Main River on a map
The Main River is the largest tributary of the Rhine. It runs from headwaters in the Fichtel Mountains of northeastern Bavaria as the White Main and the Fränkische Mountains in Franconia as the Red Main, which join to form the Main. The river flows west through central Germany for 525 kilometers (nearly 311 miles) until joining with the Rhine. More rivers join into the Main River along the way before it gets to the Rhine.
in a lock
The manmade Main/Danube canal connects the Main with the Danube, creating a 2,200-mile (3,500-km) waterway joining rivers and canals from the North Sea to the Black Sea. There are 32 locks on the main plus 16 more in the canal. Our journey from Budapest to Amsterdam on Viking Skirner started in the Danube, passed through the Main Danube Canal, then through the Main and into the Rhine going through over 60 locks along the way.
spillway to a lock
Locks are necessary when passing through waterways that are not at the same level. The boat enters the chamber and then the doors close. Water either fills or empties until it reaches the level of the water the boat will enter next. Then the doors open and the boat sails on. During the first half of our journey locks filled as we moved upward inland. During the second half they emptied as we went back down toward sea level.
mistletoe in trees on the riverbank
Sailing through the Main River the ship passed many scenic little historic towns along the way. There are also forested areas. Throughout our journey we sometimes passed trees along the shoreline infested with mistletoe.
church in a little town on the Main River
There are many churches. Every town we saw had at least one church no matter how small the town was. Even very little towns frequently had more than one. Vinyards often sprawled along the hillsides rising steeply alongside the river.
castle
There are also some castles and castle ruins on the Main, though the Rhine is better known for castles having a stretch with many in a row.
view from the port in Würzburg
Our cruise stopped in several charming ports along the Main including Bamberg, Würzburg, and Wertheim.
bridge
The river is a significant trade route as well as a nice place for scenic river cruises. Like the cruise ships, cargo boats on the river are long and low. They have to be low to pass under the many bridges encountered along the way. Water levels are very important. When the water is too deep ships don’t fit under the bridges, but if it gets too shallow there’s not enough water under the ship to sail at all. Sometimes river cruises get interrupted due to unfavorable water levels and the passengers either have to change ships at an unpassable bridge or end up taking a bus if the ships can’t move. We never encountered water that was too high or low so our river cruise on Viking Skirnir went smoothly along on one ship for the entire journey as it is supposed to.
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