The Great Rivers of Europe (2012)

Depart the U.S. today on your flight to Amsterdam.

Arrive today in Amsterdam. You are met at the airport by a Grand Circle representative and transferred to the pier to embark on your river ship.

Enjoy a light lunch onboard and time before dinner to relax after your flight, or do some exploring on your own. Amsterdam is a thoroughly modern city that has taken extraordinary measures to retain its Old World charm and historical significance. The narrow Dutch houses with their tidy window boxes and hand-scrubbed stoops and sidewalks will charm you. The city is easy to get around in and explore on your own. You may want to spend time in Dam Square, the heart of the city. This is the spot where the Amstel River once flowed. Due to flooding caused by high river tides, a dam was built—thus, the square’s name. Or relax and do some people-watching in Rembrandt and Leidse squares.

During your cruise, whenever you have leisure time at a port along your route, you’ll receive a briefing about the pier area and town prior to arrival so you can make the best use of your free time. Tonight, you'll gather for your first Ship Briefing. Then get better acquainted with your Program Directors and traveling companions over a Welcome Drink.

After breakfast, join us for a boat tour introducing you to Amsterdam’s famed canals, providing a matchless perspective on the city’s remarkable architecture and relaxed pace. You also see the Mint Tower, which has retained its name even though gold and silver coins were minted here for only a few years, and other city highlights.

After lunch back onboard your ship, you'll enjoy a "Sail Away Party" as the ship begins its cruise on the Rhine River towards Germany.

This evening, meet your crew and fellow travelers at the Captain's Welcome Reception and Dinner.

This morning, continue sailing and enter German waters. Arrive in Cologne in the afternoon for an included tour. Cologne was a Roman settlement called Colonia Agrippina after AD 50 and came under Frankish control in the fifth century. You can still see the ruins of Roman temples scattered through the city, and the Roman Gate near the cathedral was once part of the medieval town walls. During the 15th century, the city flourished as a member of the Hanseatic League.

Your tour will end at Cologne’s magnificent Gothic cathedral—the Dom. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the cathedral largely escaped the World War II damage that ravaged the city and the rest of Germany. There’s evidence that Allied forces had orders to avoid damaging this beautiful structure. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe, boasting beautiful stained-glass windows, an ornate gold shrine on its elaborate altar, and the intricate detail common to 14th-century Gothic churches.

The rest of the afternoon is yours to spend at leisure or to continue your explorations. You may want to go inside the cathedral, or perhaps explore the Roman Germanic Museum to seeits magnificent mosaic floor, discovered in the ruins of a Roman villa.

Share your day's experiences over dinner onboard tonight.

This morning, enjoy a walking tour of Koblenz, set at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers. Originally established as an outpost of the Roman Empire and named Castellum apud Confluentes, the town became a city in the 13th century and served as a haven for French refugees during the French Revolution. During your tour, you'll see the highlights of the Old Town.

Later, attend a silversmithing demonstration onboard—featuring a local artisan.

You'll then disembark in Rudesheim, where you'll enjoy an informative stroll, followed by an included dinner off the ship, featuring traditional folk music at a restaurant popular with local residents.

In the morning, you can explore Rudesheim at your own pace, or join us on an optional excursion to Marksburg Castle, one of the most beautiful castles along the Rhine River. The only 13th-century castle in the Middle Rhine unchanged by war or reconstruction, it offers a rare glimpse into the daily life of the time. Walking through the three towers and the connecting rooms, you will fully feel what it was like to live in a castle. You’ll climb a stone staircase leading to the romantic bed chamber (the only room heated with a stove), see the great hall with its enormous fireplace (large enough to grill a steer whole), and take in a commanding vista from the east bank of the Rhine as you stand atop the towers. Then we stop at a family-owned micro-brewery. Here we will try a Bratwurst mit Kraut (sausage) and a home-brewed beer as we mingle with the locals at the beer garden. Please note: This optional tour contains a considerable amount of uphill walking and uneven surfaces.

