Magical Rhine

Upon arrival in Cologne, find your own way to the port (transfer not included). Embarkation begins at 03:00 PM and the Cruise set sail at 04:30 PM for Amsterdam. Today you embark the vessel and get settled into your cabin. This evening, enjoy your welcome dinner with live music in the lounge.

Dinner and overnight on board

Morning around 0800hrs, arrive in Amsterdam, Netherlands capital, it is known for its artistic heritage, Dutch’s Golden Age Canal system lined up with Gabled houses with narrow lanes, treasure-packed museums, vintage-filled shops and hyper-creative drinking, dining and design scenes and vibrant nightlife. Rest of the day is free to explore the city of Amsterdam on your own, perhaps you can choose to pre-book one of the following optional tours. Leave the shores of Amsterdam around 1430hrs and cruise towards Nijmegen.

Overnight on Board

Optional: Excursion to North Holland with Volendam and Marken : Only Bookable onboard

Get to know the Dutch province of North Holland, which lies on a peninsula between the North Sea and the Ijsselmeer. Pretty towns like Volendam, for example, tell of a time when the Ijsselmeer still had open access to the sea and was called the Zuiderzee. Enjoy your walk through Volendam before taking the Marken-Volendam-Express across the Ijsselmeer to the island of Marken. Idyllic and steeped in tradition - that's how you can describe this picturesque place in just a few words. Join us for a walk together or discover the small island on your own before the bus brings you back to Amsterdam.

Optional: Highlights of Amsterdam with Canal Tour: Price is Part of Excursion package

Amsterdam is a city that is as vibrant as it is versatile. Modern lifestyle and the flair of the Golden Age combine to form an incomparable symbiosis. You will find ultra-modern architecture and trendy bars as well as idyllic cafés, flea markets and traditional canal houses. Nowhere else in the world are there so many listed old buildings from past centuries as in the Dutch metropolis. The houses stand so close together as if they had to hold each other up to keep from falling over. The canals give the city a special charm and remind you at every turn that you are in the heart of a seafaring and trading nation. They form a canal system that runs through the entire city area and thus shapes the face of the city. Meanwhile, the multitude of canals extends over a total length of 80 kilometers, which has earned the city the nickname \"Venice of the North\": 165 canals, 1281 bridges, 70 tour boats, 8 wooden drawbridges, 2,500 residential boats and 120 pedal boats will leave a lasting impression on you. Look forward to a canal cruise along the magnificent merchants' houses from the Golden Age, which will be a highlight of your visit to Amsterdam.

Around 0800hrs this morning, sail into one of the oldest cities of Netherlands, dating back to 2000, Nijmegen is believed to have been founded by Roman’s way back in 01st Century BC. Squeezed between the 16th Century lower Town by the banks of the Waal River and the older Upper town, the compact medieval city center of Nijmegen charms you with its historic cafes, specialist craft coffee shops and a decent smattering of museums. The day is free to explore the city of Nijmegen on your own, perhaps choose from one of the following optional tours. Afternoon around 1430hrs sail back towards Cologne.

Overnight on Board

Optional: City walk Nijmegen: Only Bookable onboard

The Hanseatic city of Nijmegen with 160,000 inhabitants is the oldest in the Netherlands and looks back on a history of over 2000 years. The city gives you a particularly impressive welcome when you cross the Waal Bridge into the center: the Waalkade and the silhouette of the city center form an impressive whole. Past and present go hand in hand; historical parts alternate with modern architecture. The city, situated on a ridge on the banks of the Waal, has exerted a great attraction on people for centuries. The city tour leads off the beaten track through small winding streets, in which you can still feel the breath of the Middle Ages. Among other things, it passes the Valkhofpark with castle ruins, the town hall, St. Steven's church, the Latin school and the customs house with mosaic wall.

For many, Cologne is just a synonym for men’s perfume, for them, one of the oldest cities in Germany, Cologne does not exist. Home to the third tallest church and the tallest Cathedral in the world, Cologne is one of the largest cities on the banks of Rhine. Sail into the city around 0800hrs, the rest of the morning is free for you to explore the highlights of this beautiful city on your own, perhaps you can choose to prebook the following optional tours. Around 1430hrs, set sail for your next destination of stay Koblenz. Arrive late in the evening for overnight.

Overnight on Board

Optional: City tour/walk Cologne with Kolsch: Price is Part of Excursion package

The cathedral city looks back on a history of more than 2,000 years, which has left its mark everywhere in the city and gives it its unique and at the same time intimate and metropolitan character. In the Middle Ages, Cologne developed into an important ecclesiastical and artistic center. Likewise, the strategic location on the Rhine with its important west-east trade routes contributed to Cologne's importance. Cologne Cathedral has been the landmark of the metropolis on the Rhine for centuries and is the most famous architectural monument in Germany. The cathedral is the second largest church building in Europe - after Ulm Cathedral. Inside it there is a shrine of the Three Kings, in which the alleged relics of the Magi are kept and therefore Cologne also bears Three Crowns in its coat of arms. During this city tour and walking tour you will experience Cologne with the beloved old and the functional new. Strengthen yourself in between with a glass of Kölsch, the traditional beer of the city.

