Rhine River Cruise: Castles, Vineyards & the Lorelei

Today you cruise upstream to Koblenz, one of the oldest and most beautifully set cities on the Rhine. Gliding gently along the river, you watch the banks slip by from the sun deck, passing towns, vineyards and the first hilltop castles. At Koblenz you go ashore with your guide to the dramatic Deutsches Eck, the headland where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet beneath a great equestrian monument, and ride the cable car up to the mighty Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, high above the rivers, for sweeping views. You explore the charming old town with its squares and churches. The setting and history are captivating. As the day ends, you return to the ship, which is your comfortable home throughout. This evening, savour dinner aboard as the lights of Koblenz shimmer on the water. Rest well in your cabin, for tomorrow you enter the spectacular Rhine Gorge.

Today is the scenic highlight of the cruise, as you glide through the spectacular Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape. From the sun deck you watch, spellbound, as the great river winds between steep, vineyard-clad slopes crowned by more than a dozen medieval castles, hilltop fortresses and ruined strongholds appearing around every bend, and you round the legendary Lorelei rock, the sheer slate crag where a golden-haired siren was said to lure boatmen to their doom. You step ashore in the pretty wine town of Boppard, set in a great loop of the river, to stroll its riverside promenade and Roman remains, perhaps riding a chairlift for a view over the horseshoe bend. The castles and legends are captivating. As the day ends, you relax aboard. This evening, enjoy dinner as the gorge glows at dusk. Rest well in your cabin.

Today you cruise to the charming wine town of Rudesheim, set among the vineyards at the head of the Rhine Gorge. You step ashore with your guide to stroll the narrow, tavern-lined Drosselgasse lane, alive with music and good cheer, and ride the cable car up over the steep vineyards to the great Niederwald monument, with its sweeping views over the river and the gorge you have cruised. You enjoy a tasting of the crisp local Riesling for which the region is renowned, perhaps trying the town's speciality Rudesheimer coffee, flamed with brandy. The wine, views and conviviality are delightful. As the day ends, you return to your comfortable ship. This evening, enjoy a convivial dinner aboard, with the vineyards glowing gold in the evening light, savouring the relaxed rhythm of river life. Rest well in your cabin, for tomorrow you visit Mainz.

Today you cruise to Mainz, the historic capital of the Rhineland-Palatinate and the city of Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of printing with movable type, whose revolution changed the world. Going ashore with your guide, you explore the magnificent thousand-year-old Romanesque cathedral of St Martin, at the heart of the old town, and wander the charming lanes of half-timbered houses, squares and markets. You visit the Gutenberg Museum, home to original Gutenberg Bibles and the story of printing, and perhaps admire the vivid modern windows by Marc Chagall in St Stephen's church. The history and heritage are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your ship. This evening, enjoy dinner aboard as the cruise continues, savouring the ease of unpacking once while the historic cities of the Rhine come to you. Rest well in your cabin, for tomorrow you visit romantic Heidelberg.

Today the ship calls at Mannheim, from where you take a memorable excursion to Heidelberg, the most romantic of German towns, a short drive up the Neckar valley. With your guide you explore the rose-red ruins of Heidelberg Castle, gazing down over the baroque old town and river, and see the famous Great Barrel within. You wander the charming old town of cobbled squares, the old university and market square, and take in the classic panorama of castle, town and river, perhaps from the old bridge. The romance and beauty are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your ship at Mannheim. This evening, enjoy the captain's dinner aboard, a convivial celebration of your voyage through the castles, vineyards and historic cities of the Rhine. Rest well in your cabin, for tomorrow you reach imperial Speyer, the final port of your beautiful cruise.

Today you reach Speyer, an ancient imperial city on the Rhine and a fitting finale to your cruise. Going ashore with your guide, you marvel at Speyer Cathedral, one of the largest and finest Romanesque cathedrals in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the burial place of medieval Holy Roman Emperors, its immense red-sandstone nave and crypt profoundly moving. You stroll the charming old town along the Maximilianstrasse to the medieval Old Gate, and might visit the excellent Technik Museum with its aircraft and space exhibits. The grandeur and history are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your ship for a final evening aboard. This evening, savour a farewell dinner, reflecting on the castles, vineyards, legends and cathedral cities of the romantic Rhine you have glided through. Rest well in your cabin, for tomorrow you disembark and journey home.

After a final breakfast aboard your river vessel at Speyer, you disembark and are transferred to the airport (via Frankfurt) for your onward international departure. You leave having glided through the very heart of the romantic Rhine, beginning beneath Cologne's great cathedral, cruising the castle-crowned Rhine Gorge past the legendary Lorelei, stepping ashore in charming Rudesheim, and visiting Koblenz, Mainz, romantic Heidelberg and imperial Speyer, all while unpacking just once and dining beautifully aboard. The images stay vivid long after you land, the spires of Cologne, the castles crowning the gorge, the Lorelei rock, the vineyards above Rudesheim, and the mighty cathedrals of Mainz and Speyer. The romantic Rhine offers beauty, history and effortless comfort in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to the great rivers and castles of Germany.