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Southern Hospitality

Adventures in Decorating, Thrifting, Cooking, Fashion & Gardening

Our Viking River Cruise: Rhine Getaway Part 1

May 20, 2019 By Rhoda 33 Comments

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Read along on this travelogue of our Viking River cruise, the Rhine Getaway which explores one of Europe’s best loved rivers, we cruised on the Viking Kara longship from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, The Netherlands on a scenic cruise of castles and cathedrals on the Middle Rhine of Europe, an area rich in history and beauty.

This post is sponsored by Viking Cruises. All opinions below are all my own and a true recap of our experience.

Hi, friends! I’m so excited to get to share with you our Viking River Cruise on the Rhine Getaway, a 7 night cruise on the Viking Kara. We saw so much beauty, walked countless cobblestone streets, viewed castles from afar and up close, as well as explored medieval cathedrals that we could only dream about seeing in person. What a rich and wonderful trip to take! I can’t wait to share it all with you. I’m breaking this cruise down by day so you can get an idea of how a Viking River cruise flows. This was our first and I’m hoping it won’t be our last! We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and had an exceptional journey with them, truly a dream of a trip!

In this post, I’m going to share like none of you have ever been on a Viking Cruise, so that when I’m finished sharing, you’ll have a grand overview of what it’s like. From our Veranda stateroom accommodations as well as lots of food we partook of onboard the Kara, we were not disappointed at all. In fact, we were fed so well it was impossible to even get hungry!

Here’s a peek at a Veranda Stateroom. It’s not huge, but plenty big enough for a couple.

Once we finally got over jet lag, we slept pretty well in here.

The bathroom is very compact and the floors are heated. Makes for a comfy shower and even though it’s small, it’s stocked with everything we needed. Our gal who took care of our room really did a great job and she made up our bed every day and tidyed up the room and bathroom.

It’s small, but works just great.

Mark and I enjoyed a few sunny afternoons on our balcony watching the world go by. What a way to travel!

I wanted to share a few shots of the common areas on the ship, they were nice to have as well. Seating and lounging areas.

Up on the sun deck there were plenty of chairs to sit and take in the scenery. We had a mix of weather but were able to get on the sun deck a couple of afternoons.

Herb garden for the kitchen is up top too. I love that!

There’s even a library for checking out books to read.

The Aquavit Terrace is open for lunch every day if we didn’t want the full lunch meal in the restaurant. We dined here at least one day and what a beautiful view on good weather days.

You can dine inside or outside and this spot was a cozy place to lounge too.

One of my favorite things was the coffee service. This machine made coffee any time of the day, from cappuccino to cafe latte’s along with all the condiments to go with it. Great for grabbing a coffee to go. They kept those bins to the left stocked up with pastries in the morning to afternoon and evening cookies. So nice to grab one of those on the go!

Wonderful views while we were cruising from the ship’s balconies.

Are you ready to travel with us? 

Day One: Basel Switzerland

Mark and I flew out of Atlanta late Saturday afternoon, flying over 8 hours and landing in Paris, France. From there we had a pretty short layover and then flew into Basel, Switzerland, arriving there late morning on Sunday. From there, we were picked up by a Viking bus and taken to our cruise ship, the Kara. After everyone was on board in Basel, we sailed around 7:30 that evening.

In the meantime, we had time for a walking tour of Basel, which I did alone. Mark was really tired from jetlag so stayed behind on this one and I went on the bus and took the walking tour. It was very interesting and informative.

Basel, Switzerland is located where Switzerland, Germany and France meet, which means Basel reflects a blend of traditions from all 3 countries. It straddles the Rhine at the river’s furthest navigable point. On the Market Square you’ll see Gothic, Renaissance and baroque splendor, along with the red sandstone Rathaus or Town Hall. It’s a modern city with more than 40 museums of art and culture.

We didn’t have a lot of time in Basel, but I loved walking the cobblestone streets and taking in the architecture. That’s one of my favorite things about Europe, the history and rich culture of the cities there are so much older than US history.

The cathedral in Basel was beautiful.

Seeing inside these majestic cathedrals in Europe never gets old.

Taking in the sights and sounds of Basel.

The red sandstone Rathouse or Town Hall in Basel.

Viking has a large fleet of buses available at each stop for transporting passengers on excursions each day. We really enjoyed driving to locations and then getting out and walking to take it all in. A note about the excursions. All the walking tours and bus tours came with a local tour guide and we had headsets and transmitters in our rooms so that at each outing, we could get connected to our tour guide, with ear pieces to listen by. We recharged them every evening in our room and brought them with us the next day.

After our walking tour, we headed back to the ship where a wine and cheese tasting was offered on board, with dinner at 7. We were welcomed to the ship at a Welcome Briefing before dinner, where we met the Captain as well as the Management staff giving us a snapshot of the week onboard the Kara and what we had to look forward to. The Lounge was open every evening before dinner for drinks and live music.

The musician onboard for the week was a guy named Blondie, who really had a great voice and made the most of his piano as well as additional digital accompaniment in music every evening. We really enjoyed the variety of music and even danced a couple of evenings. Who knew we could East Coast Swing dance to piano music? We did it!

That first night was so exciting as we embarked on a whole week of cruising on the Rhine. Our first evening in the Lounge, we down with the first couple we met on board, a very nice retired couple from outside Nashville, TN. We had a lot to talk about and they were delightful to visit with. We went on to sit at a dinner table later that evening with 6 others. That table ended up being such a wonderful and diverse group of folks and we mostly stayed together at that table all during the week for lunches and dinner. We enjoyed being together.

We made a point of all coming together the last night on the ship. It was such a pleasure meeting them all and hearing a little about their lives. At our table was the retired couple from outside Nashville, only in retirement the wife had bought her dad’s farm property so they run a farm and live in a 125 year old farmhouse, complete with cows and other animals. We were all sitting across from our spouses this last night on the ship.That’s our fave waiter, Kamil standing with one of the ladies from Canada.

Another couple was from NY, he was a lawyer, she a cardiologist. A couple of women were at our table, a delightful duo from Montreal, Canada, one was a widow, both retired and traveling together. And the last couple at our table were newly married in their late 50’s, he was retired military, she was in the aerospace industry and they had been married a year, celebrating their first anniversary on the ship.

These were the guys who loaned Mark a shirt and brand new underwear after hearing of his plight of no luggage that first night. It was fun to laugh about it later!

We met Executive Chef Klaus that first night and he was available during the whole cruise, making sure we were all happy and satisfied. We certainly were! The food was outstanding and we ate full meals breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with plenty of snacks in between.

Here’s a sampling of dinner, steak, potatoes and veggies. We could check our TV every afternoon to see what was on the dinner menu each evening.

This was my first meal, a delicious fish dish. The food was great and plentiful. There was a menu every night and we could mix things up too ordering appetizers off the standard menu and main dish or dessert off the specials of the evening. It was a fun way to taste a lot of food.

Mark and I both loved the Creme Brulee and had it several times during the week. It was hard to pass up since it one of my all time fave desserts!

Darkness descends on our first evening on board. What a way to start the cruise! Many evenings the ship left just as we all sat down to dinner. It was a delightful way to have dinner with the sun going down and the ship moving along the river.

Every afternoon, a Viking Daily was left in our room with everything we needed to know about the next day, including weather, where we were heading, a little about the city, things to do and where to eat if we chose to eat off the ship. It was a great way to stay informed and know what was coming the following day.

Day 2: Breisach, Germany

Most of our excursions started around 8:30 each morning, so we didn’t get to sleep in all the time, but a couple mornings were later which was nice. We were up and out of our room by 8 most mornings, had breakfast and were ready to leave the ship by 8:30. Most excursions lasted 2 to 4 hours and we were back in time for lunch each day. We chose not to eat off the ship, but ate every meal on the ship.

There were optional excursions each day (for an extra fee), many of them in the morning or afternoon so some folks could do an included morning tour and optional afternoon excursion if they chose, but some of them did overlap. We only did one optional excursion one afternoon. Each stop on the ship had an excursion included, which was usually a walking tour or a bus tour destination, so we did all of those and enjoyed them.

Our first full day on the river brought us to Breisach and the Black Forest excursion, which was 4 hours long.

We loaded in the Viking buses and headed up the mountains into the Black Forest, an area of Germany associated with fairytales like Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood.

The Grimm brothers preserved the folklore of this region. You can almost see the Gingerbread houses in the mist-filled woods of the Black Forest.

We arrived a little village known for glass blowing and cuckoo clock making and we had plenty of time to look around.

This building looked like a fairytale book cover.

The restaurant had a Black Forest cake demonstration, showing us how that delicacy is made from scratch. We had a piece of cake and coffee while there and it was very good. It was a picturesque ride into the mountains and interesting to see this region.

The town of Breisach is steeped in history too rising above sloping vineyards in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley.

We strolled through town after lunch that day and saw St. Stephen’s Cathedral up on the hill overlooking town. We didn’t make it inside this cathedral, but we saw plenty of others along the way. Construction on this cathedral was started in the 12th century, with expansions and renovations lasting into the 15th century. Can you imagine? We just don’t have these kinds of historic buildings in the States that date back so far. It’s fascinating to see!

We were half way looking for clothing shops for Mark since he was still worried about his luggage, but thankfully it arrived after we got back to the ship that afternoon and he was smiling from ear to ear after that!

My lunch after our Black Forest excursion. It was a treat each day to see what was for lunch and dinner.

Just before dinner that night, we were treated to a special performance of a local group, The Black Forest Voices, for a taste of local flavor.

Day 3: Strasbourg, France

Our third day, we arrived in Strasbourg, France in the morning and our excursions began at 8:30. This is the Alsatian region of France, known for their wine making and cuisine. There were optional excursions to partake in both of these, with wine tastings and dinners out, but we opted for the Strasbourg Highlights tour in the morning and came back to the ship for the afternoon.

We took a bus trip with our tour guide and she gave us highlights of the area along the way. She pointed out these stork nests on top of prominent trees driving to the main part of Strasbourg. That was totally fascinating! You can see one there on the top. They prune these trees to make sure they are flat on top so the storks can build their nests.

The buildings and scenery in Strasbourg were beautiful. We were dropped off in a location and we all walked and strolled with our tour guide as she led us through these charming streets to the cathedral.

We saw this cathedral, the Eglise St. Paul from the bus, a nice example or Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

Our walking tour took us through beautiful scenery like this canal walkway with beautiful draping wisteria in bloom.

The half timbered buildings are not only historical, but very charming to look at.

I couldn’t get enough of the cobblestone streets.

There were plenty of local shops and restaurants along the way.

Strolling through the Old Town of Strasbourg was one of the highlights of the trip.

You can see how picturesque it was around every turn in the bend.

Local patisseries offer plenty of temptations along the way.

We finally arrived at the Strasbourg Cathedral for an inside tour of this magnificent beautifully restored Gothic cathedral. Soaring an impressive 426 feet, it’s the highest medieval building in Europe. My photos do not do it justice, but I tried to capture the magnificent architecture as best as I could.

As you can see, it is very impressive on the inside too.

The stain glassed windows were magnificent with so much color and beauty.

