The Elbe river 2024 - not just water levels

[notamermaid]

Here is the thread on the Elbe river for 2024.

 

Join us again this year with comments and tips - not just for this magnificent river making its journey from the Czech Republic all the way to Hamburg in Germany and to the North Sea but also the connected land portions like Prague and Berlin.

 

Safe travels.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The Elbe kept the residents along its banks busy till the end of the year and into this new year with its high levels. So let us have a quick look now. Dresden:

The situation has much improved this last week but the Lower Elbe is still draining off the excess water, so we still see elevated levels from Magdeburg downstream to (almost) Hamburg.

 

But no river cruise ships are sailing or about to sail in winter. Or are they? With a few ships sailing on the Rhine and just a couple on the Danube, may there be an itinerary running on the Elbe, perhaps by a German company? We will try and establish that.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

The two Viking ships, the Astrild and the Beyla, are still in odd places, i.e. not the usual winter harbour at Tangermünde. The Astrild is in Hamburg, the Beyla in Dresden.

 

The Elbe Princesse of CroisiEurope is surprisingly actually sailing and headed for Decin. I guess this is her winter harbour.

 

So no actual itineraries. But I said I would check the German companies and I have. Just to mention their ships: on the Elbe we have the Swiss Ruby, the Katharina von Bora, the Sans Souci, as well as the Swiss company Thurgau Travel with the ships Thurgau Saxonia and Thurgau Chopin. I think I have missed one. So if you are happy conversing in German then you have a perhaps surprisingly large choice of companies and ships. Viva Cruises and her Swiss Ruby are happy to greet you in English as well on several cruises.

 

But what about an itinerary on the Elbe in winter? Yes, that is a rare occurrence but it does happen. I have found one, i.e. just one. Two if you see them as different itineraries rather than two versions of one.

 

First the company: Viva Cruises. They operate something that they call a Krimi-Kreuzfahrt. It runs in two directions, Berlin to Bremen and Düsseldorf to Berlin. If you are not familiar with the geography of Germany I will explain briefly that you can traverse the country in the North via the Havel, Elbe and several canals. As an extreme example - you can sail from Berlin to Budapest! But I digress...

Second, the sailings: Here is the English description of the two river cruise itineraries offered, starting or ending in Berlin:

 

 

Both itineraries have to use the Mittellandkanal to get from West to East and vice versa. But the Elbe runs from South to North, right? Yes, that is where we will examine the route and do a bit of "nitpicking".

 

For that I have taken the route description from an online travel agency:

 

 

The Mittellandkanal comes from the left in this screenshot and goes to the Elbe. From there the ship goes onto the Elbe and then leaves the Elbe to join the Elbe-Havel-Kanal. So the Swiss Ruby does indeed sail the Elbe on this tiny stretch in February and March, three itineraries fall into winter, i.e. before the Spring Equinox. You could sail this itinerary without the Elbe stretch, but we assume of course that the online description on the map is correct.

 

So a river cruise on the Elbe while not really on the Elbe as you know from the sailings from other ships does happen in winter.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[curmudgeon98]

Just booked an Elbe cruise from Prague to Berlin, going at the end of March.  We are doing CroisiEurope.  I called the US agent to clarify a couple of points before booking, and I really appreciated that they took care to make sure we understood that while French and English were the languages, this wouldn't be a US-centric cruise, as most passengers are from France or Belgium (She actually looked up the passenger list and said that there four other US passengers, so we'll double that count).  She also made the point they have a fixed menu at lunch and dinner.  We are pretty flexible, so I think we'll get on fine with this.

 

Hopefully the river levels will cooperate...    

[AnhaltER1960]

Enjoy your trip. I cannot recall that there was an issue with water levels end of March.

[Canal archive]

Oh enjoy and please report back as there’s not a lot on these boards about the Elbe and just a plea please mix and mingle, the Belgiums can be a bit off the wall and real fun. Have a great cruise.

[Senator1416]

Wife and I are taking a Viking cruise of the Elbe mid March of this year and was checking if anyone had any thoughts on the following.

