Please note the tour price reflected on the brochure is subject to change. Due to seasonality, and taxes prices of the tour are subject to change without due notice. Please consult with the operator directly for the recent price.
The romantic Rhine Valley and the rock of the Lorelei
Preferred
Overview
Highlights (Bullets)
CRUISE HIGHLIGHTS
- The Classic Romantic Rhine Cruise
- THE MUST-SEE SITES:
- Rüdesheim, and a blast from the past at Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet
- Koblenz and the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
- Mainz and the Gutenberg Museum
Short Description
Embark on a cruise on the Rhine between Alsace and Germany through an incredible diversity of landscapes, cultures, and stories. Dive into the heart of an authentic terroir rich in discoveries: visit Strasbourg by boat, Rüdesheim in small train, visit famous museums and the treetop walk in the black forest.
Itinerary
Day 1 STRASBOURG
Passengers are welcome to board our ship at 6:00 p.m. We'll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail. Join us for the CLASSIC/FAMILY package excursion: Take a boat tour of Strasbourg at night(1)(only on pre-booking before departure). We'll see all the great sites on the riverbanks, from Petite France—listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988—to the European quarter where institutions such as the Council of Europe and the European Parliament are located. The boat tour also includes the three bridges and four towers known as the Ponts Couverts as well as the Vauban Dam. Our ship will begin to cruise.
Day 1 STRASBOURG
Boarding.We'll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail.CLASSIC/FAMILY package excursion: Boat tour of Strasbourg.(1)(only on pre-booking before departure)Our ship will cruise to Rüdesheim overnight.
Day 2 RÜDESHEIM
We'll spend the morning cruising to Rüdesheim. The CLASSIC/FAMILY package excursion is a tourist train, wine tasting, and the mechanical music cabinet museum in Rüdesheim. First, we'll enjoy a guided tour of the local vineyards on a tourist train. Then, we'll participate in a wine tasting in the historic rooms of the Bassenheimer Hof. Afterwards, we'll head to Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet, located in a lovely, 15th-century building. This museum holds a collection of fascinating musical instruments ranging from tiny, delicate music boxes to an enormous orchestrion. This evening, enjoy a stroll along the famous Drosselgasse.
Day 2 RÜDESHEIM
We'll spend the morning cruising to Rüdesheim. The CLASSIC/FAMILY package excursion is a tourist train, wine tasting, and the mechanical music cabinet museum in Rüdesheim. This evening, enjoy a stroll along the famous Drosselgasse.
Day 3 RÜDESHEIM - KOBLENZ
This morning, we'll pass through the beautiful and romantic Rhine Valley. The fascinating Rhine River has been the muse for many legends, including the Rock of the Lorelei. Each twist and turn of the river reveals another castle atop a peak above the sprawling vineyards. This afternoon, the CLASSIC package excursion is Koblenz and the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. Situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, Koblenz is a great city to stroll through. We'll visit the historic castle, where we'll have a magnificent view across the city and valleys. Enjoy a free evening to explore the city on your own.
Day 3 RÜDESHEIM - KOBLENZ
We'll spend the morning cruising to Koblenz. CLASSIC package excursion: Koblenz and the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. Enjoy a free evening to explore the city on your own.
Day 4 KOBLENZ - MAINZ
We'll spend the morning cruising. This afternoon, the CLASSIC package excursion is a tour of Mainz and the Gutenberg Museum. Mainz was founded more than 2,000 years ago by the Romans and is currently the capital of the Rhine-Palatinate. In the 17th and 18th centuries, top architects and sculptors enhanced the basic shape of the town with fine palaces and churches. We'll visit the Gutenberg Museum, the world-famous museum of book printing, which houses two copies of the Gutenberg Bible—the first major book printed with movable type in the West. The rest of the evening is yours to do as you please.
Day 4 KOBLENZ - MAINZ
We'll spend the morning cruising to Mainz. CLASSIC package excursion: Mainz and the Gutenberg Museum.(3) Enjoy a free evening to explore Mainz on your own.
Day 5 RASTATT
We'll spend the morning cruising. This afternoon, the CLASSIC/FAMILY package excursion is the Treetop Walk in the Black Forest. We'll take a lovely hike along a trail that traverses the dense forest of beech and pine trees to the impressive observation tower providing an unobstructed view of the amazing scenery. Tonight is our festive gala evening. Our ship will begin to cruise to Strasbourg.
Day 5 RASTATT
We'll spend the morning cruising to Rastatt. CLASSIC/FAMILY package excursion: The Treetop Walk in the Black Forest. Tonight is our festive gala evening. Our ship will begin to cruise to Strasbourg.
