Was from

£3,784pp

Now from

£2,859pp

Prices shown exclude flights and transfers

Call us on
0330 058 8243

See staterooms,
dates & prices

Showing 2022 season

Overview

Your 11-day river cruise vacation includes stays in Holland, Germany, France, and Switzerland—all beginning with an overnight stay in Amsterdam before embarking your Suite Ship®. Before sailing down the Rhine River, you’ll enjoy an off-the-beaten-path guided walking tour and a guided canal cruise through the colorful capital of Holland.

Next, you’ll cruise to Cologne, Germany—a 2,000 year-old city known for its Gothic-style architecture—an exciting stop with its famous twin-spired cathedral and Old Town with many shops, cafés, and taverns. Later, relax on the Sky Deck of your ship as you pass through the spectacular Rhine Gorge on your way to Rüdesheim. You’ll take a guided tour of Rüdesheim’s outstanding Mechanical Music Museum. Sail into Mainz for city sightseeing, including a visit to the impressive Gutenberg Museum or choose an excursion to nearby Heidelberg—and cruise to Strasbourg, France. Then, stop in Breisach, Germany, the gateway to Germany’s Black Forest—an area of unrivaled natural beauty—best known for Black Forest ham, cherry cake, and the cuckoo clock.

Cruise to Basel, Switzerland, to disembark from your Avalon Suite Ship® and begin your Monograms vacation package with a visit to Mt. Pilatus and a walking tour in Lucerne. Your Monograms® vacation package includes a Local Host® to arrange your sightseeing, free-time recommendations, and any other assistance you need during your 2-night stay in Lucerne. Your Rhine river cruise and vacation package in Switzerland are the perfect combination to unlock a guided European vacation of a lifetime.

Book your cruise with or without flights

Cruise prices are shown without flights included in case you wish to book them separately, or aren't ready to return home when you disembark! Or we can book your flights for you from most UK airports, with overseas transfers and ATOL protection included. The choice is yours!

Book your cruise with or without flights

Itinerary

Avalon has designed included activities with a choice of experiences. We invite you to select the tours, activities, and events that interest you most, so you can experience your cruise your way. There are three types of included shore excursion on every Europe cruise:

Your local expert is ready to guide you through the history and heritage of local destinations. You’ll marvel at the legends, lore, and spectacular architecture of iconic and historic sites.

Embark on energetic excursions to keep you in motion and on the go - from a guided jogging tour of Amsterdam, to biking, paddling, and hiking your way through scenic locales.

We’ve found inspiring and interactive activities to speak to your interests - from cooking classes, to painting workshops - to immerse yourself in each culture you explore.

Classic

<p>Embark on energetic excursions to keep you in motion and on the go - from a guided jogging tour of Amsterdam, to biking, paddling, and hiking your way through scenic locales.</p>

Active

Embark on energetic excursions to keep you in motion and on the go - from a guided jogging tour of Amsterdam, to biking, paddling, and hiking your way through scenic locales.

Discovery

We’ve found inspiring and interactive activities to speak to your interests - from cooking classes, to painting workshops - to immerse yourself in each culture you explore.

Day 1 AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND

Welcome to Holland.
Your day in Amsterdam is free to explore at your leisure.

Day 2 AMSTERDAM (EMBARKATION)

Meals included:
Breakfast
Dinner

Amsterdam Off the Beaten Path. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding

Discover the true beauty of Amsterdam with an off-the-beaten-path Guided Walking Tour through its cobblestone streets for a captivating look at this legendary city.

During tulip season, you may take a Guided Optional Excursion to Keukenhof gardens—with more than seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, as well as other bulbs, planted each year.
Outside of tulip season, join a Guided Optional Excursion to Zaanse Schans to see historic windmills and charming Dutch houses.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM

Day 3 AMSTERDAM

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Canals of Colorful Amsterdam
Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.

Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam’s “Golden Age."

This afternoon choose among the Guided Optional Excursions available or take some free time to explore Amsterdam’s colorful streets and canal houses, galleries, and shops.

AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO COLOGNE

Day 4 COLOGNE, GERMANY

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland

Enjoy a bike ride like the locals in Cologne with your Adventure Host, OR:

Choose a Guided Walking Tour of Cologne’s important Jewish heritage sites, OR:

Take a Guided City Walk of Cologne—with its soaring twin-steepled gothic cathedral.

Spend free time over a glass of Kölsch pale lager—locally brewed for over 100 years!

Later, local musicians will join us on board for live entertainment.

OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO RÜDESHEIM

Day 5 RÜDESHEIM

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Wine Country
Sail through the Rhine Gorge to Rüdesheim and past the legendary rock of the Lorelei—where the siren of mythology sang songs to lure ill-fated sailors.

Enjoy a hike with your Avalon Adventure Host through the picturesque vineyards of Rüdesheim, OR:

Take a Guided Tour of the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience; based on your departure enjoy a local special treat.

Enjoy live entertainment on board your ship this evening.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN RÜDESHEIM

Day 6 MAINZ. EXCURSION TO HEIDELBERG

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Printing Halls, Castle Walls, and the World’s Biggest Wine Barrel

Join your Avalon Adventure Host for a Hike up Philosophers’ Way for an inspiring view of the city below, OR:

Enjoy a Guided City Walk, including a visit to the Gutenberg Museum to see the captivating history of printing, OR:

Enjoy a Guided Tour to Heidelberg Castle to see the ruins of the magnificent renaissance treasure towering above the city, and its famed Great Vat, the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel”.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO STRASBOURG

Day 7 STRASBOURG, FRANCE

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

A Grand Cathedral and La Petite France
Ask about today’s energizing or relaxing Adventure Host activities.

Discover Strasbourg by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:

Join a City Sightseeing Tour, including Strasbourg’s Gothic, stained-glass cathedral with its celebrated ancient murals and astronomical clock, as well as the magical La Petite France District.

Choose a Guided Optional Excursion to the historic Maginot Line—the pre-WWII fortifications designed to protect the eastern border of France, or visit Alsace’s wine country today.
Alternatively, take some free time in Strasbourg to visit a museum, or stroll across the city center.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BREISACH

Day 8 BREISACH, GERMANY. EXCURSION TO BLACK FOREST

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

German Winemaking and the Beautiful Black Forest

Join a full-day Guided Tour to the magical Black Forest to experience the Vogtsbauernohf open-air-museum, visit an authentic water mill, and see a traditional butter-making demonstration, OR:

Visit to Badischer Winzerkeller, the largest German wine producer in Europe. Learn about German winemaking in the vineyards of Baden, and enjoy a wine tasting.

You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to visit the charming village of Colmar in the morning, with half-timbered medieval and early renaissance buildings.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BASEL

Day 9 BASEL, SWITZERLAND (DISEMBARKATION)–MOUNT PILATUS–LUCERNE

Disembark your Avalon ship and join the Monograms portion of your vacation. Enjoy a special highlight excursion to Mount Pilatus. Journey almost 7,000 ft. (2,132 m) up for spectacular views over central Switzerland (in case of bad weather, visit the Swiss Transport Museum instead). Later join a Guided Walking tour to explore beautiful Lucerne which includes Thorvaldsen’s poignant Lion Monument and the famous Chapel Bridge.

Day 10 LUCERNE

Meals included:
Breakfast

Today, enjoy a day at leisure in Lucerne. Your Local Host can help you plan your day.

Day 11 LUCERNE

Meals included:
Breakfast

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.

Questions? Our travel specialists can help with any queries, quotes or special requirements. Request a callback or email us.

Notes

In the event of technical or water level issues, it may be necessary to operate the itinerary by motorcoach or alter the program, including hotel overnight when necessary.
Guided Tours, Optional Excursions, activities, sailing and docking schedules may be contingent on weather conditions or other issues outside of our control and could therefore be subject to change at any time.
Please check visa requirements with your local consulate(s); responsibility for obtaining visas rests with the traveler.