AmaWaterways

Daily Itinerary

1. Day 1

   Nuremberg

   Germany

   

   Nuremberg commands the imagination on two levels: as the glittering medieval city where Holy Roman Emperors held court, Albrecht Dürer was born, and craftsmen produced the first pocket watch — and as the site of the 20th century's darkest chapter, where Nazi rallies and subsequent war crimes trials left permanent marks on European history and conscience. The Kaiserburg castle crowning the hill above the perfectly preserved old town offers sweeping views of a cityscape that, despite wartime bombing, remains one of Germany's most beautiful. The Documentation Centre on the former Nazi Rally Grounds is essential, sobering history; the Christmas Market on the Hauptmarkt, held since 1628, is among Europe's finest. Visit May through October or December.

2. Day 2

   Bamberg

   Germany

   

   Bamberg, the 'Franconian Rome,' is a UNESCO World Heritage city whose medieval old town — seven hills, four Romanesque-Gothic cathedral towers, and an Old Town Hall balanced impossibly on an island in the Regnitz River — survived World War II entirely intact, a miracle of preservation unique in Germany. The city is equally celebrated for its extraordinary smoked beer, Rauchbier, a speciality brewed in family-owned breweries for centuries and best tasted in the old quarter's atmospheric taverns beside a plate of smoked meats. Spring and early summer are ideal for the surrounding Franconian countryside in bloom. Nuremberg is forty minutes by rail.

3. Day 3

   Wurzburg

   Germany

   

   Würzburg, presiding over the Main River at the northern gateway of the Romantic Road, is Bavaria's most elegantly baroque city — its skyline commanded by the medieval Marienberg Fortress and its streets presided over by the magnificent Residenz, a UNESCO-listed princely palace whose frescoed Treppenhaus ceiling by Tiepolo is considered the largest fresco in the world. The surrounding Franconian wine country produces some of Germany's most distinctive Silvaner and Riesling, sold in the iconic bocksbeutel flask from cellars carved directly beneath the old city. Spring through autumn reveals the vine-clad hillsides in their most photogenic splendor; the historic Weinfest am Stein wine festival each September is a highlight of the Franconian calendar.

4. Day 4

   Wertheim

   Germany

   

   Perched at the confluence of the Main and Tauber rivers beneath the romantic ruins of a 12th-century count's castle, Wertheim is one of Franconia's most perfectly preserved medieval towns — a place where timber-framed houses lean over cobbled market squares and where the bone-dry Silvaner poured from the distinctive Bocksbeutel bottle defines the regional table. Day trips to baroque Würzburg, the medieval perfection of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and the half-timbered town of Miltenberg complete the picture. September's wine harvest brings the Tauber Valley to its most golden.

5. Day 5

   At Sea

   

6. Day 5

   Rüdesheim am Rhein

   Germany

   

   Rüdesheim am Rhein, a jewel of the UNESCO-listed Upper Middle Rhine Valley, is where Germany's most famous wine river cuts through vine-terraced slopes and medieval fortresses. The storied Drosselgasse laneway hums with taverns pouring the region's celebrated Rieslings — wonderfully crisp and mineral from the slate soils — while the Niederwald Monument crowns the vineyards above, accessible by cable car. Rheingau estates offer cellar door tastings of exceptional depth and character. Day excursions by river boat reveal Bacharach, Boppard, and the legendary Lorelei rock. September's harvest season transforms the entire valley into a celebration of the vintage.

7. Day 5

   Lahnstein

   Germany

   

   Lahnstein sits at the confluence of the Lahn and Rhine rivers in Germany's UNESCO-listed Rhine Gorge, overlooked by the fairy-tale Burg Lahneck castle and surrounded by steep, vine-covered hillsides. Must-dos include touring the castle's restored great hall, tasting mineral Rieslings from local wineries, and cruising the Rhine past the legendary Lorelei rock. May through October offers warm weather and the region's festive wine-harvest season.

8. Day 6

   Cologne

   Germany

   

   Cologne's twin-spired Gothic cathedral, six hundred years in the building and still the city's defining monument, is the inevitable starting point — but this ancient Rhine city rewards exploration well beyond its iconic silhouette. The Romano-Germanic Museum reveals the city's Roman foundations, while the Chocolate Museum on the riverbank offers a distinctly sweeter history lesson. Cologne's famed Kölsch beer culture thrives in the old town's traditional brew-houses, where one round follows another in centuries-old wooden halls. The city is welcoming year-round, though the legendary Christmas markets (November–December) attract visitors from across Europe.

9. Day 7

   Amsterdam

   Netherlands

   

   Amsterdam's UNESCO-listed canal ring — a concentric web of seventeenth-century merchant houses and arching stone bridges — remains one of the Western world's most perfectly preserved Golden Age cityscapes, best explored by bicycle or canal boat at a pace that lets the city's genius reveal itself slowly. The Rijksmuseum's collection of Rembrandt and Vermeer masterpieces is essential, while the Anne Frank House offers one of Europe's most profoundly moving historical encounters. Spring brings the iconic tulip season; summer fills the terraces of the Jordaan district. Schiphol Airport makes Amsterdam a seamless gateway to the entire European continent.

10. Day 8

    Amsterdam

    Netherlands

    

    Amsterdam's UNESCO-listed canal ring — a concentric web of seventeenth-century merchant houses and arching stone bridges — remains one of the Western world's most perfectly preserved Golden Age cityscapes, best explored by bicycle or canal boat at a pace that lets the city's genius reveal itself slowly. The Rijksmuseum's collection of Rembrandt and Vermeer masterpieces is essential, while the Anne Frank House offers one of Europe's most profoundly moving historical encounters. Spring brings the iconic tulip season; summer fills the terraces of the Jordaan district. Schiphol Airport makes Amsterdam a seamless gateway to the entire European continent.

Cabin Categories

French Balcony

Balcony

170 sq ftMax 2CA

French Balcony

Queen or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaVanity AreaShowerRoom Service AvailableTV+5

View Details ›

French Balcony

Balcony

155 sq ftMax 2CB

French Balcony

Queen or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaVanity AreaShowerRoom Service AvailableTV+5

View Details ›

French Balcony & Outside Balcony

Balcony

235 sq ftMax 2AA

French Balcony & Outside Balcony

Queen or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaVanity AreaShowerRoom Service AvailableTV+5

View Details ›

French Balcony & Outside Balcony

Balcony

210 sq ftMax 2BA

French Balcony & Outside Balcony

Queen or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaVanity AreaShowerRoom Service AvailableTV+5

View Details ›

French Balcony & Outside Balcony

Balcony

235 sq ftMax 2AB

French Balcony & Outside Balcony

Queen or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaVanity AreaShowerRoom Service AvailableTV+5

View Details ›

French Balcony & Outside Balcony

Balcony

210 sq ftMax 2BB

French Balcony & Outside Balcony

Queen or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaVanity AreaShowerRoom Service AvailableTV+5

View Details ›

Fixed Window

Outside

160 sq ftMax 2E

E Piano Deck Category E Fixed Window

Queen or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaVanity AreaRoom Service AvailableTVSafe+4

View Details ›

Fixed Window

Outside

Max 2D

D Piano Deck Category D Fixed Window

Queen or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaVanity AreaShowerRoom Service AvailableTV+4

View Details ›

Suite

Suite

350 sq ftMax 2SS

Suite

Queen or Twin ConfigurationLounge AreaVanity AreaShowerRoom Service AvailableTV+5

View Details ›