Rhine Valley, Rüdesheim & Vulkan Express

Your Rhine Valley holiday begins at London St Pancras where you meet the Tour Manager and group. Boarding the Eurostar, we travel under the English Channel to Brussels. In the Belgian capital, we change trains to Cologne, where we catch our first sight of the Rhine.   

Arriving in Cologne, we travel by coach along the scenic Rhine Valley to the riverside town of Boppard. Located on a bend in the Rhine and with great transport connections, Boppard is a popular base for explorations of this beautiful region. We arrive in the early evening to our hotel, located opposite the train station and boasting a garden terrace overlooking the Rhine. After checking in, we enjoy a welcome drink before our first dinner together.      

Tonight, and every evening of our stay, we enjoy a three-course dinner with a drinks package, served from 7pm to 9pm, which includes soft drinks, house beer, wine, tea and coffee. 

• Dinner
• Drinks package from 7pm-9pm

A holiday highlight awaits after breakfast as we set sail along the majestic Rhine. Following gentle bends in the river, our cruise takes us through the most scenic part of the UNESCO-listed Rhine Gorge. Keep an eye out for castles peering out from the tops of cliffs veiled by verdant forests. 

  On the approach to St Goar, we pass the legendary Lorelei Rock. This massive outcrop has inspired many myths, poems and legends, based on the sound created by the currents around it and a special echo. Most of the stories involve a mermaid, water spirit or siren who would lure sailors to their watery deaths.    

Our destination is Rüdesheim, a riverside town famed for its wine. There's free time to explore the sights, including characterful Drosselgasse alley and Siegfried's Museum of Mechanical Music in the Old Town. Alternatively, you could sample the local Reisling wines or savour a Rüdesheim Coffee, made with Asbach Uralt brandy. Using your VRM Pass, you can return by rail at leisure, changing at Koblenz, before dinner with drinks at our hotel.  

Please note: on April and October departures, this day will include a return cruise to St Goar, including time to explore the town during a stopover. 

• Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Dinner
• Drinks package from 7pm-9pm

Using our VRM Passes, we travel by rail along the Moselle after breakfast. Arriving in the picturesque town of Cochem, there is time at leisure to explore independently.   

This historic town is surrounded by vineyards and is dominated by the late-Gothic castle, the Reichsburg. The old quarter of Cochem is also home to preserved sections of the town walls and three of the wall's gates, along with a fascinating arts centre housed in a former monastery. With cobbled streets lined with traditional half-timbered architecture, Cochem is an archetypal romantic German town. However, there are also some surprising attractions, such as the only surviving mustard mill in Europe and a hidden Cold War-era bunker that stored vast amounts of currency.   

Returning to Boppard, we gather at our hotel for dinner and drinks. 

• Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Dinner
• Drinks package from 7pm-9pm

A full free day gives you the chance to explore Boppard and surrounding areas at your own pace. One local option is to take the Sesselbahn chairlift up to Gedeonseck (payable locally), where you can admire fantastic views of the largest U-shaped loop of the Rhine - a great place to relax and enjoy your picnic lunch.   

Your VRM Travel card gives you free rail access around the area. You could decide to spend the day travelling between picturesque riverside towns such as Bacharach or Bingen. Alternatively, enjoy a scenic rail journey beside the Lahn River, perhaps stopping at the spa town of Bad Ems on the way to Limburg. With medieval timber-framed buildings and a striking cathedral, this is one of Germany's most beautiful towns.   

You could also visit the romantic Schloss Drachenburg in Königswinter. Perched high above the river, this fairytale stately home offers elegant interiors and spectacular views overlooking the Rhine. If you'd like to head out to explore the local vineyards, the Boppard tourist office offers a guided tour of the area. This evening, dinner and drinks is again available at our hotel. 

• Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Dinner
• Drinks package from 7pm-9pm

With a history stretching back more than 2,000 years, Koblenz has many attractions to be uncovered during a guided walking tour. Travelling by rail after breakfast, we set out to explore the Old Town.  

  Koblenz was first established by the Romans at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers, and from these historic roots, and a mixture of French and German influences, the city has developed its own personality. The Deutsches Eck, or German Corner, is the name of the headland at the confluence of the rivers, one of the city's most familiar sights. Some of the popular locations in Koblenz include the 'Four Towers' - four Baroque houses set around Münzplatz - and the 12th-century Basilica of St Castor, a twin-spired Romanesque church near the Deutsches Eck. After our tour, there's free time and you could opt to take a cable car up to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (payable locally).   

Making your way back to Boppard at leisure using your VRM Tourist Pass, we gather this evening for dinner and drinks at our hotel. 

• Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Dinner
• Drinks package from 7pm-9pm

Walking into Boppard's historic centre after breakfast, we visit Boppard Castle and its museum. Standing directly on the Rhine, the castle was originally a stronghold for Boppard's nobles before becoming a toll house, collecting payment from the many ships passing through Boppard. The building now houses a museum showcasing the town's history, with exhibits about renowned furniture maker Michael Thonet.  

  After time to explore independently over lunch, we travel by rail along the Rhine to Brohl. Here, we board the historic narrow-gauge Vulkan Express for a scenic journey along the Brohl Valley. Travelling at a leisurely pace along a line that opened in 1902, we view the picturesque landscapes of the Laacher See area, formed by ancient volcanoes. The charming train rises more than 1,300 feet into the Eifel mountain range, travelling along viaducts and through tunnels.

  There's a short amount of free time at Engeln station, before we make our return journey through narrow valleys and over timeless bridges to Brohl, from where we catch the train back to Boppard in time for our final three-course dinner and drinks. 

• Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Dinner
• Drinks package from 7pm-9pm

Our exploration of the Rhine Valley offered many highlights, from natural wonders to quaint villages. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Rhine Gorge revealed the river's breathtaking beauty, and the charming town of Boppard offered a fantastic base for exploring the area. Rüdesheim, Koblenz and Cochem captivated us with their historic lanes and traditional architecture, and steep cliffs lined with vineyards, forests and hilltop castles enchanted us as we sailed the iconic Rhine.    

After our final breakfast together, we board the coach to Cologne, where we continue to Brussels by rail. In the Belgian capital, we switch to the Eurostar for the final leg of our journey back to London St Pancras. Arriving this evening, your discovery of the scenic Rhine Valley comes to an end and you are free to make your way home.   

• Breakfast