The highlight of Strasbourg Cathedral is the astronomical clock, which dates from 1842 and depicts the beginning of life through man’s death. We watched the skeleton man come out and parade by at a certain time (you can see his face above). There were a lot of people inside the cathedral when we were there, so it was nice to get back outside.

Mark and I took an obligatory selfie in front of the cathedral. You just have to do that!

And we did a little more strolling through Strasbourg, taking in the quaint and charming streets.

There were plenty of shops to browse, such as this Villeroy and Boch shop of beautiful porcelain and dinnerware.

It was exactly like you would expect a city in France to look like.

With flower stands and charming shops.

Back at the ship before dinner that night, we were treated to a regional dress up from some of the crew alerting us of what we could expect for dinner that night. This is the ship’s hotel manager, Dejan.

And Lee, the Program Director, a British chap who was wonderful at his job. He made us all feel welcome and at ease with plenty of laughs along the way.

That night for dinner, the Chef and his staff had prepared a typical German dinner for us, including tabletop displays of cheese, fruit and pretzels.

It was a beautiful display of regional specialties.

Local meats and cheeses.

Most of us opted for the German plate that night to sample a traditional German meal of pork and potatoes. That’s white asparagus atop the plate, a regional delectable that this area is known for. The meal was good, but it was probably my least favorite of all the nights, just because German food isn’t at the top of my list.

I can’t remember what this dessert was called, but it was delicious as were all of them. Of course, we didn’t pass up dessert and had it for lunch and dinner. That’s what cruises are all about, right? Eat the food. Enjoy the desserts. Walk it off!

One more thing to note about beverage service. House wines, beers and soft drinks are included with lunch and dinner. There is tea service and a coffee bar accessible all the time as well. There is a Silver Spirits package with unlimited beverages including a selection of premium local wines, beers, cocktails, specialty coffee drinks, soft drinks and juices throughout the day; plus an open bar (during operating hours). You may purchase the package prior to sailing or once on board.

We were given the Silver Spirits package as an upgrade for our cruise so that was a nice bonus as well. I’m not sure you’d really need the upgrade unless you have certain expectations for premium drinks. The regular service for lunch and dinner would be very sufficient as it was, but you’re on vacation so keep that in mind as well.

You can find a list of FAQ’s online at Viking, so this might be helpful if you are looking to book a cruise of your own.

A beautiful sunset awaited us after dinner. I tried to capture as much of the beauty and splendor of the region as possible.

I’ll be back in the next post covering at least two more days of our Viking River cruise on the Rhine Getaway. i hope you enjoyed this first part, stay tuned for more. Next stops, Mannheim, Rudesheim and Heidelberg.

Don’t miss Part 2 and Part 3 of our Viking River Cruise! 

Here’s a cute video Mark put together so please enjoy the scenery! It really captures the essence of a Viking Cruise!

Reader Interactions

January 10, 2020 at 4:07 pm

Thanks, Rhonda, for the info and pictures! My husband and I are going on the same cruise the first of September, 2020. We will be on Viking Alruna and it will be our first river cruise. Did you take all casual clothes or some dressy clothes for dinner? Thanks in advance!

January 10, 2020 at 7:50 pm

HI, Debbie, so glad you stopped by to read about our Viking Cruise. I took a little more dressy clothes for dinner, since we were very casual most of the day. But nothing really dressy at all. A long dress and sandals would be great, or causal pants and a nice top. It’s not like the more dressy cruises at all. We’re so excited we will be going back in September to another Viking river cruise to France. Can’t wait!

January 2, 2021 at 1:08 pm

Rhonda, my husband and I are scheduled for the Grand European river cruise in November 2021. While we have been on several cruises, this will be our first river cruise. I have a couple of questions I’m hoping you can answer. First, you stated that you opted to eat lunch on the boat daily. Was there a particular reason for this or more a comfortable feeling? And second, knowing that “formal” attire is not requirement as dress is more casual on a river cruise, would a pair of dark wash jeans (non-destressed) be appropriate to wear for dinner as long as they are paired with blouses or sweaters? Thank you! Looks like a very enjoyable venture!

January 2, 2021 at 6:11 pm

Hi, Sue, I’m glad you stopped by. Most of our excursions made it possible for us to be back on board for lunch, so that’s what we did. It made sense to do that unless you opt for an extra meal off the ship that is part of an excursion or if you just want to try out local food. But the food on the ship was really good and we looked forward to all of the meals. I think dark jeans with a blouse will be just fine.The attire is more business casual for dinner.

September 29, 2023 at 10:13 am

My first Viking river cruise is coming up May 1,2024. Last year I did a double Scandinavian cruise. AWESOME! It looks like you presented the very cruise we are taking. Thanks for the photos etc. Now to get the packing of clothes just right.

September 30, 2023 at 1:58 am

Enjoy your cruise, we loved it!

January 27, 2024 at 8:43 pm

My husband and I are going Christmas 2024! You story and pictures have been awesome!! Thank for sharing and we know what to expect!

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Review: What It’s REALLY Like Aboard Viking River Cruises

Viking River Cruises Review

Recently, I sailed on my first Viking River Cruise up the Rhine River to explore Switzerland , Germany , France and The Netherlands on their classic ‘Rhine Getaway’ river cruise.

The entire trip was calm and relaxing and I felt like it struck the perfect balance of sightseeing and leisure!

I’ve taken several European river cruises cruises with family before and immediately knew my mom would love the smaller atmosphere, quaint towns and relaxing vibe, so I brought her along for the trip!

I know river cruising is not for everyone so if you’re curious about Viking specifically or more generally wondering what there is to see and do along the Rhine River, I thought I’d recap our trip to show you the highlights.

I would recommend this trip if you enjoy small colorful towns, World War II history and good food.

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Keep reading below for a complete review of what cruising with Viking is like!

Or quickly jump to:

• Rhine River Itinerary
• River Cruises vs Ocean Cruises
• Best European River Cruises
• Pre-Trip Experience
• Should You Book Flights Through Viking
• On Board Experience
• Viking Ship
• Included Tours

Rhine Getaway Itinerary

We started in Basel, Switzerland (up north on the Rhine River) and ended at Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

Viking also offers the same route in reverse , from Amsterdam to Basel so you can pick either option. For a couple stops on the journey, boats running in opposite cities are docked together.

We had a wonderful time and especially loved how organized the entire Viking journey was, from pre-departure to on-board, everything was seamless.

Also unlike many other cruises or guided tours, almost everything was included , which made it feel like a truly relaxing vacation.

Here’s a snapshot of our 7-day itinerary and what we got up to each day!

Day 1: Arrive in Basel, Switzerland

We arrived in the small, quaint town of Basel after our international flight.

This was the general arrival / travel date so we expected to just check in and relax but discovered that Viking organized a guided walking tour of the town. That was a nice surprise!

There’s also the option to arrive a couple days early and/or stay a couple days late. If you are thinking of this, here’s a quick guide to the best hotels in Basel  to help with accommodation.

Basel is an underrated tourist attraction and the third largest city in Switzerland. The town has a gorgeous Medieval center and plenty of world-class art museums.

There’s a reason Art Basel is held here!

We checked out the Romanesque cathedral, took endless pictures of the colorful medieval buildings and headed back to our ship to relax and meet everyone for cocktails and dinner. A great first day!

Day 2: Germany’s Black Forest & Colmar, France

On our second day, we sailed northward to dock at Breisach, Germany .

In the morning, we learned how to make cuckoo-clocks, put together Black Forest cake and walked a bit throughout the Black Forest.

The wooded mountain range is the site of many local legends and populated all over with black fir trees. If you like hiking, the mountains are wonderful!

In the afternoon, we signed up for an optional tour to Colmar .

Located in the Alsace Lorraine region, the town is part of France but throughout much of history, changed hands between Germany and France.

You’ll find lots of German and French spoken as a result!

I highly recommend visiting this quaint medieval town. Every street looks perfectly preserved and it’s quite colorful. We wandered mostly on our own, ducking into gelato shops and chocolate stores while enjoying the colorful, medieval feel.

Day 3: Strasbourg, France

If you skip the optional to Colmar, no worries!

Strasbourg is its larger cousin and also located in Alsace, France .

We had a wonderful guide for this day who guided us throughout the small canals, pointing out colorful streets and letting us know about Strasbourg’s tangled history in the hands of Germany and France.

Strasbourg occupies a strategic position on the Rhine River and is the ninth largest city in France.

It’s home to many European councils and organizations, like the European Court of Human Rights (a building built like a ship) and the Council of Europe.

For the most part, we stuck to the Old Medieval Town but drove through the modern section. Highly recommend a visit to the Cathedral!

Day 4: Heidelberg, Germany

Heidelberg is a university town with a energetic, small town feel.

In the morning, we visited Heidelberg Castle, which perhaps should be called a ruined fortress, as much of it was destroyed by lightening, fires and war.

The ruins and castle are built high above the city and the observation terrace is well worth a look!

Meanwhile, the city was almost entirely spared from bomb attacks during World War II and it’s narrow streets and baroque charm remain largely intact.

We explored Heidelberg’s Old Town (Altstadt) by walking along the main shopping street Hauptstrasse. This is actually the longest shopping street in Europe!

For the most part, I spotted large chain stores & restaurants.

I actually recommend skipping this street to explore the quaint alleyways and backstreets instead. Much more picturesque!

Day 5: Rhine River Castles & Koblenz, Germany

By day 5, we had reached the middle Rhine!

We spent our morning above deck watching the gorgeous small German towns and castles along both sides of the Rhine River. Our Viking program director gave a guided audio tour along the way, pointing out castles left and right.

Many of them are situated high above local towns and we saw lots of German camper vans parked at the base.

I recommend bringing a pair of binoculars for this part, as some of the castles can be set a bit farther away and the detail through a zoom is incredible.

By afternoon, we reached Koblenz, a city set at the mouth of two rivers.

We explored Marksburg Castle and wandered a bit on our own after. This was another ruined fortress high above the river.

Interesting history, but definitely wear good shoes ! The entire castle is unpaved, rocky and entirely uneven.

Note – a couple others from the cruise did the optional dinner excursion on this day and raved about it.

Day 6: Cologne, Germany

During the Holy Roman Empire, Cologne was the largest medieval town in Europe. Naturally, it’s Gothic cathedral is the hallmark draw!

The nice thing about this stop is the ship can dock right into town, so you can join the tour or explore on your own.

We explored the Kölner Dom’s interior and were suitably awed.

If you want a great view, Viking offers an optional tour that takes you all the way to the very top! I had already been to Cologne on a previous trip so instead, we opted for a palace excursion.

I *love* an over the top, beautifully decorated mansion and have a whole series dedicated to them here .

We visited Augustusburg Castle, one of two gorgeous UNESCO World Heritage site classified as Bruhl Palaces.

The castle was once home to the prince-archbishops of Cologne and is decked out in gold, marble and all-around extravagance. I particularly liked the massive entryway staircase which was gilded and made my mouth drop open when we turned the corner.

Highly recommend this day trip if you love castles half as much as I do!

The interiors were really unique and the guided tour was excellent.

After the main palace, we did a quick tour of the hunting lodge as well, which was just as stunning. This is one stop I definitely wished we had more time in!

Day 7: Kinderdijk, The Netherlands

Kinderdijk is home to the Netherlands’ famous windmills .

