Romantic Rhine (Southbound)

Itinerary ▼

1. Day 1: AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND (EMBARKATION)

   Welcome to Holland. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding.Flights into Amsterdam must arrive by 3:30 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm. Your day in Amsterdam is free to explore at your leisure.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.OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM (D)

2. Day 2: AMSTERDAM

   Canals of Colorful AmsterdamJoin your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.CLASSIC 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 Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam’s “Golden Age." This afternoon, choose among the Guided Optional Excursions available or take some free time to explore Amsterdam’s colorful streets and canal houses, galleries, and shops. AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO COLOGNE(B,L,D)

3. Day 3: COLOGNE, GERMANY

   Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland ACTIVE Enjoy a bike ride like the locals in Cologne with your Adventure Host, OR:DISCOVERY Choose a Guided Walking Tour of Cologne’s important Jewish heritage sites, OR:CLASSIC 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 will join us on board for live entertainment. OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO RÜDESHEIM(B,L,D)

4. Day 4: RHINE GORGE–RÜDESHEIM

   Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Wine CountryEn 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 Enjoy a hike with your Avalon Adventure Host through the picturesque vineyards of Rüdesheim, OR:CLASSIC 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 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 RÜDESHEIM(B,L,D) *This excursion will not be operated on departure June 23 and will be replaced by a Guided Tour to Eberbach Monastery with a wine tasting.

5. Day 5: MAINZ. EXCURSION TO HEIDELBERG

   Printing Halls, Castle Walls, and the World’s Biggest Wine BarrelACTIVE Join your Avalon Adventure Host for an inspiring walk in Heidelberg, the Philosophers' way, OR:CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided City Walk, including a visit to the Gutenberg Museum to see the captivating history of printing, OR: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.”EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO KEHL (B,L,D)

6. Day 6: KEHL. EXCURSION TO STRASBOURG, FRANCE

   A Grand Cathedral and La Petite FranceAsk about today’s energizing or relaxing Adventure Host activities.ACTIVE Discover Strasbourg by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:CLASSIC 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(B,L,D)

7. Day 7: BREISACH, GERMANY. EXCURSION TO BLACK FOREST

   German Winemaking and the Beautiful Black ForestCLASSIC 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: CLASSIC 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(B,L,D)

8. Day 8: BASEL, SWITZERLAND (DISEMBARKATION)

   Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning.Flights should not leave Zürich airport before 10 am or Basel airport before 8 am.(B)