Tauck The Romantic Rhine: Amsterdam to Basel

Private family-style farm-to-table dinner in the country at the Ecolut-Center, dedicated to forest sustainability.

• All gratuities to ship staff, drivers, local guides, Tauck Directors and Tauck Cruise Director
•  All private Tauck shore excursions and distinctive inclusions – £1,457 Value
•  Value Choices of bicycle excursions in Strasbourg & Koblenz
• Scenic sailing through the historic castles & winelands of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Private family-style farm-to-table dinner in the country at the Ecolut-Center, dedicated to forest sustainability
• Sightseeing in Koblenz or bicycling along the Rhine River through forest and winelands
• Visit to the Alsatian cultural capital of Strasbourg
• In the Black Forest spa town of Baden-Baden, a walking tour or a world-class spa visit
• Climbing to Mt. Pilatus on the world’s steepest cogwheel train or a wine tasting in the Alsatian hills
• Visits to Speyer’s Cathedral & Technik Museum or Heidelberg’s famed hillside castle
• Explorations in Köln (Cologne) & Basel – contemporary cities rich with Rhine history & art
• Unlimited complimentary beverages aboard ship include regional wine, beer and premium spirits in addition to specialty coffee, water and soft drinks
• Airport transfers arrival and departure as noted
• 20 meals; service charges, taxes, porterage, and applicable fuel surcharges

Day 1 Arrive Amsterdam

Tour begins: 5:30 PM, Amsterdam. A transfer is included from Schiphol International Airport or Amsterdam Centraal Station to your riverboat; check-in time aboard ship is 4:00 PM for all guests. After a discovery briefing where you’ll hear about your river travels ahead, please join us for a welcome reception followed by dinner aboard your riverboat to celebrate the start of a fantastic journey. Stay Seven Nights: Aboard your 443-ft. riverboat.

Day 2 Amsterdam

In a city indelibly linked to water, it’s fitting that your day begins with a cruise on its 17th-century grachten (canals) which fan out in crescent-shaped rings from the northern waterfront. On the drive to board your canal boat, you’ll get an orientation to the city, which at its heart feels more like a village than the compact center of a cosmopolitan city. Landmarks include Centraal Station, built at the end of the 19th century and still a place in constant motion – with people, bicycles, trams and buses; De Waag (Weigh House), once a fortified gate that today houses a popular outdoor café; and the Mint Tower, a gate in the city wall (circa 1400) that marks the intersection of two canals, tram paths, a pedestrian-only shopping street, and the city flower market – an ever busy, ever interesting crossroads.

Day 3 Koln, Germnay

Overnight your riverboat crosses into Germany; after a full morning of cruising and lunch onboard, you’ll arrive in Köln (Cologne), a city made a capital of a Roman province in 50 AD. Sightseeing begins with a guided tour of the immense twin-towered Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral), whose construction took a mere six centuries. Completed in 1880, UNESCO declared this Gothic “Dom” a World Heritage Site in 1995, recognizing its cultural value as “a testament to the longevity of faith.” You’ll explore this intimately scaled city by coach and on a walking tour.

Day 4 Koblenz, Germany

Your riverboat arrives this morning in Koblenz. The city’s roots go back to the Middle Ages, when its location made it a powerful one as the controller of trade along these major waterways. You may choose a morning of guided exploration of Koblenz, or a bicycling excursion* along the Rhine-Lahn cycle path. If you choose to explore Koblenz, your orientation tour includes a walk to Deutsches Eck – the “German Corner,” where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet – and a visit to Aldstadt (Old Town), a mix of delightful town squares, tucked-away corners, medieval churches, baroque residences and cozy wine taverns.

Day 5 Speyer / Heidelberg

Following a morning spent cruising, arrive in Speyer early in the afternoon. For centuries the Rhine River was a major transport hub and a source of wealth for many – and Speyer was a town that thrived on trade in the 10th and 11th centuries when construction on its double-domed cathedral began. Today, you have a choice of exploring Speyer or Germany’s oldest university town, Heidelberg. If you choose Speyer, your explorations begin at Speyers’ impressive Technik Museum – home to exhibits dedicated to every form of technology that moves, from vintage cars to a Boeing 747 jumbo jet and a German U9 submarine that you can go inside, and the Russian BURAN space shuttle.

Then walk to Speyer Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; you may be surprised by its use of natural glass windows, which pre-dated the use of stained glass, and its roof made entirely of stone – the first ever in Europe. Alternatively, you may spend the afternoon on an excursion to Heidelberg, where narrow lanes, shops and pubs housed in 17th-century structures in the Altstadt are kept lively by the cadence of student life.

Day 6 Strasbourg / Baden-Baden

You’ll wake docked on the Rhine this morning, surrounded by the hills of southern Alsace, many checkered with vineyards. The day begins in the Alsatian cultural capital of Strasbourg, France. It is home to the charming canals and half-timbered houses of La Petite France, stately city residences, a Gothic cathedral, and plenty of winstubs, traditional Alsatian beer pubs. After a morning of sightseeing in Strasbourg, you may choose to stay in town to explore on your own; go for a bicycle excursion through Strasbourg with a local guide; or travel to the German spa resort town of Baden-Baden, on the edge of the Black Forest – where you can either take a walking tour then enjoy free time in this famed spa town, or choose to visit Caracalla Spa, a day devoted to wellness and relaxation.

Day 7 Lucerne / Mt. Pilatus / Alsace Wine Route

Welcome to Switzerland! Mountain scenery, shimmering Lake Lucerne, and forests and meadows straight out of a picture book are in store for you today if you choose to join our excursion to Lucerne. In this “city of lights,” landmarks include the Kappelbrucke, a covered wooden footbridge crossing the Reuss River that dates back to the 1330s, an octagonal Water Tower once used as a prison, narrow lanes and lovely squares, like the Kornmarkt, Weinmarkt and Hirschenplatz.

In Altstadt Lucerne, narrow cobblestone lanes lead to town squares lined with houses painted with frescoes. From town, you’ll head out for the heights of Mt. Pilatus aboard the world’s steepest cogwheel train, climbing from Alpnachstad at the edge of Lake Lucerne to the very top (Oberhaupt) – nearly 7,000 ft. high. Getting to the top is definitely part of the fun, as you travel upward at a 48° angle, while soaking up views of Alpine meadows, and mountain streams, goats and flowers. Alternatively, you may prefer the pleasures of lunch and a wine tasting along the Alsatian wine route. If so, you’ll head to Château Haut-Koenigsbourg, originally built in the 1200s on a rocky promontory high above the French Alsatian plains – an ideal spot for observing comings and going.

Day 8 Depart Basel

Tour ends: Basel. Disembark your riverboat this morning by 9:00 AM. A transfer is included from the riverboat to Basel’s Euroairport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg or Basel SBB Railway Station.

Aboard MS Inspire

Please note, prices listed are guide prices only and are based on 2 people sharing and don’t include any additional supplements. Holiday prices are fluid and dynamic and may be changed at a moment’s notice, prior to booking, at which point they are confirmed. Please call the team free on 0800 707 6229 for more departure dates available and a quote.