We have one day scheduled in Dresden. Viking offers an included AM tour of Dresden and offers an optional tour( full day) of Dresden and the Elbe valley. Since we are only in Dresden for one day, would it be best to stick with the included AM tour and then further explore the city on our own in the afternoon or take the optional tour with much of the day spent exploring the valley outside of Dresden.

Thank you for any thoughts anyone might have.

( P.S. Optional tour says it includes, visit to “Saxon baroque castle”, Radebeul (observatory), Wackerbarth Castle.

[AnhaltER1960]

16 hours ago, Senator1416 said:

Wife and I are taking a Viking cruise of the Elbe mid March of this year and was checking if anyone had any thoughts on the following.

We have one day scheduled in Dresden. Viking offers an included AM tour of Dresden and offers an optional tour( full day) of Dresden and the Elbe valley. Since we are only in Dresden for one day, would it be best to stick with the included AM tour and then further explore the city on our own in the afternoon or take the optional tour with much of the day spent exploring the valley outside of Dresden.

Thank you for any thoughts anyone might have.

( P.S. Optional tour says it includes, visit to “Saxon baroque castle”, Radebeul (observatory), Wackerbarth Castle.

While the Elbe valley around Dresden is attractive and does have indeed fine spots and castles ("saxon baroque castle" in this context sounds like Moritzburg to me .... though there are several of them), in mid-March there wont be much vegetation. So the parks and landscape can be rather bleak, even on a sunny day.

Unless you are an absolute castle-addict, I would clearly recommend staying in Dresden proper. Plenty to see there, many bad-weather alternatives like museums or shopping -hope its not a sunday/shops closed or monday/museums closed. Even a baroque palace with gardens (Pillnitz, you will see it from the ship starboard side shortly before you reach Dresden) is an easy DIY using public transport.

[Senator1416]

Thank you so much for the advice! Sounds solid and we will stay and explore Dresden. We will be there on a Wednesday, so based on your guidance all should be open. If you have time, could you comment or recommend sites or shopping areas we should try to check out.

Viking’s included AM tour says :

 

Witness the baroque beauty of Dresden by motor coach and by foot after 50 years of restoration.

Begin with a panoramic drive to the Neustadt district on the bank of the Elbe to admire beautiful 19th-century residences and cultural institutions. Then, visit the Grünes Gewölbe, the Green Vault museum that houses what many claim is the largest collection of treasures in the world, including priceless jewels and emeralds. Afterward, take a stroll among splendid architectural wonders. Marvel at the magnificent Semper Opera House, with its several graceful stories, and see the spectacular Zwinger Palace, a rococo-style complex that was once an exhibition court for royalty. Today, it houses several museums.

 

Any comments or information/suggestions on afternoon activities would be most appreciated !

A sincere thank you for your time and expertise!

[AnhaltER1960]

On 1/27/2024 at 1:25 PM, Senator1416 said:

Viking’s included AM tour says :

 

Witness the baroque beauty of Dresden by motor coach and by foot after 50 years of restoration.

Begin with a panoramic drive to the Neustadt district on the bank of the Elbe to admire beautiful 19th-century residences and cultural institutions. Then, visit the Grünes Gewölbe, the Green Vault museum that houses what many claim is the largest collection of treasures in the world, including priceless jewels and emeralds. Afterward, take a stroll among splendid architectural wonders. Marvel at the magnificent Semper Opera House, with its several graceful stories, and see the spectacular Zwinger Palace, a rococo-style complex that was once an exhibition court for royalty. Today, it houses several museums.

 

Visiting the Green Vault is one of the highlights Dresden has to offer. Otherwise it reads like a bus/walking tour and outside visits.

 

Dresden, as you know, was heavily bombed during WWII. Destructions maily hit the Old Town, the historical center on the left bank of the Elbe. Some had been rebuilt, Zwinger, palace, Opera House, Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche)... Other parts around Altmarkt/ Prager St had been rebuilt in soviet style and now form the commercial center. The right bank of the Elbe (Neustadt) was much less damaged, you will se that during the bus ride. So there is a part with plenty of history, a bit sterile and touristy, but lots of sights. Another part also sterile as far as architecture is concerned, but commercially busy and then the Neustadt, authentic, down to earth and lively. Small shops, art galleries, boutiques, cafes.

