Discover the many treasures of the Rhine Valley on a relaxing GRJ All Inclusive holiday and cruise through the romantic gorge and a scenic railway journey

Your Rhine Valley holiday begins at London St Pancras where you meet the Tour Manager and rest of the group. Boarding the Eurostar, we travel under the English Channel to Brussels. In the Belgian capital, we switch to a train to Cologne, where we catch our first sight of the Rhine.

Arriving in Cologne, we travel by coach along the scenic Rhine Valley to the riverside town of Boppard. Located on a bend in the Rhine and with great transport connections, Boppard is a popular base for explorations of this beautiful region. Arriving in early evening, our hotel is opposite the train station and boasts a garden terrace overlooking the Rhine. After checking in, we enjoy a welcome drink before our first dinner together.

Tonight, and every evening of our stay, we enjoy a three-course dinner with a drinks package, served from 7pm to 9pm, which includes soft drinks, house beer, wine, tea and coffee.

A holiday highlight awaits after breakfast as we set sail along the majestic Rhine. Following gentle bends in the river, our cruise takes us through the most scenic part of the UNESCO-listed Rhine Gorge. Keep an eye out for castles peering out from the tops of cliffs veiled by verdant forests.

On the approach to St Goar, we pass the legendary Lorelei Rock. This massive outcrop has inspired many myths, poems and legends, based on the sound created by the currents around it and a special echo. Most of the stories involve a mermaid, water spirit or siren who would lure sailors to their watery deaths.

Our destination is Rüdesheim, a riverside town famed for its wine. There's free time to explore the sights, including characterful Drosselgasse alley and Siegfried's Museum of Mechanical Music in the Old Town. Alternatively, you could sample the local Reisling wines or savour a Rüdesheim Coffee, made with Asbach Uralt brandy. Using your VRM Pass, you can return by rail at leisure, changing at Koblenz, before dinner with drinks at our hotel.

Please note: on April and October departures, this day will include a return cruise to St Goar, including time to explore the town during a stopover.

Using our VRM Passes, we travel by rail along the Moselle after breakfast. Arriving in the picturesque town of Cochem, there is time at leisure to explore independently.

This historic town is surrounded by vineyards and is dominated by the late-Gothic castle, the Reichsburg. The old quarter of Cochem is also home to preserved sections of the town walls and three of the wall's gates, along with a fascinating arts centre housed in a former monastery. With cobbled streets lined with traditional half-timbered architecture, Cochem is an archetypal romantic German town. However, there are also some surprising attractions, such as the only surviving mustard mill in Europe and a hidden Cold War-era bunker that stored vast amounts of currency.

Returning to Boppard, we gather at our hotel for our final three-course dinner and drinks.

A full free day gives you the chance to explore Boppard and surrounding areas at your own pace. One local option is to take the Sesselbahn chairlift up to Gedeonseck (payable locally), where you can admire fantastic views of the largest U-shaped loop of the Rhine - a great place to relax and enjoy your picnic lunch.

Your VRM Travel card gives you free rail access around the area. You could decide to spend the day travelling between picturesque riverside towns such as Bacharach or Bingen. Alternatively, enjoy a scenic rail journey beside the Lahn River, perhaps stopping at the spa town of Bad Ems on the way to Limburg. With medieval timber-framed buildings and a striking cathedral, this is one of Germany's most beautiful towns. You could also visit the romantic Schloss Drachenburg in Königswinter. Perched high above the river, this fairytale stately home offers elegant interiors and spectacular views overlooking the Rhine.

If you'd like to head out to explore the local vineyards, the Boppard tourist office offers a guided tour of the area. This evening, dinner and drinks is again available at our hotel.

With a history stretching back more than 2,000 years, Koblenz has many attractions to be uncovered during a guided walking tour. Travelling by rail after breakfast, we set out to explore the Old Town.

Koblenz was first established by the Romans at the 'confluence' of the Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and from these historic roots, and a mixture of French and German influences, the city has developed its own personality. The Deutsches Eck, or German Corner, is the name of the headland at the confluence of the rivers and one of the city's most familiar sights. Some of the popular locations in Koblenz include the 'Four Towers' - four Baroque houses set around Münzplatz - and the 12th-century Basilica of St Castor, a twin-spired Romanesque church near the Deutsches Eck. After our tour, there's free time and you could opt to take a cable car up to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (payable locally).

Making your way back to Boppard at leisure, using your VRM Tourist Pass, we gather this evening for dinner and drinks at our hotel.

Walking into Boppard's historic centre after breakfast, we visit Boppard Castle and its museum. Standing directly on the Rhine, the castle was originally a stronghold for Boppard's nobles before becoming a toll house, collecting payment from the many ships passing through Boppard. The building now houses a museum, showcasing the town's history and exhibits about renowned furniture maker Michael Thonet.

After time to explore independently over lunch, we travel by rail along the Rhine to Brohl. Here, we join the historic narrow-gauge Vulkan Express for a scenic journey along the Brohl Valley. Travelling at a leisurely pace along a line that opened in 1902, we view picturesque landscapes shaped by volcanoes.

