Romantic Rhine: Amsterdam to Basel

Embark on your ship at the beautiful port of Amsterdam and start your amazing trip aboard the Avalon Vista.

Be sure your flight arrives by 3:30 p.m., as all guests must board the ship by 5 p.m. Once you've arrived, enjoy free time to explore the city at your leisure. If visiting during tulip season, consider taking a Guided Optional Excursion to the Keukenhof Gardens, where over seven million tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and other blooms are planted annually. Outside of tulip season, you can join a Guided Optional Excursion to Zaanse Schans to experience historic windmills and picturesque Dutch houses.

Canals of Colorful Amsterdam starts with meeting the Adventure Host for the day’s activities. Choose one Classic Excursion: a guided walking tour through Amsterdam’s streets or a guided canal cruise along the city’s waterways, passing historic homes. In the afternoon, choose an optional guided excursion or spend free time exploring the city’s streets, canal houses, galleries, and shops. Later, enjoy an afternoon and overnight cruise to Cologne. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included. Optional excursions available for purchase include a half-day guided visit to Muiderslot Castle and a guided food-focused walking tour through the Jordaan district.

Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland

• Active Excursion- Enjoy a bike ride like the locals in Cologne with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Discovery Excursion- Choose a Guided Walking Tour of Cologne’s important Jewish heritage sites, OR:
• Classic Excursion- Take a Guided City Walk of Cologne—with its soaring twin-steepled gothic cathedral.

Spend free time over a glass of Kölsch pale lager—locally brewed for over 100 years! Later, local musicians join you on board for live entertainment.

Overnight cruise to Rudesheim

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Wine Country

En route to Rüdesheim, sail through the Rhine Gorge (a UNESCO World Heritage site). Take in the breathtaking views of ancient castles perched on cliffs 400 feet above the water and pass the legendary Rock of the Lorelei—where the mythological siren’s songs lured ill-fated sailors.

• Active Excursion- Enjoy a hike with your Avalon Adventure Host through the picturesque vineyards of Rüdesheim, OR:
• Classic Excursion- Take a Guided Tour of the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience; enjoy a tasting of the authentic Rüdesheimer coffee, OR:
• Discovery Excursion- Take a Guided Visit to the historic 18th-century wooden-barrel cellar of Johannisberg Castle and enjoy a delicious wine tasting.

Enjoy live entertainment on board your ship this evening.
Overnight docking in Rudesheim

Printing Halls, Castle Walls, and the World’s Biggest Wine Barrel

• Active Excursion- Join your Avalon Adventure Host for an inspiring walk in Heidelberg, the Philosophers' way, OR:
• Classic Excursion- Enjoy a Guided City Walk, including a visit to the Gutenberg Museum to see the captivating history of printing, OR:
• Classic Excursion- 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.”

Evening/Overnight cruise to Kehl

A Grand Cathedral and La Petite France- Ask about today’s energizing or relaxing Adventure Host activities.

• Active Excursion- Discover Strasbourg by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Classic Excursion- Join a City Sightseeing Tour, including Strasbourg’s Gothic, stained-glass cathedral with its celebrated ancient murals and astronomical clock, as well as the magical La Petite France District.

Choose a Guided Optional Excursion to the historic Maginot Line—the pre-WWII 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.

Evening/Overnight cruise to Breisach

While your trip includes your choice of many excursions, you may wish to explore other options to enhance your free time. Below is a selection of excursions that may be available for purchase on your cruise.

Into the Alsace Countryside with Wine Tasting
Travel along the famed Alsace Wine Route on this enchanting half-day excursion that visits a traditional medieval Alsace village and includes a cellar tasting of the local wines.
4h 0m

Defending France: The Maginot Line of WWII
Explore France's awe-inspiring WWII Maginot Line, one of the greatest networks of defensive fortifications ever built, on this guided visit through the underground barracks, storehouses, and railways.
4h 0m

German Winemaking and the Beautiful Black Forest

• Classic Excursion- Join a full-day Guided Tour to the magical Black Forest to experience the Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum, visit an authentic water mill, and see a traditional butter-making demonstration, OR:
• Classic Excursion- Join a Guided Tour to explore Freiburg’s medieval city center, sheltered by the Black Forest amid vineyards and gardens of the Upper Rhine Valley.

You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to visit the charming village of Colmar, with half-timbered medieval and early renaissance buildings.

Evening/Overnight cruise to Basel

While your trip includes your choice of many excursions, you may wish to explore other options to enhance your free time. Below is a selection of excursions that may be available for purchase on your cruise.

Storybook Colmar, France's Little Venice
Discover the fusion of German and French culture on this wonderful guided tour through storybook Colmar, the "Little Venice" of France and capital of the Alsace wine region.
3h 30m

Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning.

Flights should not leave Zürich airport before 10 am or Basel airport before 8 am.