Heilbronn (Germany Baden-Wurttemberg)

Heilbronn is a Neckar River cruise port and city in Germany's Baden-Wurttemberg state (Heilbronn district) with population around 125,000. Heilbronn is a former Freie und Reichsstadte (Imperial Free City), district's capital, and Heilbronn-Franken region's economic hub. Furthermore, the city is well-known for its large-scale wine production industry.

The city is positioned on the river's banks. Its highest elevation point (Schweinsberg Hill) is 372 m (1220 ft) and right in downtown. Adjacent to the city is Schwäbisch-Fränkischen Waldberge (Swabian-Franconian Forest NP) and it is surrounded by numerous vineyards. The city and its surroundings are part of the Stuttgart Metro area. Heilbronn is one of all 14 cities that form the Heilbronn-Franken region.

As settlement (as Heilbrunna) was first mentioned in the late-8th-century AD (741), its name meaning "healing well". The town (Heilbronn) was first mentioned in 1050 AD as a major Jewish settlement with a large harbor and vineyards. As best-known tourist attractions, the current-day city features several large churches, numerous museums, several major annual events - Pferdemarkt (February), Trollinger marathon (. July), Gaffenberg Festival and Unterlander Volksfest (July-August), Heilbronner Weindorf (October), Weihnachtsmarkt (November-December), Neckarfest, Traubenblütenfest. The city's economy is heavily based on viticulture (winemaking and production) with ~514 hectares (~5,2 km2) of vineyards. They rank the Heilbronn wine region Wurttemberg's 3rd-largest - after Brackenheim and Lauffen am Neckar. Another major industry is salt mining (by Sudwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG).

As cruise port, Heilbronn is included in the schedules of two of Europe's largest river cruise companies - Phoenix Reisen (ship Switzerland) and Mystic-Nico Cruises (ship Heidelberg). The next table shows the 10-day itinerary as ports sequence and times.

Prices vary between ~USD 1700-2700 pp (depending on the company/season/departure dates).