Day 6 STRASBOURG
Enjoy breakfast on board this morning before disembarking at 9:00 a.m. End of our services. Optional excursion not included in packages: Spend the day at EUROPA-PARK or RULANTICA (only on pre-booking before departure).EUROPA-PARK: We'll leave from our mooring in Strasbourg for Rust, Germany, and the Europa-Park amusement park. Europa-Park has been elected the best amusement park in the world for many years in a row. There is no age limit to the fun to be had! The amusement park is compact but jam-packed with diverse, fun-filled adventure. Daring roller coasters, scenic strolls, and themed rides provide a full day of fun and surprises for everyone. You'll be on your own for lunch. At the end of the day, you'll be transferred back to Strasbourg. End of our services.ORRULANTICA, Europa-Park's new water park: We'll leave from our mooring in Strasbourg for Rust, Germany, and the Rulantica water park. A ton of fun awaits you and your family at this new indoor water park. Whether you're looking for splash-time thrills or a relaxing float, the park's 25 attractions have something for everyone. At 32,600 m², Rulantica is overflowing with obstacle courses, slides, tubing, waves, rapids, and water-filled playgrounds. You'll be on your own for lunch. At the end of the day, you'll be transferred back to Strasbourg. End of our services.
Day 6 STRASBOURG
Enjoy one last buffet breakfast on board before disembarking at 9:00 a.m. End of our services. Optional excursion not included in packages: Spend the day at EUROPA-PARK or RULANTICA (only on pre-booking before departure).
Availability
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128 CroisiEurope Travel Reviews & Ratings
The romantic Rhine Valley and the rock of the Lorelei
Company Reviews
Great tours and food! Exceptional customer service
I am non-EU national, and very much enjoyed the international clientele .
My flight arrived later than the prescribed boarding time, the crew had my cabin ready, and held dinner. Both land side New York office and the onboard crew were very welcoming, and most attention to detail. Special recognition to Charina, my reservation agent, and Daniel the ship's purser.
The vessel's decor is very discreet, comfortable, and relaxing -- no neon, casino, etc. The elegance one would expect from a French company.
The land tours were very comprehensive, in comfortable coaches, with sufficient rest stops. Lunches ashore were included, as appropriate. As advertised, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages were included. In-town shopping was available, but not forced.
In all, a delightful experience. I look forward to another voyage with CroisiEurope. The company offers so many unique intineraries, it may be difficult to select.
A memorable four nights on the Seine - Le Havre to Paris
The Seine scenery was gorgeous and the boat was extremely comfortable—we loved that we could stay in our cabin, relax on various decks, or attend onboard activities, including a lively dance performance by a Normandy folk troupe. Even though we were the only English speakers on the cruise, the bilingual staff were always on hand to help us, and the other passengers (mostly French with a few Belgians/Swiss) were friendly and tolerant of our basic French. After our final night sleeping aboard the boat on Quai de Grenelle in Paris, we were rather sad to depart the beautiful Renoir.
The food, tours and service on the Miguel Torga exceeded our expectations, and we felt very safe with the Covid precautions being taken on board.
We had such a wonderful time on our cruise and absolutely intend to travel with CroisiEurope again. I was especially pleased with the attention to detail regarding food preferences and requests. I have a shellfish allergy, and our kids didn’t always like what was on the menu. The chef and staff always made every effort to accommodate and please us.
Our guide Deborah on the excursions was so informative and made great suggestions for sightseeing and shopping. I liked the way the excursions were managed by touring in the morning with lunch and sailing in the afternoon. We were the only Americans on board with mostly French speakers, but everyone was friendly, and we had no communication issues with the crew. Entertainment was simple but fun with games or local talent coming aboard for flamenco or folk singing and dancing. There were only 62 passengers and no young children. Our kids were 12 & 17, and they were happy with the pool on board, which was small, but ideal for cooling off after a morning in port. They surprised our 17-year-old with a special dessert on her birthday.
We’ve been on several other riverboat cruises (Viking, Peter Dielmann, Vodohod), and they did not match the value and service provided by CroisiEurope.
This barge hotel cruise on and along the Marne river was absolutely fantastic!
The crew were very attentive and hospitable. One of the biggest, if not THE biggest, highlight of the trip was the food. Breakfast was a typical French style buffet with all the trimmings. Lunch and dinner were menus, in the French style, prepared by our Chef and paired with a variety of wines and cheeses from around France. Each meal was unique and full of variety culminating at the end of the week with our Gala Dinner.
One of the excursion highlights, and a major reason why we chose this particular cruise, was the falconry demonstration at Chateau Thierry. It was very well done and quite a moving presentation, which included an American Bald Eagle and, even more surprisingly, Storks.
If you are looking for a more intimate way to cruise, Passenger to Crew ratio was 17 - 6, consider barge hotel cruises. We are most definitely looking forward to our next barge hotel cruise experience.
It’s affordable, the atmosphere on board is unique, the routes can be very interesting.
