This tour really lives up to its name with castles, castles, and more spectacular castles. Gracing the shores of the middle Rhine Valley are more Medieval, Gothic, and Renaissance castles than in any other river valley in the world. The fairytale castles, combined with the breathtaking landscape of terraced vineyards, Alsatian countryside, and old-world towns, will leave
you awestruck.
    Artists, musicians, writers, and poets from all over Europe have immortalized the Rhine’s unadulterated natural beauty in their songs, art, stories, and poetry. Byron, Dumas, Hugo, and Heine celebrated it in their writing. Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Schubert, and Wagner idolized it in their music, and Turner captured it in his paintings. And even today, the Rhine continues to inspire those who visit—especially Germany’s upper middle Rhine Valley, spanning approximately 40 miles between Koblenz and Rüdesheim. This area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
    Enjoy a full-day tour along the Alsatian Wine Road, and taste the region’s famous Rheingau Rieslings while at Castle Vollrads. As you travel along the Rhine, you’ll discover each bend and twist affords new surprises that are certain to inspire you the way countless others have been inspired for centuries.
    Castles Along the Rhine also features Uniworld’s Multi-Generational Family-Friendly Program during the summer months, so you can share the magic of this fairytale region with special young people in your life.
    Who will enjoy this cruise: Romantics, history buffs, wine connoisseurs, and nature lovers will rejoice in Medieval wine towns, glorious castles, majestic cathedrals, world-class cities, and the romantic Rhine’s glorious natural beauty.

Cruise Highlights include:
• 7-night cruise in a riverview stateroom on the stylish River Ambassador
• All meals onboard, prepared using the finest and freshest ingredients
• Complimentary fine wine, beer, and soft drinks during dinner; bottled water in your stateroom; and 24-hour specialty coffees and teas
• 6 shore excursions, fully hosted by English-speaking local guides
• State-of-the-art Quietvox portable audio headset system on all shore excursions
• Complimentary use of bicycles
• Captivating onboard local entertainment
• Signature lecture: “The European City from the Middle Ages to the Present”
• Epicurean Adventurer Program
• Captain’s Welcome & Farewell Dinners
• Multi-Generational Family-Friendly Program during the summer
• An experienced Cruise Manager and attentive, all English-speaking staff
• All transfers on arrival and departure days (Please see transfer guidelines in the Terms and Conditions)

Itinerary: Basel to Amsterdam - 9 days

DAY 1: Depart home gateway city to Basel 
DAY 2: Basel--Arrive at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg and be transferred to the ship. (D)
DAY 3: Breisach (Colmar), Strasbourg--Featured Excursion: Full-day tour along the Alsatian Wine Road
    Starting from Medieval Breisach, the gateway to the Black Forest, you’ll cross the Rhine and head for the Alsatian Wine Road, which hugs the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. Charming villages, pastoral landscapes, and lush vineyards producing great white wines line this winding scenic route. You’ll visit enchanting Colmar with its winding old streets, Medieval historic center, and St. Martin’s Church, which is made of pink stone. You’ll also see the picturesque timber-framed houses in the village of Riquewihr. (BB, Captain’s Welcome Dinner)
DAY 4: Strasbourg--Featured Excursion: Strasbourg canal cruise
    Situated halfway between Paris and Prague,the Alsatian town of Strasbourg is known as the “Crossroads of Europe.” It is home to a magnificent Gothic cathedral and beautiful half-timbered houses. View Strasbourg in the way it has been seen through the centuries—on a canal cruise. In addition to viewing the town’s covered bridges, Medieval watchtowers, old tanners’ district, and the modern building that houses the European Parliament, you will see Petite France, the picturesque district that seems as if it has been lifted from the pages of a fairytale. (BB, L, D)
DAY 5: Speyer--Featured Excursion: Speyer walking tour. Irresistible Optional Tour: 3/4-day Heidelberg with lunch
    Your guided walking tour through Speyer reveals a Medieval town with a grand heritage and a compact historic center dominated by the largest Romanesque cathedral in Europe—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its basilica laid out in the form of a Latin cross, including four towers and two domes, this is a marvel to behold. (BB, L, D)
DAY 6: Rüdesheim --Featured Excursion: Afternoon at leisure in Rüdesheim. Castle Vollrads wine   tasting (PM).  Irresistible Optional Tour: Rüdesheim Dinner & entertainment
    Rüdesheim has a long history dating back to Roman times and is considered one of the most charming of the Rhine Valley towns. Spend time there at your leisure.
DAY 7: Cruising the romantic Rhine, Koblenz  --Featured Excursion: Koblenz walking tour. Irresistible Optional Tour: Marksburg Castle Visit & Wine Tasting
    Cruise along the breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage-designated middle Rhine Valley with its more than 40 castles and famous Lorelei Rock. Arrive in Koblenz, situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. Your walking tour will highlight the appeal of Koblenz—its romantic narrow streets and historical squares, the picturesque alleyways and fountains in the old quarter, and the 12th-century churches of St. Florin and Our Lady. (BB, L, D)
DAY 8: Cologne--Featured Excursion: Cologne walking tour and Cologne Cathedral visit
    Stroll through the narrow streets of Old Town with your guide, passing by tiny squares and little churches as you make your way to Cologne Cathedral, the city’s most famous landmark and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. It took 632 years for Germany’s largest cathedral to be completed, and it is one of the most important Gothic churches in Europe. A visit inside features the Shrine of the Three Magi and the beautiful stained glass windows that survived WWII. (BB, L, Captain’s Farewell Dinner)
DAY 9: Depart Amsterdam--Disembark the ship and transfer to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for your flight home, or extend your stay in bustling Amsterdam. Transfer from Amsterdam airport to ship.

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