AmaWaterways’ "Latin Touch" program offers a special sailing dedicated to Spanish-speaking travelers every year. Due to its continued strong growth, the cruise line is adding a second itinerary for 2025—the "Swiss Alps & Rhine & Castle Christmas" cruise, which joins the previously announced Latin Touch’s "Enticing Douro."
Departing Basel, Switzerland on December 15, 2025, this eight-day luxury cruise aboard the 162-guest AmaVenita sails through Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands, taking in cities and towns brimming with glittering Christmas trees and holiday markets. Tip: Guests can add a three-night pre-cruise Lake Como land option, inclusive of luxury accommodation, daily tours, daily breakfast and a dedicated cruise manager.
Hosted by a bilingual cruise manager, the Latin Touch sailing includes a daily tour with Spanish-speaking guides, daily cruise programs, the daily newsletter, and menus of dishes of local origin—all in Spanish. The sailing will also host Zumba classes and two evenings of festive Latin-inspired entertainment.
This sailing takes guests from the shores of Lake Lucerne to the banks of the Rhine Gorge, home to more than 40 castles. Christmas markets, offered in every port of call, are the center of attention on this sailing. Top picks include the Market of Cologne Cathedral, the city’s largest with more than 200 stalls spread across two floors and offering a wide variety of traditional Christmas foods, drinks and gifts; Marché de Noël de Baden-Baden, a winter fairy tale site in front of the the city’s architectural jewel, Kurhaus; and Heidelberg’s Marktplatz, one of the largest markets in this historical city.
For guests looking at excursions beyond the markets, AmaWaterways offers a walking tour that takes guests through three countries: Switzerland, France and Germany; a wine tasting to showcase the flavors of Rüdesheim’s iconic vineyards; a panoramic walking tour in Strasbourg that includes Parc de l’Orangerie, the European Parliament, the Place de la République and the fairytale district of “La Petite France”; and a guided hike up Ludwigshafen’s Philosopher’s Path, aptly named during the Romantic Period, with panoramic views of the city. A guided tour in Cologne takes in the Cologne Cathedral, a 13th-century Gothic marvel and UNESCO World Heritage Site that was the tallest building in the world at the time of its completion, while in Amsterdam, guests can choose from a canal cruise along some of the city’s 165 canals or a walking tour that offers a taste of local flavor, passing iconic canals, gabled houses, narrow bridges and house boats while tasting Dutch specialties at one of Amsterdam’s grand cafes.
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