The Treasures of the Celebrated River Rhine
19 August 2027 - 8 Nights
"Symphonie" cruising
£1975 p.p. sharing main deck cabin
ITINERARY
BASEL - BREISACH - STRASBOURG - MAINZ - KOBLENZ - COLOGNE - DÜSSELDORF – AMSTERDAM
Embark on a cruise, rich in history and authenticity. Discover historic monuments in cities such as Freiburg, Colmar or Cologne. You can take a stroll at the Arnhem Bridge Museum, marvel at beautiful Strasbourg and gaze upon the castles of the Rhine, almost too many to count. We cruise aboard Croisieurope’s “Symphonie”.
This holiday is suitable for most people but please note that there are no lifts on the ship, so you MUST BE ABLE to negotiate steps and stairs.
Our cruise ship, the ”Symphonie” was originally built in 1997 and accommodated 145 passengers. In 2018, she was completely re-built, not just refurbished. The cabin numbers were reduced, to allow them to increase in size and comfort and now she carries just 99 persons, if all cabins are full. This is one of our most popular ships and we are sure it will sell out quickly.
Whilst cabins on river cruises are still much smaller than hotel rooms, the cabin size on “Symphonie” compares with most luxury, modern river-ships with in-room facilities to match – spacious showers, individual heating and cooling controls, safe and hair-dryer. All cabins are the same size. Double cabins for single use have a supplement of £595p.p.
Lower Deck cabins have a large panorama window. Upper Deck cabins feature a large "Juliette Balcony" style window, which slides open.
Public spaces are bright and airy. The lounge offers mixed seating – sofas, armchairs, stools and table & chairs. A bright, well-stocked bar offers a good range of drinks, teas and coffees, most of which are included within your cruise fare.
Meals are all served in the spacious, bright restaurant at tables of 4 or 6. We will be allocated our own tables but we are usually free to move around those tables as we wish, allowing conversation and friendship with each and every one of our group. Please read the note below concerning choice of meals and drinks.
The sundeck is reached by two sets of steps. There is rarely a rush or queue, so you can take your time and the crew will be willing to assist, if required or requested. The bar staff will be happy to deliver anything you wish…..within reason!
Entertainment is “limited” and usually consists of music and dancing. Historically the crew also put on a “revue” on one night of the cruise. In some ports, we have the option to go ashore in the evening for a walk, a drink or maybe even some other entertainment. The animation team offer a programme of fun, fitness and entertainment throughout the cruise.
ITINERARY
BASEL - BREISACH - STRASBOURG - MAINZ - KOBLENZ - COLOGNE - DÜSSELDORF – AMSTERDAM
Day 1 : Wed 19 Aug 2027 -
Dublin to Zurich or Basel
Fly from Dublin to Zurich or Basel – afternoon flight - Times to be confirmed.
Light evening meal
Check in to 4* city Hotel, B&B Basis
Day 2. Thu 20 Aug 2027 -
ZURICH - BASEL
We plan a full-day excursion today but this will depend on flights. Arrive in Basel at the ship around 5.30pm, in good time for boarding. Welcome drink and dinner on board.
Day 3. Fri 21 Aug 2027 -
BREISACH – COLMAR
It’s still morning, so it’s going to be quiet in Breisach. Most of the shops and cafes are open in the morning, but it’s just time to relax. The ship’s animation team will probably arrange a morning walk around the town. In the afternoon, there’s an optional ship’s excursion to the chocolate-box town of Colmar, in France. We highly recommend this excursion but you may wish to simply relax.
Alternatively, you may wish to travel with Alan, to the lovely city of Freiburg, gateway to the Black Forest. Details of the excursions are below.
Lunch and dinner on board.
Day 4. Sat 22 Aug 2027.
BREISACH - STRASBOURG
The morning is spent sailing and, if the weather is good, time to relax on deck. We'll arrive in Strasbourg early this afternoon. You have a choice of two afternoon excursions, details below. Return on board for dinner and an evening of dancing. Ship departs at 6.00pm and sails through the night to Mainz.
