This is probably the most relaxing continental tour in the brochure. We spend two nights on the banks of the Rhine on the outward journey, including a boat trip. There is an afternoon in romantic Heidelberg, four nights at the heart of the forest, by the side of Lake Titisee, and a return journey, at a gentle pace, along the Black Forest High Road, calling at dramatic Mummelsee and the beautiful spa town of Baden Baden.
Day 1 - Sunday
We take the early morning HSS to Stranraer and drive on to Hull. From there we travel overnight on the excellent P&O Cruiseferry to Europoort, in Holland.
P&O Cruiseferry (outside cabins with facilities, all meals included)
Day 2 - Monday Boppard
A half day's drive from Europoort sees us in Boppard on the edge of the Rhine, just where it emerges from the narrow gorge section. We check into our four-star hotel, with the afternoon free to explore this charming small town.
After a relaxing breakfast we drive downstream to nearby Koblenz, where we cross the river and turn back along the east bank to the beautiful small town of Rudesheim, where we spend the afternoon. Later we board a river-boat for our return to Boppard, travelling through one of the most attractive sections of the river, with castles perched on top of the steep cliffs on either side.
Day 4 - Wednesday Heidelberg
We join the autobahn this morning and drive directly to the romantic city of Heidelberg. We spend the middle of the day here, free to explore, before rejoining our coach for the second leg of our journey to the heart of the forest, to our hotel on the edge of Lake Titisee.
Relaxation is still very much the order of the day after our travels, so today is completely free to get to know the lake-side hotel and the charming town.
Day 6 - Friday Furtwangen, Triberg and Schonach
We go in search of cuckoo clocks and forest waterfalls today. A short tour through Furtwangen, Triberg and Schonach, returning to the hotel in good time for dinner.
Day 7 - Saturday Freiberg and Alsace
We travel east today, along the road once taken by Marie Antoinette on her way from Vienna to Paris to marry the Sun King. We stop for a while in Freiberg, the regional capital, dominated by a magnificent medieval cathedral and then cross the Rhine into the Alsace region of France, where we spend the afternoon in Colmar, with its chocolate-box town centre, full of half-timbered houses and cobbled streets.
Day 8 - Sunday Black Forest High Road
We leave Lake Titisee this morning and drive north to join the famous High Road as it makes its way through some of the most spectacular views of the appropriately named 'Black Forest'. We stop at Mummelsee, a deep (some say bottomless) dark lake surrounded by forest with its own dangerous water spirit, the Nixen of Mummelsee. We have a couple of hours in the beautiful spa town of Baden-Baden, and continue to our final night in Mannheim.
From Mannheim we drive into Holland and on to Europoort where we take the overnight sailing to England.
P&O Cruiseferry (cabins with facilities - all meals included)
Day 10 - Tuesday
An early arrival in Hull gives us a good start to our journey across England and on to Stranraer. We take the evening HSS to Belfast and arrive back at the Europa Buscentre around 10.00pm.
