Rhine, Strasbourg & Heidelberg River Cruise for Solo Travellers

8 days from only $4,049pp

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Overview

Exclusive departure for solo travellers | No single supplements

Seven guided tours including Strasbourg, Heidelberg, Cologne, Rüdesheim and Koblenz, and visit toColmar

Seven nights on board in your choice of luxury cabin or suite, with river views

All meals on board from dinner on your day of arrival through to breakfast on your day of departure,including a welcome dinner and the Captain’s Dinner

Live classical quartet recital on board

Complimentary on-board tea and coffee

Complimentary on-board Wi-Fi (connection speeds may vary)

Five-star service from an English-speaking crew and knowledgeable local guides

Services of a Riviera Travel cruise director and concierge

No surcharges guaranteed

Departing 31st October 2020

A spectacularly scenic cruise of wonderful contrasts, from refined and historic Heidelberg to delightfully

quaint Boppard and the old world charm of medieval Strasbourg plus the enduring allure of the gloriousRhine Gorge. Stepping aboard you will appreciate the superb surroundings of your floating luxury hotel forthe next seven nights with spacious and well-appointed cabins or suites, private bathrooms and meticulouslyprepared fine cuisine.

From Cologne, we slip our moorings and head on our journey south to Koblenz spending a morning exploringthis historic town sitting at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers then continuing to the beautiful oldtown of Boppard for the evening. Continuing our journey we navigate through the outstanding natural beautyof the world-famous Rhine Gorge onto Mainz famous for the ‘Gutenberg’ Bibles. Next we enjoy a guided tourof stunning Heidelberg, on the route of Europe’s ‘Grand Tour’, nestling by the picturesque river Neckar.

By day five, we arrive in Strasbourg, a delightful city with its centre largely unchanged since the 14th century,a mosaic of winding alleys and lanes lined with quirkily crooked, half-timbered houses. During periods of itshistory Strasbourg has been both German and French, and today you can see this influence in its language,cuisine and appearance, creating a truly individual city. Then to Colmar, almost embarrassingly perfect - atypically quaint medieval Alsatian town.

The following day we return journey downstream, stopping in Rudesheim one of the liveliest towns on theriver, before continuing through the Rhine Gorge to Cologne. Here we enjoy a guided walking tour of the citywith time to explore the stunning cathedral, an excellent finale to this most wonderful cruise.

Your ItineraryRhine, Strasbourg & Heidelberg River Cruise for Solo Travellers

DAY 1 - EMBARK IN COLOGNE

Arrive in Cologne, where your five-star floating hotel is moored in thepicturesque historic center. The dedicated English-speaking crewwelcomes you on board and helps you to your cabin. After settling intoyour spacious and tastefully furnished accommodation, there’s time tofamiliarise yourself with this splendid ship.

DAY 2 - KOBLENZ & BOPPARD

When you peek out from your cabin this morning, you’ll realise the shiphas slipped quietly away from Cologne; the view that greets you is ofvine-covered valleys sides aglow in the morning light, bidding you awarm welcome to the charms of the Rhine. There’s nothing quite likethat feeling of anticipation when gliding alongside the promenade of ariver port, snatching tantalising glimpses of what lies ashore, andKoblenz – beautifully located at the confluence of the Rhine and MoselleRivers – doesn’t disappoint.

The city is immersed in two millennia of history: founded by theRomans, it was successively occupied by the Franks, chosen as aresidence of the German prince electors, conquered by the French andfortified by the Prussians! All have left their marks in the city’s rich arrayof castles, churches and historic buildings. Koblenz is a romantic’sdream – forest-covered hillsides dominate the skyline, while the lowerslopes are strewn with pretty, half-timbered buildings so typical of theRhineland. After a satisfying breakfast, we disembark to enjoy aninsightful guided tour through ‘Old Koblenz’, a patchwork of narrowstreets and squares, many lined with exquisitely restored traditionalhouses and cosy cafés.

There’s time to explore on your own, maybe taking in a little shopping,before ambling back to the cruise ship. We continue upstream as weenjoy our first relaxing lunch on board and before long we arrive inBoppard, a gorgeous town on a dramatic, almost U-shaped river bend.Known as the ‘Pearl of the Rhine’, Boppard is renowned for its storybookmedieval atmosphere of cobbled streets and ancient houses. Here we’llenjoy a guided tour lead by one of our local experts, with highlights

including the beautiful white stone St. Severus and Carmelite churches,the marketplace with the ruins of the fortress and the old town with itscharming winding alleys and half-timbered houses. The early evening isan ideal time to wander along the town’s attractive riverside Rheinalleepromenade before thoughts turn to tonight’s menu, prepared by theship’s chef and served to your delight in the restaurant.

DAY 3 - RHINE GORGE & MAINZ

Slipping our mooring in Boppard we cruise through the Rhine Gorge,where the waters narrow to one-fifth their normal width and flow moreswiftly. Sheer valley walls soar 600 feet and magnificent birds of preyglide above. Teutonic knights built the numerous redoubtable castles assymbols of their power and to extract tolls from ships, but thefortresses now stand as silent ruins on forested hillsides as remindersof how fortunes change with the passage of history. This really is themagical Rhine of our imagination, so find a comfortable spot on the SunDeck or in the forward observation lounge and enjoy the experience ofcruising this famous stretch of water.