 

It did not read, where the tour ends. When ending at Zwinger, the Gallery of Old Masters is one of the museums there and for sure a recommendation -they do have a cafeteria. When ending at the ship for lunch, which is moored close to the historical part, it will be a walk along Dresden's balcony, the Brühlsche Terassen towards Opera House/Zwinger for the Old Masters. Altmarkt gallery, a large shopping mall, is also within walking distance. Alternatively, cross the Albert bridge into Neustadt with the most interesting parts north of Bautzender Strasse, you saw already from the bus. A special highlight there is "Pfunds Molkerei", with c19 tiles, a nicely decorated shop, considered the finest dairy shop wordwide.

More options include the funiculars from Körnerplatz near the old bridge "Blaues Wunder" (blue miracle, you saw already from the ship and probably also on the bus tour. There are two funiculars, both have some viewpoints and cafes at the top stations with fine views overlooking the city and river.

And tramway line 4 to Radebeul gets you to the castles of the other bus tour. 12 Euro day pass....

[Senator1416]

Thank you so much for all the great information! It was very kind of you to take the time to share such informative response!

Even though the weather may be quite cool in mid March, we can’t wait to get out and explore many of the sites you suggested,

Thanks again!

[notamermaid]

It is February, time to have a look at how the river did at Dresden:

The year started with high water and we see the flooding coming from the Vltava adding substantially to the high of the Elbe. It all brought the river over the permitted level for river traffic (HSW). In the absence of substantial rain, the Vltava has recovered and both the Elbe and the Vltava are now at pleasant levels, the Czech Republic reporting mean levels and staying steady. A lot of room for any rain that the area will see in February.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

I see on the graphs that the level of the Elbe is rising again and the gauge at Dresden is forecast to go to flood warning level 1. Apparently the high volume of water is mainly coming from the Upper Elbe rather than the Vltava, which joins at Melnik.

 

But to more fun matters. It is Carnival in Germany and where I am we are "surrounded" by soldiers, princesses and other dressed-up folk.  They say that it was a Rhineland guy that brought the Carnival to Berlin but that is folklore. A version of Carnival has existed in Berlin for quite some time. It is true though that a gentleman from the Rhineland is president of the Festkomitee "Berliner Karnval e.V.", those people organize the Carnival parades. When the Wall fell and many people from the Rhineland moved to Berlin, especially when Government returned there, street carnival as we now it along the Rhine really took off in our capital.

 

But that is Berlin on the Spree river, what about the Elbe folk? @AnhaltER1960 are you eating Berliner and shouting "dreifach donnernd"?

 

notamermaid

 

[AnhaltER1960]

22 hours ago, notamermaid said:

But that is Berlin on the Spree river, what about the Elbe folk? @AnhaltER1960 are you eating Berliner and shouting "dreifach donnernd"?

 

notamermaid

 

Standing on solid protestant ground here we dont do these papal extravaganza. And eating Berliners... tztztz, we are not cannibals, its "Pfannkuchen" (pancake)-territory.

 

To be serious, there are some parades now, but it does not have much tradition. It may sound "Dessau Helau", but after a few beers you rather hear "viva colonia". But, having lived in Berlin in the 1980ies, I do not remember much of carnival activities there. This apparently has chaged since.

[notamermaid]

Pfannkuchen, yes, I read about that. According to an article in the taz Karnevalsumzüge where not allowed in Berlin under the Allies.

 

Protestant places, especially the North of Germany, tend not to do much at Carnival. True.

 

We in the Rhineland actually with our Carnival soldiers and parades, etc. mock the Prussians. Which is a bit weird if you then see similar uniforms in Berlin, in, you know, what we regard as Prussia. When we take Carnival to Berlin from the Rhineland does that mean we mock the Prussians or get the Prussians to mock themselves? I am confused.

 

Oohhh, not that Colonia song again!! It is ubiquitous, isn't it? I happened to find myself in Cologne main station one November the 11th. Never again will I have to do this I hope...

