Cities of Light

Bamberg is famed for its beer, particularly its distinctive rauchbier. To create the rauchbier’s unique flavor profile, the earliest breweries dried malted barley over fires fed by German beechwood. With the advent of kiln-drying, smoky brews became less common and all but disappeared for a short period. Two breweries, however, clung to the rauchbier tradition: Schlenkerla and Spezial. For almost two centuries, they have been producing several varieties of the brew by drying malt over beechwood fires, honoring a method that was almost lost. Today, rauchbier fills steins throughout the city.

Journey along one of Germany’s most important waterways today, passing landscapes that embody the country’s scenic beauty and storybook charm. You will sail by quaint riverside villages, undulating farm country and the sylvan forests of the Spessart woodlands. Along the way, you just may lose yourself in the dreamy canvases of half-timbered houses, historic castles and splendid palaces. This is the Germany once ruled by dukes and brought to magical life by the imagination of the Brothers Grimm, who grew up in the town of Hanau and wove fantastic tales from these banks.