Christmas Markets on the Rhine with Dlx River Ship MS Leonora and Turkish Airlines
CHRISTMAS MARKETS ON THE RHINE WITH THE DLX RIVER SHIP LEONORA
GERMANY – FRANCE
Düsseldorf (*Cologne) – Koblenz - Romantic Rhine Route – Rüdesheim - Worms /Speyer
(*Heidelberg) – Strasbourg 1 night accommodation(*Colmar) – Stuttgart
The ship cannot dock at the ports marked with (*). The cities and towns marked with (*) 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 |
TK 1523 |
IST – DUS |
08:00 |
09:20 |
|
RETURN |
20.12.2026 |
TK 1706 |
STR- IST |
18:50 |
23:55 |
Day 01 ISTANBUL – DÜSSELDORF
Wednesday, December 16, 2026 Meeting at the designated time in front of the Turkish Airlines counter at the International Terminal of Istanbul Airport; following check-in and passport procedures, departure for Düsseldorf on Turkish Airlines flight TK 1523 at 08:00 and arrival at 09:20 local time. Following our arrival in Düsseldorf, transfer from the airport to our ship by our waiting vehicle. Check-in procedures will be carried out after 14:00. For our guests who wish, an optional Cologne & Düsseldorf tour, two of Germany’s most popular cities, is available. Afterwards, transfer to our ship and check-in procedures will be completed. Our ship departs from Düsseldorf at 17:00 today.
Day 02 KOBLENZ - ROMANTIC RHINE ROUTE - RÜDESHEIM
Thursday, December 17, 2026 We will dock at the port of Koblenz at 06:00 in the morning. Guests who wish may join the Koblenz and Mountain Cable Car tour, organized as an optional excursion by our guide, where you can also see the Moselle River. We take the cable car up to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, from where we enjoy a bird’s-eye view of Koblenz’s famous German Corner, the meeting point of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. Afterwards, we take a walking tour of Koblenz and visit the Christmas Market. Our ship will depart from the port of Koblenz at 12:00. We will cruise through the Romantic Rhine, the most beautiful section of the Rhine River. During this cruise, more than 20 medieval castles and magnificent views can be seen. Following our ship’s arrival in Rüdesheim at 19:00, it will remain in port until 01:30 at night.
Day 03 WORMS - SPEYER
Friday, December 18, 2026 We dock at the port of Worms at 09:00 in the morning. After a short technical stop, our ship will set sail for Speyer at 09:30. Our ship will arrive in Speyer at 12:30 and depart from Speyer at 20:00.
You may join the Heidelberg tour as an optional excursion. We tour the city of Heidelberg, whose population consists predominantly of students. Heidelberg is also famous for its printing press and printing machines, which share the city’s name. Heidelberg Castle, the gigantic wine barrel Grosses Fass displayed in the castle cellars, Carl-Theodor Bridge, popularly known as the Old Bridge (Alte Brücke), and the Heiligegeistkirche (Historic Church) located in the very center of the Old Town are among the sights to be seen. Return to our ship waiting at the port of Speyer after the tour.
Day 04 STRASBOURG
Saturday, December 19, 2026 We arrive at the port of Strasbourg at 08:00 in the morning. Our ship will remain moored in Strasbourg overnight.
In the morning, we begin the optional Strasbourg and Colmar City tour with our guests. Strasbourg, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988, is also home to the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. Strasbourg, the seventh-largest city in France by population, is our first stop at the European Court of Human Rights. After a photo stop in front of the building, we proceed to the historic city and begin our walking tour. Historic streets, Notre Dame Cathedral, Rohan Palace, Kammerzell House, shopping streets and Place Kléber are among the sights to be seen on this tour. Afterwards, guests who wish may walk to the Petit France (Little France) district. Our tour ends with free time in the center of Strasbourg. Those who wish in Colmar can explore the city in detail by mini train as an optional activity.
