Platinum Travel and Uniworld
8 days From €2399 (Per Person)
Netherlands
5
River Cruises
Find inspiration in the romantic, soul-stirring beauty of the fabled Rhine.
Castles along The Rhine
From €2399 per person sharing (including flights & port taxes)
No Single Supplement on select dates
Other dates and room types available and prices may fluctuate subject to availability
Ship: S.S. Antoinette / Amsterdam to Basel
Find inspiration in the romantic, soul-stirring beauty of the fabled Rhine. Flowers tumble from baskets lining streets of half-timbered houses, and lights glint off quiet canals. A mighty river carries ships and cargo through a landscape shaped by time and history. The spires of medieval churches and castles appear around each bend in the river, and vineyards climb the verdant hillsides
Day 1: Amsterdam (Embark)
Arrive at Amsterdam Schipol Airport. If your cruise package includes a group arrival transfer or if you have purchased a private arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the ship. The ship will set sail in the afternoon for your first port of call, Cologne.
Day 2: Cologne
You simply cannot visit Cologne without paying homage to its most notorious site, the Gothic masterpiece that serves as the city’s cathedral. A local expert will show you favorite haunts around the Old Town and share some of the cathedral’s most intriguing and Magi-cal secrets with you. Cologne is the largest and oldest city of the Rhineland and a cultural mecca, with more than 30 museums and hundreds of art galleries. A congenial atmosphere and a mix of ancient, modern and reconstructed buildings characterize the heart of the city.
Day 3: Koblenz, Boppard
No other river valley on earth boasts more castles than the Rhine, and today you’ll have an opportunity to experience real-life “Game of Thrones” ambiance deep within the medieval walls of Marksburg Castle. Not into dungeons and dragons? Get to know Koblenz, a historic town with a colorful past and eclectic architecture, and enjoy a walking discovery tour. Today brings you a plethora of Rhine delights. You begin in Koblenz, a 2,000-year-old town at the northern end of the most scenic section of the Rhine, where you’ll decide between two very different experiences, a walking tour of medieval Koblenz or explore one of the most extraordinary castles on the banks of the river—followed by yet another choice: You see a close up view of the beautiful region via bicycle, or once you arrive in Boppard, you can opt to take a leisurely stroll through the fascinating village.
Day 4: Boppard, cruising the Romantic Rhine River, Rüdesheim
Experience Germany’s fabled Rhine River in one of two ways—an exclusive tasting of estate-grown Rieslings at Castle Vollards or an invigorating vineyard hike. Your floating hotel arrives in Rüdesheim, one of the most charming ports of call in the Rhine Valley. This city has a long history going back to Roman times and is famous for the Drosselgasse, a narrow, bustling lane of shops and wine bars, as well as its impressive Niederwald Monument, built to celebrate the re-establishment of the German empire in the late 19th century. You may opt to visit a renowned vineyard or, for a more active jaunt, take the long way shoreward from Niederwald with a vineyard hike that includes a stop at a unique museum.
Day 5: Germersheim (Speyer)
Expect the unexpected in Speyer, where ancient treasures harmoniously co-exist with modern day innovation. For something really unexpected, venture into a spooky, candlelit tasting room to sample flavorful elixirs made from wine vinegars. Utterly unique and surprisingly delicious, and something you’ll experience with no other river cruise line. The ship docks in Germersheim, where you’ll have to choose between boarding a motorcoach to the nearby town of Speyer for a guided walking tour or taking in an exclusive tasting at a local vinegar estate.
Day 6: Kehl (Strasbourg)
Strasbourg is invariably described as quaint, a rather overused word that in this case is perfectly apropos. Whether you see it via a canal boat or on foot with an insightful local expert, this historic town with its cobbled lanes, half-timbered homes, giant stork nests and impossible-to-resist pastry shops will win your heart. Kehl, directly across the river from Strasbourg, will be your ship’s base while you explore the Alsatian capital, which is known as the “Crossroads of Europe” for its strategic location halfway between Paris and Prague. You may choose to see Strasbourg, which would give you an enlightening and relaxing overview of this historically important city. Or you may experience the historic core as the locals do, with a walking tour. If you’re feeling adventurous, take advantage of Uniworld’s bicycles or Nordic walking sticks and explore the banks of the river.
