AmaWaterways wine cruises add a unique epicurean dimension to a variety of itineraries at no additional cost. Join one of these wine cruises with a special wine host and be treated to a menu of exclusive wine and culinary experiences designed to delve deeper into the wonderful flavors and tastes of Europe.
European cities transform into majestic winter wonderlands for the holiday season – and we invite you to experience all their splendor with us. In addition to our variety of daily excursions, you will also have the opportunity to visit festive Christmas Markets in select destinations and participate in nostalgic traditions.
Maximize your Christmas experience by embarking at the height of the holiday market season with daily or near-daily visits to Christmas Markets.
Get "just a taste" of the holidays in mid-November or late December with visits to one or two Christmas Markets during your river cruise.
We are pleased to offer guests the opportunity to experience Floriade in 2022 while sailing along the Rhine River and Dutch and Belgian Waterways between April 14 and October 9. Right outside Amsterdam, this rare experience calls for its visitors to “explore, touch and change” as part of their journey into Floriade – which is set to feature stunning gardens, innovative sustainable gardening exhibits, live entertainment, talk shows, souvenirs and food stalls.
We invite you to join our incredible cruise on the Rhône with a Latin Touch, featuring bilingual cruise managers, daily tours with Spanish-speaking guides, Latin-inspired music nights and other distinctive elements.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive response received from the announcement of our first-ever “Soulful Experience” on the Rhône River in 2023, we are delighted to announce four new opportunities for guests to celebrate their heritage and discover Black history and culture along the rivers with us in 2024.
Join award-winning television host and travel expert, Samantha Brown, Godmother of AmaMagna, as we cruise through four countries along the Danube River. Special events and Travel Talks are included on this exclusive sailing.
Join Chef Joanne Weir, award-winning cookbook author, restaurant owner and host of PBS television series “Plates & Places” as she hosts a special 7-night Flavors of Burgundy river cruise.
We invite you to join our incredible cruise on the Danube with a Latin Touch, featuring bilingual cruise managers, daily tours with Spanish-speaking guides, Latin-inspired music nights and other distinctive elements.
Explore the rich history of classical music along the Danube River where famous composers lived, worked and performed. Plus, be treated to a variety of live performances on this melodious journey.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive response received from the announcement of our first-ever “Soulful Experience” on the Rhône River in 2023, we are delighted to announce four new opportunities for guests to celebrate their heritage and discover Black history and culture along the rivers with us in 2025
Join award-winning television host and travel expert, Samantha Brown, Godmother of AmaMagna, as we cruise through five countries along the Danube River. Special events and Travel Talks are included on this exclusive sailing.
We invite you to join our incredible cruise on the Douro with a Latin Touch, featuring bilingual cruise managers, daily tours with Spanish-speaking guides, Latin-inspired music nights and other distinctive elements.
We invite our loyal past guests to join us once again on these special Loyalty Cruises, offering unique experiences in multiple ports, commemorative gifts, and many more surprises and delights.
Imagine if there was a way to combine luxury river cruising on the iconic Danube with the opportunity to indulge your passion and play golf. We have created the perfect package to enable you to do just that with our Exclusive Concierge Golf Program. Discover Europe, complete with award winning cuisine, incredible service and a choice of excursions in every port, as well as up to 5 rounds of golf at some of the leading championship courses on the continent.
AmaWaterways’ Exclusive Concierge Golf Program is available on select Magna on the Danube cruises sailing aboard the AmaMagna.
Hello! "I'm Kristin Karst, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of AmaWaterways and I'm passionate about river cruising. Each month, I love to share with you my thoughts, personal stories, travel tips and latest news on the people and places that help turn every mile of our guests' river cruise experience into one of their most cherished memories!"
Six million other Jewish people were killed in the Holocaust, six million other stories – and yet it is Anne Frank’s story which has remained seared into the world’s collective conscious. A young girl all of 15 years old when she was betrayed from her hiding spot in 1944, Anne Frank was separated from her diary and sent to a transit camp, then Auschwitz, and eventually transferred to the Bergen-Belsen camp from which she never returned. Learn more about Anne Frank’s legacy in Amsterdam on our Rhine River and Dutch & Belgian Waterways sailings.
Fleeing Germany
Anne was born in Annelies Marie Frank in 1929 Germany to Otto and Edith Frank. She had a cat named Moortje and an older sister Margot who was three years her senior. In Frankfurt, the Franks lived in an assimilated community of Jews and non-Jews up until 1933. This was the year Adolf Hitler was appointed as Reich Chancellor and the Nazi Party officially came into power. Anti-semitic demonstrations, talk and actions were rampant and the Franks became one of 300,000 Germans to flee their homeland before 1939. They settled in Amsterdam, where conditions were much better than Germany.
The Franks in the Netherlands
The Franks had both Jewish and non-Jewish friends and life was able to return to a new kind of normal until 1940 when Germany invaded the Netherlands. The occupation government immediately began persecuting Jews with restrictive laws - confiscating properties, businesses and basic rights. The Franks attempted to immigrate to the United States but were refused in case they might become Nazi spies. Otto soon transferred his shares of his company to non-Jewish employees to keep it from being taken by authorities. A few days before Anne’s birthday in 1942, Otto bought her an autograph book which she would use as her diary. Just a few days later, her sister was given a summons to report to a work camp and the family moved into the secret annex in Otto’s workplace.
Life in the Annex
The family left their home in disarray, leaving clues that they were en route to Switzerland. They wore several layers of clothing as they walked the few miles from their home (Jews were forbidden from using public transportation) to the annex, unable to be seen carrying suitcases as it would have given them away. This was the last time Anne was able to be outside until her eventual capture. The only connection she had from the outside world now came from the “helpers” – four of Otto’s trusted former employees who kept them up to date on news developments and brought in food and other supplies.
The Diary That Touched History
Anne’s diary is filled with passages about the two years she spent in the annex. She wrote hopefully about how despite everything, she continued to believe people basically had good hearts. She planned on going back to school after the war, and wished to become a writer with something important to say. After the family was betrayed, she was sent to concentration camps where she died along with her sister and their mother who was separated from them. After their arrest and deportation, Miep Gies returned to the annex and saved the diary for Anne’s return. She eventually handed the diary to Otto Frank, the sole survivor of his family and the other Jews who had hidden in the annex. Eventually, Otto was persuaded to read his daughter’s diary and it was published.
Preserving Anne’s Memory
Today, millions have read Anne’s diary, which has been published in over 60 languages. The house that she and her family hid in for two years has been visited by many more millions from all over the globe. In the 50s, it was ordered to be demolished but Otto Frank was able to save it and establish the Anne Frank Foundation there in 1957. It has become a pilgrimage of sorts to pay respects, remember and to learn from Anne’s story so that these events may never happen again.
Discover Amsterdam, the city where Anne Frank grew up and hid in the secret annex, on our Rhine River and Dutch & Belgian Waterways sailings.
Please note: Guests wishing to visit Anne Frank House during their free time in Amsterdam must purchase individual timed-entry tickets online approximately 60-90 days in advance; group tours are not available. Optional Jewish heritage experiences in and around Amsterdam can be customized for groups of 20 guests or more. Contact your travel advisor for details.