ONBOARD ELBE PRINCESS II — The river cruise season is underway in Europe, and the views are nothing short of spectacular.

Since last week, Profession Voyages (part of The Travelweek Group) has been sailing on a CroisiEurope cruise between Prague and Berlin, from the Czech Republic to Germany.

The famous sandstone mountains of the Elbe, the Elbsandsteingebirge, are just one highlight on the nine-day itinerary. Sailing onboard the uniquely designed paddlewheel boat, the Elbe Princess II, created by CroisiEurope, passengers depart from Prague to Kralupy and Usti, before docking in Dresden, nicknamed ‘the Florence of the Elbe’. From there it’s on to Meissen, Wittenberg, Magdeburg and Wusterwitz before finally arriving in Berlin.

Here is a first report in photos …

CroisiEurope’s nine-day Prague-Berlin cruise begins in Prague, where the Elbe Princess II is docked for two nights.

Prague

The first evening, passengers take possession of their cabins; those upstairs have a large patio door style window and a retractable television…

Elbe Princess II cabin

… as well as a full private bathroom.

In Prague, on the first day, two excursions are offered: the famous Prague Castle and its surroundings, in the morning…

Prague Castle

… as well as Stare Mesto – the Old Town – in the afternoon.

Prague’s Old Town

After a hearty (and very good) meal as well as a performance by a Czech folk trio, everyone returns to their cabin in the evening. Tomorrow the ship casts off towards the northwest.

Departing from Prague, the ship first travels through Moldova (or Vtlava, for Czechs).

Views from the Moldau river

We pass through several locks, including Horin, a historic lock, which dates from 1905.

Horin Lock

It provides access to the ancient royal town of Melnik, which marks the confluence point between the Elbe and the Moldau.

The historic town of Melnik in the Czech Republic

After a tasty lunch, we embark on an excursion to a charming little town with a medieval layout but very varied architectural styles: Litomerice.

Litomerice, Czech Republic

We take the opportunity to have a little drink at Pivovar Litomerice, an excellent family microbrewery where the son and master brewer, Daniel Hutar, lets us taste some of his products.

Daniel Hutar, Pivovar, Litomerice

In the evening, we resume navigation on the Elbe, against a backdrop of extinct volcanoes in the distance…

… while admiring the scenery reflected in the river, which sometimes feels like a calm mirror.

The next day, after a hearty breakfast (pastries, cold meats, cheeses, cereals, omelettes, etc.), we cast off again.

We soon pass Utsi, an industrial town whose harp bridge is unique to say the least.

Near the German border, we begin to see the famous Elbe sandstone mountains.

We later dock at Bad Schandau, a famous spa town, to visit the incredible Koenigstein fortress, which was also used as a prison in the past.

Konigstein Fortress

From up there, the views of the Elbe and the surrounding area are simply breathtaking.

Back in Bad Schandau, we board the Elbe Princess II, an elegant river ship that can accommodate a maximum of 79 passengers…

…and which is propelled by two paddle wheels.

Elbe Princess II

Along the way, we come across the most beautiful examples of the Elbe sandstone mountains – called Elsandsteingebirge, in German. Here we are in Saxon Switzerland, the nickname of this region in southeastern Germany.

After the aperitif (free, because beers, wine and certain cocktails are included), we sit down at the table: all the meals are very good and especially highlight French cuisine.

Later in the evening, the Elbe Princess II finally arrives in Dresden and drops anchor in front of the illuminated Königsufer.

Konigsufer

To be continued…

This story was originally published in Profession Voyages, part of The Travelweek Group