Avalon Waterways' The Rhine & Moselle River Cruise
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Cruise Details
Cruise Line: Avalon Waterways Cruises
Cruise Type: River
Length of Stay: 13 Days
Departure From: Amsterdam
Departure date: 10/25/2019
Return date: 11/06/2019
Beauty, new discoveries, and delightful surprises are plentiful on your European river cruise on the Rhine and Moselle Rivers!
Itirenary
Day 1-2 : AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND (EMBARKATION)
Day 1:
Welcome to Amsterdam. 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.
Outside of tulip season, join a Guided Optional Excursion to Zaanse Schans to see historic windmills and charming Dutch houses.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM
Day 2:
Colorful Amsterdam—with Canals, Crooked Houses, and Cuisine of a Golden Age
CLASSIC
Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam’s “Golden Age.”
Join a Guided Optional Culinary Walk through Amsterdam to sample savory and sweet Dutch specialties.
You may choose to spend some free time this afternoon visiting one of Amsterdam’s many fascinating museums or galleries.
AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO COLOGNE
Day 3 : COLOGNE, GERMANY
Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland’s Capital City
ACTIVE
Join a Guided Walk with your Avalon Adventure Host this afternoon, OR:
CLASSIC
Take a Guided City Walk of Cologne—with its soaring twin-steepled gothic cathedral, OR:
DISCOVERY
Choose a Guided Walking Tour of Cologne’s important Jewish heritage sites.
Don’t miss the chance to enjoy free time over a glass of Kölsch pale lager—locally brewed for over 100 years! Local musicians will join us on board for live entertainment.
OVERNIGHT SAILING TO KOBLENZ
Day 4 : KOBLENZ
Fortress Walls and Manor Halls Where the Rhine and Moselle Meet
CLASSIC
Take a Guided City Walk amid ancient fortress walls, towers, squares, and monuments, OR:
CLASSIC
Visit the Sayn Manor House on a Guided Tour.
You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion this afternoon to visit Koblenz’s geopark, and learn about the region’s volcanic geological history.
Spend free time on a cable-car ride, or a hike to see the mountain-top Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. Enjoy a leisurely walk across the town to shop or sample potato pancakes and regional wine. Later, enjoy live entertainment on board.
AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BERNKASTEL
Day 5 : BERNKASTEL
Gracious German Vineyards of the Moselle Valley
CLASSIC
Take a Guided Walking Tour of the charming wine village of Bernkastel—with its medieval marketplace and 17th-century gabled timber-framed houses, OR:
ACTIVE
Join your Avalon Adventure Host for a hike to nearby castle ruins, OR:
DISCOVERY
Join a Wine Tasting to experience the tradition of legendary German wine making.
AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO THIONVILLE
Day 6 : THIONVILLE, FRANCE
Ornate Palaces, Opera Houses, and Old Battle Lines
CLASSIC
Visit the historic Maginot Line—pre-WWII defensive fortifications designed to protect the eastern border of France, OR:
CLASSIC
Join a Guided Excursion to Metz—a city with 3,000 years of history—to see its gothic cathedral, Imperial Palace, and France’s oldest opera house.
You can choose to follow your excursion to Metz with a Guided Optional Excursion to the regal city of Nancy—with its gilded grand square and 18th-century Place Stanislas.
Alternatively, consider an afternoon bike ride on your own to leisurely explore Thionville.
Later, enjoy live entertainment on board your ship.
OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO GREVENMACHER
Day 7 : GREVENMACHER. EXCURSION TO TRIER
Ancient Worlds, Old World Charm, and World-Class Wine
ACTIVE
Join your Avalon Adventure Host for an early Morning Run in Grevenmacher on the banks of the Moselle River in beautiful wine country.
This morning you may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to Luxembourg City—with its dramatic views, ancient ruins, and modern architecture along the deep gorge terrain.
CLASSIC
Take a Guided Sightseeing tour of Trier—Germany’s oldest city with ancient remnants dating from 144-152 AD. Starting from Porta Nigra, walk through the city center, OR:
CLASSIC
Join a history-focused Roman Trier Guided Tour to learn more about the history of Roman civilization in this Moselle River city, and visit the ruins of a 20,000-seat amphitheater, and imperial baths.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BEILSTEIN
Day 8 : BEILSTEIN, GERMANY
The Sleeping Beauty of the Moselle
Enjoy free time in Beilstein—known as the “Sleeping Beauty of the Moselle” for its castle-dotted hills, vineyards, and inviting village of the Moselle River Valley.
Go for a morning bike ride through the unspoiled 15th-century buildings and chiming church bells before sailing to Treis-Karden.
TREIS-KARDEN
Stiftskirche Steeples and Soaring Castles
CLASSIC
Choose from two Guided Tours to explore medieval castles towering on the slopes above the Moselle River.
Take some free time to stroll through the romantic village before enjoying live entertainment on board tonight.
EVENING CRUISE TO BOPPARD
Day 9 : BOPPARD—RHINE GORGE
A Peaceful Jewel in the Rhine Gorge
ACTIVE
Go for a Run this morning through the village of Boppard with your Avalon Adventure Host.
Alternatively, choose to explore Boppard’s beautiful views and forested surroundings on a bike ride or hike at your own pace. Spend free time this morning visiting a local café for a cup of German coffee.
Enjoy the breathtaking views as you cruise through the spectacular Rhine Gorge on your way to Rüdesheim.
RÜDESHEIM
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Wine Country
DISCOVERY
Tour the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience, OR:
ACTIVE
Take an open-air cable car ride to the Niederwald Monument. Ride or walk back down through the vineyards, OR:
ACTIVE
Combine a cable-car ride and a hike with your Avalon Adventure Host to explore the picturesque hills and vineyards of Rüdesheim.
DISCOVERY
Based on your departure, enjoy either a Coffee Tasting or a Wine Tasting.
OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO LUDWIGSHAFEN
Day 10 : LUDWIGSHAFEN. EXCURSION TO HEIDELBERG
Philosophical Views, a Hilltop Castle, and the World’s Biggest Barrel of Wine
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,” OR:
ACTIVE
Join your Avalon Adventure Host for a hike up Philosophers’ Way for an inspiring view of the city below.
You’ll have free time to stroll or shop in Heidelberg this afternoon.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO STRASBOURG
Day 11 : STRASBOURG, FRANCE
Gothic Giants and Varietal Vintages
ACTIVE
Join your Avalon Adventure Host for a Morning Walk, OR:
CLASSIC
Take a City Sightseeing Tour, including the city’s gothic, stained-glass cathedral with its celebrated ancient murals and astronomical clock, as well as the magical La Petite France District.
You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to beautiful Alsace for an afternoon in a French wine country village.
Alternatively, take some free time in Strasbourg to visit a museum, or stroll across the city centre. Sample local culinary specialties, such as Tarte flambée.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BREISACH
Day 12 : BREISACH, GERMANY. EXCURSION TO THE BLACK FOREST
History, Artistry, and the Beautiful Black Forest
CLASSIC
Visit the charming village of Colmar on a Guided Tour of its half-timbered medieval and early renaissance buildings, OR:
DISCOVERY
Join a full-day Guided Visit to the magical Black Forest to experience the Vogtsbauernhof open-air-museum, visit an authentic water mill, and see a traditional Bavarian butter-making demonstration.
Follow your visit to Colmar with a free afternoon in Breisach. Take a bike from the ship, or walk among the pastel-painted houses above the Rhine.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BASEL
Day 13 : BASEL, SWITZERLAND (DISEMBARKATION)
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. Flights should not leave Zürich airport before 10 am.