Timeless Rivers of Europe: the Rhine and Seine with Swiss Alps, 3 Nights in Lake Como & 1 Night in Lucerne

The port of Lima is a vibrant gateway to Peru's rich history and culinary excellence, making it a must-visit destination for travelers. Savor local delicacies like ceviche and explore nearby attractions such as the coastal district of Callao and the breathtaking landscapes of Puno. The best time to visit is during the dry season from May to September, when the weather is ideal for exploration.

Paracas is a desert peninsula on Peru's southern coast where one of the world's most productive marine ecosystems meets a landscape of dramatic aridity, enigmatic geoglyphs, and ancient textile traditions. Must-dos include a boat tour to the wildlife-packed Ballestas Islands, exploring the red sand beach and flamingo bays of the national reserve, and dining on fresh ceviche. Visit year-round in this rain-free climate, with mornings best before the fierce afternoon winds.

Lake Como, Italy is a distinctive port city where deep cultural heritage meets authentic local atmosphere, featured on itineraries by Uniworld River Cruises. Must-do experiences include walking the historic center to experience the layered architectural heritage, and seeking out the regional culinary traditions at a locally favored establishment away from the port area. The optimal time to visit is May through September, when mild temperatures and long days favor unhurried exploration.

The port of Lima is a vibrant gateway to Peru's rich history and culinary excellence, making it a must-visit destination for travelers. Savor local delicacies like ceviche and explore nearby attractions such as the coastal district of Callao and the breathtaking landscapes of Puno. The best time to visit is during the dry season from May to September, when the weather is ideal for exploration.

Framed by snowcapped Alps and the mirror-bright waters of Lake Lucerne, this medieval Swiss gem centres on the 14th-century Kapellbrücke — one of Europe's oldest covered bridges — and a colourful Altstadt that has changed little in five centuries. Ride the cog railway to cloud-wreathed Mount Pilatus, savour Älplermagronen in a timber-beamed tavern, and explore the nearby wonders of Interlaken and Grindelwald. Late spring through early autumn offers the most spectacular lake reflections and settled mountain weather.

Machu Picchu is a fifteenth-century Incan citadel set high in Peru's Andes Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of extraordinary archaeological and spiritual significance. Visitors should not miss the sunrise panorama from the Sun Gate and a guided exploration of the Intihuatana stone and Temple of the Sun, followed by a journey to Lake Titicaca near Puno. The optimal season to visit is May through September — Peru's dry winter — when clear skies unveil the full drama of the surrounding peaks and cloud forest.

Cusco is the former Inca capital at 3,399 meters in the Peruvian Andes, where precisely fitted Inca stonework supports Spanish colonial churches in a city that is the gateway to Machu Picchu and one of South America's most exciting culinary destinations. Must-dos include exploring the Plaza de Armas and its twin cathedrals, visiting Sacsayhuamán fortress, and dining on cuy and alpaca with Andean superfoods. Visit May to October for dry weather, with June for the Inti Raymi festival.

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.

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.

Iquitos, the world’s largest city unreachable by road, sits on the Peruvian Amazon amid rubber-boom mansions and serves as the gateway to some of Earth’s most biodiverse rainforest. Must-dos include exploring Pacaya-Samiria’s flooded forests for pink dolphins, browsing the Belén market’s Amazonian ingredients, and tasting paiche ceviche. Visit June through October for low-water wildlife concentration, or December through May for canoe exploration of the flooded forest.

The port of Lima is a vibrant gateway to Peru's rich history and culinary excellence, making it a must-visit destination for travelers. Savor local delicacies like ceviche and explore nearby attractions such as the coastal district of Callao and the breathtaking landscapes of Puno. The best time to visit is during the dry season from May to September, when the weather is ideal for exploration.

Vernon is a quietly beguiling Norman town on the Seine whose greatest treasure lies just four kilometers beyond its medieval bridge: the garden and water lily ponds at Giverny, where Claude Monet lived and painted for forty-three years, creating the luminous imagery that changed the course of modern art. The town itself retains considerable charm — a romanticly ruined twelfth-century bridge tower draped in ivy, half-timbered houses along the riverbank, and a fine museum housing several original Monet canvases. Monet's garden is open from April through October, reaching its peak splendor in May and June when his beloved water lilies are in full, painterly bloom.

Caudebec-en-Caux nestles in a Seine meander between Rouen and the sea, famous for its Flamboyant Gothic Eglise Notre-Dame — a masterwork of late medieval stone lacework so exquisite that Henri IV called it 'the most beautiful chapel in my kingdom.' The town serves as an ideal quiet base for exploring the Seine Valley's quieter pleasures: the remarkable Abbaye de Jumiéges, its roofless nave open to the Norman sky, and the Manoir d'Ango, a Renaissance manor of extraordinary ambition, are both within easy reach. The tidal atmosphere of the Seine at this point rewards early morning walks along the embankment. Rouen, with its Gothic cathedral and Impressionist legacy, lies forty minutes east.