Uniworld has curated a very special new river cruise/tour that provides a vast array of choices for experiencing this part of Germany, including an in-depth exploration of its fascinating Jewish heritage. We’ve created a comprehensive Jewish Heritageprogram both onboard and onshore that delves deeply into the past and present, featuring Signature Lectures on the history of Jews in Europe and tailored excursions ranging from the archaeological traces of the Frankfurt ghetto and the Rothschild family to the new Jewish institution and synagogue in Munich. We’ve handpicked passionate local experts who have the most up-to-date, insider knowledge of today’s Jewish communities and who can present you with an eye-opening experience.
Choices for other exceptional excursions are plentiful. Delve into “Mad” King Ludwig’s life at his picture-book Castle Neuschwanstein and be enchanted by the opulent UNESCO-designated Würzburg Residence. Let your inner adventurer out with a visit to BMW World and “Go Active” on a host of guided biking and hiking activities, including biking through the romantic Tauber Valley and hiking through the Tauberhase vineyards. And throughout your journey, enjoy a host of culinary experiences and sample delicious Franconian wine and hearty beer at breweries in Munich and Cologne. Discover the legendary Rhine, the tranquil Main and Bavaria’s epic history and culture.
Who will enjoy this cruise/tour
Those interested in delving deeply into Germany’s Jewish history, as well as lovers of great art and architecture; food, wine and beer connoisseurs; and nature enthusiasts.
Generations Family Program (select sailings)
This itinerary features fun-filled adventures and historically significant experiences for families designed to spark creativity and lifelong learning.
DAY 1: MUNICH
Arrive at Munich Airport, where you will be transferred to the hotel.
DAY 2: MUNICH
FEATURED EXCURSIONS:
Choice of fairytale Bavaria OR Hitler’s alpine lair OR Jewish Heritage visit to Dachau Concentration Camp
Not far from Munich, in the Bavarian Alps region, lie historically significant yet vastly contrasting sites. Choose how you wish to experience this region. Wishing to relive fairytales? You’ll want to visit “Mad” King Ludwig’s picture-book Castle Neuschwanstein. WWll history buffs may prefer to visit Hitler’s alpine lair, Eagle’s Nest, the historic survivor of the Third Reich where Hitler, Eva Braun and Himmler entertained foreign diplomats. Another historic and haunting reminder of Hitler and the atrocities of the Third Reich is the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial, which you have the choice to visit. Note: Eagle’s Nest is only available on May–October departure dates.
DAY 3: MUNICH, TRANSFER TO NUREMBERG (EMBARK)
FEATURED EXCURSIONS:
Choice of Munich city tour with lunch at Hofbräuhaus, and BMW World OR Jewish Heritage visit to Jewish synagogue and museum
Cosmopolitan Munich combines a special mix of tradition and modernity. Experience both facets with a panoramic tour. Amble through one of the most beautiful squares in Germany, Marienplatz, home to the Old and New Town Halls. In the Art Quarter, you’ll find how the Munich lifestyle blends culture with life’s finer things, such as a visit to BMW World, followed by lunch at Hofbräuhaus. Alternatively, you may opt to explore the city’s vast Jewish history, home to a host of famous citizens, such as the Nobel prize– winning author Lion Feuchtwanger, who predicted much of what became the terror of the Holocaust. Today, however, the people of Munich look forward to a future of hope with the recent opening of Jewish institutions, including a synagogue, which you’ll visit.
DAY 4: ERLANGEN (NUREMBERG), BAMBERG
FEATURED EXCURSIONS:
Nuremberg city tour and Bamberg walking discovery tour OR choice of Jewish Heritage Nuremberg WWII and Documentation Center visit OR exclusive guided “Go Active” bicycle ride along the Main and Regnitz
Choose how you wish to experience this area with either a tour of Nuremberg and Bamberg, or a visit to Nuremberg’s Documentation Center and Courtroom 600, where the famed Nuremberg trials took place. For a more active adventure, enjoy a bike ride along the Main and Regnitz rivers. Cap the day off at the festive Captain’s Welcome Reception and Gala Dinner.
DAY 5: CRUISING THE MAIN RIVER, WURZBURG (ROTHENBURG)
FEATURED EXCURSIONS:
Choice of the Romantic Road—medieval Rothenburg OR exclusive guided “Go Active” Tauberhase vineyard hike and barbecue
Travel along the “Romantic Road” to Germany’s best-preserved walled city, Rothenburg, with half-timbered houses and charming shops. For a more active adventure, hike through the Tauberhase vineyards and enjoy a barbecue lunch with Franconian wine.
DAY 6: WÜRZBURG, CRUISING THE MAIN RIVER
FEATURED EXCURSIONS:
Würzburg Residence and choice of Weikersheim “Village Day” OR exclusive guided “Go Active” cycling through the romantic Tauber Valley
The opulent Würzburg Residence, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers a true sense of the history of this region through the European Renaissance, containing the world’s largest ceiling fresco by Tiepolo. Later, visit Weikersheim, a dreamy village in the romantic Tauber Valley. Here, visit the “mini Versailles” palace along with its glorious baroque gardens. Be treated to a tasting of local wine and other regional products, or choose to enjoy a guided bike ride through the Tauber Valley.
DAY 7: MILTENBERG (FRANKFURT, WERTHEIM), CRUISING THE MAIN RIVER
FEATURED EXCURSIONS:
Miltenberg walking discovery tour with exclusive “Village Day” and choice of Jewish Heritage, Frankfurt Jewish Museum & the legacy of the Rothschild family OR Jewish Wertheim
Get a glimpse of village life in enchanting Miltenberg with a choice of excursions—meet an artist at her atelier, taste beer at a local brewery, try your hand at lawn bowling or visit a nearby family-owned vineyard. You may prefer to go to Frankfurt to learn more about its Jewish heritage, as well as visit the former palace of the Rothschild family, which is now home to the Jewish Museum, depicting how the community lived over the centuries. Alternatively, you can stroll through quaint Wertheim, where you’ll see commemorative reminders—embedded stones of the names of the victims from the Nazi regime; in fact, in 300 other places in Germany, you can see these reminders as well.
DAY 8: CRUISING THE ROMANTIC RHINE RIVER, BRAUBACH
FEATURED EXCURSIONS:
Choice of Marksburg Castle visit ORexclusive guided “Go Active” Marksburg Castle mountain hike
Visit one of the only castles on the Rhine that has never been destroyed, Marksburg Castle. If you would like a more invigorating excursion, hike from Braubach through the mountains to the castle.
DAY 9: COLOGNE
FEATURED EXCURSIONS:
Cologne walking discovery tour with choice of Cologne Cathedral OR Kölsch beer tasting OR Museum Ludwig OR Jewish Heritage, Cologne’s Jewish Quarter
You have an array of choices for how you wish to experience Cologne. Those interested in history and architecture will want to stroll with a local expert through Old Town to the UNESCO-designated Gothic Cologne Cathedral. Beer connoisseurs will want to go to a brewery to taste the traditional local brew of the city, Kölsch. Lovers of art won’t want to miss one of the most important contemporary museums in Europe, Museum Ludwig. And for those who wish for more exploration of Germany’s significant Jewish heritage, visit the oldest Jewish community in Europe north of the Alps. Cap your wonderful adventure off at the Captain’s Farewell Reception and Gala Dinner.
DAY 10: DEPART COLOGNE
Depart Cologne
Disembark the ship and transfer to Cologne Airport for your flight home.