Rhine & Rhône Revealed with 2 Nights in Nice (Southbound) 2025
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Immerse yourself in French and German culture on this fabulous European river cruise vacation along the Rhine, Saône, and Rhône Rivers. Enjoy spectacular views and romantic splendor of this magical journey ending with a night in Marseilles. It all begins in Holland’s popular, modern capital of Amsterdam. The best way to see the treasures of this 700-year-old city is on a canal cruise along the elegant Grachten. Cologne, Germany, a 2,000-year-old city best known for its Gothic architecture and famous twin-spired cathedral, comes alive on a guided walk. Sail through the dramatic Rhine Gorge, the most beautiful view of the Rhine River where ancient castles stand on cliffs 400 feet above the water. Strasbourg, France, located on the French-German border, perfectly blends the cultures of both countries. Breisach, Germany, is the gateway to Germany’s Black Forest—an area of unrivaled natural beauty. Lyon is a showcase of medieval and Renaissance architecture. Explore the Old Town with its maze of medieval alleyways. Continue to the city of Tournon beautifully nestled among vineyards. Here, you’ll take a guided walk in this medieval treasure with Roman ruins and a fascinating 16th-century castle. In Avignon, visit the Palace of the Popes and take pictures of the bridge in the famous song “Sur le pont d’Avignon.” Enjoy your 2 last nights in the French Riviera. Relax along the remarkably blue water of the Mediterranean Sea—a perfect ending to this once-in-a-lifetime European river cruise through Germany and France!
- Day 1AMSTERDAM*, HOLLAND (EMBARKATION)Tue, Sep 16, 2025Welcome to Holland. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding. Flights into Amsterdam must arrive by 3:30 pm. Guests must be on board ship by 5 pm. Your day in Amsterdam is free to explore at your leisure.During tulip season, you may take a Guided Optional Excursion to Keukenhof gardens—with more than seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, as well as other bulbs, planted each year. Outside of tulip season, join a Guided Optional Excursion to Zaanse Schans to see historic windmills and charming Dutch houses. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM(D)*Due to increased harbor traffic expected for the 2025 “SAIL Amsterdam” event, departure August 19 will embark in Rotterdam with slight modifications to the itinerary.
- Day 2AMSTERDAM*Wed, Sep 17, 2025Canals of Colorful AmsterdamJoin your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.DISCOVERY Discover the true beauty of Amsterdam with an off-the-beaten-path Guided Walking Tour through its cobblestone streets for a captivating look at this legendary city, OR: CLASSIC Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam’s “Golden Age.” This afternoon choose among the Guided Optional Excursions available or take some free time to explore Amsterdam’s colorful streets and canal houses, galleries, and shops.AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO COLOGNE(B,L,D)* Due to the “SAIL Amsterdam” event coinciding with August 19 departure, Amsterdam excursions commence from ship docking location in Rotterdam.
- Day 3COLOGNE, GERMANYThu, Sep 18, 2025Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland ACTIVE Enjoy a bike ride like the locals in Cologne with your Adventure Host, OR:DISCOVERY Choose a Guided Walking Tour of Cologne’s important Jewish heritage sites, OR:CLASSIC Take a Guided City Walk of Cologne—with its soaring twin-steepled gothic cathedral.Spend free time over a glass of Kölsch pale lager—locally brewed for over 100 years! Later, local musicians will join us on board for live entertainment. OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO RÜDESHEIM(B,L,D)
- Day 4RHINE GORGE–RÜDESHEIMFri, Sep 19, 2025Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Wine Country En route to Rüdesheim, sail through the Rhine Gorge (a UNESCO World Heritage site). Take in the breathtaking views of ancient castles perched on cliffs 400 feet above the water, and pass the legendary Rock of the Lorelei—where the mythological siren’s songs lured ill-fated sailors.ACTIVE Enjoy a hike with your Avalon Adventure Host through the picturesque vineyards of Rüdesheim, OR:DISCOVERY Take a Guided Tour of the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience; enjoy a tasting of the authentic Rüdesheimer coffee. Enjoy live entertainment on board your ship this evening. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN RÜDESHEIM(B,L,D)
