantage point for the locks and the Franconian countryside. It is a day for reading, photographs and keeping binoculars handy.
The canal high point, 406 m above sea level near Hilpoltstein, marked by an inscription on the bank. It is the highest passage in the world reachable by commercial navigation from the sea, and crossing it is often celebrated on board.
Yes, at least once. The gates close, the water rises or drains along the concrete walls, and the whole ship lifts like a slow-motion elevator. Some passengers watch every transit; others learn to recognise by sound alone the moment the valves open.
A rural Franconia few road tours show: villages with onion-domed steeples, orchards, pine forests, herons on the rip-rap. In its southern stretch the route follows the Altmühl valley, between pale limestone cliffs and dry meadows.
It depends on temperament. The locks fascinate children who like machinery, but the day is slow and there is no going ashore. Bring something to occupy younger ones between locks.
Yes. Low bridges sometimes require superstructures to be lowered and the upper deck to be closed temporarily. Follow the crew instructions; accessible areas change from one stretch to the next.
April to October, while river cruises operate. The long days from May to August let you see most of the route in daylight, which matters when the entire interest is outdoors.
