THE GREAT MUSICAL CRUISE - The Symphonic Rhine: Beethoven, 200 Years of Legacy (port-to-port cruise)

Colmar will charm you with its authenticity and typically Alsatian architecture composed of brightly painted half-timbered facades dating from the Middle Ages. You'll discover the quintessential neighborhood of "Little Venice” and visit the Unterlinden Museum, featuring a large collection of local and international artworks and manufactured artifacts from prehistorical to contemporary times. The museum is housed in a 13th-century Dominican convent and a 1906 former public baths building, and was renovated by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron in 2015 to incorporate more of the vast collection. Inarguably, the most important work in the collection is the Isenheim Altarpiece.

Duration: approx. 4:00

• The museum is closed on Tuesdays. It will be replaced by a visit to the Hansi Museum instead.
• Good walking shoes are recommended.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.
• These excursions are not proposed for all the cruises and depend on the itinerary.
• If the minimum of 25 participants is not reached, the excursion may be either cancelled or proposed at another rate, depending on the number of participants (to be paid for on board).
• The excursions on the first evening and the morning following boarding are only guaranteed for the passengers who have booked the excursion before the cruise.

Departure on foot from the Cologne landing stage* to reach the cathedral. Around this iconic monument lies a unique ensemble of twelve Romanesque churches, symbolically arranged in a circle throughout the city. Each represents one of the twelve apostles, forming a remarkable spiritual and architectural route that reflects Cologne’s religious importance during the Middle Ages.

This excursion focuses on Cologne Cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic art listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the visit, you will admire its impressive architecture, magnificent stained-glass windows, and its fascinating history, closely linked to the development of the city over the centuries.

The tour continues with a visit to the Cathedral Treasury, which houses precious works of sacred art, reliquaries, and exceptional liturgical objects, bearing witness to the site’s spiritual and artistic wealth. Return on foot to the ship*.

PLEASE NOTE

• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.
• Depending on the mooring location, a transfer may be arranged.

We'll head for Königswinter to visit Schloss Drachenburg. During the short trip on the funicular railway to reach the villa built on the Drachenfels hill, you'll discover the magnificent landscape surrounding the Siebengebirge range. The castle was built in a record two years—from 1882 to 1884.
Take your time to marvel at the architecture and layout worthy of a royal palace: formal gardens, terraces with plunging views over the Rhine, exquisite rooms and dining halls, the art gallery, salon, and much, much more.
We'll return on board the ship.

PLEASE NOTE

• The order of the visits can change.
• These excursions are not proposed for all the cruises and depend on the itinerary.

Transfer by coach to the Rijksmuseum. You begin your visit at this world-famous museum, renowned for its impressive collection of works by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals. The museum offers a carefully designed route, conceived as a historical and artistic journey through the Dutch Golden Age. Furniture, ceramics from the Dutch East India Company, silverware and dollhouses are displayed in newly renovated, bright and airy galleries.
Then travel on to the canal cruise departure point. A cruise along the picturesque canals, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, allows you to admire Amsterdam’s unique architecture, with its many narrow gabled houses, elegant 17th-century mansions, and the numerous beautiful bridges spanning the canals, creating an extraordinary urban landscape.
Transfer back to the ship.

PLEASE NOTE

• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.