Description

 Your Fly, Stay & Cruise package includes: 

·      Economy class flights from Sydney to Basel, returning from Amsterdam

·      8 night Rhine River cruise onboard MS Douce France

-      Includes all meals onboard as well as drinks with lunch and dinner, wifi, shore excursions + more

·      Airport transfers

·      Port charges and fees onboard your cruise and airline taxes

 Based on 16 August 2019 departure

Cruise Itinerary 

Day 1 - Basel

On arrival you will be transferred from the Basel airport to the cruise ship. After settling on board you will meet the crew and enjoy a welcome cocktail before dinner.

Meals: Dinner

Day 2 – Basel – Schaffhausen – Basel

This morning we will travel by coach to the city centre for a guided walking tour of Basel. While strolling, you’ll discover the longstanding Grossbasel section and its numerous passages and medieval monuments: the protestant cathedral (Basler Münster), viewed as one of the city’s top landmarks; the market place dominated by the dark-red, ornate Town Hall; and the famous Freie Strasse - one of the main transit routes in the Middle Ages which has become the most trendy shopping area in the city.

This afternoon, we go on an excursion to discover the Rhine Falls, among one of the most spectacular sites to visit in Switzerland. You will also discover Laufen Castle and its impressive view overlooking the rumbling falls.

Enjoy an evening of dancing before our ship departs towards Breisach.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3 – Breisach

Today enjoy time at leisure in Breisach, a city along the Rhine. The Romanesque St Stephansmunster cathedral overlooks this lovely German town with a European feel. In the afternoon take a guided tour of Colmar and the Unterlinden Museum. Colmar will charm you with its authenticity and typically Alsatian architecture, composed of brightly painted half timbered facades dating from the Middle Ages. You will discover the quintessential neighbourhood of "Little Venice" and visit the Unterlinden Museum, featuring a large collection of local and international artworks and manufactured artifacts from prehistoric to contemporary times. The museum is housed in a 13th century Dominican convent and a 1906 former public baths building.

After dinner enjoy an evening of entertainment.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4 – Breisach – Strasbourg

We will arrive in Strasbourg early this afternoon for a tour of the European capital. Set out for a guided tour of Strasbourg and its historical city centre. We will begin in the Petite France quarter to admire its famous canals and half timbered houses. This area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. Our tour will continue with a visit to the cathedral, a veritable Gothic masterpiece. The structure you see today took over 400 years to build. The famous west front is decorated with thousands of figures, and its spire measures over 466 feet. The cathedral is built out of red sandstone from the nearby mountains, which gives its characteristic pink hue that changes colour according to the sunlight and the colour of the sky.

After our tour we will return to our ship in Strasbourg.

Enjoy an evening of dancing as our ship starts sailing towards Mainz.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5 – Mainz – Koblenz

Today you will set off on foot accompanied by your guides and visit the town of Mainz. Capital of the Rhine Palatinate, Mainz was founded more than 2000 years ago by the Romans. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the top architects and sculptors created the basic shape of the town, with fine palaces and churches. Here you can admire the magnificent historic houses which have been outstandingly well-restored. Located on the banks of the Rhine opposite the confluence of the Rhine with the Main, Mainz will captivate you with its quite incomparable lifestyle, its unique charm and its openness to the world. In the company of your guide, you will be able to enter the magnificent Cathedral, whose construction began in 975 and which has left a deep mark on the history of the town. The interior of the cathedral houses some wonderful historic treasures, including tombs and funerary monuments from the 13th to the 18th centuries. You will also have the opportunity to wander up and down the colourful streets in the old town. Finally you will visit the Gutenberg Museum, the world’s finest museum for printing equipment, materials and books. Born in Mainz around 1400, Johannes Gensfleisch Gutenberg himself prepared the copy of the Bible referred to as “the 42-line Bible” which was published in 1455 – the oldest printed book in the world. Out of the 46 copies still in existence, the museum has just one, along with a “Mainz Psalter”, the first ever document printed using three different colours of ink. The museum extends over five floors and provides a quite remarkable exhibition on the history of the book and written word in both Europe and the world as a whole.

Return on board on foot and cruise up the most beautiful part of the Rhine River towards Koblenz, passing numerous castles as well as the infamous Lorelei Rock along the way.

