Magical Rhine & Moselle Rivers

This is the capital city of The Netherlands, with a population of about 1.5 million in the metro area. It is known for its rings of canals, the Red Light District, the Anne Frank House and its famous museums (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, etc.). Amsterdam has a rich history in commerce, mostly due to the country’s colonies all over the world, and this gives the city a fascinating flavor and diverse population even now. There are great restaurants and shopping, and it is a very comfortable place to walk around in. It is also a great starting point from which to explore The Netherlands and beyond.

Board your cruise ship for seven nights of relaxation and exploration. From your cruise ship you will see fairy-tale castles, endless vineyards and ancient cities. While aboard, enjoy first-class amenities and dining. Travel from the Netherlands to Switzerland in style, and gain a new perspective that only a river and land travel experience can offer.

Cologne, Germany is located on the Rhine River, and was founded in the 1st century by the Romans. It is the home of the Gothic Cologne Cathedral, one of the largest in Europe, which holds the relics of the Three Magi. There are several Roman sites exhibited in Cologne, including one underneath the cathedral itself. The city was a very import trading center in the Middle Ages with its strategic position on the Rhine, and was also heavily bombed in WWII due to its location.

Cochem was settled long ago, as early as Celtic and Roman times. In 1332, Cochem was granted town rights, and shortly thereafter, the town fortifications, which still stand today, were built. Interesting legends, amazing folklore and a rich web of history are woven into every street of Cochem. Cochem’s picturesque beauty makes it a favorite place for visitors. It is the center of the Mosel wine trade. It wasn’t until the early 19th century that the first real tourists came to Cochem who were mostly English artists that recorded the romance and beauty of the Mosel Valley in their drawings.

“Leben. Im Quadrat” (Life. In the Square), as they say in Manneheim, a city in the southwestern part of Germany. Today, Mannheim is among the 20 largest cities in Germany. The city is the centre of the larger densely populated Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. Mannheim is quite unusual among German cities in that its streets and avenues are laid out in a grid pattern, leading to its nickname “die Quadratestadt” (“city of the squares”). Here’s a fun fact: the name of the city was first recorded in a legal transaction in 766. Mannheim is incredibly rich in history; during the first World War, Mannheim’s industrial plants played a key role in Germany’s war economy. During the second World War, the city of Manneheim was almost completely destroyed due to air raids. Before Mannheim became a city at the beginning of the 17th century, it was a small fishing village. Modern Mannheim is now one of the hotspots of immigration, and because of that visitors will encounter a lively and colorful mixture of cultures.

One of the oldest towns in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, Speyer was founded by the Romans. The town has been a diocesan town since 346. Its first churches and monasteries were built in the 6th and 7th centuries. Today, Speyer contains several historical remains. The medieval city is surrounded by modern industrial and residential areas. Speyer is an important regional retail centre and tourism is a leading industry.

Strasbourg is the capital of the region of Alsace in eastern France and the seat of the European Parliament. It is located just west of the Rhine River and the German border near the Black Forest. The region has been passed back and forth between France and Germany many times over the centuries, but it has remained French since the end of WWII. The whole city center was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is famous for its 12th-century cathedral (the tallest in the world after the Giza Pyramids when it was completed in 1439), and was the place where Johannes Gutenberg introduced the first movable type printing press.