Indulge yourself in the exploration of Koblenz, located at the confluence of Rivers Moselle and Rhine and the convergence of three low mountain ranges of Hunsruck, The Eifel and the Westerwald, the park and flower-filled city of Koblenz is the perfect gateway to the Romantic Rhine Valley and the northeastern gateway to Moselle valley. Perhaps choose to book one of the below available optional tours. Afternoon around 1300hrs, continue your cruise towards Rudesheim to arrive late evening for overnight.

Overnight on Board

Optional: City tour Koblenz with Cable Car ride: Price is Part of Excursion package

With its more than 2,000-year history, Koblenz is one of the oldest cities in Germany. The original Latin name Confluentes (meaning: those who flow together) is due to the city's location. Koblenz is located at the mouth of the Moselle and Rhine, the so-called \"German Corner\". Get to know the historic old town on a walking tour. The idyllic alleys between the Basilica of St. Kastor, the oldest church building in Koblenz, and the Church of Our Lady give Koblenz a special charm. The walking tour takes you to another landmark of the city, the Schängelbrunnen fountain at the city hall, which is a monument to the Koblenz Schängel, a rascal. Following your tour, a highlight awaits you: a cable car ride across the Rhine to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. Experience Koblenz from a bird's eye view and then take a stroll through the fortress park.

Optional: Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet: Only Bookable onboard

About halfway down the Rhine from its source to its mouth in the North Sea is the town of Rüdesheim, a wine-growing town in the Middle Rhine Valley. No one can say they know the Rhine if they haven't experienced a sunny day in Rüdesheim. Look forward to your visit to this enchanting little town and don't miss during your Don't miss a visit to Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet during your stay. In the Brömser Hof, a knight's residence from the 15th century, some 350 self-playing musical instruments from three centuries are on display. During a one-hour guided about orchestrions, barrel organs and the art of recording and reproducing music mechanically and physically. and play it back. Enjoy a glass of wine and let yourself be amazed by the artistic-musical inventions of past times. times. You will make your way to the Music Cabinet on the \"Winzerexpress\".

Very early in the morning at around 0300hrs, you set sail for your next destination, the industrial city of Mannheim/Ludwigshafen, home to BASF, one of the world’s most important chemical companies. Located on the confluence of Rhine and Neckar Rivers, the twin cities of Mannheim/Ludwigshafen offer an energetic cultural scene and decent shopping options at its busy city center, along with the landmark palace, the Barockschloss Mannheim. Choose to explore the city at your own free will or prebook the optional tour.

Overnight on Board

Optional: Excursion Speyer : Only Bookable onboard

The cathedral city of Speyer looks back on an eventful 2,000-year history and was already a pivotal point in German history in the Middle Ages. The landmark and most important building are the imperial cathedral of Speyer. Already in 1981, the largest Romanesque building in the world was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. At the turn of the century, the Dreifaltigkeitskirche was still described as \"unattractively built-in pigtail style\". Today, however, it is considered a late Baroque synthesis of the arts.

This morning, around 0700hrs, cruise to the shores of Strasbourg, the cultural bridge between France and Germany, it’s a homogenous blend of Medieval Past and progressive future, Romanesque buildings and Gothic Architecture, Protestants and Catholics. Rich in historical landmarks bestowed to the city by the French and Germans, during their alternate reigns, it boasts buildings built in Romanesque, Gothic, New Renaissance and contemporary architectural styles. Morning is free to explore the historical city on your own or choose to pre-book one of the optional tours. Afternoon set sail to your destination.

Overnight on Board

Optional: City tour/Walk Strasbourg: Price is Part of Excursion package

Idyllic half-timbered streets, cozy wine taverns and, of course, the impressive cathedral visit this historic city an experience. Due to the seat of numerous European institutions, such as the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights, a political wind also blows through the border city on the Rhine. The entire city center of Strasbourg was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 due to its diverse architectural heritage. On Republic Square, you can admire the Rhine Palace, the National Library and the Opera. Afterward, stroll through the picturesque Tanners' Quarter. On the way to the historic city center you will encounter the coziness of the Alsatians. Passing old inns and delicatessen stores, the excursion takes you to Notre-Dame Cathedral. Your guide will explain at length the special features of the cathedral and numerous interesting stories about its construction and architecture. In the cathedral itself, things get exciting: you are there when the astronomical clock strikes the \"full\" hour and different figures breathe life into the clock. After the tour of the cathedral, there will be some free time. The bus, which is already waiting for you nearby, will then take you back to the ship.

Enjoy breakfast on board before you disembark this morning from 09:00 AM. Enjoy a walking tour of Basel before you make your own way to the Basel airport (transfer not included) for your flight back home.

Optional: City tour/Walk Basel: Price is Part of Excursion package

During an informative bus tour, you will see the highlights of the city. After Zurich and Geneva, Basel is the third largest city in Switzerland with about 170,000 inhabitants. Basel is composed of two districts, Kleinbasel and Großbasel. The center is the old town of Großbasel. The bus passes the medieval Spalentor, the most famous of the medieval city gates. Then the tour passes the synagogue and St. Paul's Church to the early intellectual center, as Basel has the oldest university in Switzerland. From the Art Museum, you will take a short walk to the Minster. Here you will learn interesting facts about one of Basel's landmarks, such as its exterior and interior architecture. In the church made of red sandstone is the tomb of Erasmus of Rotterdam. From the \"Pfalz-Terrasse\" behind the cathedral, a wonderful view over Basel and the Rhine reveals itself at the end of the city tour.

Please book your return flight ticket accordingly, if you are opting for optional tour package which includes a city tour of Basel