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.

Cologne

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

Rudesheim

Today we cruise along the Rhine, through stunning scenery, to the highly popular town of Rudesheim. Spend time discovering the delights of the Drosselgasse, a pretty sloping street full of traditional German bars and shops. Why not join our optional ‘Exploring Rudesheim’ excursion visiting Siegfried’s Mechanical Museum as well as the wine cellar of Adolf Störzel. 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 too many of the instruments and fairground organs play their different tunes. We then continue to the wine cellars of Adolf Störzel where you will learn about the history of wine growing as well as being able to sample different wines. 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.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Mannheim

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. Heildelberg 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 (fee) for brilliant views of the town (castle/palace entrance at additional cost), its 18th century streets that are lined with shops and the brass monkey that sits on the end of the Heidelberg bridge gate. The bronze sculpture by Professor Gernot Rumpf was installed there in 1979 and is said to be linked to a poem by Martin Zeiller from 1632. Later, we continue to Speyer.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Strasbourg

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

Lucerne

Join our full-day, included coach excursion to the beautiful Swiss resort town of Lucerne. With its pretty squares and famous wooden bridge, Lucerne really is picture-postcard Switzerland. 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

Titisee

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 20meters. 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

Mainz

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

Koblenz

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. Koblenz is an ancient city in the heart of Germany and is where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet. Due to the history of the city there is lots to see and do from getting a cable car from the river banks to the castle to looking around some of the shops or restaurants. We return to the ship for our farewell dinner.

• Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Return home.

• Included meals: Breakfast