I’ll admit I didn’t know too much about the country outside of Amsterdam and our guide was quite helpful to explain the history of the nation and the purpose of its many windmills. 

Much of the Netherlands would sink, were it not for windmills to pump away water.

We even got to tour inside the home of a windmill keeper (see photos of a windmill  interior here!). What I didn’t realize was that windmill caretakers actually lived inside them with their families!

I thought the interiors were particularly interesting and our guide mentioned that some Dutch families managed to fit 13 children inside.

They’re quite small so I noticed lots of hooks for hanging, curved bunk-bed type rooms and lots of stair ladders. The Dutch windmill keepers also had a number of really unique boats which I took too many pictures of!

Fun fact: Kinderdijk is in the region of Holland in the nation of The Netherlands where the people speak Dutch .

The Rhine Getaway Cruise

One thing I liked about sailing with Viking is how leisurely the day to day pace is.

There’s generally an opportunity to sight see in the morning and afternoon, with one included tour and one optional tour.

We chose to do 2 optionals and on the other days, relaxed on board or went into town to explore on our own! It was a well-balanced pace and I truly felt “on vacation”.

Here’s a recap of our daily itinerary with Viking:

How River Cruises Differ vs. Ocean Cruises

Many of our stops were small European villages and medium sized cities, so we felt like we were able to see all the top sights without missing anything.

The best part? enjoying the comfort of a luxurious ship without worrying about transportation from town to town and only unpacking once .

Small Ships

I think most of us are familiar with large ocean liners that sail to the Caribbean.

River cruises offer a very different experience – they’re much smaller ships, typically seating only 150-200 passengers.

The Viking Hlin ship that I was on had about 150 passengers and approximately 60 crew members, for reference.

No Seasickness

In general rivers are much calmer than the open seas and you won’t have to worry about rough seasickness.

We did a fun tour of the wheelhouse and learned from the Captain that Viking ships utilize four propellers instead of a traditional rudder.

Because of this, they have the flexibility to turn each propeller a full 360 degrees for precision and smooth sailing so you shouldn’t experience any seasickness on board.

More About the Sights, Not On Board Entertainment

River cruising is a much more intimate experience, with unreserved seating at meal times so you get to mix and mingle with almost everyone on board by the end (if you want!).

There’s less on-board entertainment (no nightclubs or casinos on board) but each evening people congregated in the lounge by the bar and Viking had an on-board pianist. 

A couple nights during the week, Viking hosted either singers, dancers or local activities.

My favorite was the glass blowing demonstration by a glass master from Germany! He was quite an artist and had different glassblowing techniques than what I saw when I went to Venice .

Easier Disembarkation

T he number one reason why I like river cruises so much is because you get to see many small towns and sights in a leisurely fashion.

Depending on your journey, you stop in a new town every day or so and can get on and off the ship easily and on your own pace, without queuing for hours!

When I went on my cruise to Cuba , we received a group number each evening for the next day’s stop. That was a medium sized ship (roughly 500-1,000 passengers) and disembarking into town took about 2 hours, so depending on which group you were in.

I’m pretty impatient and hated the long lines. Everyone still has to be back on board at the same time, so for certain port stops, you would get much less time in town if you were part of the last disembarkation group.

Which is the Best European River Cruise?

I wouldn’t say there’s a “best” European cruise per se, but there are a couple main rivers in Europe that offer river cruise experiences. The most popular are the Rhine River, the Elba and the Danube.

• The Rhine River runs from the Swiss Alps through the Franco-German border and empties into the North Sea up in the Netherlands. This is the route we took.
• The Elba River   is a major Central European river and predominantly flows through Germany and the Czech Republic. A small bit flows through Austria and Poland.
• The Danube River is quite long, flowing through 10 countries through Central and Eastern Europe. It starts in Germany and flows along the borders of Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine before emptying into the Black Sea. I did this route years ago with family and loved it because I felt like I saw so much of Eastern Europe in one go. Lots of quaint, small towns perfect for a quick afternoon visit!

Viking Cruises Review

Our Rhine Getaway hit a couple towns throughout Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands in one convenient week.

Plus it had the added bonus of only unpacking once!

You can see the route we took in the Rhine River cruise map below.

Flights & Our Pre-Trip Experience

Once you book your Viking river cruise, the fun part is checking out the daily itinerary and browsing the optional excursions!

I was really impressed with Viking’s interactive website called My Viking Journey .

They have a handy map to show the journey along the Rhine River and make it easy to see what your options are each day. If you happen to pick an optional that conflicts with an included tour or a different optional tour, the website lets you know immediately.

Should You Book Airfare Through Viking?

Viking also offers airfare. 

We set a  fare alert and browsed for flights on our own, and after comparing it to the Viking customer service rep, found that they were able to get us a better deal. I was pretty amazed actually!

So I recommend booking airfare through Viking (after doing a price comparison on your own, of course).  It seems the company has relationships with partner airlines and is able to typically find flights cheaper than you can do on your own.

Another advantage to booking airfare through Viking is they also include round trip transfers.

We found this really handy after long travel days. For the arrival, our bus picked us up at the airport in Basel and left straightaway, which we really appreciated!

(Sometimes group tours will wait for the entire 50 passenger bus to fill up, which means you can get off a long trans-Atlantic flight and sit around for 90 minutes waiting for additional flights to land.)

On our departure, we had a very early flight so they arranged a cab direct to the airport – everything is totally taken care of!

Our On-board Experience on Viking’s Hlin Ship

We sailed aboard the Viking Hlin.

All of Viking’s fleet are individually named after different Nordic Gods and Goddesses and while many of the river cruise ships are similar or even identical, the small touches and art are unique.

Each ship has a giant painting of the Nordic god at the top of the main staircase, dedicated to the deity it’s named after.

Having sailed on a couple other river cruises, I loved how distinctively luxurious the Viking ship and rooms were.

Veranda Room Tour

Our Veranda stateroom was spacious, bright and airy with minimalist Nordic furniture and a cozy balcony. 

The ships are well designed to really maximize space and cabins feature a giant closet and tons of drawers to put away your clothes, should you wish to fully unpack.

Most river cruises are quite cozy and I typically keep my clothes in packing cubes … this was the first time I’ve fully unpacked!

There’s also a flat screen TV to listen to the daily on-boarding speech (if you don’t want to leave the comfort of your room) or to check the weather, watch TV, etc.

Our cabin had plenty of outlets, both European and American, so I could easily keep all my electronics charged.

On Board Amenities

My favorite part of our floor was the coffee & espresso bar to grab pastries and java any time of day. I helped myself to endless madeleines and double dark chocolate muffins.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention – Viking includes wifi on-board  free of charge. 

I thought that was such a nice touch given that I’m addicted to my phone. Internet service is a slower than usual, as it’s satellite service on the river and therefore inherently slower.

If you’ve cruised before you’ll appreciate this luxury! All other cruise lines charge exorbitant internet fees and still have slow service.

The Viking Ship

Our room was kept immaculately clean and always stocked with fresh fruit and water, thanks to a diligent cleaning staff. I’m a bit of a germaphobe and really felt at home on board.

The entire ship is airy and light-filled and despite it being a small river ship, it feels more spacious and open than some large cruise ships.

Above on the sun deck, they even have a small herb garden to season meals freshly.

In contrast, I once stayed on a ship where you had to step up into the bathroom and when the door was open, half the cabin space was used up – naturally, half the time I forgot the step existed and face planted.

Viking cabins have a pocket door so that the cabins feel spacious with glass door showers and fully openable doors that tightly seal, so water doesn’t get everywhere.

I did a cabin tour on my Instagram stories during the trip ( @shershegoes ) and got tons of messages that people were surprised how spacious and luxurious the cabins were!

Viking also clearly pays attention to the small details .

They design everything with care:

• heated bathroom floors
• angling the hallways to maximize cabin space
• large-flip cap toiletries that don’t leave you struggling to open them (vs screw offs)
• high quality European fixtures
• leather staircase railings

…just some small details I noticed, but I could go on endlessly!

It’s really clear on-board that Viking don’t skimp out on customer service and they all added up to make a seamless vacation.

Meals & Dining

All three meals are included on-board.

You have the choice to take meals either in the formal dining room or upstairs in the more casual Aquavit restaurant. We have nothing but great things to say about the meals!

Outdoor or Indoor Options

If you like to socialize and want a formal 3-course menu dinner, try the formal dining room on the main floor. 

If you want more relaxed, casual food with perhaps a table for just 2, the Aquavit upstairs is a great alternative. We had lunch a couple times there and it’s quite nice to see the river views and sit outside.

Local Cuisine

Viking also makes a effort to include local cuisine.

One night we had an Austrian / German night, with local specialties like sauerkraut, sausages, pretzels, schnitzel and plenty of German beer. 

It was a themed night, where the dining room transformed into checkered tablecloths, the staff put on their lederhosen and mini kegs were emptied!

Wine Included

Wines are included during dinner times, which I personally haven’t seen on any other cruise!

There’s also the option to purchase a Silver Spirits drink package if you wish to indulge in wine, beer and/or soft drinks before or after dinner.

Viking’s Included Walking Tours

Each day, there’s an included guided walking tour.

All the local guides were quite knowledgeable and Viking provides headsets so you can clearly hear. There’s even a designated group for those who wish to tour at a slower pace.

What I really liked was that there’s no pressure to stay with the tour. You’re free to start with the tour and slip away if you find a restaurant you like or somewhere you want to linger (although it’s nice to let the guide know so they don’t wait for you).

They really encourage you to make the most of your trip.

And that’s it! Are you headed on a river cruise?

Let me know if you have any questions about our Rhine Getaway with Viking River Cruises in the comments below.

European River Cruise – Trip Planning Checklist

We opted to extend our stay in Europe after the cruise. Viking offers both pre and post extensions, which are a fun way to see more of Europe and combine the best of both worlds (guided group tours with individual trips).

For our flights, we took advantage of Viking’s flight booking service. We set fare alerts and browsed for flights on our own, and after comparing it to the Viking customer service rep, found that they were able to get us a better deal.

Be sure to get travel insurance   for your river cruise. River cruises are highly dependent on local water levels, and abnormally low water can negatively impact your trip by forcing the boat to re-route.

In recent years, the Elba river has occasionally suffered from extreme low water levels – perhaps due to global warming? In any case, don’t end up disappointed – travel insurance will help when you need it most. Get a  quote for your trip here .

Cruising Articles

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Europe Travel Articles

1 Day in Basel:  Switzerland’s Most Underrated City!

Colmar, France: Is this Beauty in the Beast Town Real?

Everything to See & Do in Heidelberg, Germany

German Castles: A Photo Diary of Castles on the Rhine River

Fun Day Trips from Amsterdam: Visiting A Dutch Windmill Home

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Those photos are just perfect! They made me want to travel Europe more. Thanks for sharing such an informative post! :)

This looks so amazing. Your pictures are absolutely stunning. Such a great informative post.

Thanks Lynzy!

I have never been on a river cruise abroad. I am not sure that the tour that we did on the Ohio river would count as a cruise lol! I would like to visit here. All of your photos make me really want to plan a trip.

Wow, amazing indeed! I have to add this to my bucket list of places to visit! Your pictures are Stunning!!