You'll have lunch aboard ship and then dock in Mainz, where you go ashore for a walking tour. On your tour, you’ll see the town’s great eleventh-century Romanesque Cathedral. The Gutenberg printing press and Bible are housed here in the new Gutenberg Museum—re-opened in 2000.

The inventor Johannes Gutenberg was born in Mainz, probably in 1397. He began his career selling Bibles and sometimes supplemented his income by creating and selling indulgences—papers that could be purchased and used as "coupons" by the faithful to absolve them of some of the time they had earned in Purgatory. It was probably in an effort to absolve himself of some of his own monetary debts that he began looking for ways to produce more indulgences.

His search led to the printing press when he created uniform-sized metal molds for letters that allowed him to create error-free repeatable text. This was the beginning of the creation of moveable type that transformed the world.

You are free to relax over dinner onboard tonight.

Join a full-day tour of Heidelberg. You begin by touring the impressive ruins of the city’s Gothic castle (setting for the opera The Student Prince) where you’ll have an expansive view of the surrounding area. Your tour continues with a guided walk in the city.

From here, you’ll enjoy lunch in a traditional Gasthaus that has been part of Heidelberg’s Old Town for centuries. After some free time to make discoveries on your own, you return to the ship in time for dinner onboard.

Disembark for a walking tour of Wertheim, a charming fairy-tale town located at the meeting of the Main and Tauber rivers. Admire the imposing ruins of its castle, set on a hill overlooking the town.

Enjoy the rest of the morning exploring Wertheim on your own. You may want to climb the stairs to the castle and follow the trail around the castle walls. Or you could visit the renowned Glass Museum in Wertheim. Its exhibitions trace the history of glassblowing and showcase many exquisite pieces, from the historic to the contemporary.

In the early afternoon, we visit with a local family and share coffee and cake with your hosts. This is a great opportunity to experience what life is like for a typical family in this section of Europe.

In the early morning, start sailing from Wertheim to Wurzburg. As you cruise, take part in an interactive discussion on Europeans Today.

This afternoon, we’ll dock in Wurzburg, a city on the Main River in Bavaria. Founded in the tenth century, Wurzburg was home to several powerful prince-bishops for many centuries.

We’ll enjoy an informative walk here. Perhaps you'll view the Residenz, commissioned by prince-bishop brothers Johann Philipp Franz and Friedrich Karl von Schönborn. The complex was almost completely destroyed during World War II, but has since been rebuilt to its original grandeur prior to the war.

Spend the day on the water as we cruise the Main River and sail into Schweinfurt this afternoon.

Or, disembark during a stop in Gerlachshausen for an optional tour of Rothenburg. This lovely old town sits on the Tauber River and boasts undamaged 14th-century city walls and beautifully preserved fortifications.

During your walking tour, you’ll see stately towers and imposing burghers’ houses. After an included lunch, you have the afternoon free to make your own discoveries in this charming town before transferring to meet the ship in Schweinfurt.

Go ashore this morning for a walking tour with a local guide of Bamberg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in AD 902. Bamberg began to prosper in the twelfth century and was the center of southern Germany’s Enlightenment in the late 18th century. The great German philosopher Hegel lived here, and Bamberg was the second city (after Mainz) to introduce book-printing.

Today, Bamberg boasts 2,000 buildings listed as historical monuments, and its old city center is Europe’s largest existing group of historic buildings. The city was awarded the title of “World Cultural and Natural Heritage of Mankind” by UNESCO in 1993. On your tour, you’ll see two grand former residences of the prince bishops—the imposing 16th-century Old Court and the New Residence—and many of the city’s impressive churches.

You have some free time to explore Bamberg on your own before returning to the ship. Later this afternoon, you'll set sail for Nuremberg.