Day 05 STRASBOURG – STUTTGART - ISTANBUL
Sunday, December 20, 2026 After breakfast, disembarkation procedures and, before transferring to the airport for your return flight, an optional panoramic Stuttgart city tour for our guests who wish. From the city center, we see the New Palace, the Town Hall and Königstrasse shopping street. After visiting the Christmas Market at Marktplatz, free time and transfer to the airport. Following check-in and passport control, we depart for Istanbul Airport on Turkish Airlines flight TK 1706 at 18:50 local time. Our tour ends upon arrival in Istanbul at 23:55 local time.
CANCELLATION & REFUND TERMS
The following deduction amounts or rates will apply based on the date on which the cancellation request is made, calculated from the date of reservation.
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FROM THE RESERVATION DATE TO THE DEPARTURE DATE |
APPLICABLE DEDUCTION RATE |
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180 days or more before |
%10 |
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179 – 159 days before |
%15 |
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158 – 120 days before |
%25 |
|
119 – 90 days before |
%30 |
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89 – 60 days before |
%50 |
|
59 – 45 days before |
%60 |
|
44 – 30 days before |
%75 |
|
29 – 10 days before |
%90 |
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9 days or fewer before |
%100 |
The ship, which began its voyages in 2008, initially operated under the name Avalon Scenery and was later renamed Ms Leonora. It was completely renovated in 2025, with the refurbishment completed. The ship is 110m long, 11,40m wide, 5,85m high and has a total of 3 decks, with 67 cabins and a passenger capacity of 138. French Balcony cabins are 16 m² in size. All cabins are equipped with amenities such as air conditioning, TV, telephone, minibar, safe, hairdryer, clothes hangers, towels and shampoo. On the ship, where approximately 40 friendly staff members will serve you, you can also enjoy the river to the fullest on the Sun Deck, the top deck of the ship, with complimentary sun loungers, tables and seating areas. In the Restaurant section on the lowest deck of the ship, you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the table assigned to you on board. In the Club Lounge Bar section prepared for you at the rear of the ship, you can enjoy games such as card games, backgammon and okey. In the Lounge section at the entrance of the ship, you can attend events such as local performances, presentations about rivers, ‘’Welcome’’ and ‘’Farewell cocktail’i’’ events, and ‘’Tea & Coffee hour refreshments’’. You can also easily follow the next day’s program thanks to the program sent to your cabins in Turkish every night
Important information regarding your flight;
* The airport meeting time is generally 2 hours and 30 minutes before the flight, and the details will be communicated separately 2 days before the tour departure. Due to security checks at European airports, you will be transferred to the airport 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 and the booking must then be processed during the final reservation.
* Cities providing connections other than Ankara and Izmir must also be confirmed.
* 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 28.09.1955 Hague Protocol. There may be a risk of delays on scheduled and special flights, or flight times may change before the existing tour and flight. The Operator Agency is obliged to notify passengers of these changes as soon as possible. Our passengers purchased the tour knowing and accepting that flight details may change.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OUR RIVER TOURS;
- There is no minimum participation requirement for our tour. It has a guaranteed departure in December and is conducted with a Turkish-speaking guide.
- Guests holding Ordinary (Bordeaux) Passports need a visa. Multiple Entry / Multiple Schengen)
- Guests holding Green Passports and Service Passports do not need a visa.
- Your passport must be valid for 6 months from the end date of the trip and must not be more than 10 years old.
- Obtaining foreign currency in Euros before your trip will make cash payments during your shopping more convenient.
- For purchases of 100 Euros or more, you may request a tax refund form. You can complete the tax refund process 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 will call medical teams from the nearest healthcare facility to the ship within a very short time. However, for all health-related needs, our ship stops at the nearest point to medical institutions and assists in the immediate transfer of ill guests to hospitals or similar institutions. We also recommend that you bring the medications you regularly use together with their prescriptions and obtain comprehensive travel health insurance.
Healthcare services provided on the ship and at healthcare facilities are subject to a fee.
- We do not expect you to encounter any problem that may threaten your health with the meals you will have during your journey on the ship. Nevertheless, we recommend that you be careful about eating and drinking when you are not on the ship, consume only bottled water, avoid ice, milk and dairy products, consume 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 it may be possible to enter more than one different country during your trip, the applicable time for each port visited by the ship will be indicated. As your disembarkation from and boarding of the ship will be according to the time of the port where you are located, please arrange 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 experience signal interruptions because there may be no base station in forested areas.
