This tour really lives up to its name with castles, castles and more castles. Gracing the shores of the Middle Rhine Valley are more medieval castles than in any river valley in the world. The fairy tale castles, combined with the breathtaking landscape of terraced vineyards and old-world towns, create a dreamlike setting so much so that the Rhine became synonymous with the Romantic Movement in the 1800s.

The Rhine is a journey into the "Age of Romanticism"

Artists, musicians, writers and poets from all over Europe immortalized the Rhine's unadulterated natural beauty in their songs, art, stories and poetry. Byron, Dumas, Hugo and Heine celebrated it in their writing. Beethoven, Schuman, Schubert, Wagner and Brahms idolized it in their music, and Turner captured it in his paintings.

And even today, the Rhine continues to inspire those who visit, especially Germany's upper Middle Rhine Valley, spanning approximately 40 miles between Koblenz and Rudesheim, as it is part of the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites.

Let the Rhine inspire you

As you travel along the Rhine, each bend and twist affords new surprises that are certain to inspire you the way countless others have been inspired for centuries.

Who will enjoy this cruise: Romantics, history enthusiasts, epicures, and nature and wine lovers will look forward to medieval little wine towns, quaint half-timbered buildings, enchanted castles, the Lorelei myth, majestic cathedrals, historical cities and, of course, the Romantic Rhine's scenic natural beauty.