Tour & Cruise RC93(RK) Lake Geneva	Cruise RC93
Switzerland, Germany, France
3-16 May 2024 14 days Fares from �2925	6-16 May 2024 11 days Fares from �2330
Aboard Swiss Crystal

Explore romantic old towns, magnificent cathedrals and, with Sir Roy Strong, one of Germany's best-kept secrets - its spectacular formal and botanic gardens. The ever-changing scenery as you cruise along will be as interesting as the modern and medieval highlights of cities such as Strasbourg, Heidelberg and Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber.

Tour & Cruise RC93(RK): Lake Geneva			PRICES FOR CRUISE RC93(RK) Cabin Grade: Price per adult (�): Prom Deck Standard (Twin Use) 3250 Prom Deck Standard (Sole Use) 3826 Main Deck Standard (Twin Use) 2925 Main Deck Standard (Sole Use) 3436 Main Deck Superior (Twin Use) 3855   PRICES FOR CRUISE RC93 Cabin Grade: Price per adult (�): Prom Deck Standard (Twin Use) 2655 Prom Deck Standard (Sole Use) 3186 Main Deck Standard (Twin Use) 2330 Main Deck Standard (Sole Use) 2796 Main Deck Superior (Twin Use) 3260 Swiss Crystal deck plans for location of cabins
Thu 3 May London - Geneva - Lausanne	"Tour & Cruise" passengers fly from London to Geneva and transfer to the Hotel de la Paix in Lausanne. Set on the shores of Lake Geneva, this will be our base for the next three nights.
Fri 4 May Lausanne	We visit the early Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame before driving to one of the local vineyards. Upon our return to Lausanne, we visit the Olympic Museum.
Sat 5 May Montreux	We join a cog-wheel railway travelling up to Rochers de Naye, giving breathtaking views of the Alps and Lake Geneva. After lunch we descend to Chillon Castle.
Sun 6 May Lausanne - Solothurn - Basel	After a walking tour of Solothurn, we continue to Basel and join Swiss Crystal mid-afternoon.
RC93 Cruise Itinerary
Sun 6 May London - Zurich - Basel - Breisach	After a morning flight from London to Zurich, we join Swiss Crystal berthed in Basel. We sail early evening and cruise along the Upper Rhine to Breisach.
Mon 7 May Breisach (for Freiburg im Breisgau and Colmar)	This morning enjoy a tour of Freiburg im Breisgau and then visit the local market, or enjoy "Kaffee und Kuchen" in one of the cafes. After lunch, we cross into France to Colmar, where we visit the picturesque Old Town, with its 16th and 17th century houses and walk through its narrow streets dissected by bridges and canals. This evening, enjoy the Welcome Cocktail Party and Gala Dinner as we sail towards Strasbourg.
Tue 8 May Strasbourg - Heidelberg	We visit Strasbourg this morning, a typically French city, with many handsome buildings in Louis XV style and, in the old town, picturesque timber framed houses. This afternoon, relax on deck as we cruise on the River Neckar or attend one of our Guest Speaker's talks. Overnight in Heidelberg.
Wed 9 May Heidelberg - Mainz	We disembark for a morning walking tour of the beautiful old town of Heidelberg. Visit the spectacular Renaissance style castle, perched on a hillside overlooking the town, and enjoy free time to wander through the picturesque streets. Alternatively, join our excursion to Schwetzingen Gardens, which successfully demonstrate the transition from Baroque to landscape gardening. Not only is the flora of the gardens magnificent, its statues, orangery and arboretum should not be missed. Swiss Crystal sails mid-afternoon for Mainz.
Thu 10 May Mainz (for Darmstadt) - Frankfurt	Join our excursion to Darmstadt which has a number of interesting gardens including the Matildenhoehe with a landscaped park and sculpture garden, and the Prinz-Georgs-Garten, a Rococo pleasure garden with luxuriant bedding plants and pleached peach and apple trees. In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of printing, set up his press in Mainz. So you can choose instead to visit the fascinating Museum of World Printing. We enter the River Main and arrive late afternoon in Frankfurt.
Fri 11 May Frankfurt - Obernburg	During our morning in Frankfurt we will visit the "Palmengarten", one of Europe's best botanic gardens. Established in 1868, it houses a formal rose garden with both modern and old varieties, a rock garden with mountain plants and a magnificent rhododendron garden. The original palm house is home to ornamental plants, some dating back to the creation of the garden, and a vast tropicarium with collections from a range of habitats. Overnight in Obernburg.
Sat 12 May Obernburg - Miltenberg	Disembark in Miltenberg for a walking tour in this picturesque Lower Franconian town with its beautiful half-timbered houses, narrow lanes, historic town walls and gate towers. Sail late morning and enjoy an afternoon relaxing on deck before we arrive in Gemuenden.
Sun 13 May Gemuenden - Karlstadt - Wuerzburg	We sail early morning and stop briefly at Karlstadt where you can disembark for an excursion to Veitshochheim to visit the Bishops� Gardens, Germany's most famous Rococo garden. Continue by coach to Wuerzburg to rejoin Swiss Crystal. Or you may prefer to spend a leisurely morning on board as we cruise towards Wuerzburg. In the afternoon we visit the magnificent Residenz, Hof Kirche and Gardens and enjoy a stroll through the stunningly restored Old Town. We overnight in port, so an opportunity to dine ashore and sample the region's famed "Frankenwein".
Mon 14 May Wuerzburg - Ochsenfurt (for Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber)- Schweinfurt - Hassfurt	We arrive at Ochsenfurt after breakfast for our full-day excursion to one of the most picturesque towns in Germany, Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber. The old Franconian Imperial city is an exquisitely preserved medieval town; its impressive Town Hall is considered to be one of the finest in southern Germany. Re-join Swiss Crystal at Schweinfurt and sail to Hassfurt where we stay overnight.
Tue 15 May Hassfurt - Bamberg (for Bayreuth)	We sail to the beautiful cathedral city of Bamberg. Our excursion will include the Cathedral, Rose Garden and the Old Town. Alternatively, take our excursion to Bayreuth to visit the Eremitage, where three periods of garden history are represented: from 1718 formal gardens with geometrical hedges and water gardens; in the mid-1700s a series of follies were built; and landscaping from the 19th century, predominantly English in style. We then enter the Main-Danube-Canal.
Wed 16 May Nuremberg - Munich - London	Disembark in Nuremberg and transfer to Munich airport for our return flight to London. Strasbourg Heidelberg

James MH Thompson Formerly with the Royal Commission on Historic Monuments and lecturer in the history of architecture, he will discuss the history and architecture of the various places visited on the cruise.

Please note Guest Speakers travel on the cruise portion of the holiday only.

With Sir Roy Strong explore the GARDENS of the Rhine, many handsomely restored in recent years. Among the panorama of gardens you will discover are spectacular Schwetzingen, Frankfurt�s botanic Palmengarten and the gardens of the Eremitage in Bayreuth.