Jan
min : 1°C
max : 5°C
We Love —
- Explore scenic cities along the Rhine on a delightful cruise, visiting pretty medieval market towns brimming with traditional gifts, picturesque buildings and unique character.
- Enjoy a choice of excursions for travellers seeking cultural adventures, to explore food, wine, art, music, and history.
- Indulge yourself with a full board basis throughout your stay!
Your Destination —
Along the way, precipitous cliffs, steep vineyards, a castle perched on virtually every hilltop and pretty villages line the river banks on either side, testifying to its importance as a great symbol of Germany.
Your Cruise Itinerary —
Day 1: UK - Basel, Switzerland (Embarkation) Meals included: Dinner
Travel to Basel where you will be met and transferred to your ship. Enjoy dinner and explore the ship on your first night on board.
EVENING CRUISE TO BREISACH
Day 2: Breisach, Germany. Excursion to the Black Forest. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
See history, artistry and the beautiful Black Forest, an area of unrivalled natural beauty, best known for Black Forest ham, cherry cake, and the cuckoo clock.
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 excursion 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.
Explore on your own this afternoon taking a bike from the ship or hiking up to St. Stephan’s Cathedral.
EVENING CRUISE TO STRASBOURG
Take in Gothic giants, military marvels and varietal vintages, you’ll be amazed by the red-sandstone gothic cathedral with ancient murals and the fascinating astronomical clock. Also, stroll through the lovely La Petite France district with its quaint shops, delightful bistros, and peaceful waterfront promenade.
CLASSIC: Come along for city sightseeing, including the city’s gothic, stained-glass cathedral with its celebrated ancient murals and astronomical clock and the magical La Petite France district.
You may choose to join a guided optional excursion to the splendid Alsace wine country, or to the historic Maginot Line - an impressive installation of pre-WWII defensive fortifications designed to protect the eastern border of France.
Alternatively, enjoy a free afternoon sampling the local cuisine in Place Kléber, or pay a visit to one of Strasbourg’s many wonderful museums.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO LUDWIGSHAFEN
Slide past castle walls 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. Enjoy a brief cruise to Mainz this afternoon.
Mainz
CLASSIC: Enjoy a guided city walk including a visit to the Gutenberg Museum to see the captivating history of printing. Enjoy live entertainment on board your ship this evening.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN MAINZ
Eat, drink and be merry in wine country, the most beautiful stretch of the Rhine River where ancient castles stand on cliffs 400 feet above the water.
DISCOVERY: Take a guided tour of the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience, OR:
ACTIVE: Take a guided hike through the vineyards with your Adventure host and enjoy the view with a cable car ride back down.
DISCOVERY: Based on your departure date, enjoy either a coffee tasting or a wine tasting. Relax on the sky deck for an afternoon cruise through the spectacular Rhine Gorge to Koblenz. Sail past the legendary rock of The Lorelei - where the siren of mythology sang songs to lure ill-fated sailors.
Koblenz
Travel through 2,000 years of monumental history
CLASSIC: Take a guided city walk amid ancient fortress walls, towers, squares and monuments.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN KOBLENZ
Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland’s capital city, a 2,000-year-old city known for its gothic architecture and famous twin-spired cathedral.
ACTIVE: Join a guided walk with your Avalon Adventure host this morning, 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!
AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO AMSTERDAM
Explore colourful 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.” 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 8: Amsterdam (Disembarkation) - UK - meals included: Breakfast
Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. Transfer to the airport for your flight to the UK.
Your Ship —
Our guests will enjoy a 7-night Cruise on the Avalon Panorama, in a Deluxe Stateroom in the Indigo Deck Aft on a Full Board Basis (Breakfast, lunch and evening meal served in the main restaurant - drinks included).
Please note: some dining outlets/menu items and premium, branded and international drinks may not be included and may incur a surcharge payable locally. Meals, snacks and drinks may be available at selected times only
Deluxe Stateroom
There is also a flatscreen satellite TV should you fancy some down time in-between cities.
Sleeps up to
2 Adults
Please note: Views from some staterooms may be obstructed
Your Journey —
Flights: Included with British Airways, KLMM or Easyjet from London Gatwick in economy class (exact flight times will be confirmed at a later date.)
Transfers: Return shared airport-port transfers are included.
