Saturday - Vreeswijk to Schoonoven
Passengers are met at the Park Plaza Victoria Hotel in central Amsterdam at 2 pm and transferred to the Charlemagne moored in Vreeswijk. There is a welcome Champagne reception and presentation of the crew before you are shown to your cabin. We will have a delightful cruise this afternoon along the river Lek to Schoonoven, well known since the 17th century for its silver jewelry and traditional clock-making. There will be time to stroll into this charming town after dinner on board.

Sunday - Schoonoven to Kinderdijk to Gouda
A morning cruise to Kinderdijk where we will visit the 19 windmills which are part of the Unesco World Heritage and were built in 1740 to drain the polders. At lunchtime we will cruise along the Hollandse Ijsell river, passing by the skyline of Rotterdam, one of the world's largest seaports. Later in the afternoon, a walking tour of Gouda, famous for its cheese, pipes and candles.

Monday - Gouda to Oude Wetering
After breakfast, a visit to see the remarkable stained glass windows in St. John's church dating from the 15th century. Afterwards we cruise to Oude Wetering on the Gouwe and Oude Wetering canals. Polders, which are low lying lands reclaimed from the sea, stretch out in every direction. This afternoon, an excursion to the Keukenhof Gardens, famous throughout the world for its dazzling fields of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.

Tuesday - Oude Wetering to Purmerend
An early morning visit to the world's largest flower auction in Aalsmeer, where some 10 billion flowers are sold every year. Later we cruise on the Ringvaart canal, skirting one of Holland's oldest polders. In the afternoon there is a tour of Haarlem, the center of the Dutch bulb trade, followed by a cruise to Purmerend.

Wednesday - Purmerend to Alkmaar
A very scenic cruise passing fields of blooming flowers to Alkmaar, where we will have a guided visit of the town's monuments: 17th century fortifications, St. Lawrence church, with one of the finest ancient organs in Holland, the majestic 15th century Gothic Town Hall, and many picturesque old houses. There will be time for shopping.

Thursday - Alkmaar to Zaansche Schans to Amsterdam
A morning cruise to Zaansche Schans, a reconstructed village of wooden houses and windmills, transports us 300 years into the past. Our cruise ends in the heart of Amsterdam where we will have a guided tour of the many monuments with time for shopping. This evening is our farewell Gala Dinner on board.

Friday - Amsterdam
After breakfast, passengers depart the Charlemagne and are transferred back to the Park Plaza Victoria Hotel Amsterdam around 11 am.

Note: Alternate cruise weeks are in the reverse direction. This is a sample itinerary and is subject to change at any time due to water levels, lock closures or circumstances beyond the crew's control.

Saturday - Bad Wimpfen
We meet in Frankfurt at the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof hotel at 2pm and passengers are transferred by motor coach to Charlemagne moored in the town of Bad Wimpfen. There is a welcome reception and afterwards you will be shown to your cabin with time to settle in before dinner is served at 7:30 this evening.

Sunday - Bad Wimpfen to Eberbach
After breakfast, we visit the town of Bad Wimpfen. This small fortified town dominates the river and was the ancient Imperial residence of the Hohenstaufen in the 13th century. The town has a picturesque ensemble of half-timbered houses that we will discover along the winding streets. We return on board for lunch and in the afternoon we take a pleasant cruise to Eberbach. Here the Neckar rejoins the massif stone of l'Odenwald and flows between the lush wooded areas where we can see the roofs of castles. Charlemagne will arrive in Eberbach, a lovely tourist town, this evening.

Monday - Eberbach to Heidelberg
This morning, we visit Michelstadt, in existence since 741. The town is famous for its numerous half timbered houses, the Rathaus (town hall) and the synagogue dating from the 18th century, one of the very few to have survived the Nazi period. Also famous is the Einhardsbasilika, built in 821 on the initiative of Einhard a member of Charlemagne's court. We return to Charlemagne by the romantic road of Odenwald. Lunch is on board followed by an afternoon cruise through the narrow straits of the Neckar, full of chateaux and small villages. Well known is Hirschhorn with its fortified spur and Neckarsteinach, where there are four chateaux. We reach Heidelberg in the late afternoon.

