Heidelberg Riverboat Tour to Neckarsteinach with Drinks

Departure from Heidelberg: the Marstall, the Old Bridge and the castle

The cruise leaves from the Neckarstaden pier on the Old Town riverbank. Right at the start the boat passes the Marstall, the former arsenal and stables of the Electors Palatine, a long red sandstone building that now serves the university. Moments later you sail under one of the arches of the Old Bridge, completed in 1788, with its medieval-looking gate towers on the Old Town side, while Heidelberg Castle rises on the hillside above the roofs.

This first stretch gives the classic views of the city in a calm, unhurried way, and it is the reason many travellers choose a boat over the train for a day trip from Heidelberg into the valley. Take your photos of the bridge and the castle ruins from the open areas of the deck, then settle into the covered seating as the valley begins to narrow.

Heidelberg lock and the upper Neckar valley

Just east of the Old Town the boat enters the Heidelberg lock beside the river weir. The Neckar was canalised in the twentieth century so that barges could reach Stuttgart, and its locks raise and lower boats in a few minutes; watching the gates close and the water level change is a favourite moment for children. Beyond the lock the city gives way to the riverside villages of Ziegelhausen and Schlierbach on either bank.

On the slope above Ziegelhausen stands Stift Neuburg, a Benedictine abbey with a history going back to the twelfth century, set among orchards and meadows. Wooded hills of red sandstone now close in on both sides, and the river bends gently between them. The audio guide tells the story of the valley, its timber rafts, its quarries and the castles that once guarded the river trade.

Neckargemünd and the Dilsberg hill

Neckargemünd sits where the little Elsenz river flows into the Neckar, and its old town of half-timbered houses, narrow lanes and a historic town gate lines the riverbank. The boat passes through the Neckargemünd lock here, which gives you time to look at the waterfront and the bridges. Across the river the hilltop village of Dilsberg, a fortified settlement with medieval walls and a castle ruin, keeps watch over a sharp bend in the Neckar.

Neckargemünd and Dilsberg are popular stops in the valley, and many visitors ask how to get to Neckargemünd from Heidelberg; by boat it is the most scenic way, with the town arriving slowly around the river bend. From here the landscape becomes quieter and greener as the boat heads deeper into the protected nature park towards Neckarsteinach.

The Neckartal-Odenwald Nature Park

Between Neckargemünd and Neckarsteinach the river cuts through the Neckartal-Odenwald Nature Park, a large protected area of beech and oak forest, red sandstone cliffs and meadows that covers the hills on both sides of the valley. There are few roads close to the water here, so the boat glides through a peaceful landscape where grey herons fish in the shallows and cormorants dry their wings on the banks.

Keep an eye on the forest edges: deer and wild boar are sometimes seen near the water, especially on the morning departures. This is the most relaxing part of the cruise, ideal for sitting back with a soft drink and enjoying the scenery. In autumn the hills turn gold and red, which many consider the best time to visit the Neckar valley by boat.

Neckarsteinach, the town of four castles

Neckarsteinach is known as the Vierburgenstadt, the town of four castles, because four medieval fortresses line the ridge above its old town within a short distance of one another. The Vorderburg and the Mittelburg are still roofed, while the Hinterburg, the oldest, dating from the twelfth century, and the Schadeck, nicknamed the Swallow's Nest because it clings to a rocky ledge, are atmospheric ruins. Seeing all four in a row from the river is the highlight of this Neckar valley boat tour.

With the round-trip ticket you can stay on board and enjoy the turn of the boat below the castles, or step ashore and explore Neckarsteinach before returning on a later boat. A marked castle path leads up to the Hinterburg and the Schadeck in about 20 minutes. Castle entry is not included, and you should check the last return boat of the day before going ashore.