A Tale of Four Rivers

Travel by train from London to Frankfurt, via Brussels by Eurostar and German high-speed train ICE. Transfer to Eberbach for a late afternoon embarkation on the MS R. E. Waydelich L.J, your vessel for the seven-night cruise. Join us for a welcome cocktail and introduction to the crew before dinner aboard, and perhaps take a walk through the charming medieval town this evening.
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The vessel cruises through the morning on the Neckar River, passing vineyards, villages and picturesque towns enroute to hauntingly beautiful Heidelberg; where we take a coach to its red sandstone castle for a guided tour of the ancient fortress and its gardens, and explore the atmospheric old town, marked by its multi-arched bridge, to visit the intriguing Church of the Holy Spirit. Enjoy a Jules Verne drinks party aboard. Overnight mooring in Heidelberg.
(B, L, D)

This morning, sail along the Neckar to Mannheim, at its confluence with the Rhine, and cruise past historic Mainz and Bingen, to arrive in Rüdesheim mid-afternoon. Here we take the tourist train through local vineyards, first established by the Romans; enjoy a wine tasting in the Bassenheimer Hof cellars; and continue to Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet Museum. The name says it all, and the array and variety of its 18th to 20th-century instruments is mesmerising. The town’s Drosselgasse lane is a delightful evening strolling ground, lined with shops and taverns in characterful old buildings. Overnight in Rüdesheim.
(B, L, D)

Sail through the splendid UNESCO World Heritage landscape of the Rhine Valley; creating its own legend as home to the water nymph, Lorelei, with the steep Lorelei Rock on the right bank of the river, and a bronze statue of the siren on St. Goarshausen’s pier. Arrive in the early afternoon at Koblenz, where the triangular Deutsches Eck (German Corner) juts into the meeting point of the Rhine and Moselle. Our tour takes the cable car up to the plateau to visit Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, boasting brilliant views of the valley and of the city; where the Baroque ‘Four Towers’ mark the main street, narrow alleys ooze historic character, and the twin-towered St. Castor’s Basilica stands in lovely gardens, with its roots in the 9th century. Overnight in Koblenz.
(B, L, D)

A morning of cruising on the Moselle takes us to Cochem, lining the riverbank with colourful façades. On a tor above the town, the magnificent Reichsburg Castle rises amid the vines of crisp Moselle wines, enjoying gorgeous views of the river. Take the short trip to the hilltop by mini bus, for a guided tour of the castle. Built in the 11th century, destroyed in the 17th, and rebuilt in the 19th in Neo-Gothic style, it follows its original plans, and features the fanciful turrets and towers which form its fairytale image. Return to the riverside for time at leisure to enjoy the old town’s narrow alleys and medieval Market Square, hemmed with half-timbered houses and the rose-pink Town Hall. Overnight in Cochem.
(B, L, D)

Enjoy the scenery and the ship’s facilities as she sails today to ‘the Rome of the North’, ancient Trier, its Market Square encircled by a confection of old-world townhouses, painted in pastel icing-sugar shades. Evening arrival for an overnight mooring.
(B, L, D)

With several historic monuments earning UNESCO World Heritage status for the city, a guided tour of Trier takes in the elliptical Roman Amphitheatre, built around 100BC; the 4th-century AD Imperial Baths; the Basilica of Constantine, used as the bishops’ residence in the Middle Ages; and the arches and round towers of Porta Nigra, one of the best-preserved Roman city gates. Rejoin the ship in Saarburg, to cruise the Moselle and Saar rivers, navigating the stunning Saarschleife (Great Bend), carved through lush green forestry. Enjoy a ‘Farewell’ gala dinner aboard this evening, and cruise to our final mooring in Saarbrücken.
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Disembark and transfer to Luxembourg station for the return rail journey to London via Brussels.
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