After breakfast, we disembark for an included tour of Nuremberg, Bavaria’s second-largest city and the most important city in Franconia, with a local guide. Once the unofficial capital of the Holy Roman Empire, Nuremberg evokes its exalted past with its imposing medieval Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle). However, its more recent history is intricately linked to its role in World War II.

Nuremberg was devastated by bombs in World War II. After the war, much of the city was rebuilt, and its Old World charm was painstakingly restored. Today, the city thrives as a bustling industrial and commercial center. Nuremberg’s many celebrated craftspeople specialize in fine metalwork and toy-making, and every year the city draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to its month-long Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market).

During your included tour here, you’ll see remnants of the old medieval city walls and you’ll pass sections of the Old Town. You'll also have the opportunity to visit Room 600, site of the Nazi war crime trials. You’ll then browse the cobbled main market square and admire the intricately carved, 62-foot-high Schoner Brunnen fountain towering there. Before you leave, make sure you turn the fountain’s brass ring for good luck!

We return to the ship for lunch.

Later, you might join us for an optional tour of the new Documentation Center on the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds. During your tour here, you’ll visit many of its fascinating historical sites, including the massive stadium where Hitler held his notorious rallies. In 1998, the city of Nuremberg held an architectural competition for the Center’s design, for which designers had to fit the proposed Center in the Congress Hall, and deal with the site’s intimidating architecture and ominous premise. Today’s optional tour features the winning center and surrounding grounds, including the Zeppelin Field, where the Nazi Party held rallies for up to 100,000 spectators.

Tonight, after dinner onboard, you are invited to attend an exclusive Discovery Series discussion on German Life Since 1933. During the night, you cross the European watershed (at 1,332 feet, the highest point of the canal). This ridge of higher land divides the areas drained by the two different rivers, the Main and Danube. Here, rain north of the watershed flows to the North Sea, and rain to the south flows to the Black Sea.

Tonight, as we sail to our next destination, we break out the Champagne to toast our crossing of the watershed.

This morning, we sail to Kelheim and Regensburg. You can enjoy leisure activities aboard ship.

Or, delve deeper into the Danube's scenic splendor this morning during our optional Bavaria: Baroque & Beer excursion, which leaves from Kelheim to the Weltenburg Monastery, a Baroque construction of stucco, polished marble, gilt, and painted ceilings. There, you have the opportunity to reflect in the cool stillness of the abbey—Germany's oldest, founded at the beginning of the seventh century by the Abbot Eustasius. The compound also houses the oldest monastery brewery in the world. Here, visitors have enjoyed its famous dark brew for nearly 1,000 years, and you can too, while sitting in the courtyard beer garden beneath ancient chestnut trees.

Then board a ferry for a ride through the beautiful Danube Gorge, Donaudurchbruch, the river’s narrowest and deepest stretch. From your ship’s outdoor deck, you'll enjoy up close views of towering Jurassic-era limestone cliffs as you wend your way along this scenic passage. Your ferry ride takes you back to Kelheim, where you’ll discover the town’s impressive Befreiungshalle, or Liberation Hall. Built by Bavarian King Ludwig I in the mid-18th century, the tower-like structure honors the German tribes who banded together to defeat the French during the Napoleonic wars of 1813-1815. You’ll then transfer by motorcoach to Regensburg, where the ship has cruised to meet you.

After lunch onboard, enjoy a walking tour of Regensburg, Germany’s largest medieval city. Since the historic city center was undamaged during World War II, it remains beautifully preserved.

Your tour features the Old Town Hall and the famous Stone Bridge (Germany’s oldest bridge), constructed during the twelfth century. You also see soaring St. Peter’s Cathedral, a Gothic church adorned with beautiful stained glass. Admire the narrow medieval streets and the relics of Regensburg’s Roman past at the ruins of Castra Regina fort—the Porta Praetoria—containing a stone inscribed in AD 179, when Marcus Aurelius was emperor.

