Classical Rhine

Itinerary: Amsterdam to Basel

Day 1 Depart Canada. Board your overnight flight to Amsterdam, Nethland.

Day 2 After arrival, transfer to pier to embark the vessel in Amsterdam in the late afternoon. Later your Tour Manager will welcome you with a cocktail before the official welcome dinner.

Day 3 After a substantial breakfast absorb Amsterdam’s most important sights on our Amsterdam sightseeing tour (€ 40), or get to know this interesting and lively city better in your own time and way. On this drive through the principal city of the Netherlands you’ll see its most important buildings and monuments. It includes a visit to the Rijksmuseum, the country’s largest, where you can admire its incomparable collection of art of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including many works by the great masters such as “Rembrandt’s Nachtwache” and works by other Dutch painters such as Johannes Vermeer. The ship leaves Amsterdam during lunch and crosses over the "Ijsselmeer" to the little fishing town of Volendam where it docks in the afternoon. In the evening you can enjoy a typical folklore group on board.

Day 4 Already in the very early morning the ship reaches Schoonhoven where participants of the excursion to Keukenhof (€ 48) leave the vessel. Keukenhof enables you to marvel at the tulip fields between Haarlem and Leiden. Keukenhof’s flower displays put literally millions of flowers on show, displayed with artistic perfection in the most beautiful park. In the afternoon your vessel arrives in Dordrecht, a really typical Dutch town. The Dordrecht & Kinderdijk excursion (€ 30) let you see the "Groothoofspoort" 17th century city gate and the Gothic "Grote Kerk" church in Dordrecht, before driving on to Kinderdijk, where you encounter Holland’s largest concentration of working windmills.

Day 5 In the afternoon the vessel arrives in Cologne. Take part in an interesting city tour (€ 27). Our tour takes you through the former settlement of Colonia (dating back 2,000 years), which was founded on the orders of the Roman Emperor Claudius. On the drive round you’ll see the most important sights of Cologne’s old quarter, in the centre of the city, including the cathedral, town hall, the Guerzenich, the city walls and gate, churches and historic squares. From the bank of the Rhine you’ll enjoy a view of the whole of the old quarter, and then go into the cathedral, Germany’s largest and the city’s emblem. Its art treasures include a shrine with the relics of the Magi. The vessel stays overnight in Cologne.

Day 6 Passing Bonn, capital of West Germany from 1949 until April 19, 1999 when Berlin was restored as the reunified country’s capital, the vessel docks in Koblenz after lunch. This city stands at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. A walking tour (€ 15) shows you the highlights of the city. Enjoy the remaining day on the sundeck.

Day 7 You are leaving Koblenz in the early morning and sails for Ruedesheim, along what is probably the most famous and scenic stretch of the Rhine Valley. You pass hilltop castles, terraced vineyards and attractive riverside villages for 65 delightful kilometres. This charming old wine town is popular with tourists, and has a long narrow street, the Drosselgasse, lined on both sides with wine taverns. You may join a walking tour of the town (€ 15), with a visit to Siegfried’s Music Museum, where you can see all kinds of mechanical instruments from barrel organs and music boxes to horn gramophones. The ship sails from Ruedesheim in the evening. On this evening of your journey, the captain will be delighted to welcome you to the Captain’s Gala Dinner.

Day 8 After arriving Strasbourg at noon buses will be waiting, offering an optional city sightseeing tour (€ 33). With its monumental cathedral featuring carvings as delicate as any piece of lacework, Strasbourg is one of Europe’s most attractive cities. Thanks to the richness and sheer density of its heritage sites, the entire city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Strasbourg is definitely well worth a visit, to discover its history, its cuisine and its unique atmosphere.

Day 9 Arrival in Basel in the morning. Disembarkation after breakfast. Transfer to airport for your flight home.

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