Your next port of call is historic Mainz for an unmissable guided tour.The city is renowned today as Germany’s wine capital but whose mostfamous son was Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the movable typeprinting press. The excellent city museum houses a reconstruction of hisworkshop and, outstandingly, two original 1455 Gutenberg Bibles. Themuseum is in a beautifully restored 17th-century building in the heart ofMainz’s Old Town, opposite the impressive Romanesque cathedral.

DAY 4 - HEIDELBERG

Overnight we cruise further downstream and, after breakfast, we take ashort drive to Heidelberg, undoubtedly one of Germany’s most perfectarchitectural treasures and all the more remarkable because it escapedbombing during the Second World War. Set in an almost idealisedGerman landscape, this jewel sits on the banks of the River Neckar,surrounded by forests and with an imposing castle dominating thechurch spires and terracotta gabled roofs of the compact Aldstadt – theromantic Old Town. Its 14th-century university, one of the mostprestigious in Europe, lends Heidelberg a genteel atmosphere rathersimilar to its ‘twin’ town – Cambridge. During the 19th century it was thecentre of Germany’s Romantic Movement, on the route of the ‘GrandTour’ and visited by many artists including JMW Turner, who captured itssplendours for eternity. There are few more delightful places to explore,as you’ll discover on our guided walking tour, which reveals its principalattractions – including the magical stone bridge with its twin whitetowers – and local secrets. Afterwards, you’ll have time to explore onyour own before returning to the ship to enjoy the gorgeous views as

the sun sets.

DAY 5 - STRASBOURG & COLMAR

By breakfast we’ve arrived in France and the charming city ofStrasbourg, capital of the Alsace region. The city is a complete delight –its centre a mosaic of winding alleys and lanes lined with quirkilycrooked, half-timbered houses largely unchanged since the 14thcentury. During its history Strasbourg has been both German andFrench, and you see influences of both in its language, cuisine andappearance, creating a truly individual ambience. This morning, weexplore this delightful city on a walking tour with a local guide leading usto its enchanting centre – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – taking in thePetite France quarter of pretty canals lined with classic pastel-colouredhouses crisscrossed with timbers and with flower-filled window boxes,the famous multi-towered Ponts Couverts, or covered bridges, and, ofcourse, the stunning Gothic Notre-Dame Cathedral, which Victor Hugomemorably described as a ‘veritable tiara of stone’.

Just south of Strasbourg lies a picturesque wine route, virtually an open-air museum of romantic medieval villages, cobbled streets andRenaissance chateaux strung like pearls on a necklace against asweeping backdrop of rolling hills. We enjoy all this on a splendidlyscenic drive, soon arriving in the medieval town of Colmar, the best-preserved in Alsace. Little known outside the area, it’s a magicalconcoction of canals, former merchants’ houses, ancient religiousbuildings and antique shops. The cathedral quarter is surrounded bypastel-coloured half-timbered houses displaying the intricate wrought-iron hanging signs so typical of this area of Europe. We’ve plenty of timehere to sit, enjoy a coffee and watch the world go by or just wander. Wereturn to the ship in Strasbourg for dinner.

DAY 6 - RÜDESHEIM

After a relaxing morning cruise, we arrive in Rüdesheim by lateafternoon for a wonderful walking tour – if you imagine a typical Rhinetown, then this would be it! Narrow crooked streets lead down to thesweeping river with a backdrop of wooded and vine-covered slopes.Riesling is the speciality grape here and Rüdesheim has manyatmospheric Weinstuben where you can sample local wines producedfrom the surrounding vineyards. On board tonight, we enjoy a culinaryspectacular – the Captain’s Dinner – featuring a range of irresistiblespecialities from the countries and regions we visit during our cruise.This special occasion is hosted, of course, by the Captain himself.

DAY 7 - COLOGNE GUIDED TOUR

This morning, early risers can enjoy phenomenal views as once again wepass through the Rhine Gorge where, in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, the RhineMaidens guard lost treasure, the ‘Rheingold’. What better way to spendthe morning than relaxing on the Sun Deck beneath dramatic rocky,vineyard-topped valley sides dotted with romantic ruined castles.

The valley sides dissolve and hills give way to plains as we progressmajestically to Cologne. This afternoon you can discover this fascinatingcity on our tour led by a local guide who’ll help you get the most out ofyour visit, which of course takes in the twin-spired cathedral, the largestGothic church in Northern Europe, miraculous survivor of Second WorldWar bombing and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It took six centuries tocomplete, and among its many treasures are the magnificent stainedglass windows and gilded sarcophagus said to contain the remains ofthe three kings from the Nativity story. We also see the vibrant OldTown, beautifully restored and boasting an abundance of excellentshopping and cosy bars, some of which still brew their own beer. Asnight falls, a sumptuous dinner provides the perfect finale to thismemorable cruise through the romantic River Rhine.

DAY 8 - DISEMBARK IN COLOGNE

This morning, the crew bids you farewell before you disembark.

Please note: This document has been compiled based on the information available to us at the time itwas created for you, we reserve the right to alter or cancel itineraries, accommodation or otherarrangements at any time. Prices and accommodation are subject to change as they are based onavailability at the time of booking.

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