Christmas 7-nights
Viking Alruna (Biblical)

One of the largest cities in Switzerland, Basel is a uniquely multicultural city thanks to its location where the Swiss, French and German borders meet. Primarily German-speaking, the city is an important cultural centre in Switzerland and has a number of theatres, concert halls and museums.

One of the most important cultural centres in Basel is the highly-regarded Kunstmuseum (Fine Arts Museum), with a world-class collection of both modern art and old masters. Other excellent art museums include the Schaulager, the Fondation Beyeler, and the Kunsthalle Basel. The animated mechanical works at the Museum Jean Tinguely are also a must-see.

On a beautiful day, visitors can easily spend a pleasant morning strolling around the Old Town area, situated between the Basel Zoo and the Rhine River. The cobbled streets and Romanesque cathedrals are interspersed with market squares, shops, and cafés. A tour of the beautifully-renovated Rathaus (town hall) is essential.

While Basel is a lively city, it truly comes to life for three days each year during Basler Fasnacht, its version of Carnival. Costumed parades, concerts, fire shows and other events are on constant rotation, however the festival frowns on excessive drinking and lewd conduct, and is considered very family-friendly.

Situated on the Rhine River, Basel is very nearly a seaport, with large ships coming in from the Black Sea. River cruises are a popular pastime, and Basel is a great starting point for a week-long cruise through Germany and Amsterdam.

The ancient capital of Alsace it is located in the northeast corner of France near the border with Germany. The city has exchanged hands between France and Germany during the World Wars. It is considered to be at the “crossroads” of Europe and is the home of the European Parliment. Visit the Palais Rohan, home of many famous paintings; La Petite France with its ancient structures; the famous Church of St. Thomas; and the Cathedral of Notre Dame, built in 1439 and the largest building of its type in the World.

Woods, Lakes and meadows make up a majority of Koblenz, and its famous sites draw visitors from all over to view the stunning beauty.

Cologne (or Köln) is one of the largest cities in Germany, and a bustling hub of media and business on the Rhine. The dramatic Kölner Dom can be seen from miles away, and a number of other beautiful Gothic and Romanesque churches dot the city. There are also museums dedicated to Roman history, modern and religious art, ethnology, sports, and even chocolate.

There are two lovely, massive green lungs in the city containing a number of distinct parks and recreational areas and several beer gardens; in warm weather there is a fun outdoor culture in Cologne and thousands of people gather in these areas for picnics, sports and socialising. In addition, the two pedestrian strips of Hohe Strasse and Schildergasse offer great shops, cafes and street music.

Cologne is well known for its Veedelor traditional neighbourhoods; one of the most interesting districts for tourists is the bohemian Agnesviertel neighbourhood where visitors can find local fashion designers, bookshops, bars, and art galleries.

Cologne has a vibrant and colourful cultural life, with its locally-brewed Kölsch beer and other gastronomic specialties, and is known as the gay capital of Germany with a large Gay Pride event held every year. The local inhabitants are known to be very friendly, sociable and liberal, making Cologne one of the best German cities in which to meet people and make friends.

Kinderdijk is a village in the Netherlands, in the province South Holland, about 15 km east of Rotterdam. The windmills of Kinderdijk are one of the best-known Dutch tourist sites. It is the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.

Lively, lascivious Amsterdam has a unique atmosphere that makes a mockery of the caricature of the ‘conservative Dutch’. Radiating out from Dam Square, the historic centre of the city is ringed by quaint canals and cobbled streets, and throngs with bicycles, tourists, houseboats, students and street performers. Amsterdam wears two faces: on one, it smiles and beckons hedonistic youth with its notorious Red Light District and liberal view of marijuana use; while on the other it offers discerning travellers some of Europe’s finest museums and art galleries.

For the tourist, one of the joys of Amsterdam is its compactness. The old part of town is a pleasure to explore on foot, strolling across ancient bridges and down narrow lanes past gabled houses, and dropping in to browse inviting souvenir boutiques crammed with blue and white Delft china, wooden clogs and tulips. Pavement cafes and cosy bars offer rest and refreshment. An alternative is to take a circular canal-boat cruise and see the city from the water, peering in on the lives of the locals who live on houseboats lining the waterways.

At night even the most conservative visitor is drawn by the lively atmosphere of the infamous Red Light District, known as De Wallen, which is bounded by the Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Oudeziujds Achterburgwal canals near Dam Square. Here prostitutes display their charms in shop windows and touts encourage passers-by to view raunchy floorshows. The best nightclubs and bars, and theatres and cinemas are mainly to be found in the bustling Leidesplein and Rembrandtplein.