*Please note new departure date!
This extraordinary 11-day “Grand Tour” of Europe features an incredible combination of river, rail, lake and mountain travel including five nights aboard the new, deluxe Amadeus Imperial. Journey through the western center of the Continent through Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, cruising the most scenic sections of the Rhine River. This program features five UNESCO World Heritage sites— including Strasbourg's historic Grand Isle city center and Bern’s storybook Old Town, and more. Visit medieval Rüdesheim in the heart of Germany’s wine country and the historical treasures of romantic Heidelberg. Spend two nights each in Lucerne and Zermatt, Switzerland. Ride aboard three legendary railways—the Gornergrat Bahn for breathtaking views of the Matterhorn, the Glacier Express from Andermatt to Zermatt and the Pilatus Railway, the world’s steepest cogwheel railway—and enjoy a scenic cruise on Lake Lucerne. This is the trip of a lifetime at an exceptional value. Three-night Amsterdam Post-Program Option featuring the Floriade World Horticulture Expo, held once every 10 years.
Trip Itinerary
Switzerland, France, Germany, Netherlands
Day 1. Depart the U.S. or Canada for Geneva, Switzerland / Zermatt
Day 2. Zermatt
Day 3. Zermatt for Matterhorn
Day 4. Zermatt / Glacier Express to Andermatt / Lucerne
Day 5. Lucerne for Mount Pilatus
Day 6. Lucerne / Bern / Basel / Embark Amadeus Imperial
Day 7. Strasbourg, France
Day 8. Mannheim, Germany, for Heidelberg
Day 9. Rüdesheim / Koblenz
Day 10. Cologne
Day 11. Amsterdam, the Netherlands / Disembark Amadeus Imperial / Return to U.S. or CanadaTrip Highlights
- Five-night cruise from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Walking tour of picturesque Koblenz including the famous Deutsches Eck (German Corner), located at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers.
- Visit to the medieval town of Rüdesheim in the heart of the Rheingau, featuring a private tasting of local wines.
- Excursion to Heidelberg’s 13th-century hilltop castle ruins.
- Scenic transfer from Basel to Lucerne, with a stop in Bern, Switzerland, with lunch in a traditional Bernese restaurant In Lucerne.
- Two nights in the Five-Star Schweizerhof Hotel, with breakfast each morning.
- Walking tour of 12th‑century Lucerne and a scenic cruise on Lake Lucerne, the namesake of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata."
- Panoramic Mount Pilatus gondola ascent with lunch at the summit, and the dramatic descent aboard the Pilatus Railway.
- Experience one of the great rail journeys of the world from Zermatt to Andermatt aboard the legendary Glacier Express.
- In Zermatt, two nights in the chalet-style Hotel Alex, at the foot of the Matterhorn.
- Rail journey aboard the scenic Gornergrat Bahn, the highest cog railway in Europe, with breathtaking views of the Matterhorn.
- Cologne walking tour, including a stop to see the magnificent Kölner Dom.
- Walking tour of Strasbourg’s historical Grande Île (Big Island) city center.
- Tour Bern’s storybook Old Town and enjoy lunch in a former 18th century High Baroque-style granary.