Day 1Basel
Welcome to Basel. We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your ship.* After boarding, enjoy free time and get acquainted with the city. (B)
Day 2Breisach
After cruising through the night you arrive during breakfast in Breisach, gateway to the Black Forest. Board your motorcoach for a scenic excursion through the area’s renowned mountain landscape, rolling meadows and dense forests. Once there, visit a local workshop and see a cuckoo clock-making demonstration. Enjoy afternoon free time or take our optional excursion to Colmar, a quaint Alsatian town. Your guided walking tour shows you the Maison des Têtes, Dominican Church and more. Dine aboard and cruise through the night to Strasbourg. (B, L, D)
Day 3Strasbourg
Arrive in Kehl this morning and disembark for your guided tour of Strasbourg. You will see the Place d’Austerlitz and the European Parliament and tour the interior of the city’s famed cathedral. Free time allows you to further explore the old section of the French-German city. Return to your ship for dinner and departure. (B, L, D)
Day 4Heidelberg & Rüdesheim
Disembark in Mannheim and take a motorcoach from Mannheim to Heidelberg where you will see Germany’s oldest university, founded in 1386. Then visit the beautiful sandstone ruins of imposing Heidelberg Castle, and take in the scenery of the Neckar River Valley and the city’s many red rooftops from its hilltop location. Continue with a walking tour from the Old Town to Heidelberg’s renowned gates. Return to your ship for afternoon cruising. Arrive in Rüdesheim and take a mini-train up the hill to tour Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum, filled with self-playing instruments. Then, spend free time to stroll the pedestrian-only Drosselgasse and sample a glass of locally produced wine in one of the area’s restaurants or wine bars. (B, L, D)
Day 5Braubach & Koblenz
After breakfast, disembark for your tour of 700-year-old Marksburg Castle and its museum. Return to your ship for lunch and sail along the most scenic stretch of the Rhine, where castles overlook the river from their hilltop locations. Later, arrive in Koblenz and enjoy an afternoon excursion through the Moselle Valley. (B, L, D)
Day 6Cologne
Cruise along the Rhine this morning, arriving just after breakfast in Cologne. Disembark for your walking tour of this gem of the Rhine. Stroll through Old Town and pass St. Martin’s Church. Then, visit inside Cologne’s Dom, a remarkable Gothic cathedral. You then visit a local brewery and sample Kölsch, the hometown brew. The rest of your day is free to explore the dockside taverns, cafés and shops. Dine aboard during departure. (B, L, D)
Day 7Amsterdam
This afternoon, tour the Van Gogh Museum and see works by the famous artist and his contemporaries. Then, enjoy a cruise through this canal-laced city in a glass-topped canal boat. You will pass narrow merchant houses and the renowned “Skinny Bridge” and get a different perspective of this vibrant, multicultural city. Dinner is served aboard. Evening free time; remain docked overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 8Amsterdam
After breakfast, disembark and we will take you to the Amsterdam airport for your return flight.* (B)