Rhine and Rhône Revealed with 2 Nights in Nice, 3 Nights in Paris and 3 Nights in London (Northbound) (WLA12022)

Day 1:
NICE, FRANCE Welcome to France.

Enjoy free time to discover the beauty of the spectacular French Riviera, which stretches along France 's Mediterranean coast from Toulon to the border of Italy.

Day 2:
NICE The “Queen of the French Riviera”

CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided Sightseeing in Nice. Discover the narrow, winding streets and baroque churches of Vieux Nice, the old city—an area which has changed little since the 1700s.

(B)

Day 3:
NICE-PORT ST. LOUIS (EMBARKATION) Your Suite Ship® is Ready for Boarding.

Join a motorcoach transfer to board your Avalon Suite Ship.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN ARLES

(B,D)

Day 4:
ARLES Inspiring Sights and Avant-Garde Lights

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

ACTIVE Get your daily dose of exercise through nordic walking in Arles with your Adventure Host, OR:

DISCOVERY Attend a Painting Workshop to learn techniques of Vincent van Gogh. Create your own painting in the style of the legendary artist, OR:

CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided Walking Tour of Arles—the captivating city of the Provence region. You 'll visit the Roman Amphitheater in this visually stunning city.

Consider a Guided Optional Excursion to the Carrières de Lumières (Cathedral of Images) a unique experience of art, sound, and light in the old quarries of Val d 'Enfer.

Take free time to stop in Le Café Van Gogh for a glass of wine, to relax and watch the world go by, before sailing to Avignon.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AVIGNON

(B,L,D)

Day 5:
AVIGNON The City of Popes in Picturesque Provence

CLASSIC Take a Guided Sightseeing Tour of the fortress city of Avignon—with its ramparts encircling the city—and a visit to the amazing Palace of the Popes.

Guided Optional Excursions include a visit to the ancient Roman aqueduct of Pont du Gard, or a trip to the famed wine cellars of Châteauneuf-du-Pape for a true taste of the Rhône wine region.

Explore Avignon on your own for the city 's art and culture, theatre, and museums. Be sure to snap photos of the captivating countryside, historic monuments, and the medieval Pont Saint-Bénézet.

Later, enjoy onboard live entertainment.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AVIGNON

(B,L,D)

Day 6:
VIVIERS World History in a Charming French Country Village

Enjoy a leisurely morning sail to Viviers.

ACTIVE Walk your way up to Vivier's hilltop Cathedral with your Adventure Host, OR:

CLASSIC Explore the pale-stone buildings of Viviers on a late afternoon Guided Walking Tour of this charming village. You 'll see its Romanesque cathedral and Old Town with a mix of historical Christian, Roman, and medieval influences.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO TOURNON

(B,L,D)

Day 7:
TOURNON A Rendezvous with Castle Views and Vineyards

Join your Adventure Host for today 's special activities.

ACTIVE Bike along the Rhone river with your Adventure Host, OR:

CLASSIC Take a morning Guided Walking Tour to explore Tournon—one of France 's oldest medieval cities. See its 16th-century castle, and Roman ruins between the Rhône River and the granite slopes of the Hermitage.

In the late morning cruise to Vienne

VIENNE

Roman and Middle Age History

ACTIVE See Vienne from atop, hike up to a viewpoint with your Adventure Host, OR:

CLASSIC Join a Guided Walking Tour of Vienne and discover this charming little town surrounded by steep hills.

Enjoy live entertainment while sailing to Lyon.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN LYON

(B,L,D)

Day 8:
LYON La Vie En Rose in Lyon

CLASSIC Join a Guided Sightseeing Tour to survey Lyon from Fourvière Hill with its numerous churches. You 'll also explore the Old Town with its maze of medieval alleyways, and the lively cafés, monuments, and famed fountain of Place des Terreaux.

Spend free time riding a bike through Lyon 's town squares, over bridges, and along the banks where the Rhône and Saône rivers meet.

EVENING/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO TOURNUS

(B,L,D)

Day 9:
TOURNUS-ST. JEAN DE LOSNE Wine and Cheese on the Stunning Saône

Consider a Guided Optional Excursion to a Chardonnay wine cellar, or to the Castle of Cormatin. Alternatively enjoy a leisurely cruising morning along the majestic Saône River on your way to St. Jean de Losne.

DISCOVERY Later, enjoy a delicious Cheese Tasting on board your ship.

Enjoy live entertainment on board this evening.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN ST. JEAN DE LOSNE

(B,L,D)

Day 10:
ST. JEAN DE LOSNE (DISEMBARKATION)-BEAUNE-BASEL, SWITZERLAND (EMBARKATION) Drive to Beaune and transfer to Basel

CLASSIC Visit the Hôtel-Dieu Charity Hospital in Beaune, built in 1443, today home of the Van der Weyden 's painting of the Last Judgment and is one of France 's architectural highlights.

