Rhine River Cities & Black Forest: Self-Launched Independent Version
8 days · Amsterdam, Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Heidelberg, Strasbourg & Black Forest
Avalon Waterways charges £3,100
No-markup version: ~£805 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched, rail-and-bus version of Avalon Waterways' Amsterdam-to-Basel Rhine cruise — same canal city, Gothic cathedral towns, Rhine Gorge castles, Alsace wine villages and Black Forest waterfalls, done independently with hostels and guesthouses. You trade the cruise ship, onboard concerts and included group excursions for €30 train tickets, self-booked kayak and bike rentals, and local brewery and wine tastings. Expect to cover roughly the same ground at about a tenth of the cruise fare, and unlike the sold-out Avalon departure, you can actually book it.
Day-by-day
Arrive Amsterdam — canal-side settling in
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Fly or take a Eurostar/train into Amsterdam Centraal and check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Jordaan or Plantage district. Spend the late afternoon walking the canal ring — Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht — and the Nine Streets shopping lanes. Pick up an OV-chipkaart or use contactless bank-card tap-in for trams. Grab dinner at a brown café or a cheap Indonesian rijsttafel in the Jordaan.
🚌Train or Eurostar to Amsterdam Centraal; walk or GVB tram locally (~£4 tram day)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in Jordaan/Plantage (~£35-45/night)
- →Self-guided walk of the canal ring and Nine Streets
- →Evening stroll through Jordaan
- →Rijsttafel or brown café dinner
Amsterdam canals, street art & breweries
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Rent a kayak or join a small-group kayak tour through the canals from a local operator near Westerdok (~£30). In the afternoon visit STRAAT Museum in Amsterdam Noord (free ferry from Centraal, entry ~£15) — the street-art equivalent of the ship's mural workshop, with open-air graffiti yards along the NDSM wharf. Then take a standard canal cruise (~£16 from any operator) past Golden Age mansions, and finish with a self-booked brewery tour — Brouwerij 't IJ under the windmill (~£12 with tastings) or Heineken Experience (~£22).
🚌Free NDSM ferry; walk and tram (~£4)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse (~£40)
- →Kayak tour of Amsterdam canals
- →STRAAT Street Art Museum + NDSM graffiti yards
- →Canal cruise past Golden Age houses
- →Brouwerij 't IJ brewery tour and tasting
Train to Cologne — cathedral, Kölsch & chocolate
Cologne, Germany
Take the ICE from Amsterdam Centraal to Köln Hbf (~2h40, book 2-4 weeks ahead on DB for €20-30). Drop bags at a hostel near the cathedral, then walk the Altstadt with Cologne Cathedral (free entry to the nave, ~£6 to climb the tower). Join a self-booked city walking tour (~£12-15), then visit the Chocolate Museum (~£12) and the Farina Fragrance Museum (~£8, book online — this is where Eau de Cologne began, with a fragrance-blending style workshop). Rent a city bike for a spin along the Rhine promenade (~£10). Evening: sample Kölsch from small 0.2l glasses in a Brauhaus like Früh or Päffgen (~£15).
🚌ICE Amsterdam–Cologne booked in advance ~£22; local bike rental ~£10
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near Hauptbahnhof (~£30-35)
- →Cologne Cathedral and tower climb
- →Self-booked city walking tour
- →Chocolate Museum Cologne
- →Farina Fragrance Museum
- →Kölsch tasting in a Brauhaus
Rhine Gorge castles, Rüdesheim vineyards & Lorelei
Rüdesheim / Rhine Gorge, Germany
Take a regional train from Cologne to Koblenz then the KD (Köln-Düsseldorfer) or Bingen-Rüdesheimer scheduled river boat through the Rhine Gorge to Rüdesheim (~£20-25 for the boat, ~1.5-4h depending on the stretch) — the same castle-and-Lorelei scenery the cruise sails past, including the Rock of the Lorelei. From Rüdesheim, hike up through the vineyards to the Niederwald monument (~1.5h) or take the Sesselbahn chairlift (~£9). Visit the Mechanical Music Museum (Siegfried's Mechanisches Musikkabinett, ~£9) and taste Rheingau wine at a vineyard or the town's wine cellars (~£12). Sleep in a Rüdesheim guesthouse or push on to Mainz.