The itinerary for this trip is near perfect. I think I’d enjoy every single thing planned. I especially like what’s scheduled on the third day.

Strasbourg is definitely a highlight! Supposedly the university is fantastic and has affordable tuition, i might just apply!

These photos make me want to head out on a cruise right now. I love the exotic feel of the settings in these photos and the breathtaking views. Someday I will get it together enough to visit.

Hey Melissa, glad you like the itinerary/photos! Hope you get to experience it soon :)

I was sooooooo excited to read your article! I have wanted to go on a Viking River Cruise for awhile now. Thanks so much for the helpful information.

It was my first Viking River Cruise and I totally loved it (as you can tell from the post) Let me know if you have any questions and I hope you sail with them soon!

Oh that looks amazing and your photography is beautiful. I would really love to do one of these holidays but with 6 children i worry about all the water! lol

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This sounds much better than I expected! Some family members have been trying to get me to do one of these. Thanks for sharing!

This was an excellent review! I’ve always wondered about Viking River Cruises and have strayed away from them because I just had never heard much about them. I love cruising on the big ships though, so I’m sure I would love a river cruise as well!

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Hey! Thank you so much for the detailed information about your cruise. I am actually headed on this cruise in a week and I’m very excited.

Ah you’ll love it!! Have fun :)

Im obsessed with this blog! My fiancé and I are taking our honeymoon early and heading on the Rhine Getaway in 2 weeks. Is there and particular must dos in the other places where you don’t have the more thorough blog posts? Also do you have any more pictures of the verandah room, as that is the room type we will be in, and of the ship itself? What was the weather like? Are there specific things we should be packing as far as clothes or anything else?

Hi Alyssa, ooh have fun! Hm I think Viking’s included tours do a great job of showing you the main highlights in each town, while giving you some free time to explore or have lunch in town if you wish.

I did the optional tour to Augustusberg palace which I really enjoyed, its on the Cologne day. Just a gorgeous, unique palace and hunting lodge. There’s also an optional to see the top of Cologne’s cathedral which other people on the ship liked. And then one night there’s a fancy dinner in a palace – I didn’t sign up for it but almost regretted it bc it got rave reviews from those who did! I think its the same night as the German dinner night on board so whatever you pick you’ll have a fabulous dinner. Definitely recommend the Colmar optional, which I have the post about. If you havent been to Amsterdam before you might want to stay longer after.

We went in early May and it rained a bit and was pretty cold. Viking has huge umbrellas, which was a nice touch bc I forgot to bring mine. Other than that nothing specific to pack – its pretty casual. It’s summer now so I’m sure the weather will be much better for you!

You’ll love the rooms! I was so impressed with how comfortable they were given that its a river cruise and the ship is small. My pictures of our room didn’t come out so nice because my stuff was sprawled everywhere ha.. but we had a veranda room as well! Loved the balcony. All the bathrooms have heated floors which I loved and now want to install in my bathroom. I snuck a peek at the suites which have a separate living room area and look really really nice. I’ve also never seen a more diligent cleaning staff!!

We sailed on the Hlin ship, which I think they said was 8 years old, but looked almost brand new to me. Viking takes amazing care of their river ships! I chatted to the staff one day and they spend the winter season breaking everything down, cleaning and doing engineering things to keep it in great shape.

Oh! Do the roundhouse mini tour where you get to see the caption’s… office thing on the roof. He tells you how the ship steers and has some fun facts about the mechanics. I always find that kind of stuff interesting (how things work, how they became ships captain etc). If I remember correctly its something you can sign up for on one of the slow days when we’re cruising. Only if you’re interested, its not an official tour or anything!

Oh and bring binoculars if you have them! It’ll come in handy the morning where we saw the german forts on the Rhine. I brought a gigantic zoom lens to take those photos, the castles are high up on hills while the ship sails in the middle of the Rhine. Feel tree to shoot me any more questions and I’ll do my best to answer :)

Can’t say enough great things about Viking and I’m already dreaming about doing another with them!

Thanks! Any chance you have a list or something of the times you were in and out of each port? I’d love to know how long we get to stay each place

No. You can try checking the viking journey site for more info. It was generally around a 1 hr tour and maybe an 30min – hour of free time

But like the whole day how early could you get off the ship and how late could you start in port before you had to be back on? I can’t find that information anywhere.

It depends on when the ship gets into town and if it’s departing for a different town that evening or docking overnight.

Do you remember which ports you were docked at overnight?

Don’t remember off the top of my head but check your My Viking Journey portal! Lots of helpful info there :)

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We did the Viking Paris to Normandy cruise in September of 2016. It was wonderful. We’re booking the Rhine Getaway today for September of next year. Thanks so much for all the helpful information!!

Did you fly nonstop to Basel or make a connection? I’ve bookmarked this page as I will be doing the same cruise next summer. :)

Hey Tiffany – I had a connection in Europe. I do recommend checking out flight pricing with Viking – they surprised me with cheaper airfare than I could find on my own and they also took care of the transfers. You can just ask them what the flight price will be before committing and do a little comparison check with google flights. Enjoy your trip, its a fab river cruise experience :)

Loved your post. I’m thinking of going next April. I have two questions: what are the temperatures like and is there a fitness or exercise room on board? It sound silly, but with all that eating I’ll want to do something to keep the weight off.

Hi Bonnie – I went in mid May and it was still chilly..anywhere from 40-60 degrees. This year I remember being surprised, because we had a very late spring season so it’s hard to say what 2018 will be like! It rained a couple times in the first 2 days of the trip, and I forgot to pack my umbrella, but luckily Viking has some HUGE umbrellas on board for guests to borrow. I know for me personally, even though it can be colder I prefer traveling to Europe in April/May before the crowds hit.

River cruise ships are small so there’s usually no room on board for a dedicated fitness room. That said on the roof of the ship, they have a track loop so some runners used that to their advantage. I think it was 13 laps on the roof deck equaled 1 mile and I only remember that because my mom kept up with her daily mile runs ha. On Viking’s ocean cruises, those ships are bigger and I believe Viking has both a fitness room and a pool on ocean routes.

All of the included daily tours are walking tours, so you do walk some of it off although I agree with you – it’s hard to restrict yourself on vacation and there can be some longer bus rides where you just sit and sit! Have a fabulous trip and let me know if you have any other questions

Hi, My name is Sunny Fletcher, I really enjoyed your write up and it was super inspiring! My boyfriend and I loved this particular itinerary but did not see it on the viking site when we searched for this particular 7 day cruise. Do you have any other cruise lines you could suggest? Also what is the predominate age group on these cruises. We are in our 40’s would we feel out of place? Thanks for your help.

Sunny Fletcher

Hi Sunny! So glad you liked it. I would say you would be more in place than I was on the trip ha! Im in my 20s and went with my mom. The crowd has a good mix of age groups, predominantly 40+ to retirees and I would say Viking is a more active program than other river cruises. I do a lot of tours with my family so I guess I’m maybe more used to being the odd one out, but I don’t mind as long as the itinerary is good!

Here is the cruise we took, it’s called their Rhine Getaway route. I heard that they also offer the same route during the holiday season, when Christmas markets are open so you might like that idea too.

https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destinations/europe/rhine-getaway/2017-amsterdam-basel/index.html

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Enjoyed your piece on the Viking Rhine Getaway. We’re likely going to book it for May 2018. With both artificial hips, spine issues, etc., I don’t walk so well, or far, anymore. My wife is fine, can walk forever. With my cane I can do probably a mile before a rest. I’m wondering about the shore excursions, many of which are “walking tours”. Will I be able to do them? If not, what are the options? Many thanks, Jerry

Hi Jerry! I think you would love the cruise and will try to provide my perspective.

All the included excursions are walking tours but some cities involve a bus to get to the town first while other cities viking can dock right in town so the actual walking part is not necessarily that strenuous. Cities like Colmar and Basel have compact Old Towns so the walking is quite short, but Marksburg Castle was very uneven inside (lots of cobblestone old steps) that I even found that shaky.

Regardless i would say that Viking is very accommodating.

There was a man on our tour who was blind and used a cane and he did all of the walking tours. Sometimes the guide gave him a hand. For some towns, Viking offered bicycle tuk tuks or cabs to drive passengers right to the town center. I felt the tours were quite leisurely paced and if at any time you don’t want to continue, you can leave the group to explore at your own pace or do your own thing altogether.

Many thanks for your reassuring reply. Most likely I’ll be fine. I wonder if Uber is available along the Rhine River route?

A couple more questions. I’m trying to do a little research on flights in and out. We’ll probably book through Viking, but I’d like to see what the options are regarding connections, etc. Do you remember what the required times were to get aboard the ship, and to leave at the end? Should we plan to arrive a day before departure?

Hm not sure about Uber. Lots of European countries ban it so I wouldn’t count on it, but there are regular cabs and the bike tuk tuks. Plus viking’s bus coaches.

You can arrive early or stay later but I flew in the day of departure. If I remember right, the boat sets sail in early evening so arriving the day of in the morning is fine. If you want to explore more of town, then I would stay extra.

We did the Basel > Amsterdam route. Basel is very small and I felt like we saw enough on the day of. If you arrive in the AM, Viking is nice and provides a complimentary informal walking tour of the old town! Lots of people extended their stay in Amsterdam since you don’f actually see that city during the itinerary.

I don’t remember the exact time you should leave, because we flew to Copenhagen on a very early flight. I think maybe they ask you to leave by early afternoon? So they have time to clean the boat before the next sailing route. Hope that helps!

Sadly Viking no longer provides this walking tour of Basel on the day of arrival. I checked with them A few days ago prior to our departure today and Viking said that the walking tour was no longer available. Very disappointed!

aw that sucks. i guess a lot has changed with covid. you’ll still have a great time i hope!

Hi,I have taken two Viking trips, the Danube Waltz two years ago and the Balzel to Amsterdam last year, I can’t say enough about how wonderful the trips themselves were, however, the air fair provided was another story. I understand it is offered free, BUT, when you are stuck in the last row in the plane, get told this is the only food option that is left and sorry there is NO WATER AVAILABLE, it made for a very long ride home from France with a man in front of us who had definitely not showered in a while.

Hey Dolores – sorry to hear you had a bad flight! To be honest I hate the entire flying experience and never have a great flight! I don’t think Viking has anything to do with the airline (ours wasn’t free) and we had a couple options for flight options/ seats etc

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Nice read. Quick question what is Vikings policy to bringing your own alcohol drinks on board. It sounds like it would be nice to sit on the room balcony with a bottle of wine.

Hi Ron – sorry for the delayed response, I think I missed seeing this! Yes, you can definitely sit on your room balcony and enjoy your own bottle of wine. Just so you know, all wine is included during meal times as well. I’m not a huge drinker but spent lots of mornings enjoying my coffee on the balcony.. it was so relaxing! :)

HELLO, we are taking the Rhine River cruise in late Oct. I know no one can accurately forecast the weather,wondering what kind of jacket/coat should I pack. Also, will the christmas markets be open?

Hi Lynda, I would think it’d be pretty cold. Usually October in central Europe is ~50s during the day and as low as ~40s around night time. I would probably pack jeans/long pants, light sweaters and either a wool coat like this http://bit.ly/2vz4X6w or if you’re wearing layers, a windbreaker like this one: http://bit.ly/2wz0plj .

