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YOU PAY FROM $7,055pp $2,899 AFTER GCASH TRAVEL CREDITS & FFV
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Compare to Viking and Scenic cruises. They offer an 8-day river cruise, French balcony cabin for $5,500 to $6,000 for the CRUISE ONLY. Our price is $2,899 for the same season with accommodation, train transfers and more.
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This is a special introductory promotion for a new supplier. Only $2,899 per person for an upper deck cabin with French balcony, plus hotel accommodation, transfers and more. Compare to a Scenic Diamond deck or Viking River Cruises cabin at around $5,500 to $6,000 per person just for the river cruise.
Your cruise ship offers the same or very similar standards as Scenic and other known brands here in Australia. You'll stay in the equivalent of a Scenic, APT or Viking upper-deck cabin. If the idea of a luxurious European river cruise has ever crossed your mind, now is the time.
Limited 2019 and 2020 introductory packages at this price. Book now.
* Various itinerary options are available. See full itinerary for details. Package price varies according to season and departure city.
In the style of most Global Escapes Independent Traveler itineraries, this is a perfect blend of self-guided adventure and forward-planning to ensure that the main elements are organised in advance allowing for plenty of time to relax and take in each place you visit.
Getaway Cash travel credits are used to reduce the price of your travel from retail down to wholesale. Free Flights Vouchers further discount flights.
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RETAIL VALUE $7,055pp GCASH CREDITS APPLIED $3,756 YOU PAY $3,299 |
| DISCOUNT OFF RETAIL VALUE: 53% |
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AUSTRALIAN ESCAPES FREE FLIGHTS VOUCHER (FFV) PACKAGES USE FREE FLIGHTS VOUCHERS TO SAVE AN EXTRA $400 PER PERSON (YOU PAY $2,899) |
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Legendary castles, vibrant cities and romantic wine regions: From the Rhine Knee near Basel to the plain of the Upper Rhine and the impressive gap where the Rhine breaks through the Rhenish Slate Mountains, down to the delta in the Netherlands, this Central European river opens up to you, displaying its variety of landscapes in their full beauty. You will visit some of the most interesting towns in four countries, as well as impressive architectural landmarks, vineyards, castles and ruins as far as the eye can see.
This is a first-class travel itinerary that's fully flexible. Want more or fewer days or you want to include a special destination or activity? No problem, we’ll customise a travel plan for you.
Your 4.5-star river-cruise ship is part of a large fleet operated by a cruise company that has been in operation for over 20 years. The ship is over 130 metres in length and meets the highest standards in design. The generous cabins offer all conveniences and a fantastic view of the banks of the Rhine. But not only the cabins: it does not matter where you are on this ship, the large panorama windows open up a fantastic river cinema. The European cuisine on-board is also superb.
The cabins are furnished in style and comfort with an air conditioning system that can be regulated separately, shower, TV, telephone, hair dryer and safe. The deluxe cabins have an approx. size of 14.5 sqm. All cabins on the upper deck are equipped with floor to ceiling panorama windows that can be opened (French balcony).
This itinerary is fully customisable to suit your requirements. Your personal travel consultant is available to discuss changes and additions that will enhance your travel experience.
Add comprehensive, best-in-class, travel insurance for just $199 per person*, valued at over $680 per couple. Full insurance cover details are available on request.
Lonely Planet is renowned for its first-hand approach, up-to-date maps and commitment to providing the best information for travelers. Lonely Planet authors are experienced, insightful travel experts. They personally research the places they write about - both in the first and in subsequent editions - and provide essential travel details along with a wealth of insider information and first-hand tips.
You will receive these guides to help you gain the most out of your holiday. Recommendation: Take the time to read suggestions for things to see and do before you leave home. Take your Lonely Planet guides with you in your luggage.
There's nothing worse when travelling on a long flight than not being able to lift your feet and get comfortable. Say "hello" to ultimate travel comfort for your legs and feet. We'll include 2 of these as a gift. You can thank us when you return.
