The Rhine as a Legacy: Art, History and Heritage. Discovering Europe's Geniuses and Masterpieces (port-to-port cruise)

Departure on foot from the Bonn landing stage* to reach Bonn’s historic city center. Built around 1700, the house located at 20 Bonngasse entered history as the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven on December 17, 1770. He spent his childhood and formative musical years there before moving to Vienna at the age of 22. After the composer’s death, the building served various purposes before being purchased in 1889 by the Beethoven-Haus Association, thanks to donations from around the world.

Now transformed into a museum and memorial site, the house displays numerous authentic objects related to Beethoven’s life, including manuscripts, instruments, portraits, and personal items, notably bearing witness to his deafness. The permanent exhibition “The World of B” offers a multimedia approach retracing his life journey, relationships, influences, and works, providing a fully immersive insight into the world of this major composer. Return 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.

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.

Departure by coach to Mulhouse to explore the Cité du Train, the largest railway museum in Europe and a key reference in the field of industrial heritage. This exceptional site invites visitors to immerse themselves in more than two centuries of French and European railway history.

Through an impressive collection of steam, electric, and diesel locomotives, historic carriages, and rare railway equipment, the museum traces the technical, economic, and human evolution of the train. The exhibition spaces, organized chronologically and thematically, allow visitors to understand the essential role of rail in industrial development, societal transformations, and the evolution of travel.

Visitors can admire iconic machines, relive the golden age of prestigious journeys, discover the daily life of railway workers, and explore the technological innovations that shaped railway history, from the first locomotives to high-speed trains. Immersive displays, recreated atmospheres, and interactive exhibits enrich the visit, making the experience both educational and captivating.

This immersion at the heart of railway heritage offers a true journey through time, combining memory, technical progress, and human adventure. Return by coach to the ship.

PLEASE NOTE

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

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.

Departure by coach to Place de l’Étoile. Founded in 1920 and housed in a historic building, the former slaughterhouses built in 1588, the Strasbourg Historical Museum reopened its doors in 2013. Fully renovated, it presents the history of the city from the Middle Ages to the creation of the European institutions. Drawing on its collections, a selection of objects, and a scale model of the city from 1727 commissioned by Louis XV, the museum explores the past, invites visitors to reflect on living conditions through the ages, and offers interactive experiences with the exhibits.

The tour continues on foot to Strasbourg Cathedral, a true masterpiece of Gothic art. With its spire rising to 142 meters, it was the tallest religious building in the Christian world until the 19th century. On the exterior, the façade forms the greatest picture book of the Middle Ages. Hundreds of sculptures seem to emerge from the walls, enhancing the interplay of light and shadow. The pink sandstone changes color depending on the time of day and the hue of the sky. Inside, the soaring nave inspires contemplation. The stained-glass windows dating from the 12th to the 14th centuries and the rose window are enchanting. The monumental organ features a remarkable case adorned with automata. The astronomical clock from the Renaissance period, whose mechanism dates from 1842, is a true masterpiece. Return by coach to the river terminal.

PLEASE NOTE

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

You will set off on foot from accompanied by your guides and visit the town of Mainz. Capital of the Rhine Palatinate, Mainz was founded more than 2000 years ago by the Romans. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the top architects and sculptors created the basic shape of the town, with fine palaces and churches. Here you can admire the magnificent historic houses which have been outstandingly well-restored. Located on the banks of the Rhine opposite the confluence of the Rhine with the Main, Mainz will captivate you with its quite incomparable lifestyle, its unique charm and its openness to the world. In the company of your guide, you will be able to enter the magnificent Cathedral, whose construction began in 975 and which has left a deep mark on the history of the town. The interior of the cathedral houses some wonderful historic treasures, including tombs and funerary monuments from the 13th to the 18th centuries. You will also have the opportunity to wander up and down the colorful streets in the old town. Finally you will visit the Gutenberg Museum, the world's finest museum for printing equipment, materials and books. Born in Mainz around 1400, Johannes Gensfleisch Gutenberg himself prepared the copy of the Bible referred to as "the 42-line Bible” which was published in 1455 - the oldest printed book in the world. Out of the 46 copies still in existence, the museum has just one, along with a "Mainz Psalter”, the first ever document printed using three different colors of ink. The museum extends over five floors and provides a quite remarkable exhibition on the history of the book and written word in both Europe and the world as a whole. Set off by coach to re-join the boat at Worms.

PLEASE NOTE

• Good walking shoes are recommended: the tour is on foot and the streets in the old town are cobblestoned.
• The Gutenberg Museum is closed on Sunday mornings and on Mondays. 
• The ship sails during the excursion.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.