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1 / 10 · Nikolai Sorokin
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Rhine Tulips & Windmills · Amsterdam → Cologne → Basel
Spring on the Rhine: tulips, windmills, blooming countryside
1 / 10 · Nikolai Sorokin
Spring on the Rhine: tulips, windmills, blooming countryside
Rhine Tulips & Windmills · Amsterdam → Cologne → Basel
Spring Romantic Cultural
Ready to make it real?
Browse sailings, or let a GoSmart specialist plan this one with you.
Browse cruises Talk to a specialistWhy you’ll love it
A springtime glide down the Rhine. Keukenhof tulips, medieval river towns, and castle-lined banks, all from a small ship where the view changes at breakfast.
What your days look like
1
Day 1 · Embarkation
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Board in Amsterdam; a canal cruise and the city's golden-hour glow to start.
2
Day 2 · Port
Kinderdijk, Netherlands
Nineteen UNESCO windmills turning over the polders, the Holland of postcards.
3
Day 3 · Port
Cologne, Germany
The twin-spired cathedral, riverside Kölsch, and the Old Town's hum of history.
4
Day 4 · Scenic Cruising
Koblenz & the Rhine Gorge
Castle after castle above the vineyards as the ship threads the Middle Rhine.
5
Day 5 · Port
Strasbourg, France
Half-timbered La Petite France, the soaring cathedral, and Alsatian tarte flambée.
6
Day 6 · Port
Breisach (Black Forest)
Into the Black Forest for cuckoo clocks and kirsch, or a detour to storybook Colmar.
7
Day 7 · Port
Basel, Switzerland
Sail into Switzerland; a last evening where three countries meet on the river.
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Day 8 · Disembarkation
Basel, Switzerland
Step off in Basel. GoSmart can add Lucerne or the Alps to keep going.
What’s included
All meals onboard
Wine, beer & soft drinks with lunch & dinner
Daily guided shore excursions
Bicycles & onboard fitness
GoSmart pre-departure call
24/7 specialist support
Flights to Amsterdam
Optional premium excursions
Spa treatments
Gratuities
Why it works
Kinderdijk's nineteen windmills lined up along the canals are the shot you came for, an actual working drainage system from the 1700s, not a museum piece.
Worth knowing
Keukenhof is worth it. Go right at opening before the tour buses, and skip the indoor pavilions so you can stay in the outdoor beds.
Peak bloom is a moving target around mid-April. A cold spring pushes it late and a warm one early, so book the dates and hope the weather cooperates.
Dutch spring is chilly and wet. Pack a real rain layer, because the tulip fields and open sun deck do not care that it is April.
If tulips are not your thing, the same river does the Rhine Gorge castles in summer, a completely different trip.