23-night Ultimate European Journey Cruise

Amsterdam: An Introduction to Amsterdam – 4 hours

Meet your driver at the Port in Amsterdam for a private transfer to the city centre where your guide is waiting to meet you for a walking tour of this beautiful city. Begin at Dam Square, bordered by the Royal Palace and enjoy wonderful views of the canals and gabled houses of the mercantile quarter before visiting the house in which Anne Frank wrote her celebrated diary during the last war*. After your tour, transfer in the comfort of your own private vehicle back to your ship.

*tickets for the Anne Frank House sell out very quickly and are subject to availability. Guides are not allowed to accompany you into the house itself, but will be waiting for you at the end of your visit (approx. 45-90 mins)

Highlights:

• Tour Anne Frank's house

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 4 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities

Amsterdam: Highlights of Amsterdam - 8 Hours

Spend the day exploring Amsterdam in the hands of your expert guide. You are met at the port and transferred to Dam Square where your morning’s walking tour includes the notable Royal Palace.  Admire the views of the canals and the gabled houses of the Canal Ring district, where you will visit the house in which Anne Frank wrote her celebrated diary during the last war*.

After lunch explore the beautifully-restored Rijksmuseum, to admire the stunning collection of masterpieces from the seventeenth-century Golden Age, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer. No visit to Amsterdam would be complete without seeing the delightful Van Gogh Museum, home to many of his famous works as well as those of other Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.

*tickets for the Anne Frank House sell out very quickly and are subject to availability. Guides are not allowed to accompany you into the house itself, but will be waiting for you at the end of your visit (approx. 45-90 mins)

Highlights:

• Visit Anne Frank's House
• Explore the Van Gogh Museum

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 8 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities

Amsterdam: The Three Sisters, Delft & Den Haag - 8 Hours

You are met at Amsterdam port for a full-day excursion outside of the city. Head south into the countryside for a photo opportunity at the impressive Three Sisters Windmills in Stompwijk. As over a third of the Netherlands lies below sea level, windmills were initially designed to pump vast amount of water out, thus protecting land from flooding. Today, these silent giants draw many visitors every year for their charming appearances.

From here, you travel on to Delft, world-renowned for its famous blue and white pottery and one of the most beautiful towns in the Netherlands. Take in the town’s architectural gems and charming ambience, which are best appreciated by walking along its small canals with their graceful humpbacked bridges.

Following this, enjoy a privately-guided tour at the Royal Delft Experience, where a painter shares the passion behind the production of this stunning 17th-century earthenware during a special demonstration.

After lunch at leisure, you continue to the Hague, the home of the Dutch Royal Family and the administrative capital of the Netherlands; walk the Inner court past the Government buildings and take the opportunity for a photo stop at the International Court of Justice. You may like to visit the Mauritshuis Museum, which holds one of the world's finest collections of paintings, including Rembrandt, Steen, Hals, Rubens and Van Dyck, or you may choose to visit the Panorama Mesdag, which hosts the Panorama, one of the largest canvas paintings in the world (subject to opening times).

On your return journey, stop at Scheveningen beach for some spectacular views before continuing back. (8 hours, driver and guide)


Highlights:

• Witness the majestic windmills known as the Three Sisters
• Delve into Delft's artistic heritage

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 8 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities

Cologne historic city centre

Highlights:
 
Meet our experienced local team member and tailor your walking tour according to your interests and expectations before getting started
 
Founded by the Roman General Agrippa in 38 B.C, Cologne has a rich Roman and medieval past.

The tour will take you to the most important ancient Roman sites, which include: Remnants of the governor's palace, complete with vaulted Roman sewer, Ruins of a Roman villa, Two-story tomb of Poblicius from 40 A.D., Roman graveyard and vestiges of the ancient stone defences
 
Visit Cologne's towering landmark, the Cathedral (Dom), a masterpiece of High Gothic architecture and one of the largest cathedrals in Europe
 
Highlights include the 13th century Reliquary of the Three Kings by Nicholas de Verdun; the 10th century Gero-Crucifix, believed to be the western world's oldest monumental cross, and the luminous Adoration of the Magi triptych by Stephan Lochner (15th century)
 
See the 14th century Gothic town hall, a Jewish bathing house from 1170 and 'Overstolzenhaus’, Cologne's oldest and finest patrician residence with its steep gables and round arches when strolling the charming pedestrian zone
 
