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Day 1 London to Basle, Switzerland. Fly by scheduled flight. On arrival transfer to the MS River Crown. Sail this evening. Day 2 Breisach, Germany for Colmar, France. From our berth in Breisach, we will cross the River Rhine into France and drive to Colmar, the capital of the Upper Rhine region. Our guided tour will begin with a visit to the impressive Unterlinden Museum which dates back to the 13th century. Admire a fine collection of religious Medieval paintings and also paintings from the 20th and 21st centuries including works by Picasso and Monet. The highlight of the museum is the Isenheim Altar, a wonderful triptych created for the monastery at Isenheim by Mattheus Grunewald. We continue on for a short walk through the charming Old Town, with delightful patrician houses and winding lanes and enjoy some free time before our drive back to Breisach to reboard the BernkastelThe ItineraryMS River Crown for lunch. Spend the afternoon sailing and this evening join your fellow travellers for welcome drinks and dinner.Day 3 Kehl, Germany for Strasbourg, France. After breakfast our guided tour will introduce us to the delights of Strasbourg. We will start with a cruise through the fascinating old quarter of Petite France where the River Ill splits into a number of canals. We will see the Ponts Couverts, a series of wooden bridges dating back to the 13th century, the Place Gutenberg and the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the tallest Medieval building in Europe. Return to the MS River Crown for lunch. This afternoon is at leisure or alternatively join a scenic tour along Alsace%u2019s %u2018Route des Vins%u2019, including a tasting of the region%u2019s splendid wines.Day 4 Mannheim, Germany for Heidelberg. From our berth in Mannheim, we visit nearby Heidelberg to enjoy this most picturesque and romantic of German cities which is home to Germany%u2019s oldest university, dating back to 1386. Our guided tour will include a visit to the city%u2019s castle and gardens and we will also stroll through Heidelberg%u2019s enchanting old town and see its Renaissance building, %u2018Zum Ritter%u2019, which survived the fire of 1693. Return to the ship for lunch and spend a leisurely afternoon on board sailing. Day 5 Rudesheim, the Rhine Valley & Koblenz. After breakfast, join the Winzer Express mini-train to visit Siegfried%u2019s Musical Instrument Museum, home to one of Germany%u2019s most fascinating collections of automated musical instruments. Our late-morning cruising takes us along the romantic Rhine. Enjoy the magnificent scenery from the Rhine Gorge with the striking hilltop castles and the legendary Lorelei Rock. This afternoon we will arrive in Koblenz for a walking tour of this historic commercial centre. Sail this evening.Day 6 Bernkastel. Spend the morning cruising to Bernkastel, located in the heart of the Moselle Valley. After lunch on board we will depart for an exploration of this lovely town, including the Medieval market square and church before we sample some of the locally produced wines. Day 7 Cochem. The town of Cochem is famous for its 11th century Schloss and the Reichsburg, set impressively on a tree clad hill above a bend of the river. On our guided tour we will walk along its winding Medieval streets and see the Baroque Town Hall. This afternoon we cruise back up the Moselle, rejoining the Rhine and reaching Cologne after midnight.guest speaker %u2013 martin sixsmithMartin Sixsmith is a writer, presenter and former television correspondent. He was the BBC%u2019s Central and Eastern Europe Correspondent in the 1980s, reporting on the political upheavals that changed the shape of the continent and the world. In the 1990s, Martin was the BBC%u2019s correspondent in Moscow and Washington. Between 1997 and 2002 he worked for the British Government as Director of Communications and Press Secretary to several cabinet ministers. He worked as a consultant on the BBC2 political sitcom The Thick of It and the 2010 movie In the Loop. In 2013, his book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee was made into the film Philomena, starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. It was nominated for four Oscars. His non-fiction books include Putin%u2019s Oil; Moscow Coup; The Litvinenko File; Russia, A Thousand Year Chronicle of the Wild East; and The War of Nerves %u2013 Inside the Cold War Mind. His latest book My Sins Go With Me is a story of bravery and treachery in the Resistance to Nazi occupation in World War Two. In 2011, he presented the BBC%u2019s 50-episode history of Russia on Radio Four. In 2014 he presented Radio Four%u2019s 25-part history of psychology and psychiatry. StrasbourgHeidelbergDelft