Taly's Travel: Cruising the Rhine and Moselle the Gordon way

The travel industry is taking note of this shift. “People are no longer just looking for a new destination, but for an experience tailored to their interests,” says Shiri Gordon, CEO of Gordon Travel Group. Reflecting that trend, the company has expanded its river cruise portfolio beyond classic itineraries.

It offers themed cruises including family-focused itineraries, cycling routes, wellness sailings with yoga, journeys incorporating scenic train rides, and cruises for international audiences in different languages, including Russian.

The air-conditioned cabins are comfortable and stocked with bathrobes and L’Occitane en Provence toiletries, with most featuring French windows opening to the river. The ship also offers a sun deck with a hot tub and two lounges, including one open 24/7 for hot drinks and light refreshments.

Meals are served in the ship’s restaurant at tables dressed with white tablecloths, creating an elegant atmosphere. Breakfast combines a generous buffet with table service, while both lunch and dinner are served as five-course meals.

Lunch begins with a buffet featuring fresh salads, sandwiches, and a live pasta station, followed by table service, while dinner is fully served at the table, with a choice of two soups, meat, fish, or vegetarian main courses, followed by desserts, fruit, and cheese. The kitchen is not kosher, but it does cater to various dietary requirements.

The chef brought remarkable creativity to the menus, with a different menu every day. One evening, I chose a leek cream soup with caramelized pear and chili oil, followed by lamb rump with wild garlic and shallots, while my daughter opted for barramundi with tomato salsa and tabbouleh. When we could not decide between two options, the staff happily allowed us to order both.

Vegetarian guests were also well catered for, with options such as sesame cauliflower with barbecue sauce. The meal ended with a choice of desserts, including creations such as strawberry tiramisu. This attention to detail made each meal feel like dining in a fine restaurant.

After dinner, the main lounge offered live music, performances, dancing, and board games, while the open deck provided a quieter spot to enjoy drinks and the passing scenery.

While we relaxed and soaked in the views, our “hotel” was sailing to the next destination. Without the hassle of switching hotels or spending hours on the road, it is the ultimate hub-and-spoke travel experience: enjoying the changing scenery and waking up somewhere new in the morning, often right in the heart of town.

Our original itinerary was set for the Rhine and Moselle, including Heidelberg and Strasbourg, but low water levels on the Rhine forced a change to the cruise plan, an occurrence that is not uncommon in river cruising. While such unexpected shifts can easily disrupt a vacation, in this case, they actually highlighted the benefits of an organized package.

The Gordon Travel team prepared alternative routes in advance, offered passengers several options, and adjusted all transportation and excursion logistics seamlessly. What began as an operational constraint turned into a revised route that proved just as rewarding as the original plan, taking us to places we had not initially anticipated, including Düsseldorf, which turned out to be one of the trip’s delightful surprises.

Cochem was our starting point and one of the highlights of the journey. Timber-framed houses from the 16th to 18th centuries, a charming town square, narrow lanes lined with cafes and souvenir shops, a riverside promenade, and Reichsburg Castle perched above all combine to create a fairytale setting. Between tasting local mustard, riding the chairlift, and discovering its Jewish heritage through Stolpersteine and the former synagogue site, we quickly found how easily a small town could fill an entire day.

In Bernkastel-Kues, we immersed ourselves further in the vineyard atmosphere of the Moselle Valley. A town tour and a tasting at a local winery made it clear why this region is considered one of Germany’s premier wine destinations, with Riesling as its undisputed star.

We also came across traces of local Jewish heritage, including a memorial plaque for the former synagogue and additional Stolpersteine. During our free time, we walked up the trail to the castle viewpoint overlooking the town and managed some shopping before returning to the ship on schedule – a key advantage of docking directly in town.

Koblenz provided a truly special moment. We first took the cable car up to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress for spectacular views of where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet, and a few hours later, our ship sailed right past the German Corner (Deutsches Eck), giving us the chance to admire this landmark both from above and from the water.

From there, we sailed downstream along the Rhine into the urban chapter of our trip. In the morning, I managed to squeeze in a yoga session on the deck as the cool river air welcomed us, and by the afternoon, we were already exploring Bonn.

From Bonn, we continued to Cologne, a destination included in our original plan. After a morning tour of the famous, towering cathedral, we walked over to the padlock bridge, next to which stands a memorial by the Israeli artist Dani Karavan, and strolled along the promenade and central squares. In the afternoon, we were given three options to choose from: the Motor Museum, the Chocolate Museum, or the Kolumba Museum, which proved to be a true highlight.

Kolumba is extraordinary for its architecture – built over the ruins of a destroyed Gothic church; it allows visitors to walk above the remains on raised footbridges while natural light filters through the walls. The result is striking, and modern art lovers will also appreciate the exhibition itself. Later on, we squeezed in some shopping around town.

Düsseldorf was not on our initial itinerary. I had anticipated a rural getaway rather than an urban escape, but the city experience proved just as enjoyable. Two spots not to miss include the view from the park overlooking Frank Gehry’s architectural complex, and the vibrant apartment block on Kiefernstraße. Instead of demolishing these older residential buildings, artists transformed them with massive, colorful murals covering entire facades rather than simple graffiti, making it a unique sight to see.

Surprisingly, the hours spent sailing, initially dismissed as lost transit time, became one of the highlights of the trip. Cruising along the Moselle offers breathtaking views of vineyards clinging to steep slopes, with small towns and historic houses passing so close you feel you could reach out and touch them.

The sailing itself features fascinating operational mechanics: passing through locks where the ship enters narrow chambers as the water rises or falls, or gliding under exceptionally low bridges. This requires the crew to fold down the safety rails, lower the sunroofs, and even drop the captain’s bridge.

Even ordinary moments take on a new essence on the water. My morning yoga practice on the top deck, surrounded by an open 360-degree panorama, was a truly wonderful experience. The cruise transforms the route from a mere passage between destinations into a remarkable experience in its own right.

Gordon Travel Group is a second-generation family business led by siblings Shiri and Guy Gordon. The company has begun operating long-term chartered ships under the Gordon brand, investing approximately €500,000 per vessel in refurbishment, interior design, and rebranding. It is also investing in a new fleet of river ships for the US market as it expands its operations across the world’s major rivers and develops itineraries for a wider range of travelers.