Jewels of the Rhine Basel to Amsterdam

Upon arrival, transfer to your Emerald Waterways luxury river cruise ship for your seven night river cruise (D)

A world of ornate cuckoo clocks awaits, as you set off in search of the fairytales of the Black Forest. Your included EmeraldEXCURSION will be a visit to a Black Forest village. After an immersive learning experience, watch a Black Forest gateau demonstration followed by a tasting. Alternatively, follow forest trails that twist underneath the lush canopy of evergreens in the Black Forest, passing beautiful scenery and waterfalls. Mark Twain famously wrote, “Here you can lose track of time in 10 minutes and the world in 20” about his time in the Black Forest (B, L, D)

Emerald Active: Hiking in the Black Forest (active fitness level recommended).

EmeraldPLUS: Black Forest Cake Assembling presentation and tasting.

EmeraldEXCURSION: A visit to a Black Forest village

Dock in Kehl and be transferred to Strasbourg, a city that promises much in the way of beautiful architecture. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Neustadt district is particularly iconic, perfectly encapsulating the Rhineland. The Neustadt district is yours to discover today during your included tour, as is the Maison Kammerzell, a prime example of German Renaissance architecture. Paying homage to the region’s artistic past, Petite France is an exceptional historic quarter that looks as though it has been pulled directly from an artist’s easel (B, L, D)

EmeraldPLUS: A guided tour of Strasbourg

Heidelberg is a fascinating place, famously described by revered author Mark Twain as ‘a fallen Milky Way’. Join an orientation tour of the old town to discover an ‘intricate cobweb of streets’, and pass many of Heidelberg’s highlights, including the oldest university in Germany. Alternatively, embark on an active hike from Mount Königstuhl to Heidelberg (B, L, D)

EmeraldACTIVE: A hike from Mount Königstuhl to Heidelberg

EmeraldEXCURSION: A guided tour of Heidelberg with wine tasting

Today, join your local guide for an insightful walking tour of Koblenz, passing examples of architecture that survived the war years, including the Church of Our Lady. Later, a sailing journey through the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Rhine Gorge will highlight the extraordinary beauty of an area that left the philosophers and artists of the German Romanticism movement entranced (B, L, D)

EmeraldPLUS: A tour of Koblenz and a visit to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

Your included walking tour of the city will touch on the historical charm of its old town, and you will have the opportunity to traverse rustic alleyways, visit iconic monuments and see how archaeologists have uncovered a Jewish quarter that can be dated back to the 13th century. Your insightful tour will conclude at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cologne Cathedral, a Gothic building whose twin spires dominate the skyline. The original medieval plans for the building were partly found in the attic, and partly found on the stall of a bookseller in France centuries later, meaning that, while construction of the cathedral started back in 1248, it wasn’t finished until 1880 (B, L, D)

EmeraldPLUS: A guided tour of Cologne

A visit to the iconic Keukenhof Gardens is certain to be a memorable experience today, as you stroll down serene paths that showcase spring in a quintessentially Dutch manner, with more than 800 varieties of spring-flowering tulips and regular flower shows.Soak in sights of tulips, hyacinths and orchids of every colour, creating a swathe of natural beauty as they have been expertly arranged. You will also have the opportunity to see statues that have been commissioned by artists from around the world, each honing in on the annual theme.(B, L, D)

EmeraldPLUS: A visit to Keukenhof Gardens

After breakfast, disembark the ship and transfer to the station for your return rail journey to London (B)