🚌Regional train Cologne–Koblenz ~£18; scheduled KD river boat through the gorge ~£22
🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in Rüdesheim/Mainz (~£40-50)
- →Scheduled Rhine Gorge boat ride past Lorelei
- →Vineyard hike to Niederwald monument
- →Mechanical Music Museum Rüdesheim
- →Rheingau wine tasting
Mainz, Gutenberg & Heidelberg old town
Mainz & Heidelberg, Germany
Morning in Mainz: visit the Gutenberg Museum (~£7, printing-press demos) and the Romanesque cathedral, then walk the Philosophers' Way equivalent on the Rhine banks — or save the real Philosophers' Way for Heidelberg. Take the regional train Mainz–Heidelberg (~1.5h, ~£18). In Heidelberg, walk the Philosophenweg across the river for the classic castle view, then tour Heidelberg Castle with its Great Vat (~£9) and wander the Altstadt. Evening: a self-guided old-town brewery crawl — Vetters, Zum Roten Ochsen and Brauhaus Vetters (~£20 for a few beers).
🚌Regional train Mainz–Heidelberg ~£18; walkable old town
🛏Hostel dorm or budget pension in Heidelberg Altstadt (~£35-45)
- →Gutenberg Museum Mainz
- →Walk the Philosophenweg
- →Heidelberg Castle and Great Vat
- →Old-town brewery crawl
Cycle to Strasbourg — cathedral, Petite France & Alsace wine
Strasbourg, France
Train Heidelberg–Karlsruhe–Strasbourg (~1h45, ~£25, book on DB/SNCF). Rent a bike (~£12/day) and ride the EuroVelo 15 / canal paths around the city and out to the Kehl bridge — Strasbourg is Europe's cycling capital. Visit Strasbourg Cathedral (free) and time it for the astronomical clock show (~£4), then explore La Petite France. Join a self-booked food walk or DIY one: tarte flambée, choucroute and kougelhopf (~£20). In the late afternoon take the TER train or drive-share out to the Alsace Wine Route village of Obernai or Rosheim for a cellar tasting (~£15 + ~£8 transport).
🚌Train Heidelberg–Strasbourg ~£25; bike rental ~£12; TER to Alsace village ~£8
🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Petite France (~£40-50)
- →Bike loop around Strasbourg and Kehl
- →Strasbourg Cathedral and astronomical clock
- →La Petite France walk
- →Alsatian food self-tour
- →Alsace Wine Route tasting in Obernai/Rosheim
Breisach, Colmar & Black Forest waterfalls
Breisach / Colmar / Triberg, Germany & France
Train Strasbourg–Colmar (~30 min, ~£10) and spend the morning in Colmar's Little Venice and Unterlinden Museum (~£11). Then continue by TER/Ringbus into the Black Forest toward Triberg (~2h, ~£15): walk to Triberg Waterfalls (~£5) and visit the Vogtsbauernhof open-air folk museum (~£9) or rent an e-bike from a local shop (~£20 half-day) for a forest loop. Overnight in Triberg or Freiburg, which has cheap hostels and good rail links.
🚌Train Strasbourg–Colmar ~£10; TER/Ringbus to Triberg ~£15; optional e-bike ~£20
🛏Hostel in Freiburg or Black Forest guesthouse (~£30-40)
- →Colmar Little Venice and Unterlinden Museum
- →Triberg Waterfalls walk
- →Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum
- →Optional Black Forest e-bike loop
Basel — old town and departure
Basel, Switzerland
Train Freiburg–Basel Bad Bf (~45 min, ~£15). Spend a few hours in Basel's old town: Münster and its terrace over the Rhine, Marktplatz and the red Rathaus, the Tinguely Fountain, and the Kunstmuseum if time allows (~£17). Walk across the Rhine on the historic ferry (Fähri, ~£2). Continue home via Basel's EuroAirport or the Basel SBB station — Swiss Francs only needed here, so use a card.
🚌Train Freiburg–Basel ~£15; tram in Basel ~£3
🛏Not included — onward travel day
- →Basel Münster and old town walk
- →Tinguely Fountain and Marktplatz
- →Rhine Fähri crossing
- →Optional Kunstmuseum Basel
Self-launched vs. Avalon Waterways
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Avalon Waterways | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£805 | £3,100 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £2,295 per person (74%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Avalon Waterways-style trips? Check them out here.~£805
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Rhine River Cities & Black Forest: Self-Launched Independent Version cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £805 per person for 8 days in Amsterdam, Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Heidelberg, Strasbourg & Black Forest. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Avalon Waterways?+
Yes — Avalon Waterways charges around £3,100 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £805 — a saving of roughly £2,295 (74%) per person.
How long is the Amsterdam, Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Heidelberg, Strasbourg & Black Forest trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Amsterdam, Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Heidelberg, Strasbourg & Black Forest.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, foodie, budget trip through Amsterdam, Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Heidelberg, Strasbourg & Black Forest, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
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