We flew to Basel in Switzerland and stayed overnight at the Hotel de Trois Rois, with a transfer arranged by AMA. Basel is a nice place and the hotel was of a very high quality.

The next day we joined the boat and sailed to Strasbourg. It was very busy, but an interesting city to visit. Our guide was excellent. He really took the time to explain the astronomical clock in the cathedral to us and it was amazing. Then we went on to Speyer in Germany, with its amazing Romanesque cathedral and Jewish mizve. We also very much liked the wooden Lutheran church. Again, our guide Angela was extremely well-informed and personable. After that, we continued on to the pretty medieval town of Miltenberg, with a very low-key but knowledgeable guide called Andy. Then we visited Würzburg and finally Bamberg. Würzburg was incredible. The Baroque palace there was bombed in WW2 but key architectural and artistic features survived. It was the highlight of the trip for us, thanks in large part to our guide Heiko. Our time in Würzburg was extended by delays with the boat on the river. It turned out to be a nice diversion and not just a delay. Heiko gave us recommendations for lunch and some cash from the company. We had a lovely lunch by the river and enjoyed drinking the local white wine. This was a good example of the flexibility shown by the cruise director, Kata, who was very impressive. Bamberg was attractive, but perhaps not so much as Würzburg, but still worth seeing.

The service on board was impeccable. Bar, restaurant and cleaning staff were all polite, friendly and helpful to a man and woman. The food was excellent. We especially enjoyed the soups. They had what looked to be interesting vegetarian options at every meal, too. All drinks were free at each meal, and they also had a ‘sip and sail’ an hour before dinner when all drinks (cocktails, wine, soft drinks) were free. They also did free afternoon and evening snacks. There were regular entertainments in the lounge, which were as good as one might hope, personal preferences permitting. Everywhere was kept spotlessly - really - clean. Read more