- Day 5MAINZ. HEIDELBERG EXCURSIONSat, Sep 20, 2025Printing Halls, Castle Walls, and the World’s Biggest Wine BarrelACTIVE Join your Avalon Adventure Host for an inspiring walk in Heidelberg, the Philosophers' way, OR:CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided City Walk including a visit to the Gutenberg Museum to see the captivating history of printing, OR:CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided Tour to Heidelberg Castle to see the ruins of the magnificent renaissance treasure towering above the city, and its famed Great Vat, the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel."EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO STRASBOURG(B,L,D)
- Day 6KEHL. EXCURSION TO STRASBOURGSun, Sep 21, 2025A Grand Cathedral and La Petite FranceAsk about today’s energizing or relaxing Adventure Host activities.ACTIVE Discover Strasbourg by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:CLASSIC Join a City Sightseeing Tour, including Strasbourg’s Gothic, stained-glass cathedral with its celebrated ancient murals and astronomical clock, as well as the magical La Petite France District.Choose a Guided Optional Excursion to the historic Maginot Line—the pre-WWII fortifications designed to protect the eastern border of France, or visit Alsace’s wine country today.Alternatively, take some free time in Strasbourg to visit a museum, or stroll across the city center. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BREISACH(B,L,D)
- Day 7BREISACH. EXCURSION TO BLACK FORESTMon, Sep 22, 2025German Winemaking and the Beautiful Black ForestDISCOVERY Join a full-day Guided Tour to the magical Black Forest to experience the Vogtsbauernohf open-air-museum, visit an authentic water mill, and see a traditional butter-making demonstration, OR: CLASSIC Join A Guided Tour to explore Freiburg’s medieval city center, sheltered by the Black Forest amid vineyards and gardens of the Upper Rhine Valley.You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to visit the charming village of Colmar in the morning, with its half-timbered medieval and early renaissance buildings. EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BASEL(B,L,D)
- Day 8BASEL, SWITZERLAND (DISEMBARKATION)–BEAUNE–CHALON-SUR-SAÔNE (EMBARKATION)Tue, Sep 23, 2025Disembark your ship and drive on to Beaune.CLASSIC Visit the Hôtel-Dieu Charity Hospital in Beaune, built in 1443, today home of the Van der Weyden’s painting of the Last Judgement. This afternoon, travel to Chalon-sur-Saône to board your Suite Ship®. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN TOURNUS(B,D)
- Day 9TOURNUSWed, Sep 24, 2025Pearl of Southern BurgundyVisit the Adventure Center for today’s activities with your Adventure Host.CLASSIC Tucked away in the southeast corner of Burgundy, Tournus is one of the oldest and most important monastic centers in the region, Our Local Guide will show the highlights of this delightful town.Consider a Guided Optional Excursion to a Chardonnay wine cellar or to the Castle of Cormatin. DISCOVERY Later, enjoy a delicious Cheese Tasting on board your ship.OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN TRÉVOUX(B,L,D)
- Day 10LYONThu, Sep 25, 2025La Vie En Rose in Lyon Sail for lovely Lyon this morning.ACTIVE Discover Lyon's architectural district by bike with your Adventure Host, over bridges, and along the banks where the Rhône and Saône rivers meet, OR:CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour to survey Lyon from Fourvière Hill with its numerous churches. You’ll also explore the Old Town with its maze of medieval alleyways, and the lively cafés, monuments, and famed fountain of Place des Terreaux.DISCOVERY Be our guest for a WWII & French Resistance Lecture on board your ship.Later enjoy live entertainment after dinner. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN LYON(B,L,D)
- Day 11LYONFri, Sep 26, 2025Adventures in Food and WineCLASSIC Join a Culinary Walk through the city to discover why it is known as the gastronomic capital of France.The rest of your day is free to explore, relax, or shop in France’s third largest city. Take a bike from the ship and explore local produce markets and parks, or take a leisurely tour of the city’s more than 100 murals. EVENING CRUISE TO TOURNON(B,L,D)
- Day 12TOURNONSat, Sep 27, 2025A Rendezvous with Castle Views and VineyardsCLASSIC Take a morning Guided Walking Tour to explore Tournon—one of France’s oldest medieval cities with its 16th-century castle.Enjoy a leisurely sail to Viviers after lunch.VIVIERSWorld History in a Charming French Country Village CLASSIC Explore the pale-stone buildings of Viviers on a late afternoon Guided Walking Tour of this charming village. You’ll see its Romanesque cathedral and Old Town with a mix of historical Christian, Roman, and medieval influences.Later, enjoy live entertainment onboard.EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO AVIGNON(B,L,D)
