Rhine History and Vineyards Cruise

TRAVEL
VIP door-to-door travel service from anywhere on the UK mainland
Included travel insurance
Return flights and transfers

ACCOMMODATION
All Gratuities on board
Complimentary Wi-Fi

EXPERIENCES
Cruise Host
Entertainment and activities on the ship
Strasbourg tour and canal cruise
Heidelberg and Castle visit
Amsterdam city tour and canal cruise OR Amsterdam Culinary Walking Tour

FOOD & DRINK
20 meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 7 dinners
Wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner
Drinks reception and Captain’s dinner

Fly to Basel and transfer from the airport to the port where you will embark your ship, Spirit of the Rhine.

Enjoy dinner on board this evening as you spend the night cruising towards Breisach.

Arrive in the early hours with a day to explore Breisach, an important medieval town of the Holy Roman Empire during the 16th century. It's overlooked by a 12th-century cathedral – St Stephansmünster – set high on a hilltop above.

It's also known as the 'gateway to the Black Forest' and you'll have the chance to join an optional excursion to picturesque Colmar with its well-preserved old town, and the wine town of Riquewhir.

Another optional tour visits Lake Titisee, in the Black Forest for a short cruise and lunch.

Depart later tonight and cruise to Strasbourg.

You'll arrive in Kehl before breakfast, with the whole day to discover Strasbourg, the beautiful capital of Alsace, with its cobbled streets, picturesque half-timbered houses and magnificent cathedral.

This morning an included city tour and canal cruise will help you get your bearings, then this afternoon you can explore further independently.

Alternatively, you might like to join an excursion to the pretty walled city of Obernai, where you can stroll along the ramparts and admire attractive 13th-century buildings with flower-filled balconies.

Your ship departs for Mannheim this evening.

Pause awhile in Mannheim this morning allowing you to join an included visit the home of Germany's oldest university, the city of Heidelberg.

Highlights include the Old Bridge across the River Neckar and the ruined castle high above the city. Its rather random appearance is due to it having been added to through different periods of German architectural styles. Virtually destroyed by lightning in 1764 it was cannibalised by locals who used stones from it in their own houses!

Rejoin the ship in Mainz where you spend the afternoon. Here you can use your interactive map to explore the atmospheric Old Town and famous Gutenberg Museum, dedicated to Johannes Gutenberg. Born in the city he was the inventor of the 'moveable type' printing press, and is known as the 'father of modern printing'. Later, cruise to charming Rüdesheim, where you will moor for the night.

This evening you can take a stroll down the cobbled Drosselgasse, a narrow street lined with taverns, to enjoy a flagon of ale or perhaps join an optional excursion to a wine tasting session or an alternative visit to Siegfried’s Museum of Mechanical Music.

Cruise a scenic stretch of the Rhine this morning past a collection of fairy-tale castles and villages, and the impressive Lorelei Rock, before arriving for an afternoon in Koblenz.

The city sits at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers and is an important centre for the wine industry. Stroll along the pretty riverside promenade, overlooked by the Festung Ehrenbreitstein citadel, which sits on a hill across the river.

Perhaps join an optional tour which also visits the fortress.

Depart later tonight and cruise overnight to Cologne.

A morning in Cologne, considered Germany’s cultural capital, provides the opportunity to enjoy exploring using our state-of-the-art interactive map – don't miss one of Germany’s most popular attractions, the vast Gothic cathedral, started in 1248 to house the relics of the three Magi but not finally completed until 1880!

You can see the magnificent shrine to Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar – now among the patron saints of Cologne – behind the high altar.

Around lunchtime your ship sets sail for the final time, cruising through the afternoon and overnight bound for Amsterdam.

The Dutch capital is rightly popular for its friendly welcome, picturesque canals, world-class museums and galleries and laid-back cafes and bars.

This morning you can join an included excursion. After disembarking your ship and meeting your guide, take a tram to Central Station from where you will begin a walking tour of the city. Along the way look forward to tasting local delicacies including herring, cheese and croquettes and rounding it off with a sweet treat from a bakery.

Alternatively you could join an included tour of Amsterdam by coach and see the Royal Palace on Dam Square, the floating flower market, the Central Railway Station, which is built on thousands of wooden piles, and the grand 19th-century Rijksmuseum.

Afterwards, enjoy a canal cruise to see the city centre with its pretty bridges and attractive gabled houses up close and view such treasures as the famous Skinny Bridge, the Montelbaanstoren tower and the Jewish Quarter.

This afternoon you might wish to join an optional excursion visiting Volendam, Edam and Katwoude Cheese Farm.

Remain moored in Amsterdam overnight.

Disembark your ship after breakfast and begin your return journey to the UK.