Arrive in Amsterdam. After boarding, the afternoon is yours to relax or explore the city on your own. If your arrival schedule permits, you may wish to visit the Rijksmuseum, or the Van Gogh Museum next door. 

This morning, sail to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a tour of this ingenious network of windmills and other flood management devices. Learn why the windmills were built and see how they work, and enter a working windmill for a tour of its mechanisms and living quarters. Return on board for lunch and an enjoyable afternoon of Dutch diversions: sample handcrafted Dutch cheeses and jenever, a distilled juniper liquor, and take in a culturally enriching presentation on the Dutch Golden Age. Cruise through the night. 

The Kinderdijk Windmills excursion is included. Optional excursions are available for an additional charge: Kinderdijk Windmills by Bicycle, Kinderdijk by Vintage Barge, Kinderdijk Windmills & Dutch Cheese Making.

Begin your day with a morning tour of Cologne, Germany’s fourth-largest city. Stroll through Old Town past St. Martin’s Church and visit the Dom, Germany’s largest cathedral and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spend your free time enjoying Cologne’s atmospheric waterfront, or perhaps join an optional excursion on which you ascend to the Dom’s roof for up-close views of the cathedral’s architecture and bird’s-eye vistas of Cologne. Afterward, return on board for dinner. Alternately, you may set off on an optional excursion to explore Cologne’s spirited beer culture, sampling Kölsch, a light, crisp beer brewed only in Cologne, and enjoying a brauhaus dinner. After, return to your ship for a late-evening departure.

The Cologne Walking Tour is included. Optional excursions are available for an additional charge: Cologne by Bicycle, Bruhl UNESCO Palaces, Top of Cologne, Cathedral & Treasury of Charlemagne, Cologne's Beer Culture & Dinner.

Proceed along the Rhine, disembarking for a lively and informative tour of Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. Alternately, choose an optional excursion to tour the 700-year-old Marksburg Castle, or enjoy an optional guided exploration of Koblenz on foot. After, enjoy an onboard lunch as you cruise the scenic Middle Rhine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where turreted castles and fortresses overlook the river from their hilltop posts. Arrive in Rüdesheim in the late afternoon. Spend free time in the pedestrian-only Drosselgasse and sample a glass of locally produced wine at one of the restaurants or wine bars. Dine on board your ship, or in town if you prefer. You may also choose to experience one of the optional dinners on shore tonight. Depart after midnight.

The Fortress of Ehrebreitstein excursion is included. Optional excursions are available for an additional charge: Koblenz Walking Tour, Wine Tasting & Dinner at Eberbach Monastery, Medieval Marksburg Castle, Wine Tasting & Dinner at Schloss Johannisberg Estate, Dine in Rudesheim am Rhein.

Cruise into mid-morning as you enjoy the passing scenery. After lunch, enjoy an included tour to visit the historic town of Speyer and take in views of the imposing Speyer Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in the 11th century on the site of a former basilica, the building’s design influenced Romanesque architecture for centuries to come, and is the final resting place of eight German monarchs. Alternatively, after breakfast, you may choose to disembark for a full-day tour of Heidelberg, the home of Germany’s oldest university, founded in 1386. Visit the beautiful sandstone ruins of imposing Heidelberg Castle and admire the Neckar River Valley. Continue with a walking tour through Old Town to Heidelberg’s renowned gates. After lunch, visit the historic town of Speyer on your way back to your ship.

The Speyer Walking Tour is included. Optional excursions are available for an additional charge: Panoramic Heidelberg & Lunch With University Students.

Disembark this morning for your guided tour of Strasbourg. See the European Parliament and tour the interior of the city’s famed cathedral. Free time allows you to further explore this Alsatian city’s blend of French and German cultures, resplendent churches, medieval covered bridges, verdant parks and handsome art nouveau and modernist architecture. Alternatively, join the optional excursion into Alsatian wine country for an informative winery tour and tasting. Or, spend your full day exploring culinary Strasbourg on an optional excursion; as you explore the city and take in its sights, savor samples of the renowned Alsatian cuisine, from regional dessert specialties and meats to wine pairings with local foods. Return to your ship for dinner and departure.

The Strasbourg Highlights excursion is included. Optional excursions are available for an additional charge: Alsatian Wine Tasting, Taste the Best of Alsace, Mercedes-Benz Factory, Strasbourg from the Top.

Arrive in Breisach this morning, gateway to the Black Forest. Take a scenic excursion through the area’s renowned mountain landscape, rolling meadows and dense forests. Once there, visit a local workshop to see a cuckoo clock-making demonstration, and learn how Black Forest Cake is made. Return to your ship for lunch. This afternoon, perhaps join an optional excursion to the quaint Alsatian town of Colmar to discover the storybook charm of its streets lined with medieval, Gothic and Renaissance buildings, and visit a fine arts museum. Alternately, choose an optional excursion that explores Colmar’s World War II history. Dine on board this evening and cruise on through the night.

The Black Forest excursion is included. Optional excursions are available for an additional charge: Medieval Village of Colmar, Colmar on World War II: Museum & Memorial, Into the Black Forest by E-bike.

After breakfast, disembark in Basel and proceed to the airport for your return home.