Minden-Weser (Germany North Rhine-Westphalia)

Minden (Minden an der Weser) is a Weser River cruise port and town in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia state (Minden-Lubbecke district) with population around 85,000. The town is best-known as the intersection of Mittellandkanal (Mittelland Canal) and Weser River. Mittelland Canal (length 326 km / 202 mi) is a major manmade inland waterway (running east-west through central Germany) also connecting the country with France, Switzerland, Benelux Union (Belgium-Holland-Luxembourg), Czechia, Poland, and up to North Sea/Baltic Sea.

Minden is located approx 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Bielefeld, approx 60 km (37 mi) west of Hannover (Lower Saxony state's capital), approx 80 km (50 mi) south of Bremen and approx 60 km (37 mi) east of Osnabruck. Mittellandkanal runs (east-west) directly through the town while Weser River runs south to north. Both waterways cross in town's northern area (at Wasserstrassenkreuz Minden / aqueduct).

As tourism travel destination, Minden is best-known for its two large museums - Preussenmuseum (Prussian history) and Geschichte-Landes-Volkskunde (themed on History, Cultural Studies and Folklore), also Puppenmuseum (Dolls Museum), Minden Museum Railway, Minden Dom (9th-century cathedral), numerous Renaissance-style buildings, botanical garden, green belt (park-like area of the former fortress walls), two bicycle routes (Muhlenroute and Weserradweg).

As cruise port, Minden is included in the schedules of some of Europe's largest river cruise companies - CroisiEurope (ships Victor Hugo and Mona Lisa) and Nicko Cruises (ship Frederic Chopin). Next tables show some of the Minden-visiting cruisetour itineraries as ports sequences and prices per person (double occupancy rates).

(CroisiEurope) 11-day itinerary between homeports Berlin and Amsterdam, from ~USD 1800 pp

(Nicko Cruises) 12-day itinerary between homeports Amsterdam and Berlin, from ~USD 2700 pp