The Independent Travel Reader Offers

Seven nights from £1,199 per person

Selected departures August and September 2012 and September 2013

Stepping aboard the MV Serenade 2, you will appreciate the superb surroundings of your floating luxury hotel for the next seven nights with spacious and well-appointed cabins or suites, private bathrooms and meticulously prepared fine cuisine.

From Cologne, we slip our moorings and head on our journey south to Koblenz spending a morning exploring this historic town sitting at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers then continuing to the beautiful old town of Boppard for the evening. Continuing our journey we navigate through the outstanding natural beauty of the world-famous Rhine Gorge onto Mainz famous for the ‘Gutenberg’ Bibles. Next we enjoy a guided tour of stunning Heidelberg, on the route of Europe’s ‘Grand Tour’, nestling by the picturesque river Neckar.

By day five, we arrive in Strasbourg, a delightful city with its centre largely unchanged since the 14th century, a mosaic of winding alleys and lanes lined with quirkily crooked, half-timbered houses. During periods of its history Strasbourg has been both German and French, and today you can see this influence in its language, cuisine and appearance, creating a truly individual city. Then to Colmar, almost embarrassingly perfect - a typically quaint medieval Alsatian town.

The following day we return journey downstream, stopping in Rudesheim one of the liveliest towns on the river, before continuing through the Rhine Gorge to Cologne. Here we enjoy a guided walking tour of the city with time to explore the stunning cathedral, an excellent finale to this most wonderful cruise.

Fully Escorted Price Includes:

Standard class reserved seat on Eurostar from London St. Pancras or flight from Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham or Edinburgh (at a supplement)
Return rail connections on selected dates from more than 30 regional stations
Take a stroll through the winding streets of Koblenz
Relax at your leisure in Boppard with ample time to explore the stunning castle - a must!
Cruise through the spectacular Rhine Gorge
Visit to Mainz - capital of the Rhineland and a centre of Germany’s winelands
Guided tour of majestic Heidelberg - follow in the footsteps of philosophers and poets
Enjoy a guided tour of historic Strasbourg - capital of Alsace
Take a scenic drive through beautiful Alsatian countryside to the pretty town of Colmar
Visit to Cologne and see its magnificent gothic cathedral
Price includes full-board from dinner on your first day of arrival until breakfast on your last day
The services of our experienced tour manager

Prices are per person, based on two people sharing a twin cabin with a limited number of single cabins, subject to availability on the Emerlad (lower) deck with no supplement, the Ruby (middle) deck at a supplement of £1,245 per person, and the Diamond deck at a supplement of £1,345 per person. The price includes full board from dinner on your day of arrival until breakfast on your final day; morning/afternoon tea and coffee; all visits and excursions as mentioned, airport/station transfers, coach travel as mentioned, travel to and from port of embarkation and services of a Riviera Travel Tour Manager.

Please note flights are at a supplement and there is a £10, £20 ,£25 or £50 supplement for certain regional stations.

Standard Premier Class Upgrade

In order to enjoy your Eurostar experience to the full, you may upgrade to Standard Premier Class for only £139 return, subject to availability. This price includes a complimentary light meal, offered from a selection of sweet and savoury cold snacks and includes and a drink appropriate to the time of day, served at your seat while you relax in the spacious comfort of Standard Premier Class.