After your tour, enjoy time to explore on your own, or join our discussion of Germany Today before dinner onboard.

Please note: The September 17 and 24 departures will include a visit to Oktoberfest in Munich. This will take place instead of the optional Bavaria: Baroque & Beer tour.

After breakfast, you enjoy a guided walking tour of Passau, situated at the confluence of the Danube, the Ilz, and the Inn rivers. Called the Dreifluessestadt (City on Three Rivers), Passau is an elegant town that has served as a German cultural and intellectual hub for centuries.

You see the impressive Bishop’s Residenz, the 14th-century Town Hall. You walk to the Dom, the lavish St. Stephen's Cathedral. This magnificent 17th-century cathedral contains one of the world’s largest pipe organs, with 17,774 pipes and 234 resounding stops. If you visit from May 2 through October, you can enjoy the public performances (given daily except Sundayat noon) on your own.

The cathedral’s original Gothic plan is still evident through the 17th-century reconstruction it received in the grand Baroque style. One of its most striking features is the gorgeous octagonal dome that hovers over the intersection of the nave, where the congregation sits, and the transept, which runs perpendicular to it.

Your afternoon is at leisure.

Our evening cruise carries us into Austria, the third country on our itinerary. Join your traveling companions for a cocktail, toasting the close of your cruising days with this group. Then, the crew bids you an official adieu at the Captain’s Farewell Dinner, as the ship cruises toward Melk.

You arrive at Melk early in the morning. From your ship, you'll be able to see the formidable Melk Abbey as it rises up from the surrounding countryside along the Danube. After breakfast, you can disembark to explore on your own or join an optional excursion to the dramatic 900-year-old Baroque abbey.

This magnificently ornate structure has a long and storied history. Strategically situated on a steep, cliffside perch, Melk Abbey's earliest incarnation was as a Roman border post. Later, it served as a tenth-century Babenberg fortress. It became a Benedictine monastery in 1089 and earned a distinguished reputation for medieval scholarship. Its library includes more than 70,000 books and 2,000 manuscripts, chiefly from the ninth through the 15th centuries.

Umberto Eco, author of the well-known book The Name of the Rose, a murder mystery of monastic intrigue, was inspired by the grandeur of Melk Abbey. Heinrich von Melk, a Benedictine brother from Melk Abbey who wrote the ironic poem "About Priestly Life," is one of the novel's main characters. The novel contains a great deal of scholarly information about the Middle Ages (Eco is known primarily as a scholar) and the compelling politics of medieval religion. The book's setting is fictional, but the story climaxes with a devastating fire that mirrors the real history of Melk Abbey, which was ravaged by fires in 1297 and 1683. The stately Baroque edifice that stands today, with its twin towers and 208-foot-high dome, dates from its reconstruction in 1736.

The Abbey houses a remarkable cherub-filled library of thousands of books and manuscripts, and 365 windows—one for every day of the year. The interior of the Abbey's church is a kaleidoscope of red, orange, and gold—with a magnificent carved pulpit and shimmering ceiling frescoes. During your tour, you'll get the chance to observe and explore itup close, learning more about Melk Abbey's fascinating story. The cost of this optional tour includes a winetasting in the Abbey's restaurant.

After setting sail again, your travel on the river takes you through the lovely landscape of the Wachau Valley—past terraced vineyards and lush flowering fields—on your way to Vienna.

This afternoon, enjoy an Apfelstrudel demonstration onboard in the galley.

In the early evening, you arrive in Vienna, Austria's capital. This evening, you can relax or spend the evening exploring and dining on your own.

Come with us on an optional Musical Vienna tour this evening. Vienna without music wouldn't be Vienna. So, subject to availability of tickets, you can enjoy an unforgettable evening in one of Vienna's famed concert halls. You'll hear enchanting performances of some of the most wonderful melodies of classical Austrian music by professional singers.

After breakfast, you disembark ship and are transferred to the airport for your flight home.