Castles Along the Rhine 2009
Day 1 - Depart Home Gateway City to Basel
Day 2 - Arrive Basel Arrive at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg where you - ll be transferred to the ship. (Dinner)
Day 3 - Breisach (Colmar), Strasbourg Starting from medieval Breisach, the gateway to the Black Forest, you - ll cross the Rhine and head for
the Alsatian Wine Road, which hugs the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. Charming villages and lush vine-
yards, producing great white wines, line this winding scenic route. Experience the charm of medieval Colmar in its historic center and the picturesque timber-framed houses in the village of Riquewihr. You - ll also visit the Unterlinden Museum, a former convent, now displaying an icon of northern Renaissance art - the Isenheim altarpiece by Matthias Grunewald, as well as medieval and gothic pieces. (Breakfast / Lunch / Captain's Welcome Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Full-day tour along the Alsatian Wine Road and Unterlindenmuseum
Day 4 - Strasbourg Situated halfway between Paris and Prague, the Alsatian town of Strasbourg is known as the Crossroads of Europe. It is home to a magnificent gothic cathedral and beautiful half-timbered houses. View Strasbourg in the way it has been seen through the centuries on a canal cruise. In addition to viewing the town's covered bridges, medieval watchtowers, and the modern building that houses the European Parliament, you will see Petite France, the picturesque district that seems as if it has been lifted from the pages of a fairytale.(Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Strasbourg Canal Cruise
Day 5 - Speyer Your guided walking tour through Speyer reveals a medieval town with a grand heritage and a compact historic center dominated by the largest Romanesque cathedral in Europe - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its basilica laid out in the form of a Latin cross, including four towers and two domes, this is a marvel to behold. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Speyer Walking Tour
Day 6 - Rüdesheim Rüdesheim has a long history dating back to Roman times and is considered one of the most charming
of the Rhine Valley ports of call. The town is famous for, among other things, the Drosselgasse, a narrow alleyway lined with wine taverns and shops. Explore Rüdesheim at your leisure. Later in the day, enjoy a princely wine tasting at the prestigious Castle Vollrads, perfectly situated in the vineyard-covered hills and one of the world's top wine estates for Rheingau Rieslings. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Castle Vollrads Wine Tasting
Day 7 - Cruising the romantic Rhine, Koblenz Cruise along the breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage-designated middle Rhine Valley with its more than 40 castles and the famous Lorelei rock. Arrive in Koblenz, situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle. Your guided walking tour will highlight the appeal of Koblenz - its romantic narrow streets and historical squares, the picturesque alleyways and fountains in the old quarter, and the 12th-century churches of St. Florin and Our Lady. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Koblenz Walking Tour
Day 8 - Cologne Stroll through the narrow streets of Old Town with your guide, passing by tiny squares and little churches as you make your way to Cologne Cathedral, the city's most famous landmark and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. It took 632 years for Germany's largest cathedral to be completed and is one of the most important gothic churches in Europe. A visit inside features the Shrine of the Three Magi and the beautiful stained glass windows that survived WWII. (Breakfast / Lunch / Captain's Farewell Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Cologne Walking Tour and Cathedral Visit
Note: No inside tours of the Cathedral on Sundays or Catholic holidays.
Day 9 - Depart Amsterdam Disembark the ship and transfer to the airport in Amsterdam for your flight home, or extend your stay in Amsterdam.
Day 10 - Cruise Ships operating this itinerary: River Ambassador
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