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Home > Trafalgar > MS River Ambassador
 | Castles Along the Rhine (Basel to Amsterdam)
Discount Code: 2045090905 | | Save 10% Off the Brochure Price - GUARANTEED! |
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| | Operator | Trafalgar | | Ship | MS River Ambassador | | Length | 9 Days | | Port Charges | Not Included | | Starting City | Basel, Switzerland | | Ending City | Amsterdam, Holland | | Regions | France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland | | Rivers | Rhine | | Departure Date | Sep 05, 2009 | | Return Date | Sep 13, 2009 |
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Cabin Pricing
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| Brochure Price: |
$3249 |
$2999 |
$2749 |
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| Our Price: | $2924 |
$2699 |
$2474 |
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Only with AffordableTours.com receive 10% Off the Brochure Price - GUARANTEED!
| Celebrate the fairytale beauty and romantic spirit of
the Rhine. This tour really lives up to its name with castles, castles, and more
spectacular castles. Gracing the shores of the middle Rhine Valley are more
medieval castles than in any other river valley in the world. The fairytale
castles combine with the breathtaking landscape of terraced vineyards and
old-world towns, will leave you awestruck. Artists, musicians, writers, and
poets from all over Europe have immortalized the Rhine's unadulterated natural
beauty in their songs, art, stories, and poetry. Byron, Dumas, Hugo, and Heine
celebrated it in their writing. Beethoven, Schuman, Brahms, Schubert, and Wagner
idolized it in their music, and Turner captured it in his paintings. And even
today, the Rhine continues to inspire those who visit-especially Germanys upper
middle Rhine Valley, spanning approximately 40 miles between Koblenz and
Rudesheim. This area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As you
travel along the Rhine, each bend and twist affords new surprises that are
certain to inspire you the way countless others have been inspired for
centuries. Who will enjoy this cruise: Romantics, history buffs, wine
connoisseurs and nature lovers will rejoice in medieval wine towns, glorious
castles, majestic cathedrals, world-class cities, and the romantic Rhine's
glorious natural beauty. | _2045.jpg) |
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ITINERARY
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Day 1 - Depart Home Gateway City to Basel
Day 2 - Arrive Basel
Arrive at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg where you'll be transferred to the ship. (Dinner)
Day 3 - Breisach (Colmar), Strasbourg
Starting from medieval Breisach, the gateway to the Black Forest, you'll cross the Rhine and head for the Alsatian Wine Road, which hugs the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. Charming villages and lush vine- yards, producing great white wines, line this winding scenic route. Experience the charm of medieval Colmar in its historic center and the picturesque timber-framed houses in the village of Riquewihr. You'll also visit the Unterlinden Museum, a former convent, now displaying an icon of northern Renaissance art-the Isenheim altarpiece by Matthias Grunewald, as well as medieval and gothic pieces. (Breakfast / Lunch / Captain's Welcome Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Full-day tour along the Alsatian Wine Road and Unterlinden museum
Day 4 - Strasbourg
Situated halfway between Paris and Prague, the Alsatian town of Strasbourg is known as the Crossroads of Europe. It is home to a magnificent gothic cathedral and beautiful half-timbered houses. View Strasbourg in the way it has been seen through the centuries on a canal cruise. In addition to viewing the town's covered bridges, medieval watchtowers, and the modern building that houses the European Parliament, you will see Petite France, the picturesque district that seems as if it has been lifted from the pages of a fairytale. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Strasbourg Canal Cruise
Day 5 - Speyer
Your guided walking tour through Speyer reveals a medieval town with a grand heritage and a compact historic center dominated by the largest Romanesque cathedral in Europe-a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its basilica laid out in the form of a Latin cross, including four towers and two domes, this is a marvel to behold. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Speyer Walking Tour
Day 6 - Rudesheim
Rudesheim has a long history dating back to Roman times and is considered one of the most charming
of the Rhine Valley ports of call. The town is famous for, among other things, the Drosselgasse, a narrow alleyway lined with wine taverns and shops. Explore Rudesheim at your leisure. Later in the day, enjoy a princely wine tasting at the prestigious Castle Vollrads, perfectly situated in the vineyard-covered hills and one of the world's top wine estates for Rheingau Rieslings. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Castle Vollrads Wine Tasting