Unfortunately the Christmas markets don’t open until late November but I would think October would be a beautiful time to see fall folliage along the river? Autumn is my favorite season so I’m sure it will be even more magical in Europe. Have a great trip!

Thanks for the great review. I’m taking this trip in April 2018 but in reverse. This answered many of my questions. Thanks for all the great details. I can’t wait.

Lots of helpful info there! Someone just told me that she had been on 3 river cruises — I think all Viking — and that you had to leave the ship around 7:30 a.m. if you wanted to join the walking tour. I’ve never heard anyone else mention such an early start. Did you experience this on your trip?

Hm.. I think I got up by 7:30am but I don’t think we left the ship quite that early. I want to stay it was about ~7:30am breakfast, leave by 8:30-9am. There are generally 2 time slots for tours per day, one in the morning and one after lunch – you can do both or just do one. Usually everyone does the morning one and if you book an optional tour, that would be your afternoon option.

FTo be honest, every land group tour that I’ve been on and when I travel personally, I get up very early to see as much as possible so I felt like Viking was nice and a “slower pace”. One lady at dinner mentioned she thought the times were early for her, so I guess it depends on your personal travel style!

Once you book a tour, Viking has a section of their website called “my viking journey” where you can see the optional tours offered and it makes it very easy to see the tour times so that you don’t double book yourself. Hope that helps!

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If the intinerary shows a tour for morning or morning and afternoon does that mean they leave after the tour or do they stay till evening so you can mull around?

Hi Margie – it depends! If the ship is staying in town and not sailing onward, you can stay out on your own after the tour, have lunch in town instead of on the ship, wander etc. For example, I think in Strasbourg some of us did this. Also in Cologne we docked overnight so you could hang out all night until the early AM if you wanted!

If you decide you’ve seen enough when the tour ends, then you can take advantage of the included shuttle bus to take you back to the ship.

Sometimes, the ship sails onward or if it’s an optional tour it might be a town far away from the dock, so it’s expected that you’ll go with the group. For example, the Colmar optional tour which I took takes you to Colmar (which is not close to the dock) so you wouldn’t want to linger. Hope that helps!

I love the idea of a river tour, especially the unpacking bit. ;) How was the social situation on board? Were the other guests mostly much older? I think that’s what’s holding me back on trying it myself. I don’t want to be the only 30-something on a ship full of seniors. :\

Hi Melissa! Ha yes the unpacking part and luxurious room were too good to pass up. Hm.. it’s definitely an older crowd, most people in their late 40s – 50s if I had to guess their ages. Some retirees as well. But, I do lots of group tours with my family and I would say its more of the “active” older / retired crowd vs those who just like to be shuttled from place to place.

There were some 30 something couples on board and at dinner you can either eat solo or mingle, so it just depends on what you prefer. If you prefer a really social atmosphere, European hostels are the best bet or I’ve had friends who went solo and joined something like a G Adventures tour for the social atmosphere.

Would you be going solo?

Because cabins are usually meant for 2 people, river cruises in general tend to charge a single supplement fee (I think Viking does, but I’m not certain).

Sher, My husband and I are traveling next June on Viking River Cruise Paris to Swiss Alps. I was wondering if you would suggest we bring binoculars and a camera with a zoom lens to see and get good pics from the river itself. Also wondering if you know how flexible they are regarding problems clients have with food issues? I was glad to hear that if the pace of the tour was too fast or slow that you could break away from the group, however are cabs fairly easy to find if you find yourself needing to return to the boat? Do you suggest a particular app for your phone to translate? Also wondering about carrying cash or credit cards for excursions, should we have both or did you find one better than the other? Thanks I know that’s a lot of questions!

Hi Colleen,

Ooh Paris! Sounds like a good itinerary.

1) I’m a bit of a photo fanatic so I was very glad I brought my zoom lens. I think my mom would have appreciated binoculars, especially since she has poor vision. You can definitely see the castles from the naked eye on the boat, but if you want to see detail binoculars are helpful. Did you check out my German castles post? All those photos were shot with a 70-200mm lens (mostly at the 200mm mark) so as an example, you won’t see the individual castle windows or small town churches like in those photos without a zoom or binoculars. I mentioned it in the post because I didn’t bring binoculars on a safari trip to Africa and while I could see the animals just fine, a kind man lent me his for a day and it was such a better view! ha. So just personal preference.

2. Hm, I don’t personally have any dietary restrictions so I’m not sure. For dinner, there are always several options to choose from, including a vegetarian one. I *think* they have options for gluten free but I’m not 100% sure – you can try using the chat bot on the viking website or calling a customer service rep to make sure.

The waiters and all the staff are exceptionally friendly / helpful and can make menu substitutions if you don’t like anything or are allergic. I remember they had ipads during dinner service to jot notes & things. They also have excellent memories! If you wanted two appetizers or ahem, two desserts (like I sometimes did), they’re very generous with that, it’s not an issue. Or if you wanted appetizers instead of mains, that sort of thing is easy for them to accommodate.

3. I think cabs would be easy to find. I didn’t do the exact route you’re mentioning so some cities would be different, but in general I find that the stops were small European towns so it’s easy to wander and find your way back to the main square. Even Paris is not so big a city :)

Usually at the front desk, they will have maps of the city so ask for one of those before you disembark and if you want to explore on your own, then you can use the map. Also a tip is to download the offline Google Maps for each city you’ll be visiting. I always do that before I travel! I’m a big walker so with the offline map downloaded, you can navigate yourself back to the main square or the dock. And of course if you get cell service using something like Know Roaming (which I’ve reviewed on my blog briefly here ) then you can get cell service too for emergencies.

Viking uses these headphone systems which are pretty good and they split the passengers into smaller groups, so if you see yourself wanting to explore more of the city just let the guide know you’re leaving the group and you can find out about local cabs or meeting points, etc. Every evening, they leave a pamphlet in your cabin so you can get a sense of what you’ll be visiting the next day.

4. I use google translate on my phone for translation but I think you do need cell service for it to work. In general everyone in Europe speaks excellent English :)

5. I rarely bring cash to be honest, I bring a couple credit cards which carry no foreign fees and I bring my debit card for the atm / emergencies. I’m also not a shopper / I don’t buy souvenirs anymore but if you like to shop, cash is helpful for small things like street fairs, flea markets, christmas market stalls, food stalls. Do you have Chase bank? You can call ahead and ask your local branch, mine in NYC can exchange euros same day, so if you want to bring like 100 – 200 euro just to be safe, you can try that. I’m sure other banks do it too.

For the optional tours, I would recommend booking those in advance. Some of the popular ones fill up. If you login to the “My Viking Journey” website it will show you, day by day, which tours are available and also will warn you if you’re booking overlapping tours or things that conflict. I found it quite handy! So since you book those ahead, you book them all on credit card.

In general I prefer credit cards because I get points and I find carrying cash /dealing with change a pain. But that’s just me!

Hope that helps – feel free to reach out if you have more questions.

I enjoyed your account of the river cruise and I’m curious as to how dressy or casual folks were. Do you have a packing list for this trip?

Thanks, Penny

Hi Penny! Glad you liked the article.

People were pretty casual (pants, jeans, cold weather jackets etc) but I also went in May when the weather was still pretty chilly. For dinner time, I believe they ask for closed toe shoes and no shorts, but there isn’t a requirement for jackets so it’s no where near formal.

I haven’t written a packing guide yet but have gotten a couple requests so I’ll add that to my list of posts to write!

What did you do at night?

We either went back into town, had drinks in the lounge or stayed in to watch Downton Abbey (LOL).

It’s generally pretty quiet at night since it’s a small ship vs. huge ocean liners.

We also loved our river cruise! We left from Amsterdam in August and finished in Budapest with the optional trip to Prague. One word of caution, while the glassblower’s demonstration was awesome, he has yet to send us any of the items we ordered and paid for. He said it would be 3 weeks…it is now about 5 months. After multiple emails to him (unanswered) and emails and phone calls to Viking we are giving up and disputing the charges on our card. I’ve seen other complaints on trip forums about him. I’m disappointed Viking still brings him on board!

Hi Nancy – glad to hear you liked the cruise as well! Wow, I had no idea about the glassblower. I’m wondering if it’s the same glassblower since the one on our trip didn’t have large items to ship, he brought lots of little items (candle holders, ornaments, figurines, vases, etc) that you purchased right there, they packaged up for you and then you took it with you right away.

I got one of the glass ornaments and hung it on my tree this past Christmas!

I’m so shocked to hear the glassblower you had didn’t ship promptly. Have you reached out to Viking customer service to file a claim and let them know? That’s very disappointing and you should dispute the charge if it’s been 5+ months and no package. Credit card companies are usually great about resolving that in your favor.

The glassblower was Karl Ittig. His business is Glas Haus Wertheim. We bought some shot glases from him on the ship and brought them home with us. The problem is with what we ordered. We ordered 2 ornaments that were to have names etched in them along with the year. We also ordered a set of his Jagermeister shot glasses for our son with his monogram etched on them. Our friends also ordered his salad dressing bottles. They also have received nothing. We have contacted Viking several times. They said they’d look into it but nothing happened. The last time they were the ones to say to dispute the claim. It’s disappointing that Viking does not seem to care that much. It makes us wonder if they get some kind of a kickback from the glassblower.

I just google searched his name and photos of him came up. He’s not the same glassblower who was on my river cruise (Viking has so many ships I’m sure they have many, many glassblowers that they partner with).

Viking probably does get a kickback. Pretty much every travel company or tour builds in visits to local businesses and in return they get a % of commissions, just like a shoe salesman at any dept store. If you ever go on a Chinese tour – man, those take the cake for how many shopping visits they can pack in, all because they get a commission! Same with hotel concierges – they usually recommend restaurants they get a kickback from. such is life!

It’s really unfortunate that you haven’t received the items and that he essentially stole your money. If you paid via credit card, you should definitely get your money back. In my experience, American credit card companies (is yours american?) have fantastic customer service and you can file a dispute online very easily.

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My husband and I are taking this river cruise next year for our 20th anniversary and I can’t wait. I really enjoyed reading your take on it and seeing all the pictures. Can you tell me where the above picture was taken with the yellow/cream colored building with all of the decorations and red hearts? It looks like a fun place to visit. Thank you, Michelle

Hi Michelle – have fun! It’s a great cruise. The yellow building with the hearts is in Colmar, France – possibly one of the cutest towns I’ve ever been to :)

We’re considering this same cruise (from Basel to Amsterdam). Curious to know, are there better views on one side of the ship than the other? We were thinking of getting a french balcony versus the veranda. Which did you have?

Hi Dawn! We didn’t feel like there were better views on one side or the other. Hm, I can’t remember the name of our room but we had a small narrow balcony with 2 chairs and a side table where we could drink coffee outside. It was nice to get fresh air and we sat on it once or twice during sailings. We also peeked into some suites and those looked HUGE!

I think the standard rooms are fine, since you don’t spend all that much inside.

