Day 1 Basel, Switzerland | Embark
Welcome to Basel. Your Suite Ship® is ready for boarding. Flights into Zürich must arrive by 3 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.
Enjoy dinner and explore the ship on your first night on board.
Day 2 Breisach, Germany | Black Forest
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Discovery: Join a full-day guided visit to the magical Black Forest to experience the Vogtsbauernohf open-air-museum, visit an authentic water mill, and see a traditional butter-making demonstration, OR:
Classic: Visit to Badische Winzerkeller, the largest German wine producer in Europe. Discover Germany’s southernmost wine country in Baden—ideally situated between the hills of the Black Forest and the Rhine River. Learn about the vintners’ process in the vineyards here, and enjoy a wine tasting.
You may choose to join a guided optional excursion to visit the charming village of Colmar in the morning, with its half-timbered medieval and early renaissance buildings.
Day 3 Strasbourg, France
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Take a city sightseeing tour, including the city’s gothic, stained-glass cathedral with its celebrated ancient murals and astronomical clock, as well as the magical La Petite France District.
You may also choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to the historic Maginot Line—an impressive installation of pre-WWII defensive fortifications designed to protect the eastern border of France, or visit Alsace’s wine country today.
Alternatively, take some free time in Strasbourg to visit a museum, or stroll across the city center.
Day 4 Ludwigshafen, Germany | Heidelberg
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Enjoy a guided tour to Heidelberg Castle to see the ruins of the magnificent renaissance treasure towering above the city, and its famed Great Vat, the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel.”
Active: Join your Avalon Adventure Host for a hike up Philosophers’ Way for an inspiring view of the city below.
You’ll have some free time to stroll or shop this afternoon before sailing to Rüdesheim.
Day 5 Rüdesheim | Rhine Gorge
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Discovery: Tour the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience; based on your departure enjoy a local special treat.
Enjoy the breathtaking views as you cruise through the spectacular Rhine Gorge on your way to Koblenz.
Day 6 Koblenz
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Take a guided city walk amid ancient fortresses walls, towers, squares, and monuments OR visit the Sayn Manor House on a guided tour.
Spend free time on a cable-car ride, or a hike to see the mountain-top Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. Enjoy a leisurely walk across the town to shop or sample potato pancakes and regional wine.
Later, enjoy live entertainment on board.
Day 7 Bernkastel
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
This morning enjoy a leisurely sailing.
Classic: Take a guided walking tour of the charming wine village of Bernkastel—with its medieval marketplace and 17th-century gabled timber-framed houses.
Discovery: Join a wine tasting to experience the tradition of legendary German winemaking.
Day 8 Remich | Luxembourg
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join a guided tour of Luxembourg City—with its dramatic views, ancient ruins, and modern architecture along the deep gorge terrain.
Later, enjoy live entertainment on board your ship.
Day 9 Trier, Germany
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Take a guided sightseeing tour of Trier—Germany’s oldest city with ancient remnants dating from 144-152 AD. Starting from Porta Nigra, walk through the city center OR join a history-focused Roman Trier Guided Tour to learn more about the history of Roman civilization in this Moselle River city, and visit the ruins of a 20,000-seat amphitheater and imperial baths.
Day 10 Cochem
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Join a guided walk of Cochem to see the charming town’s half-timbered houses and winding streets. Visit Cochem’s hilltop Reichsburg Castle with a birds-eye-view of the Moselle Valley and river bend.
Day 11 Cologne
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Take a guided city walk of Cologne—with its soaring twin-steepled gothic cathedral.
Discovery: Choose a Guided Walking Tour of Cologne’s important Jewish heritage sites.
Don’t miss the chance to enjoy free time over a glass of Kölsch pale lager—locally brewed for over 100 years!
Day 12 Amsterdam, Holland
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Classic: Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a guided canal cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam’s “Golden Age.”
During tulip season, you may take a guided optional excursion to Keukenhof gardens—with more than seven million tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths, as well as other bulbs, planted each year. Outside of tulip season, join a guided optional excursion to Zaanse Schans to see historic windmills and charming Dutch houses. Alternatively, choose an optional biking tour to discover the countryside.
You may choose to spend some free time this afternoon visiting one of Amsterdam’s many fascinating museums or galleries.
Day 13 Amsterdam
Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning.