Christmas Markets on the Rhine with Dlx River Ship MS Leonora and SUN
Christmas Markets in Izmir
DLX RIVER CRUISE SHIP LEONORA WITH CHRISTMAS MARKETS ON THE RHINE
GERMANY – FRANCE
Düsseldorf (*Cologne) – Koblenz - Romantic Rhine Gorge – Rüdesheim - Worms /Speyer
(*Heidelberg) – Strasbourg 1 night stay (*Colmar) – Stuttgart
The ports marked with the ship (*) symbol cannot be docked at. (*) Cities and towns marked can be visited by private vehicle.
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FLIGHT INFORMATION |
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DIRECTION |
DATE |
FLIGHT CODE |
ROUTE |
DEPARTURE |
ARRIVAL |
|
OUTBOUND |
16.12.2026 |
XQ 958 |
ADB – DUS |
11:40 |
13:15 |
|
RETURN |
20.12.2026 |
XQ 973 |
STR- ADB |
14:10 |
18:55 |
Day 01 IZMIR ADNAN MENDERES – DÜSSELDORF
December 16, 2026 / Wednesday Meeting in front of the Sun Express Airlines counter at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport International Departures at 09:00. After check-in and passport procedures, we fly to Düsseldorf on flight XQ 958 at 11:40. Arrival at 13:15 local time. Leaving the airport, we take a city tour of Düsseldorf and visit the Christmas markets. Afterwards, transfer to our ship and check-in procedures are completed. Our ship departs from Düsseldorf at 17:00 today.
Day 02 KOBLENZ - PASSAGE THROUGH ROMANTIC RHINE GORGE - RÜDESHEIM
December 17, 2026 / Thursday We will dock at Koblenz port at 06:00 in the morning. Guests who wish may join the extra tour organized by our guide, which includes seeing the Moselle River as well, the Koblenz and Mountain Cable Car Tour. We take the cable car up to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and from there we see the famous German Corner of Koblenz, where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet, with a bird's-eye view. Afterwards, we take a walking tour in Koblenz and visit the Christmas Market. Our ship will depart from Koblenz port at 12:00. The Romantic Rhine Passage, the most beautiful part of the Rhine River, is underway. During this cruise, over 20 castles from the Middle Ages and magnificent views can be seen. After our ship arrives in Rüdesheim at 19:00 in the evening, it will remain at the port until 01:30 at night.
Day 03 WORMS - SPEYER
December 18, 2026 / Friday We dock at Worms port at 09:00 in the morning. After a short technical break, our ship will head towards Speyer at 09:30. Our ship will arrive in Speyer at 12:30 noon and depart from Speyer at 20:00 in the evening.
Guests who wish can join the extra Heidelberg Tour. We tour the city of Heidelberg, whose population consists mostly of students. Heidelberg is also famous for its printing presses and printing machines named after the city. Among the places to see are Heidelberg Castle, the giant barrel Grosses Fass exhibited in the castle cellars, Carl-Theodor Brücke (commonly known as the Old Bridge), and Heiligegeistkirche (Historical Church) located right in the heart of the Old Town. After the tour, return to our ship waiting for us at Speyer port.
Day 04 STRASBOURG
December 19, 2026 / Saturday We arrive at Strasbourg port at 08:00 in the morning. Our ship will remain anchored in Strasbourg tonight.
In the morning, we start the extra Strasbourg and Colmar City Tour with our guests. Strasbourg, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988, also houses the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. As the seventh largest city in France by population, we first visit the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. After a photo stop in front of the building, we come to the historic city and begin our walking tour. On this tour, historic streets, Notre Dame Cathedral, Rohan Palace, Kammerzehl, shopping streets, and Kleber Square are among the places to see. Afterwards, we walk with guests who wish to go to the Petit France (Little France) neighborhood. Our tour ends with free time given in central Strasbourg. In Colmar, those who wish can explore the city in detail with the extra mini train.
Day 05 STRASBOURG – STUTTGART – IZMIR ADNAN MENDERES
December 20, 2026 / Sunday After breakfast, disembarkation procedures and transfer to the airport where your return flight will depart. After check-in and passport control, we depart on Sun Express Airlines flight XQ 973 at 14:10 local time to Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport. After our arrival in Izmir at 18:55 local time, our tour concludes.
CANCELLATION & REFUND TERMS
Based on the date of cancellation request relative to the reservation, the following deduction amounts or rates will apply.
|
TIME BEFORE DEPARTURE FROM RESERVATION DATE |
APPLICABLE DEDUCTION RATE |
|
180 days prior |
%10 |
|
179 – 159 days prior |
%15 |
|
158 – 120 days prior |
%25 |
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119 – 90 days prior |
%30 |
|
89 – 60 days prior |
%50 |
|
59 – 45 days prior |
%60 |
|
44 – 30 days prior |
%75 |
|
29 – 10 days prior |
%90 |
|
9 days or fewer days prior |
%100 |
MS Leonora Ship Specifications
The ship, which began its voyages in 2008 under the name Avalon Scenery, was later renamed Ms Leonora. In 2025, a complete renovation was finished. The vessel is 110m long, 11.40m wide, 5.85m high, and has three decks with 67 cabins; the passenger capacity is set at 138. French balcony cabins are 16 m² in size. All cabins feature air conditioning, TV, telephone, minibar, safe, hairdryer, clothes hanger, towels, shampoo, and other amenities. Onboard, approximately 40 friendly staff members will serve you. Additionally, on the Sun Deck, the topmost deck of the ship, you can enjoy free sun loungers, tables, and seating areas to fully savor the river experience. At the restaurant section on the lowest deck of the ship, you can have your breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the table specified onboard. In the Club Lounge Bar area at the rear of the ship, prepared for you, you can spend pleasant time playing card games, backgammon, okey, and similar games. In the Lounge section located at the entrance of the ship, you can follow local shows, presentations about rivers, events such as "Welcome" and "Farewell Cocktail," and activities like "Tea & Coffee Hour." Furthermore, thanks to the Turkish program delivered to your cabins every night, you can easily follow the schedule for the next day.
Important information regarding your flight;
* The airport meeting time is generally 2 hours and 30 minutes before the flight, and details will be communicated separately 2 days before the tour departure. Due to security checks at European airports, your transfer to the airport will be arranged 3 hours before the flight on the return journey.
* Departure and arrival times are local times and are determined by the airlines..
* There is limited availability for domestic flight connections; availability must be checked during the final reservation and the arrangements must then be made accordingly.
* The connecting cities other than Ankara and Izmir must also be confirmed separately.
* Confirmed domestic flight connections are valid for the most suitable domestic flight available within 24 hours.
* Domestic connection prices may not be valid for groups. Please ask about our special prices.
* The Operator Agency acts as an intermediary between the airline and the passenger and is subject to the Hague Protocol dated 28.09.1955. There may be a risk of delays on scheduled and charter flights, or flight times may change before the existing tour and flight. The Operator Agency is obliged to notify you of these changes as soon as possible. Our passengers have purchased the tour knowing and accepting that flight details may change.
Things you need to know ABOUT OUR RIVER TOURS;
- There is no minimum participation requirement for our tour. It is guaranteed to depart in December and will be carried out with a Turkish-speaking guide.
- Guests holding an ordinary (Burgundy) passport need a visa. Multiple-entry / Multiple Schengen)
- Guests holding a green passport or service passport do not need a visa.
- You must have a passport valid for 6 months from the end date of the trip and not older than 10 years.
- Obtaining foreign currency in Euros before the trip will make cash payments during your shopping easier.
- For purchases of 100 Euros or more, you may request a tax refund form. You can complete the tax refund procedures with this form at the last point where you leave the European Union, after customs and similar procedures.
- There are no doctors or medical personnel on river ships. In emergencies, reception calls medical teams from the nearest healthcare facility to the ship within a very short time. However, whenever medical attention is needed, our ship stops at the nearest point to medical institutions and assists in the prompt transfer of ill guests to hospitals or similar facilities. We also recommend that you bring the medications you use regularly together with their prescriptions and obtain comprehensive travel health insurance.
Medical services provided on board and at healthcare facilities are subject to a fee.
- We do not expect you to encounter any health-threatening problems with the meals you will have during your ship journey. Nevertheless, we recommend that you be careful about eating and drinking when you are off the ship, consume only bottled water, avoid ice, milk and dairy products, eat meat and fish products that you are sure have been well cooked, and choose fruits such as bananas and pineapples that can be peeled.
- Since entry into more than one country may take place during your trip, the local time applicable to each port visited by the ship will be announced. As disembarkation from and boarding of the ship will be according to the time of the port where you are located, please adjust your schedule accordingly.
- During navigation on river ships, especially when crossing borders, your mobile phone line can be used if it is enabled for international calls (roaming). Sometimes, your mobile phone may lose signal because there are no base stations in forested areas.
- For the captain's Welcome & Farewell Cocktail evenings during your trip, we recommend that our male guests bring a suit and our female guests bring an evening dress. If traveling during the summer season, we recommend bringing t-shirts, short- and long-sleeved shirts, cotton trousers, shorts, comfortable walking shoes, a thin jacket and a thin sweater for the evenings, all of which can be easily put on and taken off. In addition, you may bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, earplugs against possible noise, a camera, a video camera, their chargers and spare memory cards. During the winter period, we recommend clothes that allow you to move comfortably and keep you warm. The open areas of the ship may be cool in every season while sailing.
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the main dining restaurant on board. In addition, afternoon tea and light snacks are served in the lounge area upstairs at night.
- The electrical outlets in the cabins are the same as those in Turkey.