- Day 13AVIGNONSun, Sep 28, 2025The City of Popes in Picturesque Provence Join your Adventure Host for today’s special activities.CLASSIC Take a Guided Sightseeing Tour of the fortress city of Avignon—with its ramparts encircling the city—and a visit to the amazing Palace of the Popes.Guided Optional Excursions include a visit to the ancient Roman aqueduct of Pont du Gard, or a trip to the famed wine cellars of Châteauneuf-du-Pape for a true taste of the Rhône wine region. Explore Avignon on your own for the city’s art and culture, theatre, and museums. Be sure to snap photos of the captivating countryside, historic monuments, and the medieval Pont Saint-Bénézet. Later, enjoy onboard live entertainment. EVENING CRUISE TO ARLES(B,L,D)
- Day 14ARLESMon, Sep 29, 2025A Brush with GeniusACTIVE Get your daily dose of exercise through a Power Walk in Arles with your Adventure Host, OR:DISCOVERY Attend a Painting Workshop to learn techniques of Vincent van Gogh. Create your own painting in the style of legendary artist, OR:CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided Walking Tour of Arles—the captivating city of the Provence region. You’ll visit the Roman Amphitheater in this visually stunning city.Take free time to stop in Café Van Gogh for a glass of wine. OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN ARLES(B,L,D)
- Day 15ARLES (DISEMBARKATION)–FRENCH RIVIERATue, Sep 30, 2025Spectacular Seascapes of the Mediterranean CoastAfter breakfast this morning, you’ll drive to French Riviera, which stretches along France’s Mediterranean coast from Toulon to the border of Italy.(B)
- Day 16FRENCH RIVIERAWed, Oct 01, 2025The “Queen of the French Riviera” CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided Sightseeing in Nice. Discover the narrow, winding streets and baroque churches of Vieux Nice, the old city—an area which has changed little since the 1700s.(B)
- Day 17FRENCH RIVIERAThu, Oct 02, 2025Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.(B)
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Inclusions
- In the event of technical or water level issues, it may be necessary to operate the itinerary by motorcoach or alter the program, including hotel overnight when necessary.
- Guided Tours, Optional Excursions, activities, sailing and docking schedules may be contingent on weather conditions or other issues outside of our control and could therefore be subject to change at any time.
- Please check visa requirements with your local consulate(s); responsibility for obtaining visas rests with the traveler.
- Due to “Sail Amsterdam” departure August 19th will start in Rotterdam instead of Amsterdam with modifications to the itinerary.
Accommodation Information
Port charges:
$420
Avalon offers the opportunity for solo travelers to sail with no single supplement (subject to availability).
Please call for single accommodation details and prices. Triples not available.
OR Call Us For a Free Quote 1-800-342-0019
Ship Information
Cabins
Life on Board
Questions & Answers Ask A Question
Question: Will the day-by-day itinerary change?
Question: In what language is the river cruise conducted?
The tour was very good organized! Staff, meals, logistics were amazing.
We enjoyed the river cruise very much. The food was excellent, the staterooms were very nice, and the excursions were well-run.
Pairing lunch and dinner wines with the city/area we were in would enhance the experience. The cruise directors, Jean and Tony were outstanding. Very professional and always coordinating so there were no unpleasant experiences.
Wonderful tour directors . So accommodating and personable.
It was my second trip with Avalon, everything was great as it was for the Daube cruise. Highly recommend them.
Trip was GREAT! WEre somewhat disappointed that high speed train from Arle to AIX was cancelled ( did not happen).
I would have liked a better description of the land tours. For instance -Eat your way around Paris should have stated it was a walking tour.
Reasoning related to my rating on price - is associated to the cruise and how Avalone handled the last cruise of the season and closing the boat- with not having or refilling standard items, for example the last two days shampoos and soap were not refilled - lucky us we brought our own. No cocktail napkins - the staff had to pass appetizers and apologize for not having any napkins, the final dinner menu was not up to par with the rest of the week- I had the vegetarian dish pasta with cheese and broccoli Au gratin- basic Macaroni and Cheese for dinner and there was one floret of broccoli. If Avalone does not want guests on the boat on the last day of the cruise they should transfer guests to hotels sooner- our entire group would have preferred to go to Cannes one day earlier and pay for our own dinner.