There's a short amount of free time at Engeln station, before we make our return journey through narrow valleys and over timeless bridges to Brohl, from where we catch the train back to Boppard in time for dinner at our hotel.

An exploration of the Rhine Valley has many highlights, from natural wonders to quaint villages. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Rhine Gorge revealed the river's breathtaking beauty. Steep cliffs lined with vineyards and forests, hilltop castles and mythical sites have been viewed on this GRJ All Inclusive holiday.

After our final breakfast together, we board the coach to Cologne, where we continue to Brussels by rail. In the Belgian capital, we switch to the Eurostar for the final leg of our journey back to London St Pancras. Arriving this evening, your discovery of the scenic Rhine Valley comes to an end and you are free to make your way home.

Enjoy More with a GRJ All Inclusive Holiday

• On this GRJ All Inclusive tour, all meals at Das Ebertor Hotel, Boppard, are included. On excursion days, a picnic lunch will be provided by the hotel.
• Drinks available during dinner each day between 7pm-9pm include local wine, draft beer and soft drinks.

Our Discoveries range offers everything you need at a great price so you can travel with confidence. It provides comfortable, locally run accommodation*, standard rail or economy flights and expert-led group tours. You'll be in groups with an average of 30-35 travellers and a maximum of 40. *where available

Step aboard the high-speed international rail service, linking London St Pancras to Paris and Lille in France, Brussels in Belgium and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Eurostar's Standard Class coaches feature two seats on either side of the central aisle, most of which are arranged in an 'airline' seating configuration with drop-down tray tables. There are two tables for four per carriage. Passengers travelling in Eurostar Standard Class coaches can take advantage of the Bar-Buffet which sells a range of snacks, meals, and hot and cold drinks - including Champagne!

The highest class of Eurostar travel available for leisure customers is Plus class. In your dedicated Plus carriage you'll find a less dense seat configuration, meaning the seats are larger and you have ample space to relax and stretch out. As part of the service, you'll enjoy complimentary drinks and refreshments, served at your seat by friendly, helpful waiting staff.

For the class of travel used on your chosen tour, please refer to the 'What's Included' section of the tour page.

The steepest regular train service in Germany, the Hunsrückbahn was originally opened in 1908. On the journey between Boppard and Emmelshausen, the train travels through five tunnels and over two viaducts. This scenic route providesgreat views of the breathtaking landscapes of the Middle Rhine Valley and the dense, emerald forests it passes through.   

Located near Boppard's train station a short distance from the banks of the Rhine and Boppard's medieval Old Town, this family-run 3-Star hotel benefits from a large garden overlooking the river. The three on-site restaurants include a stylish brasserie, a garden eatery and a traditional German cellar restaurant. Guest rooms are bright and modern and come equipped with free Wi-Fi, flatscreen TV, safety deposit box and hairdryer.

Your holiday begins the moment you meet your Tour Manager at St Pancras International and board the Eurostar train for mainland Europe. If you wish to get your holiday off to an extra special start, why not consider upgrading your on-board accommodation from Standard Class to Plus Class?

As well as all the amenities enjoyed in Standard Class, Plus Class travellers benefit from extra spacious, comfortable seats, complimentary newspapers and magazines and a light snack with drinks served at your seat during the journey. Before 11am, the light snack comprises breakfast pastries, yoghurt, fruit juice and tea or coffee. After 11am there is a choice of 2 main dishes and a dessert, accompanied by soft drinks, wine or beer and tea or coffee.

Prices for an upgrade from £110pp each way. Please call us for more details.

Spending a night in London before your tour can make such a difference to the first day of your holiday - you can arrive in the capital in good time, relaxed and ready to join your Tour Manager the next morning. You may even want to take in a show on the West End or dine in one of London's famous restaurants. Perhaps on your return to London, you would like to break your journey with an overnight stay before continuing home.

We can book a wide range of hotels in central London or, for our holidays beginning with a flight, at Heathrow, Gatwick, or Manchester Airport for the night before or after your holiday. If you require a quote for single occupancy at any of the hotels, please contact us on 01904 734 805.

Buying tickets for UK train services can be a tricky business - there are so many fares to choose from, each with different rules and restrictions. As you are connecting with an international departure, we strongly recommend that you book a fully flexible ticket to ensure that should the departure times for your holiday change, your rail ticket can allow for these changes.

We can book fully-flexible UK rail tickets from your local station to join your holiday whether this be a European holiday from St Pancras or a UK holiday. The prices are competitive and tickets are not restricted to a particular train or time of day, and in most cases offer you a free choice of routes.

For an up to date quote from your local station, please ask one of our Tour Advisors.

Enjoy hassle-free travel with our return door-to-door luggage transfer service from only £199 per bag.

The service includes one 20kg bag per person which will be collected from your home before you depart and will be ready and waiting for you at your first destination hotel. Your bag will also be delivered back to your home address on your return.

If your tour involves an overnight stay enroute, you'll need to travel with an overnight bag as your luggage will be delivered direct to your first destination hotel. The luggage service is not available where you are flying to or from your destination and you will need to take your own luggage with you on the flight.