If of interest visit the Roman-Germanic Museum or Museum Ludwig, the city's famous gallery of 20th century highlights
 
End your tour at one of the many traditional brewery-style restaurants that dot the city and try a fresh ‘Koelsch’ the famous beer from Cologne before heading back to the ship
 
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Tour can operate: All day
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light walking tour

Inclusions:

• Touring with one of our excellent local insiders
• Cathedral licensing fee
• All taxes

• Meals
• Optional admissions
• Tipping at your discretion

Nuremberg: From history to Bratwurst and ginger bread

Highlights:
 
Meet your experienced and fully licensed driver-guide to discuss your interests for the day before getting started
 
Nuremberg was one of the richest and most important 'free cities' of the Holy German Empire, whose golden age, the German Renaissance, produced such illustrious artists as the painter Albrecht Duerer, the sculptor Veit Stoß and the mastersinger Hans Sachs
 
Explore the old town market place and sample traditional ginger bread at the legendary local bakeries before heading to the beautiful Fountain and Church of our Lady as well as Sebaldus Church.  
 
Stroll the alleys uphill to the Imperial Castle, affording excellent views over historic city center and passing Albrecht Duerer house along the way
 
Depending on interest visit sites such as the Nazi documentation centre at the former rallye grounds or the famous room 600 where the Nazi trials were held after WWII
 
End of tour at Altstadt brewery to enjoy a beer and original Nuremberg sausages before heading back to the ship
 
Tour Duration: 6 hours
Tour can operate: All day
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light

Inclusions:

• Transportation by luxury car
• Touring with one of our excellent driver-guides
• All taxes

• Meals
• Optional admissions and museum licensing fees
• Tipping at your discretion

Private walk of romantic Regensburg city center

Highlights:
 
Meet our experienced local team member at your ship and tailor your explorations according to your interests and expectations
 
Walk over the medieval stone bridge from 1135, that the knights of the 2nd and 3rd crusade used to cross the Danube on their way to the Holy Land
 
Visit the historic city center with its famous gothic Cathedral containing numerous 15^th century artifacts
 
Explore the Adler-Pharmacy, founded in 1610 with its exquisite authentic interior and historical vessels
 
See castle Thurn und Taxis still inhabited by the royal Thurn and Taxis family, depending on interest visit the splendid chambers of this princely residence
 
Visit remains of the Roman fortress' walls including the Porta Praetoria and the St. Emmeram's Abbey.
 
Stroll along the charming cobble stone alleys of historic city centre and enjoy a special Regensburg Bratwurst or stop at the oldest café in Germany (founded 1868) continuously serving the most tempting treats before heading back to the ship
 
Tour Duration: 2 hours
Tour can operate: All day
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light walking tour

Inclusions:

• Touring with one of our excellent local insiders
• All taxes

• Meals
• Optional admissions and museum licensing fees
• Tipping at your discretion

Private explorations in the quaint three river village

Highlights:
 
Meet our experienced local team member at your ship and tailor your city stroll according to your interests and expectations
 
The picturesque city of Passau, known as ‘The City of Three Rivers’, stands at the confluence of the Danube, Inn and the Ilz Rivers in Germany’s far southeast corner near the Austrian border
 
Passau was an ancient Roman colony and a former hub of the salt trade, then later the Holy Roman Empire, largest diocese and a sword-making centre
 
Enjoy a walking tour of the historic city centre with its enchanting, narrow lanes, beautiful riverbank promenades to see the ‘Rathaus’, with its , Baroque festival hall, the New Bishop's Residence before arriving at St. Stephen's Cathedral
 
St. Stephen's is a true masterpiece of Italian Baroque and is most famous for its spectacular organ. With 17,774 pipes and 233 registers it is not to be missed. Schedule permitted enjoy a recital by their master organist
 
End your walk with a stop at our favourite watering hole for a tasting of the famous local Granit gin or enjoy traditional baked goods at ‘Kerscher’ where recipes are handed from generation to generation for over 100 years
 
Tour Duration: 2 hours
Tour can operate: All day
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light walking tour

Inclusions:

• Touring with one of our excellent local insiders
• All taxes

• Meals
• Optional admissions and museum licensing fees
• Tipping at your discretion