Day 5. Sun 23 Aug 2027.
MAINZ - KOBLENZ
After breakfast, join us for the guided tour of Mainz and optional visit to the Gutenberg Museum, where you will see some illuminated examples of the first manuscripts and Bibles ever “printed”. We'll return on board for lunch and cruise on the most beautiful part of the Rhine River towards Koblenz, passing numerous castles as well as the infamous Lorelei Rock along the way. Depending on arrival time, there will be a tour of the city, led by Alan. It may be before or after dinner. The evening is free for you to spend some time in the city.
Day 6. Mon 24 Aug 2027.
COLOGNE - DÜSSELDORF
We'll depart very early for Cologne, reaching it later in the morning. You may wish to have a relaxing day aboard, sailing to Dusseldorf or you can join one of the excursions. The ship will offer a short guided walking tour of Cologne, without visiting the famous cathedral, due to time restraints. Or you could join us on a guided tour of Cologne on foot. Wonder at the majestic cathedral, the old town as well as the famous 4711 Eau de Cologne Museum. We will then travel by train to Dusseldorf, where you can have a few hours free time with your host, Alan, or go straight back to the ship and relax. Gala dinner evening.
The ship sails through the night and the following early morning.
Day 7 Tues 25 Aug 2027
NIJMEGEN - AMSTERDAM
After breakfast, relax on board as we sail on to Nijmegen. Here you will have a several choices of things to do, such as an optional guided tour of the open-air museum in Arnhem, or a walking tour of Nijmegen and a trip to Arnhem by train, with your host, Alan. Board the ship again after the tour. Enjoy an evening of entertainment on board, as we sail through the night.
Day 8. Wed 26 Aug 2027
AMSTERDAM
Today, you have several options. Join the ship’s excursion, for the optional guided panoramic tour of Amsterdam and visit a diamond merchant's. Or you may follow your host, Alan, on a walking tour of Old Amsterdam. In the afternoon, join us on an optional tour to Volendam by local bus, then have a walk along the dyke, stopping at a café for a snack or a drink. We’ll return to the ship in the early evening for dinner. After dinner, for anyone who wishes, there will be a walking tour of Amsterdam by night.
Day 9. Thur 27Aug 2027.
HOME
Enjoy one last buffet breakfast on board.
Depart ship at 9.30am approx..
Fly from Amsterdam to Belfast City with KLM
Times to be confirmed
Included in your fare…
• Flights from Dublin to Zurich or Basel and return to Belfast from Amsterdam. (Subject to flight schedules)
• Transfer to our hotel in Zurich, Basel or Konstanz
• 20kgs checked luggage + one piece hand luggage
• 1 Night in Switzerland or Konstanz (Constance)
• Full day excursion in Switzerland/Germany
• 7 nights cruise aboard MS Symphonie
• Excursion programme (See below)
• £150 credit towards excursions of your choice.
• All meals on board1 and drinks2
• Basic on-board gratuities
• ATOL Full financial protection
• Escorted throughout by Alan Couser
.
.
.
.
.
.
NOTES REGARDING OUR CRUISE HOLIDAYS
1. Croisieurope offer a fixed three course menu for lunch and dinner. The food is of the highest quality but sometimes a particular course may not appeal to you. The menu is on display from early morning and you may ask your waiter if he/she can arrange something else for you. You must do this at breakfast time, or an alternative may not be available. We will be endeavouring to ensure the menu is suited to British & Irish palates, without sacrificing the superb standard of cuisine for which Croisieurope is well renowned. Most dietary requirements can be catered for.
2. Unlimited drinks, alcoholic and otherwise, are available throughout your cruise. The offer includes beers, spirits, soft drinks, teas & coffees, bottled water and a selection of fine house wines but excludes those from the wine list.