As seasoned cruisers, knowing well all aspects of cruising on seas and rivers, we had no experience about traveling on a barge in a canal. It was also time to overcome this lack.
A number of companies offer this kind of cruising on barge with 8 to 16 passengers, however very often at exorbitant prices. Luckily, we discovered that the company CroisiEurope offers one week cruise on various canals in Europe, at very decent price, especially considering that all is inclusive (full board, all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and all excursions) on modern barges with a maximum of 22 passengers.
We opted for the barge Ms Deborah, which cruises on the canal de la Loire, with the Briare to Nevers’ route. We were looking forward to this itinerary because the proposed excursions particularly suited us. Unfortunately, only a few days before departure, we were informed that due of a lack of water in the Loire canal the Ms Deborah was switched over to the Haute Seine and Yonne for a new itinerary from Paris to Sens. Despites the fact that this new itinerary didn’t really meet our desires, especially the excursions, we decided to accept the change.
Our group of 6 persons from Switzerland was very warmly greeted by all members of the crew when arriving on the quai de Grenelle in Paris where we see the MS DEBORAH for the first time, our floating home for the week. With its two dominating colours blue and white, it is difficult not to fall in love with this beautiful small ship.
We were invited immediately for the welcome cocktail during which we met officially the crew and the other six individual passengers originating from New Zealand, England and the USA. With less time than it needs to tell, the relation between us was created, so that everyone felt part of a bunch of friends knowing each other for long time.
There is no need to present here the MS Deborah itself, as this is already thoroughly done on the Cruise Critic page.
The crew of 6 persons is composed of a captain, a sailor, a cruise director, a chef, a waitress and a cabin hostess who put all their efforts to satisfy the passengers and offer them the best possible service. The captain as well as the sailor are always trying to make passengers at ease, answer questions or even bring a drink. The lady cruise director is omnipresent, taking care of the passengers better than a mother hen would do. The talented young French chef aims to produce dishes which please everybody. His outstanding sauces and excellent desserts should be particularly praised. However, referring to comments we made during a cruise on the Seine Princess two years ago, we cannot understand that why today it is not possible to offer the choice of a light buffet at lunch instead a three or even four course menu! The always smiling and friendly Hungarian waitress was very caring and attentive, without forgetting the cabin hostess doing a great job in the cabins, the public spaces and even the kitchen. It wouldn’t be fair to name a single person as all members of the crew, without any exception, do all they can to make the cruise unforgettable.
Our one-week cruise on the barge Ms Deborah enables us today to make the following comments:
~ a cruise on a barge cannot be compared to any other kind of cruise
~ despite all the comfort offered on modern barge, one must be very aware that life on board happens at a restraint space, requiring therefore much flexibility and understanding in all aspects from all passengers
~ in our case, being only 12 passengers, we had the opportunity to take our meals on the terrace. We also never had the feeling that the boat was overcrowded. This can be different when the ship is full, especially by bad weather
~ the state of mind between the passengers who are mostly of foreign nationalities, who don’t know each other and don’t speak French, must function well right from the beginning
~ if the interrelation works, it is difficult to find a more relaxing and enjoyable way of travelling
~ the success on a barge is mainly due on the quality of its crew. Ms Deborah’s crew members have quickly created a family spirit on board, showing also that they genuinely like what they do
~ excursions can play a major role in choosing an itinerary. Not speaking French or English can be a handicap
Do we recommend to do a cruise on a barge? Yes, definitively! It’s affordable, the atmosphere on board is unique, the routes can be very interesting. In our case, this second try with CroisiEurope gives them a better note.
We are still waiting for a refund
Details
Flight & Transport Inclusions
All internal transport included (including local flights)
Group Size
Standard Group - 25 + people
Additional Information
THE CROISIEUROPE DIFFERENCE
- All meals included - DRINKS INCLUDED with meals and at the bar
- Refined French cuisine - Gala dinner and evening - Welcome cocktail
- Free Wi-Fi onboard
- Headsets are included for excursions
- Official welcome from the captain and crew
- Onboard activities
- Travel assistance and repatriation insurance
- All port fees included
- SPECIAL “FAMILY” OFFERS:
- FREE for kids up to 16 years old (limited to two children per paying adult)
- A SELECTION OF EXCURSIONS ADAPTED FOR KIDS
- A CABIN NEXT TO Mom and Dad (5 years old and up - number of cabins limited)
or accommodations in the same cabin (max. 1 child) - KIDS MENUS
Rules & Other Requirements
Valid national identity card or passport required. Non-EU nationals are advised to consult their embassy or consulate.
Trip ID#:
croisieurope-CSW_FAIPP
What's excluded
Drinks from our special lists, or drinks ordered during excursions or transfers - cancellation and baggage insurance - transfers/travel to and from departure/arrival points - personal expenses.
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