Christmas Markets along the Rhine (port-to-port package)

Situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, Koblenz offers visitors a rich collection of cultural monuments and historic buildings. Ludwig van Beethoven's mother was born in the city, and Mozart’s family once sojourned here on a trip from Paris to London. We’ll take the funicular railway up the hill to visit the historic castle, where we'll have a magnificent view across the city and valleys. You’ll immediately understand the strategical importance of this fortress throughout history as the land stretches as far as the eye can see. Afterwards, enjoy some free time at the Christmas market, where the yuletide tradition has taken place for centuries. The romantic holiday market runs from the old city to the famous Deutsches Eck. Explore the city on your own before returning to the ship.

PLEASE NOTE

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

We'll leave by coach from Mannheim to Heidelberg. Its unique charm comes from the harmonious combination of romanticism, dynamism, legend and modernity. We'll take a guided tour of the outsides of the Heidelberg Castle on foot. It is partially in ruins, and as such has inspired generations of painters and poets ever since the 18th century. They perceived the damaged castle as a testimony to the grandeur and decadence of human creations. Goethe, Hölderlin, Uhland and Eichendorff celebrated the landscape surrounding the castle while many others took it as a model itself. Don't miss the geometric terraces of the Palatinate gardens, once considered the "8th world wonder”. The gardens' architect, Salomon de Caus, wanted to recreate the harmony with which city, river and hills all around intertwined. After this guided tour, you will take the coach down into the Neckarmünzplatz in the old historic city center for a guided tour on foot. You will admire the Saint-Esprit Church (exterior view) and will have some free time for shopping before taking the coach back to the boat. On the way back you will go through the city center of Mannheim, where you will find the boat.

PLEASE NOTE

• The access to the castle needs to climb up a 300m gradient.
• We cannot visit the inside of the castle at this time of year.
• Good walking shoes are recommended.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.

A little train will take us through the small alleyways of Rudesheim. The visit will continue on to the Music Museum, located in an old building from the 15th century, close to the Drosselgasse. We'll visit the "Siegfrieds Mechanisches Musikkabinett" which holds an impressive collection of no less than 350 mechanical musical instruments dating back to the 18th century to the 20th, all spread out on more than 4000 ft².
"You won't believe your ears” once you embark on a musical adventure into the world of historical automated instruments. This is a vast collection, dating back three centuries, of fascinating musical instruments that function like computers, ranging from tiny, delicate music boxes to an enormous orchestrion. Tools and machines for the production of organ pipes, cardboard sheet music, rolls of sheet music and perforated disks are also on display in the collection.
You will then walk down the Drosselgasse, famous for its small restaurants with orchestras. Free time and return on board on foot.

PLEASE NOTE

• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.
• Good walking shoes are recommended.