Romance of the Rhine & Mosel (2012)

Belgium • The Netherlands • Germany • France • Switzerland
  • 15 days
  • from only:
  • $2295
  • $153 per day
    River Cruise Only
  • 16 days
  • from only:
  • $3445
  • $216 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
Video: Travelers' experiences of Romance of the Rhine & Mosel
The Floriade Horticultural Exposition
It's Included
Hotel & Ship Accommodations
Pre- & Post-Trip Extensions
Bruges, Belgium
Lucerne, Switzerland
Optional Tours
Local Team & Insider Tips
Know Before You Go
Your Travel Handbook
Air information
LearnMore
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CT

Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your River Cruise, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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CT

Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two vacations to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the Grand Circle Cruise Line River Cruise that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • International airport transfers to and from your ship or hotel are available for purchase
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your vacation
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your vacation with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of Grand Circle Cruise Line vacations to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

(Brussels)

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta

9hrs

Baltimore, Houston, Washington, DC (Dulles)

12hrs

Boston, Chicago, Newark, Philadelphia

11hrs

Dallas

14hrs

Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco

15hrs

Detroit, New York (JFK)

10hrs

Orlando, Tampa

13hrs

Phoenix

17hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Brussels, Belgium. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

(Basel)

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta

12hrs

Baltimore

17hrs

Boston, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington, DC (Dulles)

11hrs

Chicago, Detroit, Houston, New York (JFK)

13hrs

Dallas

15hrs

Denver, Los Angeles, Orlando, Tampa

16hrs

Phoenix

18hrs

San Francisco

14hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Basel, Switzerland. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the Grand Circle Cruise Line family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on a Grand Circle Cruise Line trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-221-2610
or click here.

ALSO SEE:
2012 Itinerary and Prices
Photo & Video Gallery
View all River Cruises in Europe
Solo Friendly Travel
Frequently Asked Questions
See all Program Directors, read Insider Tips, and more
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Post-Trip: Lucerne, Switzerland

4 nights from only $695

Experience this storybook Swiss city for yourself! Extend your trip and discover the beauty and grace of Lucerne, Switzerland. Located near the foothills of the Alps along the shores of Lake Lucerne, with stunning views of nearby mountains, this locale is both picturesque and inviting. Lucerne owns a well-deserved reputation as a renowned cultural center with an emphasis on a rich musical past. Spend four nights here surrounded by the allure of a city full of historic buildings, wander the narrow cobblestone streets, and admire the spires, turrets, covered bridges, and fountains for which this city is famous.

Single Supplement: FREE.

Please note: This extension may not be available for all departures. Additional taxes and fees will apply. Ask your Travel Counselor for details.

Lucerne is a post-trip extension on the Antwerp to Basel itinerary and a pre-trip extension on the Basel to Antwerp itinerary.

It's Included

  • Accommodations—for 4 nights at the Superior Tourist-Class Ameron Hotel Flora
  • 4 meals—daily breakfast
  • Sightseeing—Lucerne city tour
  • Exclusive services of a resident Grand Circle Program Director
  • All transfers

Optional Tours

Best of Switzerland ($150 per person); Swiss Idyll ($95 per person); Kleine Scheidegg ($165 per person);

Day 1
Basel/Lucerne tour/At leisure

Disembark ship after breakfast, and transfer by private motorcoach to Lucerne. On arrival in Lucerne in late morning, enjoy a walking tour of this important and lovely city. Set on the shores of sparkling Lake Lucerne and with a backdrop of dramatic mountains, Lucerne is marked by medieval circular walls, watchtowers, and ancient covered bridges. We stop first at the famous Lowendenkmal (Lion Monument), which commemorates the historic defense of the doomed French King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, by 786 members of the Swiss Guard. All members of the Guard died trying to protect them during the assault on the Tuileries in 1792. We also see the Renaissance Town Hall, built from 1602 to 1606, its ornate style influenced by Florentine Renaissance designs, and we pass by Lucerne’s 17th-century cathedral.

After lunch on your own, you can relax at a cafe near your hotel and watch the city life go by, or set out to do some exploring of Lucerne.

Dinner is on your own tonight.
Day 2
Lucerne/At leisure/Optional Best of Switzerland tour

Take the morning to discover Lucerne at your own pace. Perhaps you’ll visit the Church of St. Leodegar, named for the city's patron saint, which sits on a small hill just above the lakefront. Originally built in AD 735, the present structure was erected in 1633 in the late Renaissance style. However, the church’s towers are surviving remnants of an earlier structure, and the interior is richly decorated.

Travel to the resort town of Rigi Kaltbad high in the Alps during our optional Best of Switzerland tour. We start our tour with a boat trip to Weggis. We then transfer by bus to the aerial cableway station and travel to Rigi Kaltbad, a car-free resort that you can reach only by boat or cable car. The views across the nearby lake are spectacular. Later, enjoy dinner and a folk performance.
Day 3
Lucerne/At leisure/Optional Swiss Idyll tour

You have the morning at leisure, and after lunch, you can join our half-day optional Swiss Idyll tour. You’ll venture to the glorious mountainside and experience the country’s rural lifestyle. We travel by train, following the shoreline of Lake Lucerne, passing Pilatus Mountain and Lake Sarnen, to the little village of Giswil. Here local farmers will take us on a horse-and-wagon ride on back roads, through thick forests and lush fields. Along the way, delight in a covered bridge, contented cows, and other icons of the Swiss countryside. At a small farming community, sample homemade wine, apple cider, and cheese, and visit the tiny Giswil Museum. Return by train to Lucerne.

Or, spend today as you please.
Day 4
Lucerne/Optional Kleine Scheidegg excursion/At leisure

Join our full-day optional Kleine Scheidegg excursion to visit the Swiss Alps. First, visit the town of Interlaken, which was built up around a twelfth-century convent and set between the lakes of Brienz and Thun in the heart of the Bernese Oberland. You’ll enjoy a panoramic 40-minute train ride on the Jungfrau Line Railway to Kleine Scheidegg at an altitude of almost 7,000 feet. Admire the Alpine scenery with dramatic views of the Wetterhorn and the Eiger North Face, successfully climbed for the first time in 1938. You’ll savor traditional Swiss fare for lunch and have time to take some great pictures.

No other area of Switzerland offers so much—majestic mountains, waterfalls and lakes, plus scores of charming villages. Long before skiing and hiking became popular pursuits, the aristocrats of France and England flocked here to view the imposing triple peaks of the Jungfrau, Monch, and Eiger in comfort. You then descend to the resort town of Grindelwald before returning to your hotel.

Or, your day is at leisure to explore on your own.
Day 5
Return to U.S.

Transfer today to Zurich airport for your flight home.