9 Days Europe’s Heartland Tour Package
Duration: 9 Days / 8 Nights
Priced From: $1,899 pp dbl. occ.
Dates: May, Jun - Oct
Highlights
- Deluxe cruise accommodation in an outside stateroom
- All meals aboard ship with special theme dinners and local wines
- Special evening entertainments include folkloric dances and lectures
- Escorted walking tours around towns and villages
- Use of bicycles to explore local sights
- Explore medieval towns of Wertheim and Bamberg
- Cruise past famous Rhine castles
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Depart USA
Board your overnight flight to Nuremberg.
Day 2: Nuremberg Arrival
 Land in Nuremberg and travel from the airport to where the ship is moored. Note that transfers are not included for cruise only passengers. Today there is free time for lunch before embarkation on the ship. Tonight gather on board for a welcome dinner. The ship departs in the late evening. (D)
Day 3: Bamberg
Enjoy your breakfast as you cruise along and marvel at the engineering feat of the Main-Danube canal which straddles the Franconian Alps via 16 locks. Arrive in Bamberg which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Disembark for a guided tour of this medieval gem, with its almost completely intact town center. Marvel at the breathtaking cathedral, the Old Town Hall that straddles the river, and the city's serpentine streets with charming houses and 18th-century mansions. There is free time before you continue your cruise, now on the Main River. (B, L, D)
Day 4: Würzburg
Würzburg, "the Pearl of the Romantic Road," is the capital of Lower Franconia, and a center of wine and trade. Visit major sights including the magnificent Residence Palace. This afternoon why not join an optional excursion to medieval Rothenburg? A walking tour helps you appreciate its ramparts and towers, cobble-stoned lanes and 16th-century houses. You will have free time to explore on your own before returning to Würzburg. (B, L, D)
Day 5: Wertheim & Miltenberg
After breakfast, spend some free time in Wertheim, perhaps browsing around the market square and its shops, before enjoying a glass-blowing demonstration. Then cruise to Miltenberg for a guided walking tour along narrow, cobble-stoned streets shows you the gabled, half-timbered houses. Tonight, the ship sails into the Rhine River leaving Bavaria, Franconia and the Main River behind. (B, L, D)
Day 6: Visit Heidelberg or Mainz
Today, again you have to choose - either disembark in Mainz and travel by motorcoach to Heidelberg, Germany's oldest university town of Student Prince fame. You will visit the red-walled Castle, seeing the Great Vat, a 49,000-gallon 18th-century wine cask and beautiful views of the Necker Valley and Heidelberg below. Then there is a walking tour of old Heidelberg and free time for lunch on your own. In the afternoon drive to Frankfurt, the bustling metropolis on the River Main, where you rejoin your ship. Or, you can enjoy a leisurely walking tour of charming Mainz, hometown of the famous printer Guttenburg and the Roman ship museum. When everyone is back on the ship, take a lunchtime cruise to the wine village of Rüdesheim. Here, tour the town by mini-train and visit Siegfried's Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum. Late this afternoon, everyone will cruise the most beautiful and famous part of the Rhine River, passing castle after castle and the infamous Lorelei Rock. Arrive in Koblenz, at the confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle, after dinner. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Cochem & Zell
 Travel up the Moselle River, famous for its vineyards. After breakfast, enjoy a guided visit of Reichsburg Castle, situated above Cochem with spectacular views of the Moselle River. This afternoon, continue past hillside vineyards to Zell, home of the famous "Zeller Schwarze Katz" wine. A surprise awaits you this evening. (B, L, D)
Day 8: Bernkastel & Trier
This morning arrive in the charming village of Bernkastel. Strategically located in the middle of the Moselle wine-producing region, Bernkastel boasts over 500 years of documented wine history. Take a guided walking tour through the old town center with its many medieval and Renaissance buildings. Then onto Trier, Germany's oldest city, for a guided tour which will introduce you to the city's rich Roman past. (B, L, D)
Day 9: Disembark in Trier
This morning, bid farewell to your cruise ship and transfer to Luxembourg for your flight home or continue with other travel plans. Transfers are not included for cruise only passengers.
B=Breakfast, CB=Continental Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner
Accommodations
- Amadagio Ship - European Rivers & Canals - 7 night(s)
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10/09
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