3. Gratuities are included aboard the ship but, if you feel you have received exceptional service, please feel free to put something into the unmarked envelope, which will be left in your cabin towards the end of the cruise. Gratuities for tour guides, etc. are not included and a small contribution would be appreciated.
4. Single cabins / Single rooms. The ship offers two cabins designed purely for single use, one on lower deck with no supplement (except for the hotel) and one on upper deck with £250 supplement. If you want a larger cabin or there are no single cabins left, the supplement is £550 for lower deck and £800 for upper deck. Unfortunately, all single rooms at the hotel carry a supplement but we have subsidised this in order to keep the cost down.
Excursions .....(Approximate costs)
Currently, these prices are approximate and will only be confirmed in Nov/Dec 2026. You do not need to select your excursions until much nearer the travel date.
Full day tour in Switzerland/Germany Included
Walking tour and wine-tasting Breisach £20
Visit to Colmar £50
Visit by train to Freiburg £30
Strasbourg Walking without Canal Trip £20
Strasbourg Walking Tour & Canal Trip £35
Strasbourg by coach – ship’s tour £60
Cologne Walking Tour £30
Cologne and Dusseldorf (Acetours tour) £50
Visit of Arnhem Open-Air museum £75
Visit to Arnhem “A Bridge Too Far” £25
Walking tours of Amsterdam with Alan Included
Amsterdam Canal Cruise £15
Afternoon tour to Volendam £30
Amsterdam Museums (includes booking fee and tram)
Rijksmuseum £35
Van Gogh Museum £35
Walking tour of Breisach with wine-tasting
Our ship moors right in the middle of Breisach and it is only a short walk to its centre. Come and explore with the ship’s personnel and enjoy a short wine-tasting, with the opportunity to buy some of the beautiful regional wines.
Colmar
Join the ships afternoon excursion by coach to beautiful Colmar, everyone’s idealisation of the chocolate-box French village, with stunning medieval buildings adorned by bright flowers. Boutique shopping is tops here and there is a plethora of cafes and restaurants open! There will be approximately one mile of walking, mainly over cobbles. This is the best option if you have any difficulty walking.
Freiburg (Alternative to Colmar)
This tour will be led by your host, Alan, and will be by train. It is only suitable to those who can walk at a reasonable pace and is not ideal for anyone with walking difficulties. It is approximately 1km / or 0.6 of a mile to Breisach station, on foot. On arrival in Freiburg, we will take the tram to the city centre (a 7-8 minute ride), from where we will have a short walking tour. There will be time to explore on your own, try out the wines for which this area is noted, join Alan for a short hike in the forest to the viewing platform (this is a bit more strenuous than the rest of the tour). This is a tour we highly recommend but only if you have no walking difficulties. Tour includes tea or coffee, or a beer or wine.
Strasbourg Walking Tour & Optional Barge Tour
Walk is quite easy but over cobbled streets.
With its imposing Gothic Cathedral and beautiful central area, known as “Petite France”, Strasbourg is one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Our short walking tour is over cobbled streets and culminates in a one-hour canal barge ride, which will take us past the European Parliament campus. We also have superb shopping opportunities, as Strasbourg plays host to all the big French department stores, as well as a plethora of nifty boutiques. Napoleon described the English as a “Nation of Shopkeepers”. He’d obviously never been to “Petite France” in beautiful Strasbourg! This tour involves an 800 metre walk to the tram stop, from where we travel right to the heart of the city. We will take you on a 45 minute walk of the city and then you have the options of a barge cruise on the canals, a tourist-train tour of the city or just some free time to exploe the city, the cathedral, the cafes or the shops.
Mainz walking tour and Gutenberg Museum (Acetours)
Our ship moors in the heart of the city, or actually very close to its heart. From here we take a walk with your host, Alan, who will show you some of the highlights. Johannes Gutenberg was a German blacksmith, inventor, printer, and publisher who introduced printing to Europe with the printing press. You now have the chance, if you wish, to visit the fascinating museum dedicated to him. Afterwards, you have some free time before returning to the ship for lunch. We know this city well and should be able to show you the highlights and have time still for a coffee!
