About the tour: Cruising the River Rhine: Germany to Switzerland

Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then join our cruise ship, the MS Rhine Princess, for a nine-night cruise.

• Included meals: Light Supper

Spend the morning at leisure exploring the majestic city of Cologne; this stylish and attractive city stands on the banks of the romantic River Rhine. Discover Cologne cathedral, the city’s most famous landmark or perhaps visit one of Cologne’s museums and galleries. This afternoon we cruise to Andernach, arriving late evening.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Why not join our optional ‘Highlights of Rüdesheim’ excursion where we start our excursion by boarding the ‘Winzer Express’ road train, which takes us on the short journey to the Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum. The museum is home to one of the largest collections of self-playing mechanical musical instruments in the world and our visit provides a spectacle of fascination. You will see the various instruments and have the chance to listen to many of the instruments and fairground organs play their different tunes.

This evening you will have the opportunity to join our optional traditional Rhineland evening at a nearby hotel. A local musician will play a selection of traditional and local tunes that have been passed down from generation to generation, giving you a personal insight into the heart and soul of the people from this area. One drink will be included in the cost of the excursion (beer, wine or soft drink).

• Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We continue cruising upstream this morning to Mannheim, where you can join our optional coach excursion to the fascinating town of Heidelberg, situated on the Neckar River. Heidelberg has lots of attractions to see such as the famous castle/palace and apothecary museum, the castle is now partially destroyed however the grounds can be accessed on foot or funicular railway for brilliant views of the town (local entrance fees at additional cost). Later, we continue to Speyer.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We cruise south today into France and the old city of Strasbourg, a charming city situated in the Alsace region. Be sure to view the impressive Gothic cathedral and the numerous bridges crossing the Ill River, which formed part of the 17th century fortifications for the city. Alternatively, why not join our optional ‘Alsace Villages’ excursion visiting two of the villages considered to be the ‘Most Beautiful Villages in France’. We call at Ribeauvillé, with its three ruins of fortified castles and its 13th century ‘Butchers Tower’. We also visit the beautiful, medieval village of Riquewihr with its pretty Alsatian half-timbered houses, and 13th century ‘Dolder’ or defensive gate.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

There will be time to explore Lucerne itself, and, if you wish, join an optional excursion to nearby Alpnachstad from where we take the cog railway to Mount Pilatus for magnificent views of the surrounding area. We descend via cable car to Kriens. The Pilatusbahn has been in operation since 1889 and climbs Mount Pilatus at a 48% gradient, rising 6791 feet above sea level. The electric cars run at 6mph and our ascent by cog railway takes just 30 minutes to reach the top. From there we can enjoy magnificent views overlooking the city of Lucerne and, on a clear day, we can view the famous peaks of the Eiger and Jungfrau. We later travel to Basel to re-join our ship.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Packed Lunch, Dinner

Another included coach excursion this morning as we explore the Black Forest. We begin with time in the resort town of Titisee, alongside the glistening lake that laps its banks. Titisee is in the southern part of the Black Forest and the lake covers an area of 1.3km squared with an average depth of 20 metres. Spend time exploring the surrounding area, and perhaps purchase a cuckoo clock, for which the area is noted, before travelling via green-forested hills, lush meadows and charming villages to rejoin our ship at Breisach. We sail from Breisach towards Kehl via a number of the Rhine’s fascinating locks.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Sit back and relax as we spend the day cruising to Mainz. This historic cathedral city is situated on the banks of the Rhine. The city boasts Roman remains as well as Baroque and Rococo buildings that blend beautifully with its narrow lanes and half-timbered houses. The city of Mainz is also famous for being the home of the invention for the movable-type printing press which was first used by Gutenberg in the early 1450's.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We set sail this morning for our final day’s cruise to Koblenz. This 2000- year old town is surrounded by four low mountain ranges; its abundance of cultural monuments and historic buildings, and its cosy lanes and narrow alleyways make it a fascinating place to visit. We return to the ship for our farewell dinner.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Return home.

• Included meals: Breakfast