Tulip Time & Romantic Rhine with Lucerne

Welcome to Holland. Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding.

Flights into Amsterdam must arrive by 3:30 pm.

Guests must be on board by 5 pm.

The day is yours to relax and discover this delightful 700-year-old city with its elegant and classic architecture, cafés, restaurants, and lively marketplace.

Enjoy dinner and explore the ship on your first night on board.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ROTTERDAM

Dutch Treats and Flowers Sweet.

Visit the Adventure Center for today's activities with your Adventure Host.

• Active: Experience Rotterdam on foot with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Classic: Join a full- or half-day Guided Tour of breathtaking Keukenhof—known as the “Garden of Europe”—for its 70 acres of lush parkland, lakes, and the world's largest flower gardens. Here, there are more than seven million tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths as well as other bulbs, planted each year.
• Classic: As an alternative to the full-day tour, you can join a Guided Sightseeing Tour of Rotterdam featuring innovative architecture, including the marvelous Erasmus Bridge.

Take some free time to relax harbourside in Rotterdam with a craft beer, a slice of appeltaart (Dutch apple pie), and a koffie verkeerd, a typical Dutch drink with equal parts coffee and milk. Take a bike from your ship to explore Rotterdam and the surrounding area.

Before dinner, enjoy a cruise through Rotterdam harbor.

Later, enjoy live entertainment on board.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO ANTWERP

Cathedrals, Carats and Crêpes.

• Active: Explore Antwerp by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Classic: Take a Guided Tour of this sophisticated city to visit the central Grote Markt, lined with 16th-century guildhall houses. You'll also see the beautiful City Hall andthe Cathedral of Our Lady, with its stunning altarpiece paintings by Rubens.

Alternatively, you may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to the nearby capital, Brussels—considered home to the European Union and admire its magnificent palaces and cathedrals.

You might prefer to take time on your own to indulge in Antwerp's signature Belgian waffles and crêpes—or explore this bike-friendly city from its old wharfs to its legendary diamond district.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO GHENT

Medieval Masterpieces and Flemish Finery.

• Active: Explore a different side of Ghent by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Classic: Explore Ghent—“The Diamond of Flanders”—with a Guided Sightseeing Tour of this showcase of medieval Flemish wealth. You'll also visit St. Bavo's Cathedral, —with its remarkable Flemish artwork.

Alternatively, you may choose to join a full-day Guided Optional Excursion of Bruges to explore its canals, cobbled streets, and medieval buildings. You'll see its crisscrossed canals, the 13th-century belfry of Market Square, and charming patrician houses.

Later, enjoy live entertainment on board.

OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO MIDDELBURG

A Spicy History in Middelburg's Dutch Harbor Town.

Join your Adventure Host for today's special activities.

• Classic: Join a Guided Walking Tour through the winding cobblestones and canals of Middelburg. See the 15th-century Gothic Town Hall and learn about its important role in the spice trade and Dutch East India trading.

Spend some free time biking or walking through Middelburg to sample Babbelaar cookies, fries, or beer before cruising to Veere.

During lunchtime, enjoy a short sailing from Middelburg to Veere.

• Active: Alternatively, bike from Middelburg to Veere with your Adventure Host.

VEERE: History and Scottish Houses.

• Classic: Join a Guided Visit to Zeeuwsche Zoute and discover the traditions of Zeeland's salt making. Follow the journey from seawater to crystal and enjoy a tasting of locally crafted sea salts, OR:
• Classic: Join a Guided Walking Tour of Veere—a delightful historic town full of interesting sights dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Immerse yourself in its rich heritage, explore charming streets, and uncover hidden gems.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO WILLEMSTAD

Willemstad's Windmills and Historic Harbor.

• Active: See Willemstad by bike with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Classic: Join a Guided Walking Tour of Willemstad and discover its many beautifully restored buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries.
• Discovery: Later, enjoy a Cheese Tasting on board as you prepare to sail to Amsterdam.

AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO AMSTERDAM

Canals of Colorful Amsterdam.

• Active: Start your day joining your Adventure Host on an early - morning walk in Amsterdam, OR:
• Discovery: Discover Aalsmeer Flower Auction—the largest in the world, where around 20 million flowers are sold every day. Later, enjoy a typical Dutch breakfast, OR:
• Classic: 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 the stately homes of Amsterdam's “Golden Age.”

This afternoon, choose among the many Guided Optional Excursions available.

Take some free time to explore Amsterdam's colorful streets and canal houses, galleries, and shops.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM

Disembark the vessel that brought you to Amsterdam and embark on the one that will begin your journey on the romantic Rhine River.

Your day in Amsterdam is free to explore at your leisure, or 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.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM

Canals of Colorful Amsterdam.

Join your Adventure Host for today's special activities.

• Classic: 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 the 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

Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland

• Active: Enjoy a bike ride like the locals in Cologne with your Adventure Host, OR:
• Classic: 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 some 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

Eat, 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, followed by a tasting of authentic Rüdesheimer coffee, OR:
• Classic: Take a Guided Tour of the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience and enjoy a tasting of authentic Rüdesheimer coffee, OR:
• Discovery: Take a Guided Visit to the historic 18th-century wooden - barrel cellar of Johannisberg Castle and enjoy a delicious wine tasting.

OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO LUDWIGSHAFEN

Castle Walls and the World's Biggest Wine Barrel.

• Active: Join your Avalon Adventure Host for an inspiring walk in Heidelberg, the Philosophers' way, OR:
• Classic: Join a Guided Visit to Schwetzingen Palace—the heart of a stunning site consisting of the palace, palace gardens, and historic palace square, 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 Tun, the “World's Largest Wine Barrel.”

AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO KEHL

A Grand Cathedral and La Petite France.

Ask 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

German Winemaking and the Beautiful Black Forest.

• Active: Take a Guided E-bike Tour to experience the magical Black Forest from a unique point of view, OR:
• Classic: Join a Guided Tour through storybook Colmar, along the charming canals of the “Little Venice” of France and past countless historic buildings and monuments, OR:
• Classic: Join a full-day Guided Tour to the magical Black Forest to experience the Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum, visit an authentic water mill, and see a traditional butter-making demonstration.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO BASEL

Spectacular Views in Switzerland.

This morning, disembark your Avalon ship and take a motorcoach transfer, which will bring you to the heart of the Swiss Alps.

• Classic: Enjoy a special highlight excursion to Mount Pilatus (or Mount Stanserhorn per seasonal accessibility) for spectacular views over central Switzerland (in case of bad weather, visit the Swiss Transport Museum instead)

LUCERNE: Lovely Lucerne.

• Classic: Join a Guided Walking tour to explore beautiful Lucerne, which includes the famous Chapel Bridge.

Lakeshores and Soaring Peaks

Today, enjoy a day at leisure in Lucerne. Discover the many squares and churches where tradition and modernity stand side - by - side or spend your free time enjoying some shopping in the city center.

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.