Your Itinerary
Day 1 - ARLES, FRANCE (EMBARKATION)
Welcome to France. Your Suite Ship is Ready for Boarding.
Flights into Marseille must arrive by 3 pm.
Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN ARLES (D)
A Brush with Genius
Visit the Adventure Centre for today's activities with your Adventure Host.
ACTIVE Get your daily dose of exercise through a Power Walk in Arles with your Adventure Host, OR:
DISCOVERY Attend a Painting Workshop to learn techniques of Vincent van Gogh. Create your own painting in the style of the legendary artist, OR:
CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided Walking Tour of Arles-the captivating city of the Provence region. You'll visit the Roman Amphitheatre in this visually stunning city.
Take free time to stop in Le Cafe Van Gogh for a glass of wine, before sailing to Avignon.
DISCOVERY Enjoy a crepes lunch onboard.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AVIGNON (B,L,D)
The City of Popes in Picturesque Provence
CLASSIC Take a Guided Sightseeing Tour of the fortress city of Avignon-with its ramparts encircling the city-and a visit to the amazing Palace of the Popes.
Guided Optional Excursions include a visit to the ancient Roman aqueduct of Pont du Gard, or a trip to the famed wine cellars of Chateauneuf-du-Pape for a true taste of the Rhone wine region.
Explore Avignon on your own for the city's art and culture, theatre, and museums. Be sure to snap photos of the captivating countryside, historic monuments, and the medieval Pont Saint-Benezet.
Later, enjoy onboard live entertainment.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AVIGNON (B,L,D)
World History in a Charming French Country Village
Enjoy a leisurely morning sail to Viviers.
ACTIVE Walk your way up to Vivier's hilltop Cathedral with your Adventure Host, OR:
DISCOVERY Explore the charms of Viviers on this extraordinary guided walk through the Old Town with an included tasting of the local culinary delights.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO TAIN L'HERMITAGE (B,L,D)
A Rendezvous with Castle Views and Vineyards
Join your Adventure Host for today's special activities.
ACTIVE Explore Tournon by foot as you follow your Adventure Host for a morning hike in this beautiful town along the Rhone, OR:
CLASSIC Take a morning Guided Walking Tour to explore Tournon-one of France's oldest medieval cities with its 16th-century castle.
In the early afternoon cruise to Lyon.
DISCOVERY Enjoy a pastry demonstration hosted by a French chef on board your ship.
Tonight, your Certified Sommelier will escort you through a French cuisine tasting dinner with wine pairing on board.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN LYON (B,L,D)
Adventures in Food and Wine in the Gastronomy Capital of France
DISCOVERY Take a Culinary Walk through the city to discover why Lyon is known as the gastronomic capital of France, OR
CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour to survey Lyon from Fourviere Hill with its numerous churches. You'll also explore the Old Town with its maze of medieval alleyways, and the lively cafes, monuments, and famed fountain of Place des Terreaux.
Spend free time riding a bike through Lyon's town squares, over bridges, and along the banks where the Rhone and Saone rivers meet.
DISCOVERY This evening, join an onboard unique dinner inspired by legendary chef Paul Bocuse.
Enjoy live entertainment while sailing to Tournus.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO TOURNUS (B,L,D)
Day 7 - TOURNUS-CHALON-SUR-SAONE
Wine and Cheese on the Stunning Saone
DISCOVERY Travel into the rolling landscapes of the Maconnais region to learn about its world-famous Chardonnay vineyards, the wines produced here, and to attend a wine-tasting in the cellars of a real medieval castle!
DISCOVERY Later, enjoy a delicious cheese tasting onboard.
Enjoy live entertainment on board this evening.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN CHALON-SUR-SAONE (B,L,D)
Day 8 - CHALON-SUR-SAONE (DISEMBARKATION)-BEAUNE-BASEL, SWITZERLAND (EMBARKATION)
Drive to Beaune and transfer to Basel
CLASSIC Visit the Hotel-Dieu Charity Hospital in Beaune, built in 1443, today home of the Van der Weyden's painting of the Last Judgment and is one of France's architectural highlights.
This afternoon, travel by motorcoach to Basel to board your Rhine River cruise.
EVENING CRUISE TO BREISACH (B,D)
Day 9 - BREISACH, GERMANY. EXCURSION TO BLACK FOREST
German Winemaking and the Beautiful Black Forest
Visit the Adventure Centre for today's activities with your Adventure Host.
ACTIVE Enjoy the view on a relaxing bike ride along the Rhine with your Adventure Host, OR:
DISCOVERY Join a full-day Guided Tour to the magical Black Forest to experience the Vogtsbauernohf open-air-museum, visit an authentic water mill, and see a traditional butter-making demonstration, OR:
CLASSIC Join a Guided Tour to explore Freiburg's medieval city centre, sheltered by the Black Forest amid vineyards and gardens of the Upper Rhine Valley.
You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to visit the charming village of Colmar in the morning, with its half-timbered medieval and early renaissance buildings.
EVENING CRUISE TO KEHL (B,L,D)
Day 10 - KEHL. EXCURSION TO STRASBOURG, FRANCE
A Grand Cathedral and La Petite France
ACTIVE Discover Strasbourg by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:
CLASSIC Join a City Sightseeing Tour, including Strasbourg's Gothic, stained-glass cathedral with its celebrated ancient murals and astronomical clock, as well as the magical La Petite France District.
You may also choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to the historic Maginot Line-the pre-WWII fortifications designed to protect the eastern border of France or visit Alsace's wine country today.
Alternatively, take some free time in Strasbourg to visit a museum, or stroll across the city centre.
EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO MAINZ (B,L,D)
Day 11 - MAINZ, GERMANY. EXCURSION TO HEIDELBERG
Castle Walls and the World's Biggest Wine Barrel
ACTIVE Join your Avalon Adventure Host for an inspiring walk in Heidelberg, the Philosophers' way, OR:
CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided Tour to Heidelberg Castle to see the ruins of the magnificent renaissance treasure towering above the city, and its famed Great Vat, the "World's Largest Wine Barrel," OR:
CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided City Walk in Mainz, including a visit to the Gutenberg Museum to see the captivating history of printing.
This evening, enjoy live entertainment on board your ship after a short sailing to Rudesheim.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN RUDESHEIM (B,L,D)
Day 12 - RUDESHEIM-RHINE GORGE
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Wine Country
ACTIVE Enjoy a hike with your Avalon Adventure Host through the picturesque vineyards of Rudesheim, OR:
DISCOVERY Take a Guided Tour of the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience; enjoy a tasting of the authentic Rudesheimer coffee.
En route to Koblenz, sail through the Rhine Gorge (a UNESCO World Heritage site). Take in the breathtaking views of ancient castles perched on cliffs 400 feet above the water and pass the legendary Rock of the Lorelei-where the mythological siren's songs lured ill-fated sailors.
KOBLENZ
Travel Through 2000 Years of Monumental History
Enjoy free time in Koblenz before a relaxing evening on board with dinner and live entertainment.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN KOBLENZ (B,L,D)
Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland
Join your Adventure Host for today's special activities.
ACTIVE Enjoy a bike ride like the locals in Cologne with your Adventure Host, OR:
DISCOVERY Choose a Guided Walking Tour of Cologne's important Jewish heritage sites, OR:
CLASSIC Take a Guided City Walk of Cologne-with its soaring twin-steepled gothic cathedral.
Spend free time over a glass of Kolsch pale lager-locally brewed for over 100 years!
AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO AMSTERDAM (B,L,D)
Day 14 - AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND
Canals of Colourful Amsterdam
ACTIVE Start your day joining your Adventure Host on an early morning walk in Amsterdam, OR:
DISCOVERY Discover the true beauty of Amsterdam with an off-the-beaten-path Guided Walking Tour through its cobblestone streets for a captivating look at this legendary city, OR:
CLASSIC Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam's "Golden Age."
During tulip season, you may take a Guided Optional Excursion to Keukenhof gardens-with more than seven million tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths, as well as other bulbs, planted each year. Outside of tulip season, join a Guided Optional Excursion to Zaanse Schans to see historic windmills and charming Dutch houses. You may also choose an Optional Biking Tour to discover the countryside.
Take some free time to explore Amsterdam's colourful streets and canal houses, galleries, and shops.
OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM (B,L,D)
Day 15 - AMSTERDAM (DISEMBARKATION)
Your cruise ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
