From

$4,195

US $3,813 per person

Jewels of the Rhine 2026 - 8 Days (including Heidelberg)

8 days

•

From Zurich to Amsterdam

3.0

3 traveler reviews

View all
View all

From

$4,195

-9%

US $3,813 per person

Price based on Cheapest Room

Price based on Shared Room

Price based on Private Single Room

Price based on Private Double Room

Select Date

1 Adult2 Adults, 1 Child2 Children

Best price guarantee Learn More

Plan your adventure:

Operator: Emerald Cruises
River Cruise: Scenic waterways and effortless exploration
Group Tour: Join a group and forge lifelong friendships
Fully Guided: An experienced guide will be with you for the entire tour
Low Intensity: Travelers can expect some light physical activities
Guided in English
Group Size 30 - 182
Ages 12+

Image of a map showing the route of the tour

Itinerary

Day 1
Zurich
Meals
Dinner (Welcome Reception & Dinner on board)
Included Activities
- Dinner on board
Day 2
Freiburg
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Freiburg with tasting
Optional Activities
- Guided bike tour in Breisach (EmeraldACTIVE)
- Guided tour of Colmar (DiscoverMORE - extra expense)
Landmarks
Freiburg
Day 3
Kehl to Strasbourg
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Flavours of Alsace excursion
- Private Evening Concert on the Rhine
Optional Activities
- Baden Baden Spa experience (DiscoverMORE - extra expense)
Landmarks
Strasbourg
Day 4
Mannheim to Heidelberg
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Heidelberg
- Active hike from Mount Königstuhl to Heidelberg
Optional Activities
- Rüdesheim with specialty coffee (extra expense)
Landmarks
Heidelberg Castle
Mount Königstuhl
Day 5
Koblenz
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Sailing through Rhine Gorge
- Orientation Walk of Koblenz
Optional Activities
- Moselle Valley & Cochem Castle visit (extra expense; Eltz Castle substituted when unavailable)
Landmarks
Rhine Gorge
German Corner
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
Cochem Castle
Eltz Castle
Day 6
Cologne to Düsseldorf
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Cologne Old Town
- Walking tour of Düsseldorf
Optional Activities
- Cologne Beer Experience (DiscoverMORE - extra expense)
Landmarks
Cologne Cathedral
Day 7
Alkmaar
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Excursion to Alkmaar
Optional Activities
- Guided bike tour to Waterland (EmeraldACTIVE)
- Private hidden Gems tour of Amsterdam (DiscoverMORE - extra expense)
- Dutch Delights (DiscoverMORE - extra expense)
Landmarks
Alkmaar
Day 8
Departure
Meals
Breakfast

Landmarks
Freiburg

Landmarks
Strasbourg

Landmarks
Heidelberg Castle
Mount Königstuhl

Landmarks
Rhine Gorge
German Corner
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
Cochem Castle
Eltz Castle

Landmarks
Cologne Cathedral

Landmarks
Alkmaar

What's Included

Expand All

Accommodation
Guide
Meals
Additional Services
Transport

What's Not Included

Flights
Insurance
Optional
Additional Services

Operated by

Emerald Cruises

4.1

(31 reviews)

Number of tours

666

Age Range

12 to 90 years old

Response time

within 2 days

Response rate

92%

There’s nothing quite like an Emerald Waterways river cruise. From Europe to...

Cancellation Policy

A transparent overview of applicable fees.

Travel Insurance

Be covered for any unforseen circumstances.

Emerald Cruises Ship

Emerald Sky
Offering unique river cruising experiences since 2014 on Danube and Rhine to the 182 passengers it can accommodate, Emerald Sky is the perf… Read more
Capacity
Built
2014
Guests
180
Crew
51
Length
135 metres / 443 feet
Width
11 m / 36 ft
Suites
Staterooms
Registry
Gross Tonnage
3544 gt
Electricity
Beam
Cruising Speed
13 kn / 24 kph / 15 mph
Generators
Engines
Draft
Cabin
91
Deck
Deck with Cabins
Staterooms / Suites Deck Plans Dining

Traveler Reviews

3.0

Overall rating based on 3 Reviews

Itinerary
3.0
Transport
3.0
Guide
4.0
Accommodation
3.5
Food
3.5
Tour Operator
4.1