Day 7 - Cruising the romantic Rhine, Koblenz
Cruise along the breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage-designated middle Rhine Valley with its more than 40 castles and the famous Lorelei rock. Arrive in Koblenz, situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle. Your guided walking tour will highlight the appeal of Koblenz-its romantic narrow streets and historical squares, the picturesque alleyways and fountains in the old quarter, and the 12th-century churches of St. Florin and Our Lady. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Koblenz Walking Tour
Day 8 - Cologne
Stroll through the narrow streets of Old Town with your guide, passing by tiny squares and little churches as you make your way to Cologne Cathedral, the city's most famous landmark and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. It took 632 years for Germany's largest cathedral to be completed and is one of the most important gothic churches in Europe. A visit inside features the Shrine of the Three Magi and the beautiful stained glass windows that survived WWII. (Breakfast / Lunch / Captain's Farewell Dinner)
Featured Excursion: Cologne Walking Tour and Cathedral Visit
Note: No inside tours of the Cathedral on Sundays or Catholic holidays.
Day 9 - Depart Amsterdam
Disembark the ship and transfer to the airport in Amsterdam for your flight home, or extend your stay in Amsterdam. |
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WHATS INCLUDED
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Sightseeing Highlights
- Breisach - Full day Alsation Wine Road
- Strasbourg - See Strasbourg in the way it has been seen through the centuries - on a canal cruise
- Speyer - Walking tour visiting the largest Romanesque cathedral in Europe
- Rudesheim - Join us for a unique wine tasting at the castle
- Koblenz - Our guided walking tour will show you the old quarter and the 12th-century churches of St. Florin and Our Lady
- Cologne - Walking tour and Cathedral visit
- State-of-the-art Quietvox portable audio headset system on all shore excursions
Dining Highlights
- Enriching onboard entertainment and insightful lectures
- Captain's Welcome and Farewell Dinners
- All meals on board ship: breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Classical European cuisine with a twist of contemporary elegance
- Complimentary wine during dinner, and bottled water in your stateroom
First Class Travel Highlights
- 7-night cruise in an outside stateroom on the elegantly appointed Grand River Ambassador
- 6 shore excursions fully hosted by English-speaking guides
- An experienced Cruise Manager and attentive all English-speaking crew
- All transfers on arrival and departure day
- Complimentary use of bicycles
Complimentary Transfers
- Arrival Transfers: Flights must arrive between 0700 and 1400 on the day the cruise departs, or on the day any included land program begins in order to receive airport to ship transfers. These transfers are group transfers and passengers may experience a waiting period of up to 2 hours or more between transfers.
- Passengers will need to make their way to the meet and greet area where they will be met by a representative holding a TRAFALGAR UNIWORLD sign. Passengers arriving outside the official dates of arrival will need to make their own arrangements or purchase a private transfer.
- Departure Transfers: Flights must depart between 0700 and 1700 on the day that the cruise or the included land package ends in order to receive the ship to airport transfer. Passengers departing later than this must make their own arrangements or purchase private transfers.
- Passenger flight details must be given to Trafalgar 45 days days prior to departure in order to qualify for these transfers.
Important Note: Complimentary transfers will vary on certain tours especially if a Land portion is included on the tour. Please contact Trafalgar or your Travel Agent at time of booking to confirm the Complimentary transfer status on your selected tour.
NOT INCLUDED:
Port Charges: $98
Pricing Categories for Itinerary is as follows:
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| Note: All prices, itineraries, accommodations and dates are subject to change without notice and at any time by the river cruise operators. Availability is limited and must be reconfirmed at time of booking. Please call us toll free at 1-800-342-0019 to confirm availability and current pricing on all our discounted specials. The prices on this website are not guaranteed until a deposit has been made. We are not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes in these prices until a booking has been confirmed by one of our agents. | | |
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