Rhine Castles & Swiss Alps from Amsterdam

Daily Itinerary

1. Day 1

   Amsterdam

   Netherlands

   

   Amsterdam's UNESCO-listed canal ring — a concentric web of seventeenth-century merchant houses and arching stone bridges — remains one of the Western world's most perfectly preserved Golden Age cityscapes, best explored by bicycle or canal boat at a pace that lets the city's genius reveal itself slowly. The Rijksmuseum's collection of Rembrandt and Vermeer masterpieces is essential, while the Anne Frank House offers one of Europe's most profoundly moving historical encounters. Spring brings the iconic tulip season; summer fills the terraces of the Jordaan district. Schiphol Airport makes Amsterdam a seamless gateway to the entire European continent.

2. Day 2

   Amsterdam

   Netherlands

   

   Amsterdam's UNESCO-listed canal ring — a concentric web of seventeenth-century merchant houses and arching stone bridges — remains one of the Western world's most perfectly preserved Golden Age cityscapes, best explored by bicycle or canal boat at a pace that lets the city's genius reveal itself slowly. The Rijksmuseum's collection of Rembrandt and Vermeer masterpieces is essential, while the Anne Frank House offers one of Europe's most profoundly moving historical encounters. Spring brings the iconic tulip season; summer fills the terraces of the Jordaan district. Schiphol Airport makes Amsterdam a seamless gateway to the entire European continent.

3. Day 3

   Cologne

   Germany

   

   Cologne's twin-spired Gothic cathedral, six hundred years in the building and still the city's defining monument, is the inevitable starting point — but this ancient Rhine city rewards exploration well beyond its iconic silhouette. The Romano-Germanic Museum reveals the city's Roman foundations, while the Chocolate Museum on the riverbank offers a distinctly sweeter history lesson. Cologne's famed Kölsch beer culture thrives in the old town's traditional brew-houses, where one round follows another in centuries-old wooden halls. The city is welcoming year-round, though the legendary Christmas markets (November–December) attract visitors from across Europe.

4. Day 4

   Rhine Gorge

   

   The Rhine Gorge is a popular name for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a 65 km section of the Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse in Germany.

5. Day 4

   Rudesheim

   Germany

   

   Rüdesheim am Rhein, a jewel of the UNESCO-listed Upper Middle Rhine Valley, is where Germany's most storied wine river cuts through vine-terraced slopes and medieval castle ruins. The pedestrianised Drosselgasse laneway — beloved since the Romantic era — hums with wine taverns pouring the region's celebrated Rieslings, crisp and mineral from the slate soils. The Niederwald Monument surveys the river from the heights, reached by cable car above the vineyards. Day trips by boat unlock Bacharach, Boppard, and the legendary Lorelei rock. September's harvest festivals transform the entire valley into a convivial celebration of the vintage.

6. Day 5

   Ludwigshafen

   Germany

   

   Ludwigshafen am Rhein was founded by Bavarian royal ambition in 1843 and grew rapidly into one of Germany's great industrial cities — home to BASF, the world's largest chemical company, whose vast campus stretches along the Rhine for kilometres. Though industrial in character, Ludwigshafen occupies a prime Rhine valley position that places it within easy reach of Heidelberg, Germany's most romantic university city, and the rolling vineyards of the Palatinate wine region. The Kunstmuseum Ludwigshafen houses a noteworthy collection of contemporary art. Ludwigshafen is a year-round river cruise port, though May through October offers the most pleasant conditions for excursions into the surrounding wine country.

7. Day 6

   Strasbourg

   France

   

   Strasbourg is one of Europe's great border cities, its Franco-German soul etched into every half-timbered façade of the UNESCO-listed Grande Île and every turret of the soaring rose-sandstone cathedral that reigned as the world's tallest building for over two centuries. As the seat of the European Parliament and home to the European Court of Human Rights, this sophisticated Alsatian capital savors outstanding Riesling and choucroute garnie with equal Continental pride. The city dazzles year-round, though December's legendary Christmas market — among the oldest in Europe — transforms its medieval squares into an enchanted winter spectacle.

8. Day 7

   Basel

   Switzerland

   

   Basel, where Switzerland, France, and Germany converge at the Rhine's northward bend, hosts a concentration of world-class art institutions that rivals any city its size on earth — the Kunstmuseum alone, the world's oldest public art collection, could occupy days, and Art Basel each June draws every name that matters in the contemporary art world to this compact, elegant city. The Rhine itself is the city's great social artery: in summer, locals jump in with waterproof bags and float downstream, a tradition as charming as any museum. Spring through autumn is ideal for outdoor exploration; Paris is just three hours by TGV and Strasbourg a mere twenty minutes by train.

