Romantic Rhine (Southbound)
Onboard the Avalon Envision
We had an amazing adventure sailing with a group of 10 friends!
Day 1 – Pre Cruise Stay in Amsterdam
We arrived in Amsterdam and spent one night pre cruise at one of my favorite fun hotels, The Sir Adam. It is in a great location across the river from the Central Train Station and is within walking distance of all of the most popular attractions. Most of the group visited the Ann Frank Museum in the afternoon, but we had already been so we opted to take the ferry over to the Straat Museum. It is a funky eclectic mix of graffiti and street art. Find out more at https://straatmuseum.com/en . We stopped for a stroopwafel on the way back. Pro tip: Get one fresh made from a street vendor. It will literally melt in your mouth. The sugar high help counter the jetlag!
Day 2 – Embarking Envision
After a relaxing morning, we hired 2 Uber XL’s and transferred to the ship. Our rooms weren’t ready yet, but they stored our bags for us and we enjoyed a light lunch with wine in the lounge. We had all signed up for the optional afternoon tour to Zaanse Schans, which was very touristy but quirky and fun. We toured a windmill, learned how cheese is made followed by a tasting and watched a pair of wooden shoes be carved. When we returned to the ship our cabins were ready and we enjoyed our first happy hour briefing and dinner onboard.
Here’s a video reap of our time in Amsterdam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8_d_KMHVYc
Day 3 – Canal Cruise and Cannabis
After overnighting in Amsterdam, we enjoyed a canal cruise that gave us a great overview of Amsterdam. There are thousands of bikes everywhere and the entire city smells like skunks, but we love Amsterdam. After some shopping, we returned to the ship for happy hour and dinner while sailing to our next stop, Cologne.
Day 4 – Prost to Cologne
The group all signed up for the walking tour and had a fun guide who pointed out lots of interesting details along the way. We toured the inside of the Cathedral on our own, as it was not included as part of the ships tour. Instead of heading back to the ship, we enjoyed an authentic German meal at a beer hall that was full of sausages and schnitzels and of course, Kolsch beer. I had originally planned to also do the Lindt Chocolate Museum Tour, but that just never happened after the beer hall. 😊
Here’s a video recap of our day in Cologne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nih-GjLXm4
Day 5 -Party Time in Rüdesheim
I just love Rüdesheim. It is such a quaint little German town in the heart of the Reisling wine region. We decided to wing it this day and took the ariel tram up to the Neiderwald Monument, then hiked back down through the vineyards. After exploring the little shops in town (including the Christmas shop for an ornament), we stopped at a café for traditional Rudesheim coffees. It was a lovely day.
Here’s a video recap of our time sailing the Rhine and visiting Rudesheim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKcBLPNkc54
Day 6 – Hello, Heidelberg
This was our first time visiting Heidelberg. I didn’t realize that it is a college town, so it was full of fun young energy with lots of bars, restaurants and shops. We did the traditional castle tour offered by the ship in the morning which included lunch (which was just OK). Afterwards, we had several hours of free time to wander the town and we eventually settled in at Restaurant Hackteufel for huge pretzels with cheese spread and German beers. I enjoyed a Sekt, which I was told is a sparkling Riesling. We wandered over to Gundel for afternoon desserts, but after waiting in a long line we ended up leaving after seeing bugs all over the pastries.
Here’s the video recap of our day in Heidelberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItL3er-sfaw
Day 7 – No Sunshine in Strasbourg
We woke up to pouring rain. The rest of the group stayed on the ship to relax, but we braved the elements for the morning walking tour. It was a Sunday, so everything in town was closed for most of the morning. It is a beautiful town and this is our second visit there in the rain. Would love to see it in the sunshine!
Here’s the video of our day in Strasbourg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4CWqTage90
Day 8 – Breisach and the Black Forest
This was our first time visiting the Black Forest and I had done some research about the little town of Freiburg, which is where most of the river cruise tours visit. Instead, our Avalon tour took us to a touristy stop with historical cabins and a water mill, a butter making demonstration and a buffet lunch. They also had a cuckoo clock shop with carving demonstrations. It was all interesting, but very touristy.
Day 9 – Disembark in Basel and transfer to Zurich
We had purchased a 2 night post cruise package from Avalon, so they transferred us from the ship to the Renaissance Zurich Tower. It was a nice hotel and included breakfast, but we did need to use public transportation to get around town. There wasn’t much within walking distance.
Day 10 – Loved Lucerne!
We pre purchased an all-day tour from Project Expedition called the Golden Round Trip. It included a bus tour from Zurich to Lucerne, free time to explore, tickets for the gondola and ariel cable car to the top of Mt Pilatus, free time on the mountain, tickets for the cogwheel train down, a boat tour around Lake Lucerne and then transfers back to Zurich. It was an amazing day, but unfortunately it started to rain and the top of the mountain was in the clouds. Now we have a reason to go back! When we returned to Zurich, we found a lovely little restaurant that served traditional Swiss fondue. It was the perfect end to our adventure.
Here’s a video recap of our overnight post cruise in Switzerland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UBaUu8vh20
