Romantic Rhine – 8 Days

Welcome to Switzerland! Flights into Zürich or Basel must arrive by 3 pm. Onboard welcome reception. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm. Enjoy dinner and explore the ship on your first night on board.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Choose your excursion. Select from:

• Visit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host. Enjoy the view on a relaxing bike ride along the Rhine with your Adventure Host OR
• Join a full-day Guided Tour 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
• Visit to a local winery in Breisach, where you will learn about German wine making and enjoy a wine tasting. OR
• Join a Guided Optional Excursion to visit the charming village of Colmar in the morning, with its half-timbered medieval and early renaissance buildings.

Your ship cruises towards Strasbourg.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Choose your guided sightseeing:

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

Alternatively, take some free time in Strasbourg to visit a museum, or stroll across the city centre on your own. Your ship cruises towards Mainz.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Choose from:

• 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
• Enjoy a Guided City Walk in Mainz, including a visit to the Gutenberg Museum to see the captivating history of printing.

Enjoy live entertainment on board your ship this evening.

Overnight Docking in Mainz.

Breakfast. Choose from:

• Enjoy a hike with your Avalon Adventure Host through the picturesque vineyards of Rüdesheim, OR
• Take a Guided Tour of the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience; based on your departure enjoy a local special treat.

En route to Koblenz, sail through the Rhine Gorge (a UNESCO World Heritage site). Take in the breath-taking 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. At 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 docking in Koblenz.

Breakfast. Choose from:

• Enjoy a bike ride like the locals in Cologne with your Adventure Host.
• OR Choose a Guided Walking Tour of Cologne’s important Jewish heritage sites, OR 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!

Cruise towards Amsterdam.

Overnight on board.

Breakfast. Choose from:

• Join your Adventure Host on an early morning walk in Amsterdam. OR
• Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam’s “Golden Age.” OR
• During tulip season, you take a Guided Optional Excursion to Keukenhof gardens – with more than seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths and more planted each year. Outside of tulip season, join a Guided Optional Excursion to Zaanse Schans to see historic windmills and charming Dutch houses. OR
• Choose an Optional Biking Tour to discover the countryside. OR
• Take some free time to explore Amsterdam’s colourful streets and canal houses, galleries, and shops on your own.

Overnight docking in Amsterdam.

Breakfast. Your cruise ends this morning. Disembark and transfer on your own to your next destination.