AVALON WATERWAYS
10 Days | Canals, Vineyards & Paris
Southbound (WAR)

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AMSTERDAM TO PARIS

Day 1 | Amsterdam, Holland. Embark. Welcome to Amsterdam! Holland’s capital is sophisticated and modern, with a rich and fascinating history. This delightful 700-year-old city with its elegant and classic architecture, cafés, restaurants, and lively marketplace has a distinct ambiance. If your flight arrives early enough, you might like to take an optional excursion to nearby Zaanse Schans. Then, board your river cruise vessel and meet your crew at an evening welcome reception. (D)
NOTE:Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm.

Day 2 | Amsterdam. After breakfast, set out to discover the treasures of this city by CANAL BOAT, cruising through the elegant grachten lined with stately homes dating back to Amsterdam’s “Golden Age.” This afternoon, optional excursions to the pretty little fishing village of Volendam or to the Van Gogh Museum are available. Later, cruise out of Amsterdam and head for Germany. (B,L,D)

Day 3 | Düsseldorf, Germany. Today, enjoy a peaceful morning of cruising before reaching Düsseldorf, the center of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region. Düsseldorf is an international business and financial center, renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Enjoy a guided visit to SCHLOSS BENRATH and its gardens, a “French jewel in the crown of Düsseldorf.” (B,L,D)

Day 4 | Rüdesheim. Cruising the Rhine Gorge. Pretty Rüdesheim is the perfect example of a Rhine Valley wine town, and SIEGFRIED’S MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MUSEUM is a real surprise! Here you’ll see and hear a large collection of self-playing calliopes and music boxes from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. Enjoy a SPECIAL TREAT, then there’s free time to pick up some souvenirs on the narrow, cobblestoned Drosselgasse, where colorful flowers, open-air wine gardens, and live music add to the festive atmosphere. Downstream from Rüdesheim is the dramatic RHINE GORGE, the most beautiful stretch of river. Here, ancient castles stand sentry on lofty cliffs rising 400 feet above the waters. Cruise past the legendary rock of the Lorelei, where echoes of enchanted siren song lured unwitting sailors to their doom. (B,L,D)

Day 5 | Cochem. This morning, as you cruise the wide, peaceful curves of the Moselle River, it quickly becomes obvious why the Moselle Valley is famous for its beautiful and tranquil scenery, and that this is an important wine-growing area. Simply relax or attend an interesting ONBOARD LECTURE to learn more about the region. After lunch, arrive in Cochem, a charming, picturesque town with half-timbered houses and winding streets full of history and legends that will be brought to life during your GUIDED WALK. Visit REICHSBURG CASTLE, built in 1000 AD and furnished with renaissance and baroque furniture. Sitting dramatically atop a conical hill covered in vines, this castle offers splendid views of the little town nestled down below and of the river valley. Cochem is at the heart of the Moselle wine trade and, most notably, the Riesling grape is cultivated, producing a dry to sweet, floral white wine. (B,L,D)

Day 6 | Bernkastel. In the middle of the Moselle region is the charming wine village of Bernkastel with its fascinating narrow streets and half-timbered houses that have stood since the Middle Ages. Enjoy a GUIDED WALK that includes the beautiful marketplace with its renaissance-style Town Hall and the “pointed house,” built in 1416. Wine growers in this area look after Germany’s largest expanse of vineyards, the most celebrated of the vintages being the Bernkasteler Doktor. This afternoon you might like to participate in an optional bicycle outing (weather permitting) or perhaps visit the Wine Museum to learn more about the history of the region’s wine. Before dinner, enjoy a pleasant included TASTING of several of the region’s varietals at the Moselle Vinoteque. (B,L,D)

Day 7 | Trier. At the head of the Moselle Valley is Trier, Germany’s oldest city. Some say Trier is even older than Rome and that it was populated over a thousand years before the Romans arrived. Many Roman remains have survived, including a 20,000-seat amphitheater; the Porta Nigra, the only surviving fortified gate from the original Roman settlement, which still gives access to the town’s center; imperial baths; and the Roman bridge, Germany’s oldest bridge, with stone pilings dating from 144-152 AD—all evidence of this once grand Roman city. Trier also offers pleasant market squares, Germany’s oldest Christian church, and a cornucopia of architectural styles—Roman, baroque, neo-classicism, renaissance, and gothic. Choose between the included GUIDED CITY SIGHTSEEING TOUR or the more history-focused “ROMAN TRIER” guided tour, followed by some free time, giving you the opportunity to really explore this magnificent town. Later, sail to Remich in the Dutchy of Luxembourg, where you dock overnight. (B,L,D)

Day 8 | Remich, Luxembourg. Disembark. Paris, France. Today, travel by motorcoach to Luxembourg or Metz to board a HIGH-SPEED TRAIN to Paris, where you arrive later in the day. (B)

Day 9 | Paris. Known as one of the world’s most passionate and lively cities, Paris is a delight for your senses. Your included CITY SIGHTSEEING shows you magnificent must-see sights, including Notre Dame Cathedral, the unique Louvre Museum with its glass pyramid as a contrast to its ancient architecture, the commemorative Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower. In your free time, stroll down the Champs-Elysées with its lavish cafés, or perhaps visit the world-famous Louvre or Montmartre with its gleaming white Sacre Coeur Basilica and bevy of artists on Place du Tertre. Paris is also well known for its colorful nightlife that includes some of the world’s most famous cabaret shows. All of this awaits your discovery! (B)

Day 10 | Paris. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)

NOTE: Itinerary is subject to change without notice. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to the itinerary schedule you receive with your final documents.

SOUTHBOUND ITINERARY (WAR) 10 DAYS | AMSTERDAM TO PARIS Click HERE to view 10-day NORTHBOUND (WRA) itinerary.