Rhine Getaway: Basel to Amsterdam

Welcome to Basel, on the Rhine River in northwest Switzerland. After boarding, enjoy time on your own getting acquainted with the city. Dinner is served on board. 

Arrive in Breisach this morning, gateway to the Black Forest. Take a scenic excursion through the area’s renowned mountain landscape, rolling meadows and dense forests. Once there, visit a local workshop to see a cuckoo clock-making demonstration, and learn how Black Forest Cake is made. Return to your ship for lunch. This afternoon, perhaps join an optional excursion to the quaint Alsatian town of Colmar to discover the storybook charm of its streets lined with medieval, Gothic and Renaissance buildings and visit a fine arts museum. Alternately, choose an optional excursion that explores Colmar’s World War II history. Dine on board this evening and cruise on through the night.

The following excursion is included for this day: The Black Forest.

Optional excursions will be available for an additional charge: Medieval Village of Colmar, Colmar on World War II: Museum & Memorial, Into the Black Forest by E-Bike.

Disembark this morning for your guided tour of Strasbourg. See the European Parliament and tour the interior of the city’s famed cathedral. Free time allows you to further explore this Alsatian city’s blend of French and German cultures, resplendent churches, medieval covered bridges, verdant parks and handsome art nouveau and modernist architecture. Alternately, join our optional excursion into Alsatian wine country for an informative winery tour and tasting. Or, spend your full day exploring culinary Strasbourg on an optional excursion; as you explore the city and take in its sights, savor samples of the renowned Alsatian cuisine, from regional dessert specialties and meats to wine pairings with local foods. Return to your ship for dinner and departure.

The following excursion is included for this day: Strasbourg Highlights.

Optional excursions will be available for an additional charge: Alsatian Wine Tasting, Taste the Best of Alsace, Mercedes-Benz Factory, Strasbourg from the Top.

This morning, disembark for an included tour to visit the historic the historic town of Speyer and take in views of the imposing Speyer Cathedral, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in the 11th century on the site of a former basilica, the building’s design influenced Romanesque architecture for centuries to come and is the final resting place of eight German monarchs. Alternatively, after breakfast, you may choose to disembark for a full day tour of Heidelberg, the home of Germany’s oldest university, founded in 1386. Visit the beautiful sandstone ruins of imposing Heidelberg Castle and admire the Neckar River Valley. Continue with a walking tour through Old Town to Heidelberg’s renowned gates and after lunch, rejoin your ship in Rüdesheim. This evening, you can dine on board your ship or choose to experience one of our optional dinners on shore tonight. 

The following excursion is included for this day: Speyer Walking Tour.

Optional excursions will be available for an additional charge: Panoramic Heidelberg & Lunch With University Students, Wine Tasting & Dinner At Schloss Johannisberg Estate, Wine Tasting & Dinner At Eberbach Monastery, Dine In Rüdesheim am Rhein.

This morning, sail along the most scenic stretch of the Rhine, where turreted castles and fortresses overlook the river from their hilltop posts. An UNESCO World Heritage Site, this part of the Middle Rhine Valley is so beautiful. Arrive in Koblenz this afternoon and disembark for a tour of 700-year-old Marksburg Castle. You may also join an optional excursion that offers a lively and informative tour of Ehrenbreitstein Fortress; or, choose to journey into Moselle wine country on an optional excursion of stopping for a tour and tasting at a local winery. Return to your ship for lunch. Later, enjoy some time in this charming town at the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine Rivers.

The following excursion is included for this day: The Fortress of Ehrebreitstein.

Optional excursions will be available for an additional charge: Moselle Wine Tasting, Medieval Marksburg Castle.

Begin your day with a morning tour of Cologne, Germany’s fourth-largest city. Stroll through Old Town past St. Martin’s Church and visit the Dom, Germany’s largest cathedral and an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spend your free time enjoying Cologne’s atmospheric waterfront, or perhaps join an optional excursion on which you ascend to the Dom’s roof for up-close views of the cathedral’s architecture and bird’s-eye vistas of Cologne. Afterward, return on board for dinner. Alternately, you may set off on an optional excursion to explore Cologne’s spirited beer culture, sampling Kölsch, a light, crisp beer brewed only in Cologne and enjoying a brauhaus dinner. After, return to your ship for a late-evening departure.

The following excursion is included for this day: Cologne Walking Tour.

Optional excursions will be available for an additional charge: Cologne by Bicycle, Bruhl UNESCO Palaces, Top of Cologne, Cathedral & Treasury of Charlemagne, Cologne's Beer Culture & Dinner.

Sail along the Rhine during the morning hours. Admire scenic views and enjoy a morning of enjoyable Dutch diversions: sample Dutch cheeses and jenever, a distilled juniper liquor and take in a culturally enriching presentation on the Dutch Golden Age. This afternoon, your ship arrives in Kinderdijk, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Disembark for an afternoon tour of this ingenious network of windmills and other flood management devices. You learn why the windmills were built and see how they work, plus you enter a working windmill for a tour of its mechanisms and living quarters. Board your ship for departure and dinner. Arrive in Amsterdam around midnight.

The following excursion is included for this day: Kinderdijk Windmills.

Optional excursions will be available for an additional charge: Kinderdijk Windmills by Bicycle, Kinderdijk by Vintage Barge, Kinderdijk Windmills & Dutch Cheese Making.

After breakfast, disembark at magnificent Amsterdam.