Tuesday - Heidelberg to Worms
This morning, we will visit Heidelberg. This important site of German romanticism has inspired numerous poets seduced by the natural beauty of the town and its ruined chateau built on a hillside. We will have a guided visit of both the city and chateau. This is the pearl of the Neckar route and is far from being just a museum. Today it houses a vibrant university and the students bring lots of life and animation to the scene. During lunch on board, we will leave our mooring in Heidelberg and cruise to Mannheim, a large industrial town where the Neckar and the Rhine join. We continue our cruise on the Rhine to Worms, one of the three Imperial residences along the Rhine, one of the settings for the saga of Niebelungen.

Wednesday - Worms to Mainz to Rudesheim
This morning we cruise to Mainz, a city at the confluence of the Rhine and Main rivers established in 39 B.C. by the Romans. After lunch on board, a walking tour will take you through the narrow streets of the old district to the cathedral. In the late afternoon we cruise along the famous vineyards of the Rheingau to Rudesheim where we find the world renown Drosselgasse, filled with wine bars where we can have a taste of the famous Reisling.

Thursday - Rudesheim to Koblenz
This morning we navigate in the heart of the Rhine valley, known as the Romantic Rhine, full of idyllic villages, chateaux, some ruined and all impressive, as well as the Lorelei, the legendary rock which has become the symbol of this passage. During lunch on board, we continue our cruising towards Koblenz. After lunch, there is a guided tour of Koblenz, a city at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. We visit the basilica of St. Kastor and the monument to Emperor Guillaume First. There will be free time in the city before our farewell Gala dinner this evening.

Friday - Koblenz to Frankfurt
This morning, after breakfast, passengers return to Frankfurt by motor coach, arriving around lunchtime.

Note: Alternate cruise weeks are in the reverse direction. This is a sample itinerary and it is subject to change at any time due to water levels, lock closures or circumstances beyond the crew's control.

Saturday - Koblenz
We meet in Frankfurt at the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof hotel at 2pm and transfer to the Charlemagne moored in the city of Koblenz. A welcome aboard reception awaits and then passengers are shown to their cabins. Time to settle into your accommodations before dinner is served at 7.30pm.

Sunday - Koblenz to Cochem
A morning cruise on the Mosel River brings us to Cochem. This famous riverside town is dominated by its medieval castle, originally built in the 11th century. Later, during a wine tasting you will be able to familiarize yourself with the different wines of the region.

Monday - Cochem to Bernkastel
The Mosel winds and turns and takes a route along the terrain which is entirely cultivated with vines which extend as far as the eye can see, occasionally broken by small villages. We stop at Bernkastel-Kues for a visit to this small town and its half timbered houses.

Tuesday - Bernkastel to Trier
This morning, we continue our cruise up the river Mosel in one of the most beautiful parts of Germany. After lunch, we will have a tour of the city of Trier. This city was the capital of the Occidental Roman Empire in the 3rd century and was named 'Rome of the North'. Trier qualifies, along with Worms, as the oldest town in Germany. Its remarkable collection of Roman ruins has been classified a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Wednesday - Trier to Remich
This morning we cruise on the river Mosel and arrive at Remich. This charming small town is part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and we will take an excursion there this afternoon. This fascinating capital is a thousand years old, built on rock and is called the 'Gibraltar of the North'. A short bus ride also takes to visit the Roman mosaics of Nenning which were discovered in 1852 as part of an immense villa. The sumptuous mosaic wall, measuring 16 by 10 meters, is the largest, most beautiful, and best preserved north of the Alps. We return to the Charlemagne in Remich.

Thursday - Remich to Metz
An early morning cruise takes us into France, and finally we arrive at Metz. The countryside changes radically as we leave the hills and vineyards behind us, replaced by the vast plains of the Lorraine. This afternoon we visit Metz. The city, which is Roman, medieval, classic, and German, retains aspects from its three thousand year history. The cathedral of Saint-Etienne is world renowned for its stained glass which covers a surface of 6496 square meters. We have the pleasure of admiring masterpieces from the 13th century until recent times, including works by Marc Chagall. There will be free time in the city before we return to the Charlemagne for our farewell Gala Dinner.

Friday - Metz to Frankfurt
After breakfast, the motor coach will drive passengers back to Frankfurt, arriving around lunchtime.

Note: This is a sample itinerary and it is subject to change at anytime due to water levels, lock closures or circumstances beyond the crew's control. This itinerary may also run in reverse on alternate weeks.