We did two Avalon River cruises back to back that was actually listed as one program. After one week on Avalon's Poetry II we traveled via high speed train to Avalon's Tapestry II and did another week on a different cruise. Avalon did a great job coordinating all aspects of both weeks and the transfer itself between boats. The itineraries for both weeks were interesting and informative.
Hi Helga, I wanted to let you know about our travel experiences while they are still fresh in our minds. The cruise was wonderful! The cruse director (Gusta) did an outstanding job. She had everything well arranged and we couldn't have asked for a better planner. The scenery was great, the meals were wonderful, and the daily provided tours were very well staffed with really good leaders. There were two items that fell short of our expectations. This was the first time that we purchased the travel package including air travel. I probably will not ever do this again. We did it in part because Pat and I were covering the expenses for our four additional family members and the cost to round trip looked good. In actual fact it was more expensive that we had expected because we purchased reserve seating for all four legs of the round trip, which then greatly increased the cost (more than 25% additional cost). Even more troubling was the very poor scheduling of the flights, which included a five plus hour layover in Montreal on both the going and returning flights. This made for a 24 hour day of flying. A second disappointment was our stay in Paris at the Hotel du Collectionneur which was rated as five star, but did not come close to meeting five star. Luggage for one family member's room and for our room was not delivered to the correct rooms. Instead we received someone else's luggage. The female Avalon representative did not seem at all concerned and after an hour and a half of waiting we returned to the Avalon desk and fortunately met the individual who had our luggage and we had their luggage (no help from Avalon). One of our rooms had unit dose coffee, but no coffee maker. That same room did not have hot water for a shower. The location of the hotel was also a problem in that there were very limited restaurants (especially on Sunday) within walking distance from the hotel and eating at the hotel was far more expensive than we were prepared for. On our first night at the hotel a very loud late night party took place in the courtyard of the hotel. The party lasted until 3:00 or 4:00 am. Neither of the Avalon representatives were helpful and both appear noticeable bored by their assignment which was totally opposite to the welcoming representatives in Nice and Cannes. Overall the travel experience was wonderful and we will be in contract with you soon about travels in 2019. Thanks you, Tom & Pat
The 2018 Avalon Rhone Cruise Tour with stops in Monaco and Paris which we took in early May 2018 was outstanding, on par (maybe even a little better) than the Rhine Cruise we also took through Avalon in fall 2016. I especially enjoyed the scheduled tours of Avignon, Lyon, and Vivenne, and clearly the optional tour of Versailles was phenomenal, on par with an Italy land tour we had previously taken with Insight that included a 3-hour tour of the Vatican. The Poetry II Cruise Ship was great (outstanding food, beverages, and the rooms were efficient and very clean), and the crew was very competent and pleasant. Spent time with both the Ship Hotel director and the cruise director and really enjoyed getting to see how professional they both were - very customer focused.
The Intercontinental Carlton Hotel in Cannes was very nice, but the air conditioning was not working for the hotel. Our room was on the backside of the hotel with strong afternoon sun and jack-hammer work being done outside until 7pm. No facilities for free coffee/tea in the room. The breakfast buffet and sea-side room were great! The Avalon cabin was very well arranged and pleasing.
My second river cruise with Avalon and I loved this one as much as the first.
Avalon is well organized and the staff is exceptional. The guides were knowledgable and helpful.
The river cruise consultant was exceptionally helpful in putting out vacation trip together. Would certainly recommend her to others and use her as an agent again.
We had a great trip. All went off without a hitch! I had never taken a tour like this and we didn't know what to expect. We were very pleasantly surprised. Avalon Waterways was superb!
Agent was great as was Avalon Waterways! Can't wait till our next trip!
The ships staff were one of the best I have ever seen.
everything was great - river cruise was excellent Thank you
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We found Avalon Waterways to be an excellent experience. The rooms were good sized and well appointed. The food was outstanding and the staff went above our expectations to make the trip comfortable and enjoyable.