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Hi! My mom and I are thinking going on the same Vikings tour as you and your mom, but we are doing the reverse route. :) It’s nice to see that some other young people go as well! My question for you is that my mom will be 74 by the time we take this cruise. She can’t walk very long distances without needing to sit and rest for a couple of minutes. Bad knees and back. It seems like your excursions had a lot of walking involved. Do you think, in your experience, she will have issues with the walking tours that are provided by Viking?

Thank you! Sarah

Hi Sarah – sounds fun! I think she could do it. There’s 1 walking tour per day in each city / stop. The walking tours are about 1 hour, give or take, but if you get tired or want to leave, there’s no problem with ditching the tour to go stop at a cafe or go shopping. The tours are optional too, so if you and your mom would prefer you can always just leave the ship on your own and come back when you wish, instead of doing the tour. It depends on the stop (sometimes the boat isn’t docked in the center of town so it’d be difficult in those instances, it just depends on the river / boat area).

From the top of my head – the Black Forest is very doable, Colmar is a very small town so we booked the optional tour but explored on our own, the windmills are within walking distance from the boat and you can go at your own pace. Cologne we docked right in town. I wouldn’t recommend Marksburg castle because it’s very old and entirely uneven cobblestones.

The Viking staff can help you arrange a taxi or bike peddler if you want to go into town in more comfort or come back early. Overall I felt like the cruise was very relaxing. Hope that helps!

Hi Sarah – One thing I forgot to mention in my comment. Each day for the included walking tours, there is a designated group for those who want to explore at a slower pace. I didn’t join those groups so I’m not sure exactly how they work but thought that group could be great for your mom!

Considering this same cruise in 2019. Is there a bar on the ship to have a drink after dinner? Does Viking allow you to bring your own liquor on board?

Hi Diana – yes there is a nice bar and big lounge area. If you buy your own bottle of wine or spirits in the town, you can definitely bring it on board. I saw people drinking on their balcony. I’m not sure if you can bring your own liquor to the bar area though.

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Loved the article. We just booked a Danube cruise so I’m excited and this is really helpful information. I can’t wait. It all sounds wonderful.

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Sher, Great Blog, thanks. You photos are sensational. How did you compensate for the movement of the boat? Were you using a tripod? What’s your preferred camera? (We leave in 2 weeks! so excited.)

Hi Kathy – thanks so much for the kind words! Do you mean the photos of the German castles? For the most part, I shot these photos on the day excursions into each town, so we were on foot and exploring. I do have a tripod ( this one ) but the boat moves slowly enough when it sails that you can still get handheld shots. All my gear is listed on my FAQ page here :)

Thank you! Very helpful??

Thank you so much for your detailed comments from your Viking Riverboat Cruise on the Rhine. My husband and I are taking the same trip in June 2018 and were extremely impressed by your suggestions. It was wonderful reading about someone else’s experiences and recommendations. Your photography is oustanding. We are looking forward to our trip even more thanks to you!

Thanks so much for the kind words Patricia! Have a great time on your trip :)

Hi thanks for all the info in your blog….sounds like we have signed up for the right cruise.

We are taking the Rhine Getaway in July as a 70th birthday celebration for my husband. We are landing in Basel a couple days early and planned to take a train for a day trip to Lucerne (about an hour ride). Wondering if you have any thoughts about things to see/do in Lucerne?

We also extended a couple days in Amsterdam…any specific must sees (we were thinking of the hop on and off bus or canal boat give us flavor of city and an easy way to get around), and know we want to see the Ice Bar.

Thanks again for all you info!!!

Wow sounds like a great birthday celebration! Lucerne is very pretty, we just took it easy and walked around.

I have a post on day trips from Amsterdam here . The city itself is very popular, a bit crowded, so try to go early for things like the Anne Frank Museum. Try a canal cruise too! Since you have more time, I really liked visiting the Hague and Bruges. The Hague has some stunning buildings like the International Court of Justice while Bruges is more small town / medieval, very picturesque. Have a great trip!

Quite a thorough review. Many of our questions were answered. We’ve not been to Germany before so we are curious and deciding between this river cruise or a land tour. It does sound like this would be a great first-time visit to upper Europe (We have been to Rome, Athens & Crete). I really would like to see the Alps too. We’d like to also see Lucerne(Cogwheel Train, Gondola) and Munich.

Hello, Thank-You for ALL the tips on River Cruising. My 89-year-old mother and myself are planning a 2019 Paris and the heart of Normandy in Early April. any recommendations or comments on that trip?

Great summary of the trip. We’re going on the Rhine cruise in November and can’t wait. Leaving from Miami to Basel. We’ve been in many cruises in large ships but this one will be a treat. Decided to go business class with Lufthansa and that will also be a treat. Thanks!

Hi John – glad you liked my recap! Ooh, business class on Lufthansa will be such a treat. Have a great time – I think you will like the more intimate atmosphere on a river cruise!

Planning a 25th Anniversary trip for my wife in 2020.

Really enjoyed reading about your experiences. Not sure yet what trip we want to take, but you make a great argument for the trip you described in this Rhine Getaway river cruise.

Thanks for the detail.

Sounds like an amazing anniversary trip! Have a great time Marty

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Hello Sher,

Most important we do everything right on this trip in Sept Getaway Rhine. Long story, but neither myself or my companion has had a vacation in over 13 years — and I feel as if I’m planning in a vacuum. My companion is in his late eighties but wants to see the Rhine — I’m in my late seventies and just want to see something again. Would it be wise for us to just walk around the small villages rather than do the excursions? Some of them seem to take so long. My companion wants to see the war memorial in Colmar which we’ve signed up for and we have also reserved tickets to Van gogh exhibit. Am tempted to skip Heidelberg and Marksburg castle because of demanding climbs. All so confusing. Also, very important. we’ve been told many people wear jeans to dinner. True? Will appreciate your feedback — we must enjoy this trip. Thank you, Sandra

Hi Sandra – it’s up to you! Most of the guided tours take place in the morning (you’ll get a schedule the night before in your room), so you can decide what you’d like to do each day. I would suggest trying out 1 or 2 of the included free walking tours since you can always leave the group to go back to the ship or explore on your own if you no longer want to participate. Viking is very flexible and their tour guides are OK if you decide to leave mid-tour. Just let them know so they don’t include you in the headcount.

Yes, I would definitely suggest you skip Marksburg. The castle is in ruins and the footpaths are cobblestone – very uneven, very challenging for unsteady walkers. Heidelberg Castle is on a hill, but it’s much flatter and easier to walk, so it’s up to you.

You can wear whatever you want to dinner, Viking is pretty casual! Jeans are fine. Hope that helps!

Hi – great article, comprehensive & thoughtful! Wondering what time of year you went on the Viking river cruise?

Hi Kathy – I went in spring, at the beginning of the season!

Thank you for all the great information. We will be doing the same trip the first week of November and it’s so nice to hear we made a great decision!

Hi there! We’re on our final day of the Romantic Danube Viking River cruise. I agree with everything you’ve stated. Great ship, staff, food, and itinerary. Water levels are a huge deal, though. We’re presently completing a 3 hour bus transfer from Vienna to Budapest – missing one of the most scenic parts of the cruise. We are making our 2nd ship swap for the final night / our 3rd ship.

We received an email from Viking one week prior to departure telling us about the issue between Passau & Krems. Tuesday night our program director informed us of the additional issues past Vienna. We cruised the scenic Wachau valley after dark.

So we missed 2 of the 3 primary cruising segments. Spent 6-7 hours on buses – very nice buses- but buses.

We realize Viking can not control water levels, but their communication was late & misleading. They’ve been doing this for months – maybe years, yet acted like it was out of the ordinary. Passenger morale was affected. I’m not sure if they’ll offer vouchers. Some passengers were very upset.

Nothing about this on their website – apart from the fine print – but cruisers are blogging actively about this issue.

Great review, though.

-Scott S. from Boise

Hi Scott – Wow, yikes! So sorry to hear that your cruise had an issue. I hadn’t known about the water levels issue as our cruise was on the Rhine River, and to my knowledge, the Rhine River hasn’t had any critically low water levels. I’m not an expert by any means though.

I sympathize with you since it’s a terrible situation all around. Viking cant control the water, but naturally you didn’t have the full experience. It’s good that Viking had a back up plan so you could still at least experience the cities on the itinerary.

Has customer service gotten back to you about vouchers or anything else they can offer?

Also, just curious – when they emailed you a week before departure, were you able to cancel the cruise and opt for a later date?

We river cruised on emerald last year,sounds very comparable to Viking. They did include wine or beer with lunch and the 5 course dinner. You mentioned wine with dinner. Does Viking also include included wine and beer with lunch? . Viking is maybe more catered to Americans (ie: flight prices transatlantic). We are trying to find the best river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel,Switzerland, and this trip you took sounds wonderful. I do recommend you try out Emerald,they are fantastic. What would be comparable to a cabin with a “balcony” ? Ie: a window that rolls all the way down? These answers will possibly help us to decide. Thanks so much. Maria

Hi Maria – I hadn’t heard of Emerald before, thanks for bringing them to my attention! I just looked them up and they seem to have very similar luxury river cruises. It seems like they are an Australian company?

You’re right that Viking has a big American market. I believe the owner / company ethos is Scandinavian but they seem to focus on the American market as there were lots of American travelers on our journey.

I’m not sure what you mean by “what would be comparable to a cabin with a balcony”. Are you asking about accommodation on Viking? All the rooms are quite nice, the more expensive rooms get you more a bigger floorplan, higher floor and potentially a small outdoor balcony. For us, we had a small outdoor area – not too big, just enough to fit a small table and chairs and have a glass of wine or morning coffee. Hope that helps!

Or do you mean what are the rooms like without a balcony? If you go to Viking’s website here and scroll down, they have a floorplan of the Europe river ships and each room. There’s also pictures of the standard / french balcony and veranda rooms. Hope that helps!

Hi Sher – My wife and I will be going on our first cruise ever in September 2019 on the Amsterdam to Basel run, with an extra few days in Basel. I had booked a couple months ago and splurged on the two room Veranda suite. We’re very much looking forward to the trip but was curious if our suite is worth the cost. Will we find that we spend very little time there anyway? Thanks for your great website.

Hi Doug – ooh fancy! We haven’t personally stayed in the suites before, but we’ve gotten a peak into the rooms and they look super spacious and very nice.

We definitely spend a lot more time in our rooms on river cruises vs. ocean cruises, as there’s not as much on board entertainment. Also if the weather is great, it’s very nice to sit on the balcony with a glass of wine during sailings and typically September is beautiful in Europe!

I was thinking of cruising the rhine w/viking, is November OK to do this??? Thx

Hi Karen – Hm.. November might be a bit cold. I think May to October might be more comfortable weather wise!

I enjoyed this blog so much, we were thinking of doing a cruise, but now you have convinced me. Excellent writing, informative , and your photos are wonderful. One question, my husband enjoys a good cigar and drink, is there a designated smoking section with a view or just an area for smoking? Thank you again for such a great blog. PS just started following you on Instagram!!

Is their drinks package worth the price?

Hi Peter – it depends on how much you like to drink ;) Viking includes house wine with lunch and dinner. If you want other drinks, or perhaps cocktails after dinner, then I would say it’s worth getting. If you are fine with wine during meals, then don’t bother!

One of the best written river cruise reviews I’ve ever read. Sher, you have a great style in presenting activities as well as the cruise experience.