This evening, join our guide for a tour of the city.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 – Koblenz- Cologne –Dusseldorf

This morning we depart on foot for downtown Cologne. You will discover the city in the company of your guide. Crossroads of Europe since the Middle Ages, Cologne has kept its importance as a vibrant commercial and industrial city as well as a cultural and religious center. You will be able to admire the exterior façades of the huge Gothic Cologne Cathedral which took five centuries to complete. Indeed, although construction started in 1247, it was interrupted due to a lack of financing in 1560 and only started again in 1842 upon request of Emperor Frederick Wilhelm IV, who had fallen in love with the building. Construction was finally completed in 1863 and the Gothic Cathedral was the highest building in the world from 1880 to 1884. Around the Cathedral, 12 other Romanesque style churches are set in a circle, representing the 12 holy apostles. We’ll then move on to the Old Town and stop to admire the outside of the neo-Gothic building, home of the famous "Eau de Cologne".

Before returning on board, we will have some free time to stroll through the streets of Cologne or try the famous local beer, the Kölsch. You will be able to make your way back to the boat on foot at your own pace.

Tonight is our gala dinner and evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7 – Dusseldorf – Xanten – Nijmegen – Amsterdam

Today we will take a guided tour of the open-air museum in Arnhem. Departure from Wesel by coach for the Dutch Open Air Museum in Arnhem, which is located in a beautiful wooded park (44 ha). Some 80 authentic farms, windmills, workshops, houses, barns, a church and a school provide an insight on the everyday life and architecture of yesteryear.

Inside every building, you’ll be intrigued by the typical furniture and the displays of various trades and crafts. Some of the buildings are grouped together, such as the beautiful Limburg timber-framed buildings or the Gelderland farms, but the most charming spot is without a doubt the area dedicated to the Zaan region, with its green painted wooden houses and tastefully decorated gables. Our visit will start with the renovated entrance pavilion and its good vantage point over the park and its many windmills. There are farming implements on display in many areas, like the collections centre. The lower level gives access to the spectacular panoramic theatre HollandRama. In this mobile capsule, films, sounds, lights, smells and temperatures evoke different scenes, from cityscapes to the confines of houses.

Meanwhile, our ship cruises towards Nijmegen where we will board it again after our tour. After dinner tonight enjoy an evening of entertainment.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8 – Amsterdam

This morning we will take a guided panoramic tour of Amsterdam. We’ll leave by coach for a tour of the city. Amsterdam is one of the most unique and extraordinary cities in the world. From its romantic canals to its world-renowned museums and historical significance, it’s a city that never ceases to surprise. Our first stop will be the De Rieker Windmill, one of the eight windmills in greater Amsterdam located to the south. Built in 1636 in the town of Sloten, it was used as a polder windmill for the polder of the same name (Riekerpolder). Its purpose was to help drain water out of the surrounding land. In 1932, a pumping station took over and the windmill was thus dismantled to be replaced by lake Het Nieuw Meer. The windmill was built again in 1961 on the banks of the Amstel river, 8 km away from its original location. The portion of the Amstel banks between Kalfjeslaan and Borcht roads, where you can see the windmill today, attracts many tourists and passers-by, making it the perfect location for an old Dutch windmill. A statue of Rembrandt was erected close-by as a reminder that the painter drove his inspiration from the very banks of this river.

Afterwards, we’ll head to the Diamond District to observe how the talented cutters facet the raw diamonds into the jewels we buy. Our guide will explain in detail how a diamond is valued. After our tour, you’ll be able to spend some time browsing the shop. Our coach will then take us to the Bloemenmarkt, the famous floating flower market. One of the most fragrant places in Amsterdam in any seasons thanks to its thousands of flowers and multitude of varieties, this unique market will make your head spin! At the end of our visit, we’ll return to the ship by coach.

In the afternoon we will take a guised tour of Haarlem. Known as the “City of Flowers”, Haarlem has for centuries been the main production and export centre for tulip bulbs. This charming town has been an inspiration for generations of painters throughout the centuries. We’ll discover the Amsterdamse Poort (Amsterdam Gate) built in 1400 and the only vestige from the city’s fortifications, the Grote Markt (Main Square), the Corrie Ten Boom House, used as a hiding place during World War II and the impressive Gothic Cathedral of St Bavo dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. In Haarlem, you’ll get the chance to see a great number of “beguinages”, with the oldest dating back to 1395. You will have some free time before returning back to Amsterdam to board the boat.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 9 – Amsterdam

After breakfast you will be transferred from the cruise ship to the Amsterdam airport for your flight back to Australia.