Adriana
January 5th, 2026
3
DO NOT BOOK. Much to tell, but so many words allowed. If looking for Christmas Market experience as marketed by...
DO NOT BOOK. Much to tell, but so many words allowed. If looking for Christmas Market experience as marketed by Emerald, PERCEPTION VS EXPERIENCE. Itinerary was less than acceptable, port arrivals in the morning, markets not opened, minimal time to venture through the cities before requiring to return to ship early afternoon. BEWARE: Marketed itinerary per stop includes city tour (paid for in booking)+extra cost tour, time does not allow both. Was told by ship employees, this was a turnaround cruise, therefore times at ports due to last minute port authority booking, scheduling. Food/wine average, not luxury as marketed. Amazing staff to compensate for experience. Strasbourg highlight, can't comment on Heidelberg/Cologne, not there long enough to experience. 5 points given for onboard staff, not company service.Show more
Traveled in October 2025
K
Kevin
July 22nd, 2024
2
The Emerald Website would not allow for early flight dates to be entered when needing a transfer from the airport in...
The Emerald Website would not allow for early flight dates to be entered when needing a transfer from the airport in Amsterdam. We were forced by Emerald's website to put in the sailing date as our arrival in Amsterdam. I contacted Emerald directly to attempt to reschedule the transfer from the airport to the ship, and was informed that they would not change the time of the transfer to earlier in the day. I then asked to speak to a supervisor to express my issue. After being on hold for several minutes, I was then told it was my responsibility and that a supervisor would not speak with me.Show more
Traveled in July 2024
M
Mark
April 25th, 2023
4
It was not excellent but good…entertainment lacked they had a girl singing that was one of the bartenders and some...
It was not excellent but good…entertainment lacked they had a girl singing that was one of the bartenders and some bell ringers..tours were good.We had one issue we found out that people that were going to train station had their fare covered and we thought transfer was just to airport.both were 30 mins away from port.some people had their fare covered to train station .we had to pay 75 euro.this we found unfair.food was good and waiters were exceptional but rest of staff mainly cruise director didn’t go above and beyond.Show more
Traveled in April 2023

Dates & Availability

Select departure month and travellers

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1 Adult2 Adults, 1 Child2 Children

Upcoming departures

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Ends on 18 Mar, 2026

From Sunday
3 May, 2026
To Sunday
10 May, 2026
English
From:
US $5,125 per person
Multiple Room Types
From Friday
15 May, 2026
To Friday
22 May, 2026
English
Emerald Sky
From:
US $4,795 per person
Multiple Room Types
From Sunday
17 May, 2026
To Sunday
24 May, 2026
English
From:
US $4,795 per person
Multiple Room Types
From Saturday
23 May, 2026
To Saturday
30 May, 2026
English
Emerald Dawn
From:
US $4,795 per person
Multiple Room Types
From Friday
29 May, 2026
To Friday
5 Jun, 2026
English
Emerald Sky
From:
US $5,125 per person
Multiple Room Types
From Friday
12 Jun, 2026
To Friday
19 Jun, 2026
English
Emerald Sky
From:
US $4,595 per person
Multiple Room Types
From Saturday
20 Jun, 2026
To Saturday
27 Jun, 2026
English
From:
US $6,690 per person
Multiple Room Types
From Saturday
27 Jun, 2026
To Saturday
4 Jul, 2026
English
From:
US $4,595 per person
Multiple Room Types
-5%
From Saturday
18 Jul, 2026
To Saturday
25 Jul, 2026
English
Emerald Dawn
From:
$4,345
US $4,147 per person
Multiple Room Types
-9%
From Saturday
25 Jul, 2026
To Saturday
1 Aug, 2026
English
From:
$4,675
US $4,245 per person
Multiple Room Types

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From

$4,195

-9%

US $3,813 per person

Price based on Cheapest Room

Price based on Shared Room

Price based on Private Single Room

Price based on Private Double Room

Select Date

1 Adult2 Adults, 1 Child2 Children

Best price guarantee Learn More

Plan your adventure:

Good to Know

Tour ID: 296789

Currencies
€
Euro
France, Germany and Netherlands
Fr.
Swiss Franc
Switzerland
Plugs & Adapters
As a traveler from USA, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa you will need an adaptor for type J.
Type J
Switzerland
Vaccines
- These are only indications, so please visit your doctor before you travel to be 100% sure.
- Tick-borne encephalitis - Recommended for Germany.Switzerland. Ideally 6 months before travel.
Visa
- Unfortunately we cannot offer you a visa application service. Whether you need a visa or not depends on your nationality and where you wish to travel. Assuming your home country does not have a visa agreement with the country you're planning to visit, you will need to apply for a visa in advance of your scheduled departure.
- Here is an indication for which countries you might need a visa. Please contact the local embassy for help applying for visas to these places.
Payment information
- For any tour departing before June 17th, 2026 a full payment is necessary. For tours departing after June 17th, 2026, a minimum payment of 100% is required to confirm your booking with Emerald Cruises. The final payment will be automatically charged to your credit card on the designated due date. The final payment of the remaining balance is required at least 95 days prior to the departure date of your tour. TourRadar never charges you a booking fee and will charge you in the stated currency.
- The following cards are accepted for "Emerald Cruises" tours: Visa, Maestro, Mastercard, American Express or PayPal. TourRadar does NOT charge you an extra fee for using any of these payment methods.
Cancellation Policy
- TourRadar can request Emerald Cruises to hold spaces for you for up to 48 hours without any credit card details.
- TourRadar is an authorized Agent of Emerald Cruises. Please familiarize yourself with the Emerald Cruises payment, cancellation and refund conditions.
Accessibility
Some tours are not suitable for mobility-restricted traveler, however, some operators may be able to accommodate special requests. For any enquiries, you can contact our customer support team, who are ready and waiting to help you.
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Jewels of the Rhine 2026 - 8 Days (including Heidelberg)

Itinerary

Zurich

Included Activities

Freiburg

Included Activities

Optional Activities

Kehl to Strasbourg

Included Activities

Optional Activities

Mannheim to Heidelberg

Included Activities

Optional Activities

Koblenz

Included Activities

Optional Activities

Cologne to Düsseldorf

Included Activities

Optional Activities

Alkmaar

Included Activities

Optional Activities

Departure

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What's Included

What's Not Included