How do I spend a Rhine river cruise stop on the Alsace Wine Route with a private driver?

Start from the all-aboard time, not from the villages

The only fixed point of the day is the time you must be back on board, printed in your ship's daily program. Everything else is arithmetic, done from the end. Here is an illustrative example; the times are invented to show the calculation, so use your own.

• Write down the all-aboard time. Example: 5:00 PM.
• Subtract a safety margin. We suggest 45 minutes: traffic, a lunch that runs long or a longer tasting are the usual culprits. Example: at the dock by 4:15 PM.
• Subtract the drive back from your last stop. Example: Riquewihr to a Breisach berth is about 50 minutes by the figures below, so leave Riquewihr by 3:20 PM.
• Subtract the time in each stop, around 1 hour 30 minutes for a village with a tasting. Here: Riquewihr from 1:50 to 3:20 PM, lunch before it, then a first village.
• Finally, count from the ship: the day starts when you are off the ship and have met your driver. If the window left is short, drop a village instead of rushing.

What a private driver changes compared with the group coach

A coach excursion is designed for a full coach: one route, one pace, one schedule for everyone. A sedan (1 to 3 passengers) or a van (4 to 7 passengers) lets you build the day around your own group.

• Pace: you decide where to linger and when to leave, and the driver tightens the plan if the clock moves faster than expected.
• Small villages: a vehicle this size reaches village centers and winery lanes that are awkward for a coach.
• Tasting: the driver handles the road while you taste at the wineries you pick or that we suggest. Tastings and meals are paid directly on site; see how to book a winery tasting.
• Language: English-speaking and French-speaking driver, German and Spanish on request.
• The return: the drop-off time agreed with you anchors the whole day.

Which villages fit your stop, port by port

Drive times come from our departure pages, outside heavy traffic. Before booking, ask your cruise line which dock your ship will use, because that sets the starting point.

• Strasbourg or Kehl: Kehl sits on the German bank, directly across the Rhine from Strasbourg, and ships calling for Strasbourg often berth there. From central Strasbourg, Obernai is about 30 minutes, Barr 35 and Dambach-la-Ville 40; add the Rhine crossing. A day fits Obernai, Barr and one tasting. Riquewihr and Colmar, close to an hour away, only make sense for a long call. See the Strasbourg departure guide.
• Breisach: the town is on the German bank, and some ships berth on the French bank near Vogelgrun instead. Colmar is about 30 minutes from Breisach; Eguisheim, Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé add another 15 to 25 minutes. A day fits Colmar's old town and one or two villages. See the Colmar departure guide and the three signature villages.
• The rule for both: two stops without rushing beat five villages seen through a window.

Meeting your driver at the dock

Give the reservation your ship's name, the exact berth, the bank of the Rhine (Germany or France) and your all-aboard time. Berths are assigned by the cruise line and can change from one sailing to the next, so get the dock address from the line or your daily program, and tell us if it changes. Agree on a meeting point near the exit of the port area and exchange a phone number that works that day. Keep your passport with you: the day may cross the Rhine.

Delays, program changes and cancellation

When you book, give the dock and the time you must be back on board: the day is planned around it. If your ship's arrival or program changes, write to us as soon as you know so the pickup follows. For reference, free waiting time is 60 minutes for a flight and 30 minutes for a train, then the hourly rate applies. Cancellation is free up to 72 hours before departure; after that, the terms shown at booking apply. The price depends on duration and vehicle: see our rates.