This afternoon, travel by motorcoach to Basel to board your Rhine river cruise.

EVENING CRUISE TO BREISACH

(B,D)

Day 11:
BREISACH, GERMANY. EXCURSION TO BLACK FOREST German Winemaking, and the Beautiful Black Forest

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

ACTIVE Enjoy the view on a relaxing bike ride along the Rhine with your Adventure Host, OR:

DISCOVERY 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, OR:

DISCOVERY Visit to a local winery in Breisach, where you will learn about German winemaking and enjoy a wine tasting.

You may choose to join a Guided Optional Excursion to visit the charming village of Colmar in the morning, with its half-timbered medieval and early renaissance buildings.

EVENING CRUISE TO STRASBOURG

(B,L,D)

Day 12:
STRASBOURG, FRANCE A Grand Cathedral and La Petite France

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 MAINZ

(B,L,D)

Day 13:
MAINZ, GERMANY. EXCURSION TO HEIDELBERG Castle Walls and the World 's Biggest Wine Barrel

ACTIVE Join your Avalon Adventure Host for a Hike up Philosophers ' Way for an inspiring view of the city below, 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 Vat, the “World 's Largest Wine Barrel.

CLASSIC Enjoy a Guided City Walk including a visit to the Gutenberg Museum to see the captivating history of printing.

Enjoy live entertainment on board your ship this evening.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN MAINZ

(B,L,D)

Day 14:
RÜDESHEIM-RHINE GORGE Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Wine Country

ACTIVE Enjoy a hike with your Avalon Adventure Host through the picturesque vineyards of Rüdesheim, OR:

DISCOVERY Take a Guided Tour of the incredible Mechanical Music Museum for a one-of-a-kind instrumental experience; based on your departure enjoy a local special treat.

Relax on the Sky Deck for an afternoon cruise through the spectacular Rhine Gorge to Koblenz. Sail past the legendary rock of The Lorelei—where the siren of mythology sang songs to lure ill-fated sailors

KOBLENZ

Travel Through 2000 Years of Monumental History

Enjoy free time in Koblenz before a relaxing evening on board with dinner and live entertainment.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN KOBLENZ

(B,L,D)

Day 15:
COLOGNE Prost! Celebrate in the Rhineland

Join your Adventure Host for today 's special activities.

ACTIVE Enjoy a bike ride like the locals in Cologne with your Adventure Host, OR:

DISCOVERY 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 free time over a glass of Kölsch pale lager—locally brewed for over 100 years!

AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO AMSTERDAM

(B,L,D)

Day 16:
AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND Canals of Colorful Amsterdam

ACTIVE Start your day joining your Adventure Host on an early morning walk in Amsterdam, OR:

CLASSIC Explore the iconic waterways of Amsterdam on a Guided Canal Cruise past stately homes of Amsterdam 's “Golden Age.”

During tulip season, 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. Outside of tulip season, join a Guided Optional Excursion to Zaanse Schans to see historic windmills and charming Dutch houses. You may also choose an Optional Biking Tour to discover the countryside.

OVERNIGHT DOCKING IN AMSTERDAM

(B,L,D)

Day 17:
AMSTERDAM (DISEMBARKATION)-PARIS, FRANCE Transfer from your Avalon ship to the train station, where you begin your Monograms package. Travel to Paris by high-speed train (first class).

(B)

Day 18:
PARIS Morning Guided Sightseeing includes a drive past the Latin Quarter, Les Invalides, Place de la Concorde, the Arc de Triomphe and a stop to take photos of the Eiffel Tower from one of the best panoramic viewing points. Also, admire the heart of the city from a different perspective on a Seine River Cruise. Spend a relaxing hour gliding by many of the city's most important landmarks.

(B)

Day 19:
PARIS Enjoy a full day at leisure to explore the “City of Light”. Your Local Host® will help you get the most out of your stay in Paris

(B)

Day 20:
PARIS-LONDON, ENGLAND Travel to London by high-speed Eurostar train (standard class).

(B)

Day 21:
LONDON Morning Guided Sightseeing includes all of London 's famous landmarks. Drive past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben; Westminster Abbey, where Prince William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were married; Whitehall 's mounted horseguards; the Prime Minister 's Downing Street; Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Circus. Then, visit St. Paul 's Cathedral (except on Sundays). Sir Christopher Wren 's masterpiece with its world-famous dome is an iconic feature of London 's skyline.

(B)

Day 22:
LONDON Enjoy a full day at leisure to explore London at your own pace. Your Local Host® will help you get the most out of it.

(B)

Day 23:
LONDON Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.

(B)