Wondering how well the cruise would be for me as I am oxygen 24 hrs….Also is there much climbing involved?

Hi Cliff – The ship has an elevator on board that you can use. For the excursions, there wasn’t any climbing but the tour of Marksburg Castle had VERY uneven paths (broken stones) so I’d probably recommend skipping that.

Hi great information, was wondering when do you think is the best time of month to do this cruise? I was thinking March or October, any thoughts?

Hi Suzanne – the European river cruise season starts in May. Usually the clean the ships in the winter and do maintenance, upkeep etc, so I don’t think March sailings for the Rhine river are available. I could be wrong! I also think it would be too cold in March to enjoy.

October would be nice! I haven’t done any fall sailings but I think it would be much less crowded and perhaps the leaves would change. Plus there’s Oktoberfest in Germany in October!

Hi, Sher We are doing our first Viking cruise in October 2019. Amsterdam to Basel. We are arriving from Philadelphia. We do not have the pre or post add on days, but do want to see the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. Do you think we will have time? Also, I was interested in the added excursion to the top of one of the cathedrals and was under the impression there was an elevator, however, also saw where you had to climb over 300 steps! I have found your website to be very informative.

Hi Donna, thanks! Hm.. I’m not sure if you have time for the Anne Frank house. On the last day of the cruise, you’re expected to leave the ship quite early (I believe before noon), but if your flight is that evening, you may have time.

Make sure to book your tickets online before your trip, you can do that on their official website. It’s one of the THE most popular attractions in Amsterdam so expect really long lines. Or, you can take a walking tour that covers the history of Ann Frank, these are pretty popular.

Regarding the cathedral.. I assume you mean the Cologne one? It’s been a long time since I went to the top (I went before the Viking trip) so I don’t quite remember. I believe there is no lift, as it’s a very historic, old church. But you can double check with Viking before booking their excursion!

Have a great trip :)

Great info thanks

We are planning our trip on Viking River Cruises from Amsterdam to Basil in mid May, and I”m trying to figure out what and how much to pack. I see that the weather is quite changeable, rainy, cool to moderate. Are there laundry services on board the ship (Viking Einar) or facilities for guest to go their own laundry?

Hi Deborah, Yes if I remember correctly there’s laundry service on board.

Sher – my sister’s and some girlfriends of ours are planning our 1st ever international trip for our 50th bdays (gulp, can’t believe we will be 50!). As most of us have never been overseas and an international trip is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for us, we need a trip that is easy to navigate for newbies and gets us the most bang for our buck (see all we can). I have several questions for you: Did Viking pay for you to take this trip? Do you think the Rhine Getaway would be a good choice for this group based on my description above? Is there any “night life” for the evenings (we don’t want to be in large touristy areas but do want to experience as much as possible)? We don’t want to go during peak season or the worst weather time. Would April be a good time to go? Many of us either have German and/or Irish heritage so we were wanting to fly to Ireland at the end of the cruise. Is that possible? I’m sure I will have a ton more questions so please let me know how best to communicate with you. Thank you so much for your post. It was very helpful.

Hi Tracie – ooh sounds like a fun birthday milestone! To answer your questions:

No – Viking did not pay me to take the trip (but that would be the dream). I did receive the Rhine cruise complimentary, along with several other journalists, in exchange for taking photos and showcasing the cruise on my Instagram account. I ended up loving the trip so much that I decided to write a more in-depth review on my website. They had no control or input in what I wrote – the article is entirely my own opinions.

Should you take the Rhine Getaway for your group trip? I think it depends. If you are looking to celebrate with a bang, then no Viking probably isn’t the trip. At least, not their river cruises. The river cruise ships are intimate (maybe 100+ passengers) and there isn’t much in the way of entertainment at night. No casino, no pool, no shows, dancing etc. There is a pianist on board, a roomy lounge and a great bar, but that’s about it.

The ocean cruises (which I have not been on) are much larger ships with entertainment on board.

You can go out at night off the ship if the boat is docked. It depends on the city though. Some cities have their docks right in the town center, like Cologne, so you could stay out all night until the ship leaves the next morning. Other cities, like Paris, the docks are about 30-45 min driving outside Paris proper, so it’s less convenient. Viking will organize shuttles for you to go into a nearby town, but if you wanted to go out at night into Paris, you would have to take your own taxi. For places like Rome, forget it – its like a 2 hour drive. It just depends on the city’s port logistics.

If you are ok with a more cultural, relaxing trip then Viking would be good. And then you can fly to Ireland after and party :) Dublin is a great city for that, and all over Ireland, the pubs are fantastic, the people are so friendly, it’s a great country to have a good time in!

The river cruise season kicks off in mid May, so April is a bit too early. Try late May or early June, or maybe mid September – mid October, to avoid crowds + have great weather.

Hope that helps

My husband and I are going on the Rhine Getaway this summer. I have 2 questions: 1) Strasbourg – should we take the optional Strasbourg from the Top? Or stick to the included Strasbourg Highlights? 2) Heidelberg – we are doing the 6 hr included tour in the morning. We thought it would be fun to do the Dine in City Rudesheim that evening for $158 total. Is that worth it???

Many thanks! Have enjoyed and learned so much reading your review and insights.

Hi Elizabeth,

Hm, I stuck to the included Strasbourg tour and thought it was a good half day tour. We had free time after to explore the city. If you like a good view, maybe the optional is good? I don’t think there is an elevator for the cathedral though – its stairs. Up to you!

For your second question, I just double checked the Viking website because I can’t remember the specifics. They list the Rudesheim am Rhein optional on the Koblenz Day, not the Heidelberg day. That’s the add-on dinner you’re referring to right?

But under the Heidelberg day, I wrote we went to Rudesheim that night on our own so I think you are right about it being the Heidelberg day. If I remember correctly, the boat docks in Rudesheim, so you can go into town on your own and choose a restaurant if you want. I don’t think the optional is necessary.

If you are interested because you want a good local dinner, we heard rave reviews from the people on board who did the Schloss Johannisberg castle dinner + wine tasting, the next night in Koblenz.

If you do choose that, just to let you know, the fun ‘local dinner’ night that Viking does is on the same evening. So whatever you chose, it will be a memorable dinner!

On board they decorate it like a mini Oktoberfest, with music and local cuisine, beer, pretzels, schnitzel etc. It was loads of fun, but only half the people were on board (other half chose between the optional dinners and they came back very happy too).

Hope that helps – have a great trip!

We just booked this cruise for April 2020. What a wonderful blog. Thank you so much. I will be checking back and taking notes!!

We have booked the cruise from Basel to Amsterdam for late September, our 50th anniversary. We did Avignon to Lyons last year on Viking and loved it! Your descriptions of life on ship are spot on. We are seniors and I have a knee problem (May have surgery soon, took the insurance) and found the “leisure” walking groups doable. Did not ascend the Popes’ Palace but admired from below. Question: Recommendations for hotels in Amsterdam? Fantastic blog. Thank you.

We are going on the Rhine Getaway (our first river cruise) very shortly–love your review! My question: should we get “the local money” euro or do most of the shops take American credit cards? Thanks.

Hi Linda, ooh fun! Have a great trip! Hm, for the most part the cruise is “all inclusive” so you would only need cash for souvenirs and any meals you wanted to take on your own. Most restaurants and stores will take American credit cards with chips but to be safe, you can take some euro out. Ask your bank if they will change for you? Ours offers it without fees.

We have been on Viking a few times. You really did them well with your descriptions. They are a great company and we feel they really treat you well.I would love to do a cruise like you did and write about everything. I have suggested it to them and haven’t heard back. I would love to rate their ocean ships, especially northern Norway.

We are going on Paris to the Swiss Alps in September for 12 days then followed by 4 days of post trips to Zermatt and Geneva. Since this is going to be my first trip, would you suggest to bring a medium size luggage – around 26” and personal bag, or carry-on luggage and personal bag are enough?

Hi Dina – ah, hard to say. If I can, I usually bring personal bag + carry on. But for 2 week trips sometimes I need a checked suitcase. I will say the nice thing about cruises is you can unpack once, so there’s less worry about hauling a case to and from!

Such a great blog!! Thank you so much for all the information! My husband is looking at the same itinerary for Nov 2020 as a 15th wedding anniversary trip; even the extra days in Amsterdam. I was unsure, never taken a river cruise, but I am very excited now! I am just unsure about mid-November weather. I don’t mind cool temps; how much of a difference weather wise do you think going in October would be? Thanks again!

Hi Amy! I would typically recommend October over mid November. The weather is a little better and sometimes in Europe things will close for the season by mid October. Double check opening times for any attractions you want to visit, and also see if fall foliage will take place in October or November! I think fall colors would be amazing for a river cruise!

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We are going on the same cruise on this same ship in early August. I can’t wait! Love the blog and your information! Your blog was more of an “any person’s view.” Some other blogs don’t give as much information or are clearly biased as a travel expert, and difficult to relate to.

Are soft drinks available all day? Are they included in the price? I understand beer and wine is included with dinner. If not, are there stores in town where you can soft drinks to keep in your room?

Are you able to go on and off the ship as often as you like? What do you need to carry with you in town, ie passport? I was really hoping to go for a couple of early morning jogs along the river.

Ah, thanks so much for the kind words :)

Soft drinks are available during lunch and dinner times and included. There’s a coffee machine that makes espresso, latte, etc drinks that’s available any time of day.

You can go on and off the ship anytime it’s docked (but some parts of the day, you may be sailing). Typically when the ship pulls into a town, there will be a morning or afternoon excursion – usually 1 is a free guided walking tour and 1 is an paid optional tour. You can do one, both, or none and explore on your own!

I usually leave my passport in the safe – I don’t carry it into town. I usually would just bring a wallet and day bag. Hm, I’m not sure if early morning jogs are possible, since it depends when the ship arrives but usually there is an overnight in a location and you could definitely do a morning jog then!

We are taking this cruise in September of 2020 but from Amsterdam to Basel. Although too early to get our flight information, we are NOT going two days early. If our flight gets in early enough we would like to try to see one of the museums. Does the transport from the airport take you directly to the ship even if hours before the 3 pm check in time? And, would we be able to leave our suitcase on the ship and go to the museum? And finally, would the Viking staff be able to help us get the admission ticket to the Rijksmuseum? Seeing “The Night Watch” by Rembrandt is on his bucket list. Thanks in advance!

We’re doing the Rhine as well, but Amsterdam to Basel. If our flight gets in early enough we’d love to see the Rijksmuseum, my hubby wants to see Rembrandt’s “Night Watch”. Would the Viking staff be able to help us with getting admission tickets when we arrive at the ship? Will we be able to leave our suitcase on the ship even if our room us not ready? Thanks in advance.

Hi Marylee,

Yes, if you choose to take Viking’s transport they will take you directly to the ship. Both times we’ve sailed with Viking our flights have been redeyes, so we arrived in the morning on the first day. We checked in (Viking stores your luggage) and rooms aren’t ready (until 12pm I think) but you can relax in the common areas and Viking will set up lunch.

