The 15 Best Boat Trips & River Cruises in Germany

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 16,993 reviews · 1 hour · from $25Our pick

1-hour Spree cruise with guaranteed seating, multilingual audio, and views of the Reichstag and Berlin Cathedral, from $25.

“There was so many sights & buildings to see from the river cruise which had really comfortable seats & the staff were great too. Highly recommend this cruise.”

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Hamburg: 1.5-Hour Harbor and Speicherstadt Day Cruise

2.1.5-Hour Harbor and Speicherstadt Day Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 14,200 reviews · 1h 30m · from $40

1.5-hour Hamburg harbor cruise to Speicherstadt and container ships, with live German guide, open deck photo views, and Elbphilharmonie pier stop.

“Very informative and funny presentation. My husband listened to the English version over the head phones but it is not nearly as good as the live one in German. We felt the translation left out a lot of information. Otherwise the cruise was very entertaining!”

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Berlin: Boat Tour Along the River Spree

3.Boat Tour Along the River Spree

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 11,252 reviews · 2h 15m · from $34

Float past Berlin’s government district and palaces on a 2.25-hour Spree cruise with audio in 12 languages for $34.

“Cool activity for families, also convenient with audio guides available.”

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Hamburg: 90-Minute Evening Lights Harbor Cruise

4.90-Minute Evening Lights Harbor Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 7,728 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $27

Ride a traditional barge on Hamburg’s evening harbor lights past Speicherstadt and container terminals, with live captain commentary for $27.

“The captain who was also guide was excellent very professional Smart and with good sense of humour! We could experience the fireworks Hafengeburtstag on the river Elbe it was fantastic!”

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Hamburg: 2-Hour XXL Port of Hamburg Cruise Tour

5.2-Hour XXL Port of Hamburg Cruise Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 6,979 reviews · 2 hours · from $47

2-hour Hamburg Port cruise through locks and docks, with HafenCity and Elbphilharmonie views, live German guide, multilingual app.

“I enjoyed the tour and laid back atmosphere. Interesting information too.”

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Cologne: Panoramic City Cruise

6.Panoramic City Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 5,698 reviews · 1 hour · from $23

A 1-hour Rhine cruise through Cologne, with Cathedral and bridge views, German and English audio, and an onboard bar for drinks.

“Great views and a very good looking cruise! prices for drinks not the worst either. I would do this again 100%.”

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Berlin: 1-hr Boat Tour with Bilingual Live Guide (DE/EN)

7.1-hr Boat Tour with Bilingual Live Guide (DE/EN)

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 5,653 reviews · 1 hour · from $22

Cozy 1-hour Spree cruise with a bilingual live guide, panoramic glass ships, on-board heating, and views of Berlin’s government district.

“Our River Boat Cruise was excellent with a wonderful guide and informative and amusing commentary throughout the trip. It was in December & cold but the boat was heated which kept everyone warm. You could have a different range drinks whilst on the cruise. We would recommend this live commentary cruise instead of listening to an audio version via earphones. 👍😀🇩🇪”

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Dresden: River Sightseeing Boat Cruise

8.River Sightseeing Boat Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 5,323 reviews · 1h 30m · from $31

Cruise Dresden on the Elbe for 90 minutes, past palaces and the Blue Wonder bridge, with clear German and English audio on a comfy ship.

“The boat was so nice. We got wonderful pictures and it was just long enough. A glass of wine and cruising down the river was just what the day called for!”

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Frankfurt: River Main Sightseeing Cruise with Commentary

9.River Main Sightseeing Cruise with Commentary

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 5,127 reviews · 50 - 100 minutes · from $18Best value

Frankfurt Main cruise from Eiserner Steg with English and German audio, skyline views, and a Goethe stop at Gerbermühle, from $18.

“What a wonderful way to see most of the Frankfurt highlights from the comfort of this lovely boat, on a beautiful sunny day! Excellent table service too, drinks and snacks were superb. A very relaxing couple of hours, would definitely recommend 👌”

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Hamburg: 1-Hour Evening Harbor Lights Cruise

10.1-Hour Evening Harbor Lights Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 5,073 reviews · 1 hour · from $30

A 1-hour evening cruise from Brücke 4 through Hamburg’s lit harbor, Speicherstadt, HafenCity, and container terminals, with German live commentary.

“Easy to find. The cruise company has a office right up at the docks. The tour was well done (yes ours was in German ... but both of us are fluent enough to get the jokes!) A different way to see the sites”

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Berlin: 3.25-Hour Spree & Landwehrkanal Boat Tour

11.3.25-Hour Spree & Landwehrkanal Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 4,311 reviews · 3h 15m · from $38

A 3.25-hour Berlin cruise along the Landwehr Canal and Spree, passing 40+ bridges, Museum Island, Potsdamer Platz, and the Government District.

“I absolutely recomend the tour to discover Berlin from water perspective. The number of channels and bridges make the tour very unusual. The guide was absolutely fantastic and staff very attentive.”

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Hamburg: 1-Hour Harbor Sightseeing Cruise with HafenCity

12.1-Hour Harbor Sightseeing Cruise with HafenCity

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 3,067 reviews · 1 hour · from $30

See Speicherstadt, HafenCity, and Elbphilharmonie from the Elbe on a 1-hour HafenCity cruise with port facts and panoramic views.

“fantastic boat and great little tour of the harbour, drinks and toilets on board. German spoken but still a great tour.”

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Cologne: Top Sights Rhine River Cruise – Skyline Tour

13.Top Sights Rhine River Cruise – Skyline Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 3,030 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $28

A 90-minute Rhine cruise in Cologne with recorded English and German commentary, Cathedral views, crane houses, and five bridges.

“Very relaxed cruise. Don't expect a tour guide as its just a comfortable cruise.”

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Düsseldorf: City Sightseeing Cruise on the Rhine

14.City Sightseeing Cruise on the Rhine

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 2,954 reviews · 1 hour · from $23

A 1-hour Rhine cruise from Düsseldorf with English and German audio, Old Town views, and drinks onboard for about $23.

“It was great experience, ferry look very good inside, a lot of place on top floor . Drinks and snacks available.”

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Heidelberg: Neckar River Sightseeing Boat Tour with Drink

15.Neckar River Sightseeing Boat Tour with Drink

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 2,460 reviews · 50 min · from $26

A 50-minute Neckar River cruise in Heidelberg with a free drink, passing the Old Bridge and Castle for easy sightseeing from water.

“There is no drink. Nor any food. You have to go to a store on the main road and Bring your own bottle of beer. The views were nice, but you are just on the top deck of a river boat.”

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