Cities of Light

4.0/5 Based on 2 Reviews No Booking FeesDedicated Cruise Advisor
Our Price From
US$3,233
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Port charges, taxes and fees included
 Cruise Length
12 Days
 Cruise Starts
Paris
 Cruise Finishes
Prague
12 Day Cities of Light Itinerary (Viking)
Countries Explored: France, Luxembourg, Germany, Czech Republic
Cruise Line
Viking
Ship
Ship Class
Viking Longship
Departures
Passengers
190
Crew
50
Launched
2014
Cruise Code
VKCOL-R

Overview

Sail Europe’s most iconic rivers: the Moselle with its steep vineyards; the castle-studded Rhine; and the Main, lined with quaint villages. Taste legendary Moselle Rieslings. Survey the Rhine from 900-year-old Marksburg Castle. Explore Prague’s Lobkowicz Palace on a Privileged Access tour designed just for us by Prince William. Savor French, German and Czech cuisine. With bookends in Paris and Prague, this 12-day journey celebrates Europe’s most luminous ports.

Itinerary

Arrive in Paris, the romantic capital of France. Transfer from the Charles de Gaulle airport to your hotel for a 2-night stay. After check-in, enjoy free time to explore this exciting city, or join our 'welcome walk' to stretch your legs and get oriented.

Today's tour begins with a drive along the Champs-Élysées, past the Arc de Triomphe to the world-famous Louvre. The remainder of the day is yours to experience more of this timeless city: visit a museum, explore Montmartre or take a moonlit cruise along the Seine River. The banks of the Seine, with their graceful bridges and unrivaled city views, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As always, your Program Director can help you plan your free time. (B)

Today, stop in Reims for lunch and a visit to Reims Cathedral before continuing on to the Luxembourg American Cemetery to pay homage to the many Americans who lost their lives during the World War II Battle of the Bulge. Continue on to Trier and embark your ship. Dinner is served on board. (B/D)

Enjoy a morning tour of Trier, Germany's oldest city, set on the banks of the Moselle River. See the wonderfully preserved Roman Porta Nigra gate, Trier Cathedral and the Church of Our Lady. Lunch is served on your ship as we depart. Enjoy scenic cruising along the Moselle this afternoon. We dock in Bernkastel around dinnertime.

After your evening meal you can take a walk through the town's cobblestone streets, or join an optional wine-tasting excursion in this famous wine region. (B/L/D)

A walking tour takes you through the quaint Moselle town of Cochem. Then, visit imposing Reichsburg Castle. After lunch you sail the scenic Moselle to Winnigen, arriving in the evening during dinner. Explore the cobbled streets and cafés, or stay on your ship and hear folktales about the Moselle. (B/L/D)

After breakfast, disembark for a tour of Marksburg Castle, the only Rhine fortress that was never destroyed. Since its fortifications have remained so intact, stepping inside is a veritable journey back to the Middle Ages. Take in views of the Rhine Valley from this castle's stunning vantage point. Return to your ship for lunch and enjoy cruising through the storied Middle Rhine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lined with medieval castles, historic towns and vineyards. (B/L/D)

Today's full-day excursion takes you to Heidelberg, home to Germany's oldest university. Tour the imposing red sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle, built in the 12th century but twice destroyed by lightning and then later rebuilt. A guided walk through Heidelberg's Old Town and marketplace is included, as is lunch in a local restaurant. Return to your ship for dinner and departure. (B/L/D)

Disembark in Karlstadt and take a half-day excursion to the enticing Franconian wine town of Würzburg where you tour the Bishops' Residenz, a beautiful baroque palace with numerous paintings and frescoes. Enjoy some free time in Würzburg this afternoon, or join an optional journey along the 'Romantic Road' to the walled medieval village of Rothenburg. Meet your ship in Würzburg and dine on board. (B/L/D)

This morning, enjoy scenic cruising along the Main River as you make your way eastward through the Franconia region of Germany. After lunch we stop in the historic town of Bamberg, founded in 902 and an important center of the German Enlightenment. Enjoy a walking tour of Bamberg's beautifully preserved Old Town area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, then take time to explore or perhaps sample the town's famous locally brewed smoky beer, rauchbier. Dine on board. (B/L/D)

After breakfast, disembark in Bamberg for a tour of the Bavarian city of Nuremberg. See the ruins of Zeppelin Field, Nazi parade grounds of the 1930s, and the Palace of Justice, the venerable vestige of the Nuremberg Trials. Enjoy lunch on your own, then transfer to Prague. Check in to your hotel for a 2-night stay and take time to explore the city and see what you discover. (B)

This morning, tour the 'City of a Hundred Spires.' A guided walk takes you through Old Town to the famed Charles Bridge. Then, travel to Hradčany for a guided tour inside Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure; you can see the Town Hall's intricate 15th-century astronomical clock and spend some time in historic Wenceslas Square. You also have the opportunity today to join an optional tour to Lobkowicz Palace. (B)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and proceed to the airport for your return flight. Or, extend your journey with 2 additional nights in Prague and discover more of this celebrated city. (B)

Life Onboard Viking Alsvin

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Trip Reviews (2) Most Recent 'Cities of Light' Reviews

4.0
Average Rating 4.0 / 5
2 Reviews
5 Star
50%
4 Star
3 Star
50%
2 Star
1 Star
Viking river cruise 3 , QLD, Australia, Aug 2019
Many thanks to Juliet (who has since left!) and Jodie for organising our holiday. All dealings with Global Journeys were excellent and I have recommended your services to many others. Whilst we enjoyed our river cruise with Viking, and it was reasonably priced, it wasn’t quite what we expected. Firstly, it wasn’t as relaxing as we thought it would be, ...read more as the included tours left around 8.30am most mornings, which meant getting ready and having breakfast quite early in order to board the coach on time.

Secondly, the walking tours were painfully slow so quite frustrating for those of us who are quite fit, even though they broke the groups into “classic” and “leisurely”. The city stays at both ends of the cruise were okay, but it did mean long days travelling in the coach to get to the destinations i.e. from Paris to the ship via Luxembourg then from the ship to Prague. The included tours were pleasant (apart from the snail pace!) but the optionals were rather overpriced in my opinion so we didn’t do any.

The ship itself was quite nice. Not luxurious, but tastefully decorated and our water level cabin was adequate for our needs. We had envisaged we wouldn’t be spending much time in there and we didn’t. We were travelling with my brother and his wife and we were the only Australians on board with predominantly Americans which we found a bit loud and demanding! One man actually apologised to us for his “fellow countrymen’s behaviour”.

The tour director was lovely with a wonderful sense of humour and the service onboard was excellent. The meals and included drinks were great although the portion sizes were way too big. We did write on our review sheet that perhaps they should offer a smaller sizing for those of us who don’t usually eat that much as it seemed a waste not to eat it so we did at the start, but towards the end just couldn’t as our waistlines were expanding too much! If we were to do another river cruise we would probably look at going with a company with more Australians, New Zealanders & Brits as the clientele...
Fantastic Holiday   4 , VIC, Australia, Jul 2016
Viking handled everything with true professionalism. Our tour director and staff were all fantastic. Great holiday and would recommend Viking to all our friends. Yvonne from Global Journeys did a great job organizing everything.

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Note
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Viking. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.

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