- There are two eight-day voyages from Amsterdam to Brussels and Cologne to Basel.
- Guests will be accompanied by historians and naturalists for an in-depth experience.
- Bookings open on 20 May.
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions has unveiled two itineraries on the Rhine in 2026 to kickstart its inaugural European river cruise season.
The eight-day itineraries aboard the new build, 120-passenger Transcend Connect will take travellers from Amsterdam to Brussels and Cologne to Basel from April to September next year.
Guests will be accompanied by historians and naturalists who will provide in-depth knowledge on the region – a hallmark of all Lindblad Expeditions.
The cruise will sail through the dramatic Rhine Gorge and call at Mainz, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Alsace region, Strasbourg and Colmar.
They will explore castles and attend an exclusive reception hosted by the lord of Rheinstein Castle and enjoy private wine tastings served by nuns at St Hildegard Abbey. In Frankfurt, guests will go on a private visit to the home of writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and in Heidelburg, they will be able to dine with university students.
Prices for the eight-day cruise start at $6450 per person.
On the Amsterdam to Basel cruise, guests will be taken to view more than seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths at Keukenhof, one of the world’s largest flower gardens. They will also be able to go on after-hours tours to famous museums such as the Kroller-Muller and Mauritshuis museums to admire works by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Rubens and Vermeer and other masterpieces. They will also be taken on a food tour to taste some of Belgium’s specialties.
Prices for this eight-day cruise start at $6450pp.
Bookings open on 20 May.
In a long-term relationship, Lindblad Expeditions has chartered the new Transcend Connect river ship from Transcend Cruises.
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions has more than 50 years experience operating in other rivers of the world including the Amazon, the Nile, Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest, India and on the Mekong. This is the company’s first foray into European river cruising and expects to expand its itineraries in 2027 and 2028. There’s a chance that a Christmas market cruise may be added in 2027.
“What differentiates the Lindblad Expeditions product is that we don’t just take them to a place. We show them how to see it. We take the curious traveller who’s seeking authentic enrichment and surround them with destination experts to understand these places fully,” CEO Natalya Leahy told Seatrade.