9. Day 8

   Basel

   Switzerland

   

   Basel, where Switzerland, France, and Germany converge at the Rhine's northward bend, hosts a concentration of world-class art institutions that rivals any city its size on earth — the Kunstmuseum alone, the world's oldest public art collection, could occupy days, and Art Basel each June draws every name that matters in the contemporary art world to this compact, elegant city. The Rhine itself is the city's great social artery: in summer, locals jump in with waterproof bags and float downstream, a tradition as charming as any museum. Spring through autumn is ideal for outdoor exploration; Paris is just three hours by TGV and Strasbourg a mere twenty minutes by train.

Cabin Categories

French Balcony

Outside

170 sq ftMax 2C

In-room temperature control Deluxe hotel-style bedding with Egyptian linen, down pillows and duvet Spacious bathrooms with multi-jet showerheads Large wardrobe, full-length mirror, hair dryer, safe and direct-dial telephone Flat-screen TV that also works as a computer Entertainment on Demand system providing complimentary TV, movies and music library Complimentary internet and Wi-Fi Complimentary bottled water replenished daily Desk and chair

Double or Twin ConfigurationShowerToiletries ProvidedRoom Service AvailableTVFree Wi-Fi+6

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French Balcony & Outside Balcony

balcony

AA+

French Balcony & Outside Balcony

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Twin Balcony

Balcony

210 sq ftMax 2BA

In-room temperature control Deluxe hotel-style bedding with Egyptian linen, down pillows and duvet Spacious bathrooms with multi-jet showerheads Large wardrobe, full-length mirror, hair dryer, safe and direct-dial telephone Flat-screen TV that also works as a computer Entertainment on Demand system providing complimentary TV, movies and music library Complimentary internet and Wi-Fi Complimentary bottled water replenished daily Desk and chair

Double or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaShowerToiletries ProvidedRoom Service AvailableTV+6

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Twin Balcony

Balcony

210 sq ftMax 2BB

In-room temperature control Deluxe hotel-style bedding with Egyptian linen, down pillows and duvet Spacious bathrooms with multi-jet showerheads Large wardrobe, full-length mirror, hair dryer, safe and direct-dial telephone Flat-screen TV that also works as a computer Entertainment on Demand system providing complimentary TV, movies and music library Complimentary internet and Wi-Fi Complimentary bottled water replenished daily Desk and chair

Double or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaShowerToiletries ProvidedRoom Service AvailableTV+6

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Twin Balcony

Suite

235 sq ftMax 2AB

In-room temperature control Deluxe hotel-style bedding with Egyptian linen, down pillows and duvet Spacious bathrooms with multi-jet showerheads Large wardrobe, full-length mirror, hair dryer, safe and direct-dial telephone Flat-screen TV that also works as a computer Entertainment on Demand system providing complimentary TV, movies and music library Complimentary internet and Wi-Fi Complimentary bottled water replenished daily Desk and chair

BathDouble or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaToiletries ProvidedRoom Service AvailableTV+6

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Twin Balcony

Suite

235 sq ftMax 2AA

In-room temperature control Deluxe hotel-style bedding with Egyptian linen, down pillows and duvet Spacious bathrooms with multi-jet showerheads Large wardrobe, full-length mirror, hair dryer, safe and direct-dial telephone Flat-screen TV that also works as a computer Entertainment on Demand system providing complimentary TV, movies and music library Complimentary internet and Wi-Fi Complimentary bottled water replenished daily Desk and chair

Double or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaBathToiletries ProvidedRoom Service AvailableTV+6

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Fixed Window

Outside

160 sq ftMax 2E

In-room temperature control Deluxe hotel-style bedding with Egyptian linen, down pillows and duvet Spacious bathrooms with multi-jet showerheads Large wardrobe, full-length mirror, hair dryer, safe and direct-dial telephone Flat-screen TV that also works as a computer Entertainment on Demand system providing complimentary TV, movies and music library Complimentary internet and Wi-Fi Complimentary bottled water replenished daily Desk and chair

Double or Twin ConfigurationShowerToiletries ProvidedRoom Service AvailableTVSafe+5

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Fixed Window

Outside

160 sq ftMax 2D

In-room temperature control Deluxe hotel-style bedding with Egyptian linen, down pillows and duvet Spacious bathrooms with multi-jet showerheads Large wardrobe, full-length mirror, hair dryer, safe and direct-dial telephone Flat-screen TV that also works as a computer Entertainment on Demand system providing complimentary TV, movies and music library Complimentary internet and Wi-Fi Complimentary bottled water replenished daily Desk and chair

Double or Twin ConfigurationShowerToiletries ProvidedRoom Service AvailableFree Wi-FiSafe+6

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Suite

Suite

300 sq ftMax 2SS

In-room temperature control Deluxe hotel-style bedding with Egyptian linen, down pillows and duvet Spacious bathrooms with multi-jet showerheads Large wardrobe, full-length mirror, hair dryer, safe and direct-dial telephone Flat-screen TV that also works as a computer Entertainment on Demand system providing complimentary TV, movies and music library Complimentary internet and Wi-Fi Complimentary bottled water replenished daily Desk and chair

Double or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaShowerBathToiletries ProvidedRoom Service Available+8

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