Romantic Rhine River Cruise Southbound Itinerary
DAY 1 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
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.
DAY 2 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.
Classic Excursion: 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 Excursion: 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.
DAY 3 – Cologne, Germany
Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland
Active Excursion: Enjoy a bike ride like the locals in Cologne with your Adventure Host, OR:
Classic Excursion: Choose a Guided Walking Tour of Cologne’s important Jewish heritage sites, OR:
Classic Excursion: 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.
DAY 4 – Rhine Gorge, Rudesheim
En 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 Excursion: Enjoy a hike with your Avalon Adventure Host through the picturesque vineyards of Rüdesheim, followed by a tasting of the authentic Rüdesheimer coffee OR:
Classic Excursion: 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 Excursion: Take a Guided Visit to the historic 18th-century wooden-barrel cellar of Johannisberg Castle and enjoy a delicious wine tasting.
DAY 5 – Ludwigshafen, Excursion to Heidelberg
Active Excursion: Join your Avalon Adventure Host for an inspiring walk in Heidelberg, the Philosophers’ way, OR:
Classic Excursion: Join a Guided Visit to Schwetzingen Palace—the heart of a stunning site consisting of the palace, palace gardens, and historic palace square, OR:
Classic Excursion: 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.”
DAY 6 – Kehl, Excursion to Strasbourg
Active Excursion: Discover Strasbourg by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:
Classic Excursion: 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.
You may also choose to join 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.
DAY 7 – Breisach, Germany; Excursion to Black Forest
Active Excursion: Take a Guided E-bike Tour to experience the magical Black Forest from a unique point of view, OR:
Classic Excursion: 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 Excursion: 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.
DAY 8 – Basel, Switzerland
Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning.
Flights should not leave Zürich airport before 10 am or Basel airport before 8 am
