Lucerne & the Legends of Germany

Titan Travel VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home for your journey to your chosen airport for your flight to Basel. Upon arrival, we transfer to Lucerne and our hotel, the Wilden Mann (4T) or similar, for a two-night stay.

Enjoy a day at leisure in the charming lakeside city of Lucerne. The well-preserved medieval Old Town is a delight to explore, and a stroll over the lake on Chapel Bridge is essential – this medieval landmark is one of Europe’s oldest covered wooden bridges. Museggmauer, part of the town’s 14th century ramparts, is also worth visiting, with four of its nine towers still accessible. On one, Zytturm, is the city’s oldest clock, which strikes one minute before all others.

We transfer to Basel, to embark MS Serenade 1 (4T), where light refreshments are available. A welcome cocktail and Captain’s gala dinner are served this evening.

After breakfast we begin our adventure to Mount Rigi. We travel by coach to Arth-Goldau, and board a cogwheel train for a journey with beautiful views over meadows and steep waterfalls, to Rigi Kulm, the highest peak of Mount Rigi. The best scenes are from the top, 1,797 metres above sea level, when a clear day will allow fantastic views over a sea of mountain peaks and 13 lakes. Some free time allows you to fill your camera with the views, before we take a cogwheel train down to Vitznau – a spectacular experience on Europe’s first mountain railway. The journey finishes on the shores of Lake Lucerne, where an elegant steamboat carries us to Lucerne. Switzerland’s most famous lake is a grand setting for a beautiful city, and you have free time to enjoy its cobbled streets, and striking art and architecture before we return to Basel by coach.

The Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral of St Stephen dominates the town of Breisach. Its hilltop location has fantastic views over the town, the upper Rhine and the Black Forest – the vast and mysterious setting of Brothers Grimm fairy tales, and home of cuckoo clocks and cherry gateau. You have the choice to spend your day wandering freely through a town that has 4,000 years of history, detailed in its city museum; or head into the Schwarzwald on an optional excursion, including a cruise on beautiful Lake Titisee and time in Triberg, where you can shop for cuckoo clocks or kirsch.

We have a full day to explore Strasbourg, starting with a tour and canal cruise. Its share of historical heritage sites includes the beautifully preserved half-timbered houses of ‘Petite France’, through which the city’s canals flow; and UNESCO-listed Grande Ile – the wonderful city centre influenced by both its French and Germanic heritage, and structured around an outstanding Gothic cathedral. Afterwards, continue to explore this dynamic French city independently.

Spend today in Speyer, a handsome town of great importance through the Middle Ages and beyond. Choose to meander at leisure in this compact city, or join an optional walking tour. The stately City Hall which housed the city fathers, the baroque Old Mint, and the Jews’ Courtyard, one of the most important medieval Jewish sites in Germany, all tell parts of its tale. As does Emperor Konrad II’s extraordinary Romanesque cathedral, a vast temple where eight emperors and kings, along with some of their queens, are buried.

We sail through the most beautiful stretch of the Rhine Gorge, and navigate the legendary Lorelei Passage. It is said a beautiful siren would sit on the rock and lure fishermen with her songs. We sail on to Koblenz where, after lunch, we take a tour of the beautiful city. At German Corner, an impressive monument to Emperor Wilhelm I watches over the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle. Behind him are beautiful castles, a neoclassical Electoral Palace and historic squares. In front of him, on the opposite bank of the Rhine, sit the vast ruins of Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, which we also visit today. Within the old battlements, several museums detail a millennium of history.

Relax this morning as we sail to Cologne, where we join a walking tour this afternoon. Cologne is one of Germany’s oldest cities, with a centre that holds one of Europe’s largest and most magnificent cathedrals. More than 20,000 people can fit within its vast, Gothic walls. The rest of the day is at leisure to enjoy the many museums, dedicated to niche art, fragrances, archaeology, world culture, sport, chocolate, and more. Back on board this evening, we have the Captain’s farewell gala dinner.

We transfer to Düsseldorf Airport for your return flight to the UK. Upon arrival, your Titan vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.