ONBOARD ELBE PRINCESS II — The first evening sighting of Dresden, rebuilt after World War II and Germany’s reunification, is just one of the memorable experiences onboard a CroisiEurope cruise from Prague and Berlin.

Profession Voyages (part of The Travelweek Group) recently sailed on CroisiEurope’s Elbe Princess II from the Czech Republic to Germany, and is sharing the experience visually, with photos of the port cities, the scenery along the way, and of course, the onboard experience.

Last week’s Part 1 showed highlights from Prague to Kralupy and Usti, and included the famous sandstone mountains of the Elbe, the Elbsandsteingebirge.

From Dresden it was on to Meissen, Wittenberg, Magdeburg and Wusterwitz before finally arriving in Berlin.

Take a look …

Arriving in the evening in Dresden has an advantage – you can discover this incredible city at night, rebuilt stone by stone after the war.

It’s all the more practical as the Elbe Princess II is moored 10 minutes’ walk from the old town.

The next day, you can choose between the CroisiEurope guided coach tour, which passes through several sectors of the city, or concentrate on the old town – which deserves a few days in itself, so three hours is not too much.

Among other splendours of Dresden, the palatial Zwinger particularly stands out. Even if it is, unfortunately, at the heart of a major renovation.

Raised directly on the banks of the Elbe, Dresden can also be admired from the Elbe Princess II’s sun bridge.

Leaving the city, the ship passes by this astonishing construction. It looks like a mosque, but was actually originally built as a cigarette factory.

At lunchtime, there’s mozzarella di bufala and tomato tartare with pesto. We don’t always eat French cuisine on the Elbe Princess II, but we always eat well. This evening, delicious quail with red wine sauce will be served.

Along the Elbe there are villages, hamlets…

…and isolated churches.

Next stop: Meissen, whose castle is one of the oldest in Germany.

Its medieval old town is particularly pleasant to explore.

Several alleys seem to wrap around the promontory where the cathedral is located.

Meissen is also – and above all – renowned for its fine porcelain…

… which have been made here since 1710.

Back onboard the ship, there’s a ‘French guingette’ evening. For the occasion, the entire crew wears berets.

The service onboard Elbe Princess II is impeccable. The staff is gracious and friendly with the passengers, and the service at the tables and in public spaces is particularly warm and efficient, and provided mainly in French.

As for the captain, he’s in control!

To be continued…

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