* All prices are per-person on a twin-share basis and all bookings are subject to availability. Price and deposit amount varies according to travel date. A flight cost provision (allowance) applies. Total price after Getaway Cash credits and Australian Escapes Free Flights Vouchers is generally payable as follows: Deposit on booking, balance 120 days prior to departure. Packages can be priced for families and groups on request. All prices are estimates only. A firm quote (travel plan) with payment terms will be submitted for consideration prior to booking. Standard (retail) price comparisons are with similar packages offered elsewhere or what would be payable by a non-member for the same package. Flight pricing included in packages or other estimates is based on travel from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. Travel can be arranged from any other major centre and for any number of people. Travel insurance pricing if stated is based on two travellers aged 69 years or less as at the date of departure from Australia. Surcharge applies for travellers aged 70 years and over. Full booking terms and conditions are available here.
This holiday is affordable luxury all the way. Some cruise companies that are well-known in Australia charge up to three times the price and they will not customise the trip to suit you. We will custom-design your holiday around this cruise to give you exactly the experiences you want.
"We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls." – Anais Nin
Arrive in Frankfurt and stay in the city centre at one of our featured hotels, the Residence Inn by Marriott where you can relax and unwind from your flight. Depending on arrival time, you can enjoy the city and spend the night out at a local restaurant.
Frankfurt is home to one of the world’s largest stock exchanges and the gleaming headquarters of the European Central Bank, yet at its heart, Frankfurt is an unexpectedly traditional and charming city, with half-timbered buildings huddled in its quaint medieval Altstadt (old town), cosy apple-wine taverns serving hearty regional food, village-like neighbourhoods filled with outdoor cafes, boutiques and street art, and beautiful parks, gardens and riverside paths.
After your included breakfast head out for a guided tour of the city. There are numerous museums, leafy parks and cosy districts for you to discover with the aid of the expert guide. Plus you'll learn about dining options and things to do during the resty of the day and in the evenings.
This morning you'll take a train with first-class seating to Cologne. Here you'll meet up with your river cruise ship, your home for the next seven nights.
Passengers are welcome to board the cruise ship from 3:00 pm. After comfortably settling into your cabin, we'll introduce our crew at a welcome cocktail. The details of our gala evening will be announced as well.
You can choose to explore the city on your own, using your Lonely Planet guide to point you in the right direction. Or take our optional walking tour through the centre of Amsterdam. Your guide will tell you about all the insights of this magical city.
Amsterdam has been famous around the world for hundreds of years. It is a beautiful city, full of history, stories, legends, and places to explore. Walk past the canals and hear about the vibrant and sometimes tumultuous history of this Netherlands capital. From the city's most significant landmarks to everyday areas of interest, this walking tour has it all wrapped into one. Your guide will also explain many tips and insider hints at how to get around the city, local events, and the best places to go. Stay out until late if you wish because our ship will depart at midnight.
We dock at 8.00am and you can take the guided tour of this friendly town or explore it yourself. Nijmegen buzzes with energy and is a vibrant place to spend a few hours. This is the oldest town in the Netherlands with a compact medieval centre yet all the urban-cool of a big city. Historic cafes, specialist craft-coffee shops and a decent smattering of museums and monuments lace its streets that stagger gently from the 16th-century Lower Town by the banks of the Waal River to the older Upper Town.
Head out this morning to discover Cologne. The city offers a mother lode of attractions, led by its famous cathedral whose filigree twin spires dominate the skyline. The city’s museum landscape is especially strong when it comes to art but also has something in store for fans of chocolate, sports and even Roman history. Cologne's people are known for their liberalism and joie-de-vivre. Tonight we cruise to Koblenz and dock at 10pm.