- During your trip, we recommend that our male guests bring a suit and our female guests bring an evening dress for the Captain’s Welcome & Farewell Cocktail evenings. If traveling during the summer season, we recommend bringing easily removable T-shirts, short- and long-sleeved shirts, cotton trousers, shorts, comfortable walking shoes, a light jacket for the evenings and a thin sweater. 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 clothing that allows you to move comfortably and keeps 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 the ship. In addition, afternoon tea and light snacks at night are served in the lounge area upstairs.
- The electrical sockets in the cabins are the same as those in Turkey.
- Accommodation at hotels before or after the river ship program may not be of the same standard as our river ship. They should not be expected to provide the same services. During periods such as fairs, congresses, concerts, events and sports tournaments, hotels may be used at distances greater than the specified km. Triple rooms may be provided depending on hotel availability, and in these rooms the bed offered to the third person may be smaller than standard beds. Triple rooms consist of 1 double bed and 1 extra bed. Since extra beds consist of beds known as folding beds and coach beds, participants making reservations for a third person and/or child are deemed to have declared that they accept any crowding and bed-type issues that may occur 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 is included in the tour program in addition to our ship, the breakfasts provided are served in accordance with the breakfast culture of the country visited and generally consist of a limited menu of butter, jam, bread, tea or coffee, known as a continental breakfast, and may be served in a separate room allocated to the group
SOME TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT OUR RIVER TOURS;
- The times indicated in the program have been obtained from Turkish Airlines‘ and Scylla Cruise. Otto Cruise is not responsible for any changes that may occur in the times. Therefore, due to any change in times, Otto Cruise may make changes to the dates without disrupting the content of the program and the scope of the services.
- The durations of the tours at the ports, the places to be visited and their order are determined by the operator company and may be changed or completely canceled when necessary.
- Otto Cruise shall not be responsible for natural disasters such as a rise or fall in river water levels, or force majeure situations such as strikes occurring in locks / canals or the inability to dock at the planned port.
- Otto Cruise shall not be responsible for out-of-program situations that may occur in such cases, such as a change of port or a change in the arrival and departure times at the port.
- During air travel, each passenger has the right to take one piece of luggage into the cabin measuring 36 cm (height) x 23 cm (width) x 56 cm (length). In addition, each passenger has the right to check in 1 suitcase weighing between a maximum of 20 and 23 kilograms.
- 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 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 specific 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 our 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 plane 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 or 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 allocated for your suitcases. It is extremely important that these tags be filled out completely so that your suitcases arrive at your cabins correctly.
- Your suitcases may not arrive at your cabin immediately on the first departure day of the ship. Therefore, it is advisable to place your essential items in a small hand bag and carry it with you on the first day you board the ship.
- On the first day of your trip, a safety drill and briefing will be held 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 contains complete information about all activities on the ship, 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 the ship where you can keep 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 for sending your found belongings to you by collect-paid cargo service from the country where they were found.
At the end of your ship journey, the tags that will be left in your cabins the night before must be attached. You must leave your suitcases in front of your cabin doors early in the morning; they will then be collected and lined up in front of the buses that will provide the transfer. They will be collected here by the passengers.
What's Included
Airport taxes & Ship port taxes
4 nights of full-board accommodation on the Deluxe River ship, built in 2008 and completely renovated in 2025 (Full board service begins with dinner on the day of boarding the ship and ends with breakfast on the day of disembarkation)
Airport transfers (on the day of boarding and disembarkation)
Live music and activities on board
All-day coffee & tea station 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 cruise
Professional Turkish-speaking guide and assistance services
Tourist city taxes (50 Euros)
TURSAB mandatory professional liability insurance
Not Included
Visa fee and service charge
Domestic connecting flight ticket
Ship Personnel Service Fee (calculated at 15 Euros per person per night and added to your room account as a total of 60 Euros per person)
All alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on board
All personal expenses
Entrance fees to museums and archaeological sites not specified in the program
Travel & Health Insurance and age surcharge (for guests aged 65 and over)
Tips for the driver and guide
International departure tax