|
Day 1
AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND (EMBARKATION)
Welcome to Holland. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding. Flights into Amsterdam must arrive by 3:30 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm. Your day in Amsterdam is free to explore at your leisure.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
 Dinner
|
Day 2
AMSTERDAM
Canals of Colorful AmsterdamJoin your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.CLASSIC 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 3
COLOGNE, GERMANY
Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland ACTIVE Enjoy a bike ride like the locals in Cologne with your Adventure Host, OR:DISCOVERY Choose a Guided Walking Tour of Cologne’s important Jewish heritage sites, OR:CLASSIC 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 4
RÜDESHEIM
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.ACTIVE Enjoy a hike with your Avalon Adventure Host through the picturesque vineyards of Rüdesheim, OR;DISCOVERY 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 5
MAINZ. HEIDELBERG EXCURSION
Printing Halls, Castle Walls, and the World’s Biggest Wine BarrelACTIVE Join your Avalon Adventure Host for a Hike up Philosophers’ Way for an inspiring view of the city below, OR:CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided City Walk including a visit to the Gutenberg Museum to see the captivating history of printing, OR:CLASSIC 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 6
STRASBOURG, FRANCE
A Grand Cathedral and La Petite FranceAsk about today’s energizing or relaxing Adventure Host activities.ACTIVE Discover Strasbourg by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:CLASSIC 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 7
BREISACH, GERMANY. EXCURSION TO BLACK FOREST
German Winemaking and the Beautiful Black ForestDISCOVERY 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: DISCOVERY 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 its half-timbered medieval and early renaissance buildings. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BASEL
|
Day 8
BASEL, SWITZERLAND (DISEMBARKATION)–BEAUNE–ST. JEAN DE LOSNE (EMBARKATION)
Disembark your ship and drive on to Beaune.CLASSIC Visit the Hôtel-Dieu Charity Hospital in Beaune, built in 1443, today home of the Van der Weyden’s painting of the Last Judgement. This afternoon, travel to St. Jean de Losne to board your Suite Ship®. OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO MÂCON
 Breakfast  Dinner
|
Day 9
MÂCON
Wine and Cheese on the Stunning Saône Visit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host.Enjoy leisurely cruising en route to Mâcon along the majestic Saône River. Consider a Guided Optional Excursion to a Chardonnay wine cellar or to the Castle of Cormatin. DISCOVERY Later, enjoy a delicious Cheese Tasting on board your ship. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN TRÉVOUX
|
Day 10
LYON
La Vie En Rose in Lyon Sail for lovely Lyon this morning.ACTIVE Discover Lyon's architectural district by bike with your Adventure Host, over bridges, and along the banks where the Rhône and Saône rivers meet, OR:CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour to survey Lyon from Fourvière Hill with its numerous churches. You’ll also explore the Old Town with its maze of medieval alleyways, and the lively cafés, monuments, and famed fountain of Place des Terreaux. Spend free time biking through Lyon’s town squares, over bridges, and along the banks where the Rhône and Saône rivers meet. DISCOVERY Be our guest for a WWII & French Resistance Lecture on board your ship.Later enjoy live entertainment after dinner. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN LYON
|
Day 11
LYON
Adventures in Food and WineCLASSIC Join a Culinary Walk through the city to discover why it is known as the gastronomic capital of France. The rest of your day is free to explore, relax, or shop in France’s third largest city. Take a bike from the ship and explore local produce markets and parks, or take a leisurely tour of the city’s more than 100 murals. EVENING CRUISE TO TOURNON
|
Day 12
TOURNON
A Rendezvous with Castle Views and VineyardsCLASSIC Take a morning Guided Walking Tour to explore Tournon—one of France’s oldest medieval cities. See its 16th-century castle, and Roman ruins between the Rhône River and the granite slopes of the Hermitage.Enjoy a leisurely sail to Viviers after lunch.VIVIERSWorld History in a Charming French Country Village CLASSIC Explore the pale-stone buildings of Viviers on a late afternoon Guided Walking Tour of this charming village. You’ll see its Romanesque cathedral and Old Town with a mix of historical Christian, Roman, and medieval influences.Later, enjoy live entertainment onboard.EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO AVIGNON
|
Day 13
AVIGNON
The City of Popes in Picturesque Provence Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.CLASSIC Take a Guided Sightseeing Tour of the fortress city of Avignon—with its ramparts encircling the city—and a visit to the amazing Palace of the Popes.Guided Optional Excursions include a visit to the ancient Roman aqueduct of Pont du Gard, or a trip to the famed wine cellars of Châteauneuf-du-Pape for a true taste of the Rhône wine region. Explore Avignon on your own for the city’s art and culture, theatre, and museums. Be sure to snap photos of the captivating countryside, historic monuments, and the medieval Pont Saint-Bénézet. Later, enjoy onboard live entertainment. EVENING CRUISE TO ARLES
|
Day 14
ARLES
Inspiring Sights and Avant-Garde Lights ACTIVE Get your daily dose of exercise through nordic walking in Arles with your Adventure Host, OR:DISCOVERY Attend a Painting Workshop to learn techniques of Vincent van Gogh. Create your own painting in the style of legendary artist, OR:CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided Walking Tour of Arles—the captivating city of the Provence region. You’ll visit the Roman Amphitheater in this visually stunning city.Consider a Guided Optional Excursion to the Carrières de Lumières (Cathedral of Images) a unique experience of art, sound, and light in the old quarries of Val d’Enfer. Take free time to stop in Café Van Gogh for a glass of wine. EVENING CRUISE TO PORT ST. LOUIS
|
Day 15
PORT ST. LOUIS (DISEMBARKATION)–NICE
Spectacular Seascapes of the Mediterranean CoastAfter breakfast this morning, you’ll drive to Nice on the spectacular French Riviera, which stretches along France’s Mediterranean coast from Toulon to the border of Italy.
 Breakfast
|
Day 16
NICE
The “Queen of the French Riviera” CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided Sightseeing in Nice. Discover the narrow, winding streets and baroque churches of Vieux Nice, the old city—an area which has changed little since the 1700s.
 Breakfast
|
Day 17
NICE
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.
 Breakfast
|