Koblenz is a park and flower-filled city that serves as both the northern gateway to the Romantic Rhine Valley and the northeastern gateway to the Moselle Valley, making it an ideal stopping-off point for your Rhine River cruise. Take the morning to enjoy the city.
Later today we cruise through one of the most famous and picturesque parts of the Rhine Valley called the Middle Rhine. Between Koblenz and Rüdesheim, the Rhine cuts deeply through the Rhenish slate mountains, meandering between hillside castles and steep fields of wine-producing grapes. This is Germany’s landscape at its most dramatic – forested hillsides alternate with craggy cliffs and near-vertical terraced vineyards. Idyllic villages appear around each bend, their half-timbered houses and Gothic church steeples seemingly plucked from the world of fairy tales. At the tip of a narrow breakwater jutting into the Rhine, a bronze sculpture of Loreley's famous maiden perches lasciviously atop a rocky platform.
We dock in Rüdesheim at 7:30 pm. You then have the option to travel on the Winzerexpress train to "Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet" with 350 automatically playing instruments or spend the evning on board or out and about.
We leave Rüdesheim in the early hours of the morning and cruise through some more beautiful Rhine Valley country-side, stopping at Mannheim around lunch-time. Situated between the Rhine and Neckar Rivers, near their confluence, Mannheim has an energetic cultural scene and decent shopping in its busy city centre. Take the afternoon to wander the streets of the town centre or visit Mannheim’s most famous sight - the yellow and red sandstone Schloss, Germany’s largest baroque palace.
We arrive in Strasbourg at 7.30am so you'll have some free time to explore this magical town that walks a fine tightrope between France and Germany and between a medieval past and a progressive future. There's an optional visit to the cathedral of Notre-Dame. Tear your gaze away from that mesmerising Gothic cathedral for just a minute and you’ll be roaming the old town’s twisting alleys lined with crooked half-timbered houses à la Grimm. Strasbourg for you lots of contradictions and cross-cultural quirks.
This afternoon we cruise into Switzerland where you'll witness some even more spectacular scenery. Tonight is our gala dinner and evening.
We'll arrive in Basel in the morning and disembark after breakfast. Leave your bags at the train station and take the rest of the day to enjoy this lovely city.
Basel's position at the juncture of the French, German and Swiss borders adds to its multicultural appeal. It's easy to spend a day wandering the cobbled streets of the lofty and beautiful Altstadt in Grossbasel (Greater Basel) on the Rhine's south bank before crossing the Mittlere Brücke to Kleinbasel (Little Basel) for a more "everyday" vibe and riverside alfresco dining. This afternoon you catch a train to Zurich where you'll stay for two nights. (Optional: Stay at Bern or Lucerne.)
Culturally vibrant, efficiently run and attractively set at the meeting of river and lake, Zürich is regularly recognised as one of the world's most liveable cities. Long known as a savvy, hard-working financial centre, Switzerland's largest and wealthiest metropolis has also emerged in the 21st century as one of Central Europe's hippest destinations, with an artsy, post-industrial edge that is epitomised in its exuberant summer Street Parade. Your Lonely Planet guide is your best resource to discover this great town.
It’s time to say farewell to Switzerland, the beautiful Rhine River and the cities and towns you've experienced on your European holiday. But, of course you can extend your holiday for a few extra nights.
Includes:
Travel on a train from Zurich to Chur early this morning for one of the world's most spectacular train trips. Enjoy a hot chocolate or coffee then board the Bernina Express and journey through gorges and past glacier lakes, reaching heights of 2,250m. This rail link between Northern and Southern Europe is unique, blending ideally with the alpine landscapes around the Albula and Bernina Passes. The train negotiates the 55 tunnels, 196 bridges and inclines of up to 70 degrees with ease. At the highest point you will find the Ospizio Bernina. Here, you can delight in the cultural and natural surroundings and enjoy the Alps at their most impressive. Thanks to the modern panoramic cars, you will enjoy unrestricted views of the unspoilt Alpine panorama.
