/ 2016 European River Cruise Journeys36

Christmas Markets on the rhine

Connections at a glance Discover your destination through these local connections.

• Cruise for five nights upon the lovely Rhine River, and enjoy a pre-cruise night in Basel and a post-cruise night in Cologne, each in a boutique hotel

• Shop local Christmas markets in Germany and France amid a festive atmosphere for a holiday Market Connection

• Take an excursion to the lively university town of Heidelberg and visit its Christkindlesmarkt

• Cruise into France’s lovely Alsace region for a Connections-exclusive day of activities that includes an excursion to the Lalique Museum to behold its stunning glassworks

Day 1: arriVE basEl, sWiTzErlanD Arrive in Basel, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. Later, gather for a welcome dinner. Hotel Basel / Meals: D

Day 2: FrEiburg, gErMany/basEl / Priority Embarkation Drive to Freiburg, Germany, for a city tour followed by time at leisure for lunch and to explore the city’s bustling Christmas market. Return to Basel for priority embarkation on your spacious

river ship. Settle into your accommodations and tonight enjoy a welcome cocktail before dinner on board. Aboard Ship / Meals: B D

Enjoy time to visit a Christmas market in Strasbourg’s Old Town

8 days priced from $3,495 Featuring a 5-night cruise along the rhine riverlimited to 24 guests, with a resident Tour Director

NEW!

Cologne

Rüdesheim

Speyer

Basel

Rhine River

FRANCE

GERMANY

SWITzERLAND

arriVE/DEParT CruisE

Strasbourg

Koblenz

800 323 7308 / abercrombiekent.com 37

Day 3: sTrasbourg, FranCE / An Exclusive Excursion Cruise into France to the delightful Alsatian city of Strasbourg and set out on a Connections-exclusive day of activities that includes an excursion to the Lalique Museum at nearby Wingen-sur-Moder, to view its entrancing exhibits on glassmaking. Then, receive an orientation tour in Strasbourg that includes lunch at a local restaurant, followed by free time to peruse the city’s Christmas markets. Aboard Ship / Meals: B L D

Day 4: sPEyEr & HEiDElbErg / In Old Heidelberg Explore in Speyer, with an optional walking tour of the city, and then set out on an excursion to the lively university town of Heidelberg and its Christmas markets. Aboard Ship / Meals: B L D

Day 5: rÜDEsHEiM / Along the Scenic Rhine Awake in Rüdesheim, where you may choose an optional walking tour that visits Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum and the city’s charming Christmas market. Enjoy lunch on board as you cruise a postcard-perfect stretch of the Rhine, and then set out on a walking tour of Koblenz with its Christmas markets. Aboard Ship / Meals: B L D

Day 6: ColognE, gErMany / Festive Christmas Markets This morning, in Cologne, Germany, disembark for a city tour. After lunch on board, enjoy an afternoon free with time to visit Cologne’s inviting Christmas markets and museums. Tonight on your

ship, join your captain for a gala dinner. Aboard Ship / Meals: B L D

Day 7: ColognE / Day Trip to Bonn Disembark a final time and drive to Bonn, the provisional capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990, for a city tour. Visit the spired Bonn Minster — one of Germany’s oldest churches — as well as the

Beethoven-Haus Museum, which both celebrates the life of the great composer and marks his birthplace. Return to Cologne for an afternoon at leisure. Tonight, gather at a local restaurant for your farewell dinner. Excelsior Hotel Ernst / Meals: B D

Day 8: DEParT ColognE After breakfast, transfer to the airport and depart. Meals: B

note: High or low water levels may impact sailing and require changes to the itinerary.

On a Connections-exclusive excursion, visit the Lalique Museum to learn about glassmaking from antiquity to the present and view works by Art Nouveau glassmaker René Lalique.

local connections

Visit abercrombiekent.com for photos of all the hotels on this journey.

accommodations spotlight Take a closer look at this journey’s river ship and hotel stays.

’Amadeus Silver‘ Spacious cabins and suites — most with French or walk-out balconies — and an open, modern design paired with Old World hospitality make for a superb, stylish cruising experience.

Excelsior Hotel Ernst A family-owned grand hotel located near the magnificent Gothic Cologne Cathedral, offering traditional hospitality and personalized service.

Dates & PricingDeparture Dates

C-4 Haydn-Deck

C-1 Haydn-Deck

B-4 Strauss-Deck

B-1 Strauss-Deck

A-1 Mozart-Deck

Amadeus Suite Mozart-Deck

Dec 10–17single supplement

$3,495 $895

$3,995 $945

$4,395 $1,375

$4,795 $1,875

$4,995 $2,295

$5,495 $3,945

Journey DetailsMinimum age is 12 years. First group event: welcome briefing at 6:00 p.m. on Day 1. Last group event: farewell dinner at 7:00 p.m. on Day 7.