Timeless Rivers of Europe: the Rhine and Seine

Welcome to Switzerland, where your Suite Ship is ready for boarding. Please ensure your flights into Zurich or Basel arrive by 3 pm so you are on board by 5 pm. Afterwards, enjoy dinner served on board and take some time to explore the ship.

Start your day at the Adventure Center to organize your plans with your Adventure Host. You have several options for today's excursion: take a scenic bike ride along the Rhine River, or opt for a full-day guided trip into the Black Forest to explore the Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum, tour an authentic water mill, and observe a classic butter-making demonstration. If you prefer city sights, choose a guided walk through Freiburg’s medieval center, situated among the gardens and vineyards of the Upper Rhine Valley. An additional morning option is a guided visit to Colmar to see its distinct half-timbered medieval and Renaissance architecture. As evening approaches, enjoy a relaxing cruise toward Kehl.

A Grand Cathedral and La Petite France
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.

You may also choose to join 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 Mainz

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 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,” OR:
Classic Excursion
Join a Guided Visit to Schwetzingen Palace—the heart of a stunning site consisting of the palace, palace gardens, and historic palace square.
This afternoon through the evening, enjoy leisurely sailing to Rüdesheim.
Overnight docking in Rudesheim 

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Wine Country
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.*

En route to Koblenz, 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.

KOBLENZ
Travel Through 2000 Years Of Monumental History

Enjoy free time in Koblenz before a relaxing evening on board with dinner and live entertainment.
Overnight Cruise to Cologne

Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland

Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.
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!
Afternoon/Overnight cruise to Amsterdam

Canals of Colorful Amsterdam
Active Excursion
Start your day joining your Adventure Host on an early morning walk in Amsterdam, OR:
Classic Excursion
Discover the true beauty of Amsterdam with an off-the-beaten-path Guided Walking Tour through its cobblestone streets for a captivating look at this legendary city, OR:
Classic Excursion
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. You may also choose an Optional Biking Tour to discover the countryside.

Take some free time to explore Amsterdam’s colorful streets and canal houses, galleries, and shops.
Overnight docking in Amsterdam

On to Paris

This morning, board a high-speed train for Paris to embark on your Avalon Suite Ship® and enjoy dinner onboard this evening.
Evening/Overnight cruise to Vernon

Monet’s Muses, Castle Courtyards, and Crêpes du Jour

Visit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host.
Active Excursion
Explore Vernon's Chateau des Tourelles by foot with your Adventure Host, OR:
Classic Excursion
Take a Guided Tour of Giverny, home and inspiration of the master impressionist painter Claude Monet. Walk the grounds and see Monet’s charming residence, and the flower and water gardens captured in his masterpieces*, OR:
Classic Excursion
Join a Guided Visit to Bizy Castle—called “Normandy’s Versailles” for its magnificent courtyard, water garden, and stables.
Discovery Excursion
While sailing, enjoy a traditional French luncheon of authentic French crêpes, followed by a Pastry Demonstration.
This afternoon, enjoy a beautiful cruise to the picturesque town of Les Andelys.

LES ANDELYS
Serenity on the Seine
Active Excursion
Join a Guided Hike up to the castle ruins of Château Gaillard—historic home of King Richard the Lionheart, OR:
Classic Excursion
Take a Guided Walking Tour of Les Andelys—one of France’s most picturesque spots on the Seine.
Evening/Overnight cruise to Caudebec

Ancient Abbeys Along the Seine
Active Excursion
Enjoy a relaxing bike ride along the river with your Adventure Host, OR:
Classic Excursion
Take a Guided Trip along the Normandy Abbeys Route—where more than 100 medieval Benedictine and Augustine abbeys and churches were built along the Seine.
This afternoon, you may choose a Guided Optional Excursion to the old seaside town of Honfleur.
Discovery Excursion
Enjoy an Onboard Lecture about the days before and after the Normandy landing of D-Day.

Later, enjoy live entertainment on board your ship.
Overnight cruise to Caudebec

Heroic Bravery on Normandy Beaches and French Farming Traditions
Classic Excursion
Join a Guided Tour of Normandy’s WWII landing beaches, visit significant U.S. sites, including Omaha Beach, the Pointe du Hoc monument, and the American Cemetery, OR:
Take a full-day Guided Tour of the British and Canadian commemorative sites, including the British cemetery, Pegasus Memorial (from September replaced with a visit to the D-Day Museum), the seaside town of Arromanches, the Juno Beach Center, and the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, OR:
Join a Guided Tour to get a taste of authentic tradition in the beautiful region of Normandy. Toast the day with a brandy tasting in Calvados.
Later, enjoy live entertainment on board your ship.
Evening cruise to Rouen

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame and a Heroine for France
Active Excursion
Take a Guided Bike Tour to discover and explore the most famous monuments and the lesser known hidden gems of Rouen on two wheels, OR:
Classic Excursion
Take a Guided Walking Tour of Rouen—site of Saint Joan of Arc’s martyrdom—and see the medieval quarter with its 16th-century Astronomical Clock, and Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Evening/Overnight cruise to Conflans

The Footsteps of Van Gogh, Bonaparte, and Louis XIV
Active Excursion
Enjoy a relaxing bike ride along the Seine with your Adventure Host, OR:
Classic Excursion
Join a Guided Visit to Auvers-sur-Oise, home and resting place of Vincent van Gogh, OR:

Take a Guided tour of the opulent Château de Malmaison*—home of Napoléon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine.
Perhaps, join a Guided Optional Excursion to the Palace of Versailles—home to a succession of French kings.

This evening, enjoy live entertainment on board your ship.

Afternoon/Evening cruise to Paris

Cafés, Cathedrals, and Canvases in the City of Light

Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.
Active Excursion
Experience the Seine river by foot with your Adventure Host, OR:
Classic Excursion
Discover the ancient heart of Paris on a captivating Guided Walk featuring the Palais-Royal, Louvre pyramid, ancient sites on Île de la Cité, the Left Bank, bustling Latin Quarter, and more, OR:
Join a Guided City Tour featuring the iconic sites of Paris, which make the City of Light the most romantic and remarkable city in the world.

Stroll through Paris on your own or linger over wine in a literary café on the Left Bank.
Overnight docking in Paris

Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning.