Salzburg and Historic Gems along the Rhine

We travel to our ship, the MS Arena in Cologne and enjoy dinner on board before we set sail for Rüdesheim.

Enjoy a leisurely morning cruising. We pass the legendary Lorelei and continue our cruise along the Rhine through the spectacular Rhine Gorge. We stop at the quaint wine town of Rüdesheim where you can enjoy many highlights on our optional excursion this afternoon, including a cable car ride for panoramic views across the Rhine valley.

This morning, we arrive in the fascinating city of Mainz which is heralded as the wine capital of Germany. Here you have the morning to explore or join our optional coach excursion visiting the majestic city of Heidelberg, home of Germany’s oldest university. We return to the ship for lunch and cruise overnight to Miltenberg.

We arrive at historic Miltenberg this morning where we have free time to explore. Explore the half-timbered houses which fill the Old Market Place or the oldest part of the town which sits between the Main River and the mountain Greinberg.  Enjoy your lunch on board the ship before we set sail for Würzburg.

This morning we arrive in the city of Würzburg, which served as the home of powerful prince-bishops for centuries. Join our optional excursion to visit Würzburg Palace, one of the finest pieces of baroque art in the world, its 8^th century church and the Fortress Marienberg. There’s free time to explore at leisure before we set sail for Bamberg.

This afternoon we arrive at the beautiful Bavarian town of Bamberg, which is located at the start of the Main-Danube canal. Surrounded by seven hills, it boasts the most intact centre in Germany, with the old town listed as a World Heritage site because of its authentic medieval appearance. Join our optional tour of the city to enjoy the main sights including the cathedral, Altenburg Castle, the Old Town Hall and the former Benedictine Monastery. We return to the ship for our evening meal before we set sail for Nuremberg.

This morning, we arrive in Nuremberg, Bavaria’s second largest city after Munich. There’s the opportunity to join our sight-seeing tour. Most of the city walls still stand and inside you can explore the fascinating juxtaposition of medieval and modern life in an area. Filled with gothic churches, aristocratic houses, fountains, memorials, and romantic corners, all dominated by the Kaiser Castle. We enjoy lunch on board before sailing onwards to Regensburg.

We arrive at Regensburg this morning, which is located at the northernmost point of the Danube and at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers. You’ll have the opportunity to join our optional city tour this morning, taking in one of the best-preserved medieval centres, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. This evening, relax onboard as we sail overnight to Passau.

We arrive in Passau this morning before we board our coach for our included excursion to Salzburg. Salzburg, Mozart’s famed birthplace, and the Sound of Music city, has an abundance of beautiful architecture, and at its centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our guided tour takes in some of the highlights of this historic city, with its Baroque architecture and fantastic squares, where you can relax with a typical Austrian coffee and cake. We re-join our ship in Linz and this evening we set sail for Melk.

This morning we arrive in the small town of Melk, which lies in the beautiful Wachau valley. Here you can join our optional excursion visiting the Benedictine Abbey. This is one of the most famous monastic houses in Austria and has been occupied by monks for over 900 years. You can relax onboard for the remainder of the day as we cruise to Passau overnight.

We disembark in Passau this morning and travel by coach or rail to our overnight hotel in Frankfurt. Those travelling by air depart today.

After breakfast we continue our return journey home.