ITINERARY
Day 1. Arrive Amsterdam.
On arrival, join luxurious river cruise ship, the ms Amacello or ms Amalegro, which is moored near the city -centre. Meet your fellow travellers tonight at the Welcome Cocktail Reception. Following dinner, relax in the lounge or walk back into town to take in Amsterdam’s nightlife.
Board Ms Amadagio or Ms Amalegro for 14 nights
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Day 2 Mon. Amsterdam.
After breakfast, admire the stunning architecture of the city on a guided canal boat tour. Sail in a thoughtfully designed glass-top boat past beautiful 17th century homes, charming churches and 16th century merchant houses. Enjoy some time at leisure before departing around lunch for Germany. Tonight you’ll be a guest at the Captain’s Gala Welcome Dinner.
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Day 3. Cologne - Koblenz.
This morning we arrive in the German city of Cologne for a morning walking tour through the old section of the city. At lunch-time, continue to 2,000-year-old Koblenz, located at the confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle rivers. The abundance of cultural monuments, historic buildings, cosy lanes, narrow alleyways and the relaxed atmosphere of its squares and river promenades make Koblenz a very welcoming destination. This evening take a city walk right through the heart of town, set in one of Germany’s most important wine producing regions.
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Day 4. Mainz.
Today, sail through the Rhine Gorge on what is regarded as the most beautiful stretch of the Rhine. Perhaps take your camera up on to the Sun Deck and take some photographs of the castles that we frequently pass on this particular stretch. You’ll also see the legendary Lorelei Rock, where sweet sounding songs of nymphs lured sailors to their doom. Arriving in Mainz, we disembark and enjoy a town tour. It was here that Gutenburg, famous for inventing the very first printing press, called home. With the afternoon free for exploration, an entertaining Crew Show tonight concludes a great day of cruising.
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Day 5. Miltenberg - Wertheim.
Arrive in Miltenberg and disembark for a morning walking tour of this picturesque Franconian town, revealing narrow cobblestone streets and gabled, half-timbered houses. Take a moment to shop for souvenirs before travelling to Wertheim, a pretty town strategically located where the Main and Tauber rivers meet just over 150 kilometres upstream from where the Main flows into the Rhine River. The time we spend here is an ideal introduction to this typical medieval village known for its glassworks, Franconian wine and friendly people. Witness an interesting local glass-blowing performance before re-boarding the ship, then relax while you cruise through the sunny valleys of the meandering Main.
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Day 6. Wurzburg.
Surrounded by green sloping hills covered with vineyards, Wurzburg is the capital of Lower Franconia and an important centre of wine and trade. During your tour here see all the major sights, including the impressive Residential Palace. This afternoon enjoy some time at leisure or take an optional excursion to medieval Rothenburg, a beautiful walled city on the Romantic Road. After dinner, enjoy a medieval music performance as the ship cruises overnight to Bamberg.
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Day 7. Bamberg.
After a morning of relaxation on board your ship, we enter the Main-Danube Canal at Bamberg in the afternoon. A World Heritage-listed site, we take a guided tour of Bamberg, marvelling at the Old Town Hall, which straddles the river, as well as the city’s serpentine streets with charming houses and 18th century mansions. Then travel through picturesque green countryside to rejoin the ship and continue along the Main-Danube Canal to Nuremberg, capital of Franconia.
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Day 8. Nuremberg - Continental Divide.
This morning take a guided tour of Nuremberg. Systematically bombed by the British and US air forces during World War II, Nuremberg went on to become the symbolic host to the famous Nuremberg Trials. Here we visit the 900-year-old ramparts that surround the city, the Imperial Castle and the Justice Palace where the War Crimes Tribunal sat in 1946. At lunch, continue cruising along the canal and arrive at the highest point of your cruise, 435 metres above sea level, before descending through stair-step locks.
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Day 9. Regensburg.
This morning takes you sailing through the final stretch of the Main-Danube Canal. Visit Regensburg, one of Germany’s best preserved medieval cities, featuring one of the oldest bridges crossing the Danube. A guided tour includes the Old Town Hall and the Porta Pretoria.
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Day 10. Passau - Linz.
After breakfast, arrive in Passau, where the rivers Inn and Ilz join the Danube. Perhaps take an optional full day tour to Salzburg and its popular “Sound of Music” sights including the Wedding Church, Mirabell Gardens and the Great Salzburg Festival Hall. For those remaining on board, our ship then cruises from Passau into Austria and on to Linz. After dinner, take a walk through this town to see Austria’s evening culture.
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Day 11. Melk - Durnstein - Krems.
Cruise through the gorgeous Wachau Valley this morning and take a guided tour of Melk’s Benedictine Abbey, one of the world’s most famous monastic sites. It is located above the town of Melk on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube and has the rare distinction of surviving as an active Benedictine monastery continuously since its foundation. Later your ship continues to Durnstein for a walking tour, where above town are the ruins of the castle where Richard the Lionheart, the King of England, was imprisoned in 1192. Continue to Krems, centre of the Wachau wine industry.
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Day 12. Vienna.
Today you have a full day to savour the elegance of Vienna. A guided sightseeing tour includes Hofburg Imperial Palace, the Vienna Opera House, Ringstrasse and St Stephen’s Cathedral. Then enjoy an afternoon and evening at leisure or come along for an optional Mozart and Strauss concert.
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Day 13. Vienna - Bratislava.
Enjoy a morning in Vienna at leisure or join an optional tour to the Schaunbrunn Palace. After cruising into Slovakia, disembark the ship in the afternoon and take a tour of Bratislava which reveals to you the city’s major sights, including the Old Town Hall, Mirbach Palace and gothic St Martin’s Cathedral. From Bratislava Castle, you will enjoy views overlooking three countries - Slovakia, Austria and Hungary. Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure, followed by an evening music performance on board.
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Day 14. Budapest.
Arrive in Budapest this morning for some free time before afternoon sightseeing takes you to several magnificent landmarks, including historic Buda Castle, for views over Buda and Pest on either side of the Danube River. You tour today also includes 500-year-old Matthias Church, St Stephen’s Basilica, the distinctive Fisherman’s Bastion and the Royal Palace. Tonight, enjoy a Gala Farewell Dinner with Gypsy violinists.
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Day 15. Budapest, Disembark Ship.
Today your cruise ends after breakfast on board and we disembark the ship.
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