- Accommodation at hotels before or after the river cruise program may not be at the same standard as our river ship. The same services should not be expected. During fairs, congresses, concerts, events, sports tournaments and similar periods, hotels may be used at distances exceeding the stated kilometers. Triple rooms may be provided depending on hotel availability, and the bed offered to the third person in such rooms may be smaller than standard beds. Triple rooms consist of 1 large bed and 1 extra bed. Since extra beds consist of beds referred to as folding and coach beds, participants who are the third person and/or children in such reservations are deemed to have declared that they accept the possible lack of space and bed type in the rooms. Child discounts are valid for one (1) child staying with 2 adults and belonging to the age group specified in the pricing section.
- If hotel accommodation other than on our ship is included in the tour program, the breakfasts provided are served in accordance with the breakfast culture of the country visited and generally consist of a limited menu called a continental breakfast, including butter, jam, bread, tea or coffee; for groups, they may be served in a separate room allocated to the group.
SOME TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT OUR RIVER TOURS;
- The times stated in the program have been obtained from Sun Express Airlines and Scylla Cruise. Otto Cruise is not responsible for any changes that may occur in the times. Therefore, in the event of any change in time, Otto Cruise may make changes to the dates without disrupting the content of the program and the scope of the services.
- The duration, places to be visited and order of the tours at the ports are determined by the operator company and may be changed or completely canceled when necessary.
- Otto Cruise shall not be responsible for natural disaster situations such as rises or decreases in river water levels that may occur on the rivers, or force majeure situations such as strikes in locks / canals or the inability to dock at the planned port.
- Otto Cruise shall not be responsible for situations outside the program that may arise in such cases, such as changes of port or changes in the arrival and departure times at the port.
- During air travel, each passenger is entitled to bring one piece of hand luggage into the cabin measuring 36 cm (height) x 23 cm (width) x 56 cm (length). In addition, each passenger is entitled to take 1 suitcase weighing no more than 20 to 23 kilograms, provided that it is checked into the aircraft's baggage compartment.
- One of the dinners you will have during the ship journey is a formal dinner, and our guests are expected to bring formal attire for this evening.
- During check-in on the ship, each guest will be able to hand over their passport and receive their cabin key. Passports may be collected in some cases for the ship's manifest and local procedures. Passports will be returned on the same day.
- Guests who will make their onboard expenses by credit card must register their credit cards at reception within 5 days after the journey begins. No charge will be made to your credit card and no amount will be blocked during the registration process.
- *The ship's departure times must be strictly observed. At ports, you must board the ship no later than 45 minutes before the ship's departure time. Otherwise, you may not be allowed to board the ship. Otto Cruise shall not be responsible for such a situation. Passengers who miss the aircraft or ship are responsible for the transportation costs required to rejoin the tour.
- It is strictly forbidden to bring alcoholic beverages, irons, hair dryers, water heaters, bottle warmers, electric blankets and similar items onto the ship. There is a hair dryer in every cabin and a water heater in many cabins.
- At the beginning of our ship journey, luggage tags in specific colors will be provided for your suitcases. It is extremely important that these tags be filled out completely so that your luggage reaches your cabins correctly.
- Your luggage may not arrive at your cabin immediately on the ship's first departure day. Therefore, it is advisable to put your essential items in a small hand bag and carry it with you on the first day you board the ship.
- A safety drill and presentation will be held on the first day of your trip so that you can familiarize yourself with the evacuation procedures in an emergency. Participation is extremely important. Your guides and the ship employee responsible for your room will direct you to the meeting point for the drill.
- Every evening on the ship, a detailed program for the following day will be left in your cabin. This program includes complete information about all activities on board, entertainment events and important notes.
- We kindly ask you to take great care of all your personal belongings throughout the tour. There is a safe in all cabins on board where you can store your valuables. Our agency assumes no responsibility for the loss or theft of money and valuable personal belongings left in the cabin or luggage. Support will be provided to send your found belongings to you via a collect-on-delivery courier service from the country where they were found.
At the end of your ship journey, the tags that will be left in your cabins one night in advance must be attached. You must leave your luggage in front of your cabin doors early in the morning; it will then be collected and lined up in front of the buses that will provide the transfer. It will be collected by the passengers here.
What's Included
Airport taxes & port taxes
4 nights full-board accommodation on a Deluxe River ship built in 2008 and completely renovated in 2025 (Within the full-board package, service starts with dinner on the embarkation day and ends with breakfast on the disembarkation day)
Airport transfers (on embarkation day and disembarkation day)
Live music and activities on board
Coffee & tea station all day and afternoon tea treats on board
Welcome cocktail
Captain’s Gala Cocktail, Gala Special Menu
Luggage handling service on the first and last day of the ship
Professional Turkish-speaking guiding and assistance services
Tourist city taxes (50 Euro)
TURSAB mandatory professional liability insurance
Not Included
Visa fee and service charge
Domestic connecting flight ticket
Ship Crew Service Charge (calculated at 15 Euros per person per night, and a total of 60 Euros per person will be added to your cabin account)
All alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on board
All kinds of personal expenses
Entrance fees to museums and historical sites not specified in the program
Travel & Health Insurance and surcharge (for guests aged 65+)
Driver and guide tips
Exit fee for leaving the country