The Rhine & Moselle – Amsterdam to Zürich

Itinerary Details

Day 1 Amsterdam.

Welcome to Amsterdam! Hollands capital is sophisticated and modern, with a rich and fascinating history. This delightful 700-year-old city with its elegant and classic architecture, cafs, restaurants, and lively marketplace has a distinct ambiance. If your flight arrives early enough, you might like to take one of the optional excursions on offer. Then, board your river cruise vessel and meet your crew at an evening welcome reception. (D)

Day 2 Amsterdam

Included today: Canal cruise. After breakfast, set out to discover the treasures of this city by CANAL BOAT, cruising through the elegant grachten lined with stately homes dating back to Amsterdam’s “Golden Age.” The afternoon is free to explore on your own or join in one of a number of optional excursions on offer. (B, L, D)

Day 3 Cologne, Germany

Included today: Choice of guided city walk or Jewish Heritage Walk.
One of Germany’s largest cities and capital of the Rhineland, Cologne straddles the Rhine and is known for its soaring, twin-steepled gothic cathedral. Choose between a GUIDED CITY WALK or a JEWISH HERITAGE WALK. Later, during free time, perhaps check out the Romano-Germanic Museum, home to a large collection of artifacts from the Roman settlement on which modern Cologne is builta must for history buffs! The Old Town abounds with cafs, shops, and taverns. Be sure to try a Klsch pale lager, locally brewed in Cologne for over a hundred years, and shop for a bottle of “4711,” the original eau de cologne (B, L, D)

Day 4 Koblenz

Included today: choice of guided city walk or visit Sayn Manor House. At the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, 2,000-year-old Koblenz is the cultural and business centre of the Middle Rhine region. Join a Local Guide for a WALKING TOUR of the city, which reveals an eventful past through its castles, fortress walls, towers, squares, and monuments; or visit nearby SAYN MANOR HOUSE, belonging to the counts of the same name. This afternoon, as you cruise the wide, peaceful curves of the Moselle River, it quickly becomes obvious why the Moselle Valley is famous for its beautiful and tranquil scenery, and that this is an important wine-growing area. (B, L, D)

Day 5 Bernkastel

Included today: guided walk; on board wine tasting. In the middle of the Moselle region is the charming wine village of Bernkastel with its fascinating narrow streets and half-timbered houses that have stood since the Middle Ages. Enjoy a GUIDED WALK that includes the beautiful marketplace with its renaissance-style Town Hallbuilt in 1608and the “pointed house,” built in 1416. Wine growers in this area look after Germany’s largest expanse of vineyards, the most celebrated of the vintages being the Bernkasteler Doktor. Before dinner enjoy an ONBOARD TASTING of some of the local wines. (B, L, D)

Day 6 Thionville, France

Included today: Choice of excursion to Metz or an area of the Maginot Line. Today, the choice is yours. Join an excursion to Metz, a city with a rich history and many cultural and architectural gems, or history buffs may prefer to participate in an excursion to a nearby area of the Maginot Line, which stretched from Switzerland to the Belgian border. The line was composed of huge fortresses with smaller defensive posts or simple blockhouses. Return to your vessel in time for lunch. The afternoon is free with the possibility to join an optional excursion. (B, L, D)

Day 7 Remich, Luxembourg.

Included today: Guided sightseeing of Luxembourg City; choice of guided sightseeing in Trier or ‘Roman Trier’, see the Porta Negra. Because of its location and natural geography, Luxembourg City has been a place of strategic military significance throughout history; the first fortifications were built as early as the 10th century. The city centre occupies a picturesque site, perched high on precipitous cliffs that drop into the narrow valleys of the Alzette and Ptrusse Rivers. A LOCAL GUIDE will acquaint you with this city whose layout is complex as it is set on two levels, straddling hills and dropping into the two river valleys. At the head of the Moselle Valley is Trier, Germany’s oldest city. Some say Trier is even older than Rome and that it was populated over a thousand years before the Romans arrived. Many Roman remains have survived, including a 20,000-seat amphitheatre; the Porta Nigra, the only surviving fortified gate from the original Roman settlement, which still gives access to the town’s centre; imperial baths; and the Roman Bridge, Germany’s oldest bridge with stone pilings dating from 144-152 ADall evidence of this once grand Roman city. Trier also offers pleasant market squares, Germany’s oldest Christian church, and a cornucopia of architectural stylesRoman, baroque, neo-classicism, renaissance, and gothic. A choice of GUIDED CITY SIGHTSEEING or the more history-focused “ROMAN TRIER” guided tour, followed by some free time, gives you the opportunity to discover this magnificent town. (B, L, D)

Day 8 Beilstein, Germany

Included today: excursion to Eltz Castle. A leisurely day today – free time this morning to explore the quaint little town of Beilstein. Then this afternoon visit medieval ELTZ CASTLE, still today owned by a branch of the family who lived there in the 12th century. (B,L,D) (B, L, D)

Day 9 Rhine Gorge – Rdesheim.

Included today: Cruise through the Rhine Gorge; visit Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum.
A highlight this morning after breakfast: cruise through the dramatic RHINE GORGE, the most beautiful stretch of river. Here, ancient castles stand sentry on lofty cliffs rising 400 feet above the waters. Cruise past the legendary rock of the Lorelei, where echoes of enchanted siren song lured unwitting sailors to their doom. Then, arrive in Rdesheim, a typical Rhine Valley wine town. Visit SIEGFRIEDS MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MUSEUM to see and hear a large collection of self-playing calliopes and music boxes from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. Enjoy a SPECIAL TREAT, then theres free time to pick up some souvenirs on the narrow, cobblestoned Drosselgasse, where colourful flowers, open-air wine gardens, and live music add to the festive atmosphere. (B, L, D)

Day 10 Excursion to Heidelberg

Included today: Guided visit to Heidelberg Castle visit.
This morning an excursion takes you to Heidelberg, home to the oldest university in Germany. With a local expert, visit the imposing ruins of HEIDELBERG CASTLE, towering magnificently over the city and among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps. You’ll also see the famed GREAT VAT, the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel. At nearly 23 feet high and 28 feet wide, the cask holds over 58,000 gallons of wine and has a dance floor built on top of it! (B, L, D)

Day 11 Strasbourg.

Included today: Guided sightseeing, visit La Petite France district and gothic cathedral.
Situated on the border of France and Germany, Strasbourg is influenced by the culture of both countries and is the capital of the Alsace region. It is the seat of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. Noteworthy sights include the Gothic Cathedral, the lovely Petite France district, Place Klber, and Place Gutenberg with its statue of the inventor of the printing press. An optional excursion to the Alsace wine region is available. After dinner tonight, enjoy an onboard woodcarving demonstration. (B, L, D)

Day 12 Breisach.

Included today: Excursion to the Black Forest.
Located at the foot of Kaiserstuhl Mountain on the French-German border, Breisach is the gateway to Germany’s Black Forest region, an area of unrivalled natural beauty with its forests of thick pine trees. The region is bet known for its cuckoo clocks, Black Forest ham and Black Forest Gateaux. Perhaps visit the workshop of a local wood carver and clock maker, or visit the open-air Museum of Vogtbauernhof to see how life was lived in this area centuries ago. (B, L, D)

Day 13 Basel Zrich.

Disembark and transfer to Zrich airport for your flight to the UK. (B)