Day 7: Breisach (Kaysersberg and Riquewihr or Colmar)
Look up “charming and “picturesque” in the dictionary and it could very well show images of today’s choice of destinations—two of Alsace’s best-known wine villages or a town some have hailed as the prettiest in the world. Is it really? See for yourself from our uniquely Uniworld perspective. A charming town dominated by a 17th-century hilltop cathedral, Breisach is your gateway to the Alsatian wine road. This is your launching point for one of two excursions along the celebrated route des vins, which hugs the foothills of the Vosges mountain range. You can visit Kaysersberg and Riquewihr, two of the most picturesque villages in the region, or take a tour of the larger town of Colmar, considered one of the most beautiful destinations along the wine road and the capital of Alsatian wines. If you’re interested in doing something a bit more physically challenging, you could stay in Breisach and walk or bike through the surrounding vineyards.
Day 8: Basel (Disembark)
Disembark the ship. If your cruise package includes a group departure transfer or if you have purchased a private departure transfer, you will be transferred to EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg for your flight home (unless, of course, you’ve decided to extend your trip with the post-cruise extension to lovely Basel and Lake Lucerne).
Platinum Travel are delighted to be working with Uniworld - Boutique River Cruises with the five star all-inclusive boutique experience
Spend even one night in one of the magnificent riverview staterooms and you will agree, sailing with Platinum Travel and Uniworld is truly a stunning way to see the world.
Each Uniworld ship combines old world elegance with modern conveniences. Your stateroom includes marble bathrooms, flatscreen TVs featuring musiic movies and satelite cahnells, in room safe and individual climate control.
When you choose a Uniworld River Cruise with Platinum Travel, you can be assured there is so much included in the price - All meals with various dining options including unlimited beverages onboard, scheduled airport transfers and shore excursions with English speaking local guides. Your gratuities are also included.
Uniworld are committed to giving their valued guests the ultimate strsss free, luxury five star all-inclusive boutique experience. So relax, unwind, and leave the rest to Platinum Travel and Uniworld.
UNIWORLD BOUTIQUE RIVER CRUISES
Uniworld—the world’s best and most awarded luxury river cruise line—offers itineraries in spectacular destinations throughout Europe, Russia, Egypt, Asia and Peru. The company’s European fleet features luxurious ships with an average capacity of 120 guests, the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry, enticing shore excursions, world-class gourmet cuisine, impeccable hospitality and numerous other all-inclusive benefits.
The Highest Standards in Luxury River Cruising
In 2004, Uniworld was acquired by The Travel Corporation (TTC), a highly successful international travel group founded by Stanley Tollman. TTC has more than 30 top brands, including Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, and Contiki, as well as Red Carnation Hotels, a renowned collection of four- and five-star luxury properties.
TTC has made major investments in Uniworld's ships, crew, and staff, with an eye towards providing guests with all the elements of an unforgettable Six-Star Experience: Expertise; Service; Luxurious Ships, Uniquely Designed; Culinary; Choice; and Truly All-Inclusive. Combining the tour planning and hotel management expertise of TTC’s sister companies with Uniworld’s decades of superior nautical experience has created an entirely new category of luxury river cruising.
The Boutique Experience, Onboard & Onshore
The renowned Red Carnation Hotel Collection was founded in the early 1980s by Beatrice Tollman, who has many years of experience as a chef, cookbook author, and hotelier in South Africa, Europe, and the US. The family-run business now spans four generations—including her husband Stanley and three children—and owns and operates 17 boutique properties in five countries. Mrs. Tollman was named Hotelier of the Year at the European Hospitality Awards in 2012.
Boutique hotels are known for their destination-specific interior décor, gracious service, and carefully selected amenities, all of which provide an intimate, elegant, and relaxed experience. Similarly, Uniworld’s boutique river cruises allow guests to travel from one exciting destination to the next aboard a stylish floating hotel with inviting lounges, cozy libraries, panoramic restaurants, sumptuous cuisine, exquisite antiques and original art and luxurious riverview staterooms and suites. Meticulous attention to detail is readily apparent on every company-owned ship, including Uniworld’s six stunning Super Ships—the S.S. Antoinette, S.S. Beatrice, S.S. Catherine, S.S. Joie de Vivre, S.S. Maria Theresa and S.S. Bon Voyage.
Gracious and Attentive Service
In partnership with its sister company, Red Carnation Hotels, Uniworld takes pride in its long-lasting relationships with guests, for whom there is “No request too large, no detail too small.” Uniworld employs a professionally trained, dedicated, English-speaking staff, so guests never have to worry about communication.
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info@platinumtravel.ie 01 8535000
