Day 1Amsterdam
Welcome to Amsterdam. We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your ship.* After boarding, enjoy free time and get acquainted with the city. Remain docked overnight. (D)
Day 2Amsterdam
This morning, take a tour of 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. Lunch and dinner are served aboard; cruise through the night. (B, L, D)
Day 3Cologne
Cruise along the Rhine this morning, arriving just after lunch 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. Your evening is free to explore the dockside taverns, cafés and shops. Dine aboard; depart late tonight. (B, L, D)
Day 4Koblenz & Rüdesheim
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. Castles overlook the river from their hilltop locations.
Arrive in Rüdesheim this evening. After dinner, take a mini-train up the hill to tour Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum, filled with self-playing instruments. Then, spend free time strolling the pedestrian-only Drosselgasse and sample a glass of locally produced wine in one of the restaurants or wine bars. Remain docked overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 5Heidelberg
Enjoy the passing scenery as you cruise through the morning. Arrive in Mannheim during lunch and disembark for your tour. Take a motorcoach from Mannheim to Heidelberg where you 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 in the early evening and have dinner aboard. You can explore Mannheim during tonight’s free time. (B, L, D)
Day 6Strasbourg
Your morning is highlighted by scenic cruising followed by lunch aboard. Arrive in Kehl in the early afternoon 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 this French-German city. Return for dinner aboard and you have free time in the quaint city of Kehl tonight. (B, L, D)
Day 7Breisach
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. Return to your ship in Breisach where you have free time before an early evening departure. 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 while you cruise on to Basel, arriving around midnight. (B, L, D)
Day 8Basel
After breakfast, disembark and we will take you to the airport for your return flight.* (B)