 

As for eating the Berliners. I now prefer the Apfelberliner, the round Berliner dough which looks like a Zimtschnecke and contains apple pieces.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[AnhaltER1960]

Yesterday, Feb 13th there was the anniversary of the bombing of Dresden, which took place 79 years ago. Like this year, then it also was the high time of carnival, the bombing started at 10 in the evening on "Rosenmontag" (? Shrove monday). And indeed there are reports of people coming back in carnival costumes from their sessions, running into the fire storm. Other reports described people living in the affluent parts of town up the hills on the other bank of the Elbe viewing from their terraces the city ablaze. As the German writer Gerhart Hauptmann put it: "Those who unlearnt to cry, will learn it again at the doom of Dresden."

 

On the other hand, this air raid also saved lives. We can read that in the diaries of Victor Klemperer, linguistics professor of jewish descent living in Dresden. The last jews living in Dresden in 1945 had received their deportation order in effect Feb 16th. The air raid had also destroyed the Gestapo headquarters, and the chaos enabled those, who survived the bombing (jews werent allowed into shelters or bunkers) to remove their yellow star and go underground, like Klemperer and his wife themselves.   The diaries of Klemperer "I Shall Bear Witness" and "to the Bitter End" covering the years 1933 to 1945 ("Ich werde Zeugnis ablegen bis zum Letzten" in German) are among the most impressive readings about that period.

[notamermaid]

Let us have a quick look back at February and what the river was doing at Dresden:

The month started on a level well above the mean and climbed over the line that is statistically mean high water. The month basically ended with the level that the month started with. 300cm is a very good buffer for times without rain and it has been dryer so far. The current level is 251cm. A good start to the river cruising season.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The river cruising season on the Elbe is starting on Monday for Viking with the first "Elegant Elbe" itinerary, i.e. Berlin land stay advertised for 11 March. The German company Plantours is sailing on Sunday. They are starting in Berlin as well but will not be on the Elbe before Viking. The reason is: they are going East! Yes, you can do that from Berlin if you have a small ship. The MS Sans Souci: https://www.plantours-kreuzfahrten.de/reise/kulturschaetze-am-oderufer-san0124-san0224/?tab=IhrSchiff

Viking's ships, although adapted for the Elbe and therefore smaller than those for the Danube, etc., are bigger than the Sans Souci.

 

Another small ship perfectly suited for the Elbe is the Swiss Ruby. I mentioned her in a previous post in connection with the winter sailings of Viva Cruises. Of course, the company is using the ship for more sailings in the area. On 29 March the Swiss Ruby sets sail from Berlin to Prague. More dates and the reverse itinerary are also available: https://www.viva-*****/en/reise/higlights-der-elbe-und-moldau

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Intlxpatr]

@Senator1416

We did the Viking cruise in November/December and loved Dresden, also going over the Gleniecke Bridge. In Berlin, we found a bottle of Wackerbarth wine, which we took with us on board. Best wine we drank during the trip, light, fruity and dry. Viking is good about letting us bring our own preferred wine on board, and we wanted to try something from the Elbe district. You can find Wackerbarth all over Dresden. If we go back to this area, it will be to spend more time in Dresden. Also, great idea to re-read Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.

[Senator1416]

Thanks so much for the tip. We will definitely look for Wackerbarth!

so looking forward to Dresden and Prague as well.

 Again!

[Senator1416]

“Thanks again”

[BVeritas]

I very much appreciate all of the information on this thread, particularly from notamermaid!  I will be cruising the Elbe with Viking the first week of May and have been following levels on this site for months now. 

[notamermaid]

Welcome to Cruisecritic.

3 hours ago, BVeritas said:

I will be cruising the Elbe with Viking the first week of May

A great time to be on the river with Spring fully there and the weather normally stable and pleasant.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited March 14 by notamermaid

[BVeritas]

Thank you very much, notamermaid!  I am very much looking forward to it.

Edited March 15 by BVeritas

[Cg52]

We are sailing the Viking Elegant Elbe early May. No tours are included for Decin. Does anyone have any suggestions for while we are there?

 

also, should we expect water level concerns at that time of year? And can you recommend a site to follow for this?

 

Thanks in advance