Cultural Cities of the Rhine
Join Spirit of the Rhine in Mainz for an all-inclusive 7-night river cruise in 2025 stopping to visit the historic towns and cities of the Upper Rhine.
Spend your first day cruising the Rhine river, with plenty of time to settle in to your cabin and enjoy the facilities on board before arriving in Breisach. Take our complimentary transfer service into the medieval town of Breisach, overlooked by 12th-century St Stephan’s Cathedral, and spend the day exploring independently. Sail overnight to Basel and, in the morning, join an included coach and walking tour through the city’s cobbled old town.
After an overnight sailing, awaken in Kehl and set off early on an included excursion to medieval Strasbourg. Enjoy an included cruise along the city’s scenic canals lined with traditional timber-framed buildings. Continue your river cruise to Mannheim, where an included excursion visits Heidelberg for a walking tour through the winding alleys of the old town and Jewish Quarter and up to the castle. Enjoy a tour around the inner courtyard and the castle garden before exploring the residence ruins and the famous giant barrel.
Sail through the following morning to Mainz, where you will have an afternoon to explore its attractions.
Leaving from:
Mainz
Cruise ship:
Spirit of the Rhine
Visiting:
Mainz •
Breisach •
Basel •
Kehl •
From
Price shown provided by:
Saga Cruises
Saga’s ships have redefined British boutique cruising with their contemporary and stylish aesthetic, and impressive feat of engineering.
More akin to boutique hotels than cruise ships, vessels offer an intimate, relaxed and luxurious style of cruising that will no doubt appeal to its mature clientele - who value sumptuous public spaces, exquisitely appointed cabins and excellent cuisine over cutting-edge, high-tech facilities.
182
Passengers
40
Crew
2021
Launched
135m
Length
11m
Width
4
Decks
EUR
Currency
Cruise Itinerary
Day 1
Mainz, Germany
Day 2
River travel
Day 3
Breisach, Germany
Day 4
Basel, Switzerland
Days 5 - 6
Kehl, Germany
Days 6 - 7
Mannheim, Germany
Days 7 - 8
Mainz, Germany
Day 1
Mainz, Germany
Day 2
River travel
Day 3
Breisach, Germany
Breisach is a town located in Southwest Germany on the French border. The town is situated in the Rhine Valley on the banks of the river Rhine and dates back over four thousand years. Breisach and its history can be experienced through the City History Museum, which houses a permanent exhibition taking you from Stone Age through the Celtic, to the Romans and Middle Ages, right up to modern day. St Stephen's Cathedral is home to the city’s famous art treasures, the wheel wells, which are housed in the neighbouring Radbrunnenturm with the forty one metre deep water well. The cathedral is also home to many other treasures including the High Altar of Master HL and wall paintings by Martin Schongauer as well as High Gothic and Roman architecture. A visit to the Blue House, the former Jewish Community Centre, is highly recommended. Now owned by the Friends of Former Jewish Community House Breisach it exhibits memorials to Breisach’s Jewish heritage.
Day 4
Basel, Switzerland
Basel is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the Swiss, French and German borders. It is located on the bend of the River Rhine and benefits from a Mediterranean climate. It is the third most populated city in Switzerland and has been the commercial hub for Swiss arts and culture since the Renaissance. In 1967 the people of Basel voted to acquire two paintings by Picasso, who was so moved by the Basel people that he donated 3 paintings and a study to the city's Kunstmuseum (Museum of Fine Arts). Visit the Augusta Raurica, one of the largest Roman archaeology parks in Switzerland, and enjoy a river crossings over the River Rhine by non-motorised ferries. During the summer months, time is spent outdoors, either swimming in the River Rhine, dining al fresco, enjoying open air concerts, cinema, street parties and festivals. Basel is home to over 20 restaurants that have won GaultMillau or Michelin awards, and boasts Switzerland's largest collection of theatre shows, including modern contemporary dance, touring and puppetry theatre.
Days 5 - 6
Kehl, Germany
Kehl is a town located in southwest Germany on the River Rhine, across from the French City of Strasbourg. The town is not known as a tourist destination, however it benefits from idyllic landscape and a water-rich environment. Walk or cycle along the Reinpromenade or the garden of the Zweubüchter and enjoy a picnic at one of Kehl’s numerous excavation lakes. Nature lovers will enjoy spotting animals hiding along the rivers, lakes and bushes. Discover Kehl’s turbulent war and peace history with a guided tour of the centre and its surrounding villages. Visitors will also experience the town’s habitat and culture which is characterised through the half timbered houses and streets. Kehl town centre features a large pedestrian zone with many retail outlets, street cafes and outdoor dining to enjoy. A few minutes by public transport and visitors will find themselves in the centre of metropolitan Strasbourg.
Days 6 - 7
Mannheim, Germany
Days 7 - 8
Mainz, Germany
Ship Details
Saga Cruises
Spirit of the Rhine
Spirit of the Rhine brings our boutique cruise experience to the riverways of Europe. Our first purpose-built river ship is exclusively for Saga guests.
Our new ship brings luxury river cruising to the Rhine, the iconic waterway that winds through the heart of Europe, along with selected itineraries on the Moselle, Main and Danube.
Better still, included excursions on every cruise gives you plenty of opportunities to explore, at no extra cost.
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