Luxury cruise ship on the Rhine

The cost of the ship is 24 million francs

Thurgau Travel organizes river cruises in Europe and Asia. 35 ships are ready for this. MS Thurgau Gold is the fifth that the family business has built itself. The hull was manufactured in Serbia, and the Den Breejen shipyard in the Netherlands was responsible for the interior design. According to Daniel Pauli Kaufmann, the most expensive, most luxurious and environmentally friendly cruise ship costs 24 million Swiss francs.

The 87 cabins are between 14 and 23 square metres. There is a jacuzzi, sauna, fitness room, 2 restaurants and a bar with a maximum capacity of 182 passengers. Space is always an issue on river cruisers. MS Thurgau Gold is one of the largest representatives of its kind on the Rhine, measuring 135m in length and 11.40m in width – it couldn’t be wider because of the locks. Every centimeter is used vertically as well.

This is what the rooms at “Thurgau Gold” look like.

The rooms are spread over three floors. The vessel is 6 meters high and has a draft of only 1.6 metres. “There are some bridges in particular in the main road where you have to turn,” says one employee. The wheelhouse can be lowered by about a meter if necessary.

Christened “Thurgau Gold,” river cruises are thriving. A group of specialized companies has emerged in Basel. About 60 percent of the more than 400 cruise ships operating in Europe are now registered in Basel. Only four new luxury ships were added to the canton’s ship registry in the spring.

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The upper deck of «Thurgau Gold» with jacuzzi and bridge.

Christenings were not possible at St. Johann’s station

There are also very practical reasons why Thurgau Travel chose Basel as its home port. “It is important for guests who come from Switzerland, that they can go up to Switzerland,” says Daniel Pauli Kaufmann. With St. Johann Station in particular, the city offers an attractive infrastructure. However, the baptism had to take place at Klybeckquai: “we would not have had permission for the St. Johann’s loudspeaker system”.

2 p.m. time to get serious. Former Miss Switzerland, Linda Fah, is allowed to pull the rope on which a bottle of champagne is attached. As required, it crashes on the bow. It is not known whether the saloon TV got on board in time.

Christening of the Ship with Linda Fah.

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