Germany Baden-Wurttemberg Cruise from Strasbourg to Lagarde-Moselle — 7 Days

Kehl-Strasbourg, Germany

Strasbourg rewards visitors with a rare blend of French elegance and German character. Its historic center, the Grande Île, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, threaded with canals and half-timbered houses. At its heart, Strasbourg Cathedral rises above the old streets, its pink sandstone façade a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Take time for a table of Alsatian cooking, where French technique meets hearty regional tradition. Then follow the riverfront lanes and discover a city shaped by centuries on Europe’s border.

Waltenheim-sur-Zorn, France

Waltenheim-sur-Zorn offers a quieter doorway into Alsace, away from Strasbourg’s crowds. In the Bas-Rhin, the village sits near the Zorn River, amid fertile plains and traditional villages. Its setting invites a closer look at Alsace’s French and German heritage, expressed in regional cooking, wine and architecture. Strasbourg, with its cathedral and historic Petite France quarter, makes a memorable excursion.

Saverne, France

Saverne sits where the Alsace plain meets the wooded Vosges, a town shaped by water, trade and French history. From the quay, walk into the old centre, where timber-framed houses gather around Place du Général de Gaulle. The vast Château des Rohan dominates the square, once home to Strasbourg’s prince-bishops and now a museum. Canal-side paths and the nearby Roseraie offer gentler pleasures, while the Vosges foothills invite scenic excursions beyond town.

Lutzelbourg, France

Lutzelbourg brings canal-side calm to the wooded Vosges of northeastern France. Moored on the Marne–Rhine Canal, the village makes an easy pause between Strasbourg and Lorraine. Climb to the medieval château ruins for a fine prospect of slate roofs, steep slopes and passing boats. Then visit the nearby Saint-Louis-Arzviller inclined plane, an ingenious boat lift that carries vessels between canal levels. Here, landscape and engineering share the same stretch of water.

Xouaxange, France

Xouaxange opens onto Moselle’s quieter countryside, where the Marne–Rhine Canal passes fields, villages and woodland. Nearby Étang de Gondrexange offers broad water, birdlife and walking paths beside its shores. In Sarrebourg, see Marc Chagall’s monumental stained-glass window in the Chapel of the Cordeliers, then explore the town centre. This is a stop for unhurried discovery, with canal paths and regional cuisine close at hand.

• River Cruising (River Cruising)

Lagarde-Moselle, France

Lagarde is a peaceful port on the Marne–Rhine Canal, set among the fields and waterways of rural Lorraine. Here, lock passages and wooded banks reveal a slower pace of northeastern France. The village is small, but the canal offers room to explore by boat or along its towpaths. Look inland, too, for quiet villages and the region’s distinctive ponds and Franco-German heritage.