Sail the enchanting Rhine River on this unique river cruise of Europe. Enjoy the luxury of the MS Amalyra while cruising from the Netherlands to Germany, Switzerland, France and more. Relax in luxury on this Europe river cruise!
Highlights
Cruise the intertwining canals of Amsterdam
Visit with a local vintner and enjoy a wine tasting in Rudesheim
Explore the red-walled castle of Heidelberg and its Great Vat
Take a cable car to the top of Mount Pilatus for great views of Lucerne
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
After breakfast, your tour of Amsterdam begins with a scenic canal cruise through the city known as the “Venice of the North.” See the beautiful homes that line the water, the fabled Skinny Bridge, and the famous Anne Frank House. Then, enjoy a panoramic city tour and see the great landmarks of Amsterdam, including a photo stop at a windmill. Afterwards, enjoy some free time to explore Amsterdam before returning to the ship.
Your guided tour of Cologne this morning includes the Old Town, Cathedral Square, and the city’s majestic Gothic cathedral. Afterwards, use your free time to visit some of the local shops or have a coffee at a quaint café. This afternoon the ship cruises to Koblenz and moors overnight.
This morning, sail through the fascinating Rhine Gorge, passing castle after castle and the infamous Lorelei Rock. This afternoon, arrive in Rüdesheim, where you can enjoy an afternoon wine tasting with a local vintner. Explore the Drosselgasse, a narrow alley lined with wine taverns and restaurants during your free time. This evening, visit the historic Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum, housing a remarkable collection of robotic and self-playing musical instruments from the 18th to 20th centuries.
Arrive in Mannheim, where you have a choice of one of three excursions this afternoon. Your first option is a half-day excursion to the historic university town of Heidelberg, where you can visit the red-walled castle with its Great Vat (a 49,000-gallon wine cask) and enjoy beautiful views of the Neckar Valley and city below. Or, for your second option, enjoy a hike up the Philosopher's Path to a panoramic viewpoint of Heidelberg. Your third option is a city tour of Speyer. One of Germany’s oldest cities, it is known for its cathedral, numerous churches, and the medieval Altpörtel (Old Gate). This evening, the ship continues onward to Strasbourg, France.
Capital and principal city of the Alsace region in northeastern France, Strasbourg is situated on the Ill River, where it flows into the Rhine on the border with Germany. Enjoy a canal cruise of this picturesque town, known for its black and white timber-framed buildings, covered bridges, and medieval watchtowers. Then take a walking tour through this charming town lined with narrow cobbled streets. See the European Parliament and visit the “La Petite France” district, where you can see the sandstone Gothic cathedral with its famous astronomical clock. The remainder of the day is at your leisure. In the afternoon, a guided bicycle tour (capacity controlled) takes you past the Orangery, the town’s oldest park, the European Parliament, and Place de la Republique. The ship moors overnight.
You have three exciting excursions to choose from today. The first is a walking tour of Riquewihr, a picturesque town renowned for its historic architecture and for its Riesling wines. A second option is a tour of the beautiful towns of Breisach and Freiburg, where you visit the historical city center and Freiburg’s Münster, a Gothic cathedral constructed of red sandstone. Your third choice is guided bike tour of Breisach that takes you through the Rheinau woods. Tonight, the ship cruises towards Switzerland.
Day 8: Basel, Switzerland | Disembark | Lucerne
1 Breakfast
Disembark after breakfast for a city tour of cosmopolitan Basel. Long an important university, banking, and trade center, Basel’s glorious past is still evident in its medieval Town Hall and exquisite 18th-century patrician homes. After free time for lunch on your own, depart for Lucerne. Visit the Lion Monument en route and arrive mid-afternoon to check in to the hotel.
Day 9: Lucerne
1 Breakfast
After breakfast, enjoy a walking tour of this medieval gem. See some of the city’s lovely cobblestone streets, monuments, fountains, public squares, covered bridges and colorful frescoed buildings. The afternoon offers free time to shop for Swiss-made watches, knives, and delicious chocolates.
Day 10: Lucerne | Zurich
1 Breakfast
This morning, take a leisurely cruise across the tranquil waters of Lake Lucerne to Vitznau. Here, board a motor coach for a scenic drive through the countryside, passing alpine lakes and small villages. Stop in one, Brunnen, where you may explore and try local cuisine. Later arrive in Zurich, check into your hotel and spend the rest of the day at your leisure.
Day 11: Zurich
1 Breakfast
Your morning walking tour of picturesque Zurich includes Grossmünster, St. Peter, with the largest church clock face in the world, Old Town, Town Hall and Fraumünster, which was fully renovated in 2004 and now offers an exceptional 360° panoramic view of Zurich. The afternoon and evening are free for you to explore the town on your own.
Day 12: Depart Zurich
1 Breakfast
After breakfast, bid farewell to Switzerland and prepare for your return flight home.
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Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen
TrustScore 4.8 | 174 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 174 reviews on
1 day ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.