Highlights of the Rhine Cruise (Basel to Amsterdam)

 Upon arrival at your chosen airport, enjoy a private transfer to your AmaWaterways ship in the Port of Basel. If you’ve arrived early, you can be picked up at your local hotel. This evening, the welcome dinner will be hosted onboard.

Meals Included: Dinner

This morning, you can get to know Basel on a guided walking tour. Discover its rich history, visible in everything from the magnificent 18th Century patrician homes to the elegantly decorated market square and medieval town hall. Avid cyclists can opt for a guided biking tour that pedals through Switzerland, France, and Germany. Afterward, you can visit Lake Lucerne where you’ll see the lion monument that honors the memory of Swiss Guards killed during the French Revolution, described by Mark Twain as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.”. If you’d prefer, you can take a full-day trip to Lucerne, skipping the morning excursion in Basel, to explore more of its spectacular medieval walls and towers, dating back to the 13th century.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Included Excursion Options Available:
“City of Art” tour
“Three Countries” bike tour
Half-day Lake Lucerne tour
Full-day Lake Lucerne tour*

* Not combinable with other tours on this day

Your first stop along the river is the capital of the Alsace region, returned to France by Germany after World War 1. Located along the German border, it provides a taste of both countries with serene canals, charming cobbled streets, and picturesque half-timbered homes. Two different bike tours are available, one of which rolls through Strasbourg and the spectacular Parc de l’Orangerie park while the other travels through Ladenburg along the Neckar River. Or take the panoramic tour of Strasbourg’s highlights, including views of Parc de l’Orangerie, the European Parliament, and Place de la Republique. Wandering through the “La Petite France” medieval district on foot, marvel at Notre Dame Cathedral with its famous astronomical clock, and discover some of the local delicacies such as Tarte Flambée and Riesling wine.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Included Excursion Options Available:
“The Gem of Alsace” tour
Strasbourg bike tour

Reaching Ludwigshafen, you’ll have your choice of four different tour options, including exploring Heidelberg, a beautifully preserved medieval city along the Castle Road in Germany, with visits to the Great Vat, a 49,000-gallon wine cask, and iconic Heidelberg Castle made of red sandstone. If you like to hike, take the guided trek on the Philosopher’s Path for panoramic views over Heidelberg. Cyclists can bike along the Neckar River to medieval Ladenburg with time to shop. Or visit Speyer, home to Europe’s largest Romanesque cathedral. Cruising to Rüdesheim later in the day, sample Rüdesheimer coffee or visit Siegfried’s Mechanical Instrument Cabinet.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Included Excursion Options Available:
“Romantic Heidelberg” excursion
“Secrets of Speyer” tour
Heidelberg philosopher’s hike
Ladenburg bike tour
Siegfried’s Mechanical Instrument Cabinet
Rüdesheimer Coffee experience

Wine enthusiasts can look forward to taking in the awe-inspiring views of Rüdesheim’s vineyards from a gondola while riding to the Niederwalddenkmal followed by a wine tasting that provides a sample of what the iconic vines produce. Those looking to get more active can take the guided cycling tour along the Rhine or hike through the picturesque vineyards. After returning to the ship, enjoy a highlight of the cruise, winding through the UNESCO-listed Rhine Gorge, the most breathtaking stretch of the Rhine, complete with 40 hilltop castles along the river. This evening, you’ll visit 13th-century Lahneck Castle standing on a steep rock above the confluence of the Rhine and Lahn rivers.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Included Excursion Options Available:
Gondola ride with wine tasting
Vineyard hike
Guided bike tour of the Rheingau
Castles along the Rhine scenic cruising
Burg Lahneck tour

Reaching Cologne, join a guided walking tour that reveals its rich past, dating back some two thousand years when it was founded by the Romans. Explore the Old Town that hosts the oldest town hall in Germany, Cologne Rathaus, the Romanesque Great St. Martin Church, and 12th Century Fischmarkt. Your tour concludes in a local tavern for a tasting of the local Kolsch beer. Architectural enthusiasts might opt for the guided tour of 13th Century Cologne Cathedral which managed to survive WWII aerial bombing, focusing on its architectural styles. A guided biking tour through Stadtgarten Park and along the Rhine is possible too. An insider’s tip is to visit the Museum Ludwig, one of the most cele­brat­ed mu­se­ums for modern art and the third-largest Pi­cas­so col­lec­tion in the world. It also has the most com­pre­hen­sive Pop Art col­lec­tion out­side of the Unit­ed States.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Included Excursion Options Available:
Cologne walking tour and Kölsch beer tasting
Cologne Cathedral architecture tour
Cologne bike tour

Reaching the final destination of this exciting cruise, you’ll have two tour options to choose from in Amsterdam. With the Dutch capital home to 165 canals, one of the most popular things to do is take a cruise along the winding waterways for a unique perspective of the sights. You’ll see many narrow bridges like the famous Skinny Bridge, and pass grand gabled homes, Gothic churches, and much more. Or head to one of the city’s cafes to sample Dutch specialties, enjoying a variety of traditional Dutch gabled houses, narrow bridges and house boats along the way.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Included Excursion Options Available:
Amsterdam canal cruise
A Taste of Amsterdam* experience

* Not combinable with other tours on this day

Enjoy one last breakfast onboard and then meet your driver for a private transfer to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to catch your flight home. If you’d like to spend more time here, you can opt to take your private transfer to a local hotel in Amsterdam instead.

Meals Included: Dinner

N.B. Excursions offered by AmaWaterways may vary from those listed in this itinerary. Full excursion options will be made available to you ahead of travel and upon embarking the ship. While excursions are included on AmaWaterways, there may also be some optional excursions available for a supplement.