Avalon Waterways, Christmastime in Alsace & Germany (Northbound) from Basel, December 3, 2023

Cruising from: Basel, Switzerland;

Departure Date: 3 December, 2023;

Cruise Line: Avalon Waterways;

Cruise Ship: Imagery II;

Duration: 5 days;

Ports of Call: Basel, Breisach, Strasbourg, Speyer, Frankfurt;

Day 0 Basel, Switzerland

Basel, nestled on the Rhine river, is Switzerland's third-largest town and, partly because of its proximity to France and Germany, has a strong sense of its own identity. Historic landmarks of the city include the large market square with its richly decorated red sandstone town hall and the late Romanesque-Gothic cathedral. The city of culture, for connoisseurs, has the highest concentration of museums in the country. Basel also has a beautiful Old Town, modern architecture, and famous traditional Basel honey cake.

Day 1 Breisach, Germany

Breisach upon Rhine, a town with a long-standing history is where the Black Forest spills into Alsace. Cobbled streets lined with pastel-painted houses are the main characteristic of the town. The museum for municipal history has an impressive collection dating from the Stone Age to the present. The Romanesque St. Stephansmunster,the cathedral in Breisach, has a late Gothic altar by an unknown craftsman and paintings by Martin Schongauer, who is also the eponym of the Gymnasium in the city.

Day 2 Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg is the capital and largest city of the Grand Est region of France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Strasbourg is the second most popular tourist city in France, after Paris. There are three main attractions: the cathedral, historic quarter of Petite France, with its half-timbered medieval houses and its quays overlooking branches of the river Ill and the Strasbourg Christmas market, the oldest and biggest historic Christmas market in Europe. The old town is a maze of narrow streets and alleys and the reflections of half-timbered houses with sloping roofs, reminiscent of those seen in fairytales

Day 3 Speyer, Germany

Speyer is a port on the left bank of the Rhine River at the mouth of the Speyer River, south of Ludwigshafen. Its centre is home to some outstanding museums and the remains of a medieval synagogue, and is easily explored on foot. Speyer has a lot to offer: Imperial Cathedral and Memorial Church, a technology museum and a sea-life centre.

Day 4 Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt is a metropolis and the fifth-largest city of Germany. Frankfurt has also long been an important center for cultural and tourism activities. Its huge trade fair complex, Messe Frankfurt, hosts important events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair (the world's most important publishing event). Frankfurt is an unexpectedly traditional and charming city, with half-timbered buildings in medieval Altstadt (old town), cosy apple-wine taverns serving hearty regional food, neighbourhoods filled with outdoor cafes, boutiques and street art, and beautiful parks, gardens and riverside paths.