New Year's Eve Cruise on the Rhine

The unique Winzerexpress train takes you from the dock of the ship to the "Siegfried Mechanical Music Cabinet" for a musical adventure with historical self-playing instruments. Continue your guided tour with a walk through the picturesque town. Explore the heart of the old town of Rüdesheim - the Drosselgasse - where wine houses and garden taverns invite you to linger. Immerse yourself in the history of the city and visit the Eagle Tower, a part of the city wall, and the fortifications from the 15th century.

Enjoy an unforgettable tram ride on the "Winzerexpress" through Rüdesheim and discover the beauty of the Rhine Valley.  Stroll along the famous 'Drosselgasse', which is a narrow cobblestone street, first mentioned in the 15th century as an alley used by the Rhine boatmen to reach their homes.  Here you can still find numerous half-timbered wine houses, restaurants and shops. Immerse yourself in the history of the village before enjoying a cup of Rüdesheimer Coffee, a typical coffee specialty with the famous brandy “Asbach”.

Mainz has many attractions: the Roman Castrum Moguntiacum, the Jewish Magenza, the residence and capital of the Prince Electors, an archbishopric, a university town and a fortified city of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as the Mainz Republic. These are all epochs of “Golden Mainz”, as the city has been known since its heyday in the Middle Ages. A tour through the city will lead you from the tremendous St. Martin’s Cathedral to the Gutenberg museum, where you can experience 4000 years of the history of writing. The museum is a tribute to the inventor of the printing press with moveable letters. His world renowned 42-line bible is one of the prime exhibits.

Enjoy a discovery tour through the beautiful city of Strasbourg. After a short coach trip through the city, the tour continues with a walk through the lovely, historic old part of the town and includes a visit to the famous cathedral Straßburger Münster (not possible on Sundays and public holidays, sometimes with security check). During a boat cruise on the river, discover the famous quarter, “Petite France”. This former mill and tanner district still maintains its medieval charm. Some of the beautiful, half-timbered houses on the banks of the river Ill are up to 500 years old. You will enjoy Strasbourg’s half-timbered houses, the Ponts Couverts, the Palais de Rohan, the Council of Europe and all the other wonders that Strasbourg holds in store for you.

Depart Strasburg and travel overland to the jewel of the German Black Forest, Freiburg, which offers the perfect combination of city experience and nature, as well as culinary delights. Freiburg was founded in 1120 as a ‘free market’ by the dukes of Zähringen hence the name. Frieburg was passed through many hands, the Habsburgs, the Swedes, the Bavarians and the French, and finaly returned to the ruling house of Baden in 1806. During the excursion, experience the centuries of Freiburg's history along with the famous 'Freiburger Bächle', or open stream system which has been flowing along the streets with crystal clear water since the middle ages. Walk through secluded alleys, across beautiful squares, past historic facades to the impressive Freiburg Cathedral, with it's beautiful 380 foot tower and one of the city's landmarks. Finally, experience the traditional Freiburg Minster Market where a wide selection of local products will tantalize the senses.

Let this city captivate you with its charm. After a short drive that includes the city’s ring road with its famous Spalen gateway, you will discover Basel in the course of a 90-minute walking tour. The authentic medieval appearance of Basel’s historic quarter never fails to delight travelers and inhabitants alike. The cathedral, the glorious guild halls, manor houses and numerous historic buildings all bear witness to the ecclesiastical and secular wealth that has survived here to this day.

You will walk up the splendid Münster Hill, seeing notable sights along the way, and then enjoy a breathtaking view over the Rhine. The walk ends in the heart of the city, at the marketplace before the picturesque city hall. Before the coach takes you back to the ship, there’ll still be sufficient free time to look around a little on your own.

Speyer, the time-honored imperial city on the Rhine, looks back on a rich and eventful past. Historic testimonies of ecclesiastical architecture, impressive facades of different building epochs, winding alleys and romantic squares characterize the face of the city today.

During the city tour enjoy a short guided tour of the Romanesque Imperial cathedral with its striking twin-towered portal, and visit to the beautiful baroque Church of the Holy Spirit, the Old Gate of Speyer and a visit to the medieval Judenhof, one of the most important Jewish medieval sites in Germany. The Jewish community had a storied history in Speyer reaching back over 1,000 years. View the remains of the Jewish courtyard, which was the central area of the Jewish quarter and consisted of the synagogues, and a ritual bath (Mikveh).

A comfortable coach will take you to Heidelberg, the world famous University City on the Neckar River. The town is one of the few German cities with a widely preserved baroque Old Town. Heidelberg was discovered quite early by romantics to use for diverse literature, songs and paintings. The tour through Heidelberg begins with a visit to the castle. The formerly splendid residence made of red sandstone has been a ruin, maybe the most beautiful ruin in all of Germany. The castle tour leads also into the castle garden. From the Grand Terrace you will have a wonderful view of the city and the Neckar River. The tour continues with a stroll through the enchanting old town, to the Karl-Theodor Bridge, the late-gothic Church of the Holy Spirit and the town hall.

Welcome to the “City of Towers”, Oberwesel. From far away you can see the silhouette of Schönburg, the Church of Our Lady and its defensive wall with many towers. The medieval influence still visible in Oberwesel makes it a town like no other in the Middle Rhine Valley. Explore the monument area and learn more about the history of Oberwesel on a guided tour. You will visit the sights of Oberwesel, including the town walls, and catch a glimpse of the beautiful surrounding gardens and the former Franciscan Minorite Monastery.

Discover one of the most pedestrian-friendly and oldest towns in Germany, with over 2,000 years of history. On our guided walk through the romantic streets between the St. Castor Basilica and the Liebfrauenkirche (the Church of our Beloved Lady) you will discover the most important sights of Koblenz and the town’s landmark, the Schängel Fountain at the town hall. This tour would not be complete without a visit to the Memorial of Emperor Wilhelm at the famous German Corner where the rivers Rhine and Moselle meet. See the cable car that hovers over the Rhine, built as an attraction and ecologically friendly traffic facility for the Federal Horticultural Show in 2011. This is Germany’s first 3-rope cable car with a transport capacity of 7600 people per hour.

After a short walk through Koblenz, discover Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, situated high above the Rhine. The bottom station of the cable car, which was built especially for the International Garden Show, gives you the most fantastic view s over Koblenz and the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. The fortress dates back to 1,000 AD and evolved to its present form between 1817 and 1828. Today, in addition to the Koblenz State Museum with its diverse exhibitions (e.g. on the history of technology and archaeology of the state, fortress history with over 20 exciting stations, multimedia productions and much more), the fortress also houses the Army Memorial and the Koblenz Youth Hostel.