After leaving the Bernina Express at Tirano, Italy, you can have lunch at an Italian Ristorante than later catch a connecting train to Milan to spend the afternoon relaxing or taking in the sights. The next day you'll join a tour to the breathtakingly beautiful Lake District region and Lake Como. Here you'll explore the enchanting village of Bellagio and enjoy a relaxing boat ride on the lake before returning to Milan. Next day, you'll visit the fashionable town of Stresa and the incredibly beautiful islands on Lake Maggiore and take a boat cruise around the Borromean Islands, stopping at Isola dei Pescatori for some shopping and sightseeing. Afterwards you'll head to Isola Bella to see the opulently decorated Borromean Palace. A wonderful addition to your holiday.
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Read what members have had to say in emails to us about our services. Scroll down and click/tap the headings to read more.
"Hi, have finally returned. Wonderful, wonderful trip. We think we loved Paris and its age/artworks but all was full of laughter fun and learning. Paris apartment was beautiful, & quiet when windows were closed, which wasn't bad anyway. The street is full of lots of restaurants and cafe's. (we also loved Shakespeare & co bookshop.) Fruit and chocolates in most rooms and champagne which I think we only drank in Brussels. we were ready for bed everywhere else though we almost had it for morning tea at Amsterdam on check in. Magnificent. Cheers." Val C.
"Have just returned from our wonderful trip to the UK. Just wanted to say a huge thanks for your organisation, we had the best holiday ever, an absolutely marvellous time, the tour was magnificent. We would recommend the Trafalgar Britain and Ireland Winter delights tour to anyone who wants to do adventurous travel, learning about other countries, and making friends. The coach was actually over half full of Aussies! Thanks so much for organising such a memorable holiday for us." Lee D.
"Deb and I are very grateful for the work you have put into our holiday. 10 days in and we are blown away by the quality and location of the motels and apartments. Many thanks." Jen W.
"My husband and I have recently returned from a holiday to Canada and Alaska booked through Australian Escapes. The itinerary was planned to take in all aspects of the holiday we required. The travel transfers worked seamlessly and the accommodation was at a standard that met our expectations of comfort and location. We absolutely loved the cruise and surprise upgrade to our stateroom. From our experience with this recent trip I would recommend Australian Escapes." Margaret & Bill T.
"We've arrived back safely after a thoroughly enjoyable trip where all the arrangements ran like clockwork, for which we want to thank you and your team, especially Sonya and Skye. We'd have no hesitation in recommending you and Volga Dream cruises to anyone who asks. Kind regards and thanks again." Irene and Blake S.
"I want to thank you for all the accommodation you arranged for us during our holiday in North Queensland in August. It was all excellent. The transfers went very smoothly too and we couldn’t have been more pleased with our holiday. Thank you for making everything so easy." Gloria K.
"My life has been like a whirlwind since I got back. I am now on holidays and catching up with people that I have not had time to contact since coming back. Thank you so much for organising my trip to The States and Canada for me. I had a great time and everything went really well. All flights went well. The hotel you booked me into in Champaign was a really old home with beautiful gardens, all done up and run by two gay guys. It was really quaint and I loved it. I had a great time, everything went without a hitch, I loved all the accommodation that you organized for me and I would like to wish you a happy Christmas and all the best." Marlene S.
"A message of thanks to you and your staff. The holiday went off without any problems and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and and had a wonderful time. Again many thanks." Dianne D.
"We are back and rested after a hectic few weeks (away), but everything worked out extremely well. Thanks so much for all your organisation – once you get used to the trains and buses, life becomes easy. Once again, thanks to you and the team for all the organisation from both Lorraine and I – we really enjoyed the holiday. All the best." Bob C.
"We just wanted to let you know that the arrangements you put in place for us in WA worked beautifully. You said the Margaret River accommodation was exceptional and it certainly was both in terms of location and facilites. Thanks again." Betty and Clancy S.
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