Guided walking tour Of Mainz (Ship’s Tour)
The animation team on board will be offering a short guided walking tour of Mainz. They are very knowledgeable and will be able to give you all the information you should need.
Cologne Guided Tour (Ship’s Tour)
The ship offers a short guided walking tour of this fascinating city. It starts right where the ship berths and you will meet your guide there. The walking tour is over approximately 2km and involves a bit of a hike up to the old-town from the river. You will NOT get a chance to see the cathedral from inside, due to the shortage of time.
Cologne Walking Tour & Dusseldorf (Acetours)
Due to the relatively short time in Cologne, the options for seeing it are limited. The only way to see as much as possible is on our own guided walking tour. We will visit the “Altstadt” and Cologne Cathedral, which withstood the aerial bombing of the Second World War, even though everything around it was flattened. After a short break for a coffee or beer or a light lunch, we’ll travel on by train to Düsseldorf, where you can either rejoin the ship immediately or enjoy a guided walk through the city with Alan and then back to the ship in good time for dinner.
it is worth noting that you need to be able to walk a total of approximately 3 miles over uneven surfaces. We have done this tour many times and know it well.
Visit to Dutch Open-Air museum in Arnhem. (Ship’s tour)
If you wish to see how the Dutch forefathers lived and eeked out an existence, then this is the excursion for you. You will leave the ship by coach for the short drive to the museum where you will spend about two hours. You will return by coach to Nijmegen, where you will have time to explore the city. Thankfully, this year, the cruise calls here on a week-day and not a Sunday, when all the shops are closed.
Excursion to Arnhem – “A Bridge Too Far” (Acetours)
Arnhem is the site of one of the major battles of WW2, “Operation Market Garden” and has been featured in a number of books and films, notably “A Bridge Too Far”, featuring Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Ryan O’Neill and directed by Richard Attenborough. If you have not already booked this before you sail, you can decide on the day, if you wish to join us and the cost will be £20 / €25 payable on the spot. We will travel on foot and by train. It is a 15 minute walk in Nijmegen to the station and 10 minutes in Arnhem. We will also spend some time in the lovely city of Arnhem before returning to Nijmegen, where there will also be time to enjoy this lovely city. We will visit the “Airborne at the Bridge Museum”, where the commanders of three nation, British, Dutch and German tell their stories. (This tour is subject to port schedules but looks fine)
Visit to Nijmegen (if possible!)
We should have plenty of time for a walk around this beautiful city. Beware, it is a 10-minute uphill walk to the city from the river.
There is no charge for this tour, if it happens.
Walking Tour of Amsterdam (Acetours)
Reasonable level of fitness required to enjoy to its full.
This is a two-hour walking tour, covering approximately two miles, mainly on cobbled streets. You can drop off at any time, if you’ve had enough and make your own way back to the ship on foot or by tram. (We’ll show you how). This is a new tour, a bit different from those we have offered previously, so that regular clients can see something else.
Coffee, tea, or a glass of wine or beer are included.
Volendam by bus.
Join your host, Alan, on a short trip to one of Holland’s pretty fishing villages, on the banks of the Ijsselmeer, once known as the Zuider Zee. We’ll travel there by local bus, approx. 30 minutes and after a short orientation tour, you’ll have some free time to explore on your own. We’ll return by local bus to the port and our awaiting ship. This tour includes tea or coffee, or a glass of beer or wine.
Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum or Anne Frank House
Since its re-opening after almost ten years of renovation, Amsterdam’s answer to the Louvre Museum in Paris, “Rijksmuseum” has been packed to the rafters, receiving rave reviews. The “Van Gogh Museum” is always popular, too, and both need months of advance booking. Both are situated about two miles / three kilometres from the ship but they are easily reached by tram. The Anne Frank House is about 20 minutes walk from where the ship will be moored. You will need to book your own tickets and these are the websites to do so.
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, home of Dutch master pieces
