Paris, Moselle & The Rhine 2012

Amsterdam to Paris

Day 1 (Sat) Amsterdam. Travel to Amsterdam where you will be met and transferred to your cruise ship for 7 nights. Before dinner, meet your crew at a welcome reception.

Day 2 (Sun) Amsterdam. There is no better way to see the city than by canal boat, cruising along elegant grachten lined by stately homes dating back to Amsterdam’s ‘Golden Age’. There is plenty of free time to explore on your own. Your Cruise Director will have suggestions of how to make the most of your stay.

Day 3 (Mon) Cologne. Cologne is the capital of the Rhineland and one of Germany’s largest cities. The soaring twin steeples of the magnificent gothic cathedral dominate the skyline, and the Germano-Roman Museum next to the cathedral is a must for history buffs. Alternatively, the Old Town abounds with taverns, cafés and shops. Try a Kölsch, the favourite local beer, and shop for a bottle of 4711, the original ‘eau de cologne’.

Day 4 (Tue) Rüdesheim - Rhine Gorge - Koblenz. Rüdesheim is the perfect example of a Rhine Valley wine town – enjoy a visit to Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum and free time to explore the Drosselgasse. Downstream from Rüdesheim, the dramatic Rhine Gorge is an incredibly beautiful stretch of river. Pass the legendary Lorelei Rock, where it was thought sweet songs of local beauties lured enchanted sailors to their doom. Situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, 2,000 year old Koblenz is the cultural and business centre of the Middle Rhine region. The Deutsches Eck, located on a tongue of land where the two rivers converge, holds an impressive statue of Wilhelm I.

Day 5 (Wed) Cochem. Today we sail up the Moselle River, which rises in the Vosges Mountains of north-eastern France and enters Germany at Trier. Visit Cochem’s Reichsburg Castle, which sits atop a vine-clad hill. From here the views of the little town nestled below and of the river valley are splendid. Cruising the wide, peaceful curves of the river, it quickly becomes obvious that the Moselle is an important wine-growing region. Most notably, the Riesling grape is cultivated, producing a dry to sweet, floral white wine.

Day 6 (Thu) Bernkastel. In the middle of the Moselle region is the charming wine village of Bernkastel with its well-preserved, half-timbered houses surrounding the beautiful market place. Wine growers in this area look after Germany’s largest expanse of vineyards, the most celebrated of the vintages being the Bernkasteler Doktor. Before dinner, visit a local wine cellar and taste several of this region’s varieties.

Day 7 (Fri) Trier - Remich. The venerable Episcopal city of Trier is the oldest in Germany and some claim, even older than Rome. A house on the marketplace bears the inscription, ‘Trier was standing 1,300 years before Rome’. The famous Porta Nigra is the only surviving fortified gate from the original Roman settlement and it still gives access to the town centre. Trier’s most famous son was socialist revolutionary Karl Marx. This afternoon, cruise to Remich in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Day 8 (Sat) Remich - Paris. After breakfast, disembark and transfer to Metz to board the high-speed TGV train for a swift and comfortable journey to Paris and two nights at Le Meridien Montparnasse or Hilton Arc de Triomphe hotel.

Day 9 (Sun) Paris. During your included sightseeing tour of Paris, see magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral, the unique Louvre Museum with its glass pyramid as a contrast to the Renaissance style architecture, the commemorative Arc de Triomphe, Opéra, Madeleine, Champs Elysées and the Eiffel Tower, a structural miracle of its age. The city is well known for its colourful nightlife including some of the world’s most famous cabarets.

Day 10 (Mon) Paris. Transfer to the airport or station for your journey to the UK.