4 Night Cruise sailing from Cologne roundtrip aboard Rhein Symphonie.

The Rhine has many faces: the lively metropolis of Amsterdam, which you can experience on our northbound route, is situated on the Markermeer. The course of the Lower Rhine is defined by vast low plains and fields along the banks, which is quite different to the “Romantic Rhine” on our southern course. The incomparably beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Middle Rhine Valley extends out where the river breaks through the Rhenish Slate Mountains. It is world famous for its many castles on the hills both to the left and right of the river bank, as well as for the Loreley Rock. Countless songs, including the “Nibelungenlied” (Song of the Nibelungs) about Siegfried, the Dragon Slayer, are dedicated to this section of the river.

Highlights of this cruise:

Cologne
Cologne is situated on the river Rhein in North Rhine-Westphalia and is the fourth largest city in Germany. It is one of the nation's media, tourism and business hotspots.

Cologne Cathedral (German: Kolner Dom) is the city's most famous monument and the Cologne residents' most respected landmark. It is a Gothic church, started in 1248, and completed in 1880. In 1996, it was designated a World Heritage site; it houses the Shrine of the Three Kings that supposedly contains the relics of the Three Magi. Also worth seeing are the city’s twelve Romanesque churches. These buildings are outstanding examples of medieval church architecture. The origins of some of the churches go back as far as Roman times.

Cologne has several museums. The famous Roman-Germanic Museum features art and architecture from the city's distant past; the Museum Ludwig houses one of the most important collections of modern art in Europe, including a Picasso collection matched only by the museums in Barcelona and Paris. The Schnutgen Museum of religious art is housed in St. Cecilia, one of Cologne's Twelve Romanesque churches.

Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) and its monument (Emperor William I on horseback) are situated. It is a historical city with remains dating back to 1000BC.

Koblenz boasts extensive defensive works, including forts crowning the hills encircling the town to the west, and the citadel of Ehrenbreitstein on the opposite bank of the Rhine. Since 1890, the city has consisted of the Altstadt (old city) and the Neustadt (new city) or Klemenstadt. Of these, the Altstadt is closely built and has only a few fine streets and squares, while the Neustadt possesses numerous broad streets and a handsome frontage along the Rhine.

Rudesheim
Rudesheim is a town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, Hesse, Germany. It is located on the right (east) bank of the Rhine, at the southern entrance to the Loreley valley.

Rudesheim has been famous for its Drosselgasse since the end of the 19th century. Its wine bars and cafes offer non-stop music and dancing. The Castle Broemserburg houses the famous Wine Museum.

Other attractions include the Museum of Medieval Torture, and Siegfried Wendel's Mechanical Music Cabinet, which has an extensive variety of mechanical musical instruments, distributed throughout a 15th century castle.

Modern and elegant trip on “Father Rhine” - expect bright rooms and plenty of space for your dream river cruise on our MS RHEIN SYMPHONIE. The large panorama windows guarantee the best views of the passing shoreland, and the spacious sun deck invites you to relax. In the spacious cabins, recharge your batteries for new discoveries along the great river. In the panorama restaurant, we serve exquisite specialities, whilst the bar in the panorama saloon invites you to take a drop of the good stuff.

nicko cruises Schiffsreisen GmbH is one of the most dynamic cruise providers in Germany. In recent years, the company has evolved from a leading river cruise provider with more than 30 years of experience into a well-known provider of small ships with destination-oriented ocean routes. With its fleet, which is as modern as it is comfortable, nicko cruises travels the world’s oceans as well as all domestic waterways and coastal sections that are in demand for tourists. In 2023, the programme includes not only 22 river ships, but also the classic ocean-going vessel VASCO DA GAMA.

With its "time to discover" philosophy, nicko cruises focuses on cruise schedules that are rich in discovery and on intensive travel experiences in the product fields river and ocean. The product features of so-called “slow cruising”, such as small ships and long anchorage times, are combined with emotional moments at nicko cruises. During the cruises, guests always have plenty of time for exploring. Thanks to the large variety of products, everyone will find just the right trip at nicko cruises, individually tailored to their needs. The ships in the fleet are all in the 4 to 5-star category according to German land hotel trade standards. Attractive inland excursions and the varied culinary offers on board round off the travel experience. nicko cruises Schiffsreisen GmbH has its company headquarters in Stuttgart, where it employs roughly 110 highly motivated members of staff.