We did started in Basel, and Viking also organized a nice extra walking tour for any passengers who arrived early the first day. I’m not sure if the same applies if you start in Amsterdam. Basel is a very small city, and the ship docks pretty much in the center of the old town, so if the docking situation is similar in Amsterdam, I would think they would offer the same (but again, I’m not sure)

Amsterdam is extremely popular with tourists, so you should see what the museum ticket policy is. Is the Night Watch a big attraction? Sometimes you can buy tickets online in advance, especially for really popular sights that hoards of people want to see.

I’m not sure if Viking can get you tickets when you arrive.. I would imagine it would be a little difficult the day of since the staff is typically busy with cleaning the ship, check outs and new arrivals, but you can ask their customer support to see? On Viking’s website they have a chat function where you can speak to customer service. Or it might be straight forward to just take a cab from the ship to the museum and buy tickets directly.

Hope that helps! Enjoy the trip :)

Hello! I really enjoyed reading this and such lovely photos … can’t wait for our river cruise to begin next weekend. We are booked on the the Eir Longboat cruising from Amsterdam to Basel and then two days in Lucerne. We have prebooked every included excursion (don’t want to miss anything!!) My question is: can you remember the time in the morning that the excursions start? Being retired, we are quite used to our lazy mornings and worried that the excursion departure times will be a bit early for us. Thank you!

Hi Patsy! Hm.. each excursion is different, but generally the programmed activities would start each day around 8am (if I remember right). So we’d get up around 7 to get ready and have breakfast. Every day was different, depending on if the ship docks right in town or if there’s driving.. but in general I’d say 7:30am-9am start times.

I usually am a night owl, but on trips I think it’s a little easier to get up early since I’m excited and with the time difference. I’m sure you guys will have a great time!

what about at night? when does the ship shut down for the night?

Not sure what you mean by shut down. You can hang out in the lounge until past midnight I think.

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Thanks for your very helpful, “real person” information & the responses you provide to all the questions ! I will be sailing the same route later this year, and have a delicate question. What is the restroom situation on the tour buses or in the various towns ? I have a sensitive stomach and never know when something may disagree with me. I will likely skip breakfasts before the included (typically morning) free tours… but can’t skip all meals ! Do ALL the tour buses have an emergency restroom on them ? Are some of the castle tours soooo long that it is impossible to use a restroom before the end of the tour ? Is it easy to find a public restroom (even in a small coffee shop and then buy something from them in return) along the walking tours or during afternoon free time ? I am very glad to see you can slip away from a tour if needed. That piece of information is priceless ! (Did anyone do that & then were they able to find their group again in a little while ?)

Hi Liz – yes the coaches all have bathrooms on board. Depending on the itinerary you pick, the driving times differ. For the Rhine cruise, most of the drives were pretty short.

We’ve also done the Paris to Normandy cruise and the day you visit Normandy is a very long day with long (2 hr) drives. Italy is similar – very long drives. It basically boils down to the distance between the port and the town.

Yes, plenty of coffee shops to pop into!

If you leave the group tour (we did a couple times), it’s pretty difficult to find them again, since the group is constantly on the move. We tried once and couldn’t rejoin the group.

Your review of the Rhine River Cruise is most helpful! We have our first cruise booked November 8th, 2019 Basel to Amsterdam…it looks like it might be cold…I hope it’s early enough in November that it wont be…:( Question…is it worth the extended 2 day in Amsterdam? Thank you!

Hi Linda, so glad it’s helpful! We didn’t book the 2 day extension, as we had visited Amsterdam before. I think if you haven’t been, it might be nice for convenience but Amsterdam is also a very easy city to see on your own.

We are going on this cruise in September 2019. We want to meet a friend in either Heidelberg or Koblenz. What time is the afternoon “on-board” for passengers, and what time in the morning can passengers generally leave the ship? Viking can’t give us even a range of times for either. Any insight is appreciated.

I don’t know offhand and I think it probably varies on each trip – depending on which route you are doing (starting in Basel vs starting in Amsterdam), the water levels, how fast you go through the locks, traffic with other ships, etc.

You can try asking the crew when you go on board. Typically they lay out a program the night before for the following day, with more specific schedule times.

Great article and pictures! We are going on the Zurich to Paris 12 day Viking Cruise on March 28th, 2020. We were assured by the Viking agent that April weather will be in the 60’s. Sounds like it will be colder than that. I spoke to two friends that went on a similar Viking cruise on the Rhine. One did not like it, the other loved it. The person that didn’t like it said the food was so so, and you were only treated well at meals if you tip. We were thinking of paying gratuities in advance. What do you think?

Hi Patrice – ooh Zurich to Paris sounds like a nice itinerary! Hm, I do think April will be quite chilly. Weather is hard to predict but I definitely find that winter seems to get longer every year. I think it’s hard to get truly nice, all day sunny weather in Europe until early June. It will most likely be jacket, sweater + scarf weather in April and even May. The upside is much less crowds :)

I’ve been on several Viking cruises now. The first I thought the food was fantastic, the second time it was only good. Maybe I have gotten more picky (ha) but I think the food quality is definitely solid (maybe it wont blow you away, but hopefully you wont feel disappointed!).

I find it a little odd that your friend mentioned that about tipping to get good service. The one thing I think Viking does an excellent job of compared to other companies, is having extremely friendly service. the dining staff especially are very very nice. If you sit in the same area frequently, some of the really attentive staff even start remembering your drink / meal preferences. I never felt any pressure to tip individually, ahead of or during the trip.

It’s up to you, but I would suggest paying gratuity at the end. I know some companies now offer that you can pay in advance of a trip, but I don’t really know that the money gets to the staff on your itinerary that way. How do they keep track of it all? And do they really divvy it out to everyone on board? Also I think it’s nice to tip at the end, so you can have discretion if you want to tip an individual staff member separately, or what have you. Sometimes certain people on board go out of their way to make your trip memorable.

If you get to the airport early and take a tour with viking do they take care of your luggage before you can board the ship?

hm in our experience you can generally board the day your cruise starts. the bus will take you from the airport to the ship and then they’ll store your luggage for you until the rooms are ready. usually they put out lunch too, and sometimes a bonus walking tour if the ship is docked near the city (depends on which itinerary you’re taking). and sometimes, if you’re lucky, rooms are ready early!

My daughter and I are getting ready to do this same itinerary. My second VRC, her first. We are both so excited to be traveling together. Thanks for the great pictures and information.

Is it really a bummer to be in the economy rooms? The river cruise we are looking at is the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel and looking at going with friends who booked way before us. Most of the rooms are booked and only economy ones left. Just wondering if this will really be a downer?

Hi Gail! What time of year are you looking to visit?

I think it depends how much you value hotel rooms / rooms in general. Obviously the more expensive cabins are nicer, but if you like to socialize and plan to hang out in the bar and common areas, then the room is really just a place to sleep. The beds, showers, closets etc are the same across all the rooms.

The more expensive rooms are on a higher floor, have a larger square footage and have better views (larger windows, some with balconies, etc). I think honestly it is a nice to have, but the thing you remember most about a vacation is the destination and the memories, not the rooms :)

Oh and I asked what time of year, because we took a winter cruise and did not use the balcony at all, whereas in the summer the extra outdoor space was very nice and a great way to enjoy the sailing portions. So in colder or rainy months, having a balcony or extra large window is probably not very important, vs in late spring/summer.

I would like to do a river cruise. What is a cruise that has tours inside for castles and palaces? I would like to see beautiful interiors. If I do the Rhine getaway should I take post cruise to Amsterdam for any inside tours of castles or palaces and cathedrals also? Cathedrals on the Rhine getaway inside tours? Are tours expensive foe what I want to see?

The Rhine Getaway itinerary I reviewed in this article does include some cathedrals and castle ruins.

But, most of the castles on the Rhine river are ruins or old medieval castles, they’re not so much “Disney” like castles. For that, I believe you would need to rent a car and do a road trip as they’re not on the water.

You could do the Viking Rhine cruise above, and then do a post cruise trip to Copenhagen. Some of the most beautiful castles I’ve ever seen are in Copenhagen – I wrote about them in this post .

We booked our flights through Viking and then explored Copenhagen on our own, which was pretty easy as it’s a very modern city.

Just curious what your trip cost. We’re looking at $5,000-$6,000 per person in late October, including airfare from MN (about $600 per person), for this itinerary. Does that sound right?

Hi Shelley, Cost depends on so many factors (time of year, cabin, add on tours, flight pricing, etc), but Viking has a dates + pricing chart on their website that you can use to compare.

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. I enjoyed reading your reviews and it is very helpful. I’m planning the trip in early November 2020 for my 30th anniversary. I have a few questions. Will it be a place inside the ship to sit and enjoy the view when sailing through the UNESC part of the Rhine when it is too cold outside? How much the optional excursion will be raftly around? 2020 will be marked Beethoven’s 250th birthday. I really like to go to Bonn. Is it possible that I can go our own when ship dock in Cologne?

Hi Tracy, sounds like a great birthday trip!

The best viewing point is on the roof deck, but there is also a smaller room with floor to ceiling windows, the Aquavit casual dining room, where you can enjoy the view indoors.

Each of the optionals has their own price, but they should be listed on Viking’s website. Hm, I’m not sure if you will have time to see Bonn when in Cologne. You can ask the Tour Director when you are onboard to see if there is enough time.

How comfortable are the beds .

What did you do on your amsterdam 2 day extension tour and do you know where I can find more specific info on the Viking extended tour

Hi JoAnne, we’ve been to Amsterdam on a previous trip so we didn’t opt for the 2 day extension tour with our Viking cruise. But, you can find more information about the optional extensions on Viking’s website!

We booked the Rhine Getaway for May 2020. I really appreciate your comments & suggestions. We are excited to go especially after reading this article.

Thanks, Janet

ooh have fun! May is a great time to visit :)

Love this blog. Found it today. Never been on a river cruise. I’m about to book the Basel to Amsterdam for my 60th b’day with my wife in Sept. So is the best way to book the cruise on line directly with Viking ? Any advantages going through a travel agent ? Tks Pierre

We are doing the Rhine Getaway in August 2020. Have enjoyed reading many of your reviews/suggestions. I know the currency is euros, do local vendors accept credit cards? What amount of currency do you recommend for an 8 day cruise? Most likely will do meals on the ship when possible. Thank you.

Yes most places in Europe take credit card. Just make sure you have a credit card with a chip on it, and that you let your bank company know you’ll be traveling abroad.

If you plan to eat most meals on the ship, I don’t really think you need much else, except for how much you want to spend on souvenirs.

Just found your blog and am loving reading all about this cruise! We’re taking this exact one for our honeymoon in April and it’s getting me even more excited!

I stumbled onto this blog while doing research for our up and coming River cruise. It sounds like almost the same cruise with one small stop difference (you stopped in Heidelberg and we’re stopping in Steyer. This article really helped solidify what I had already heard about Viking. I’ve been on several cruises on those big ships and cannot wait to do this river cruise. Thanks for the info.

How did you obtain your tour guide for Strausburg, was it through Viking or an independent source?

Hi Virginia, Viking provides all the tour guides. Strasbourg is part of the itinerary so the tour + guide were included with the cruise.

There are also extra tours available at an additional charge for some of the stops. For example, we paid for the Colmar day tour and on that optional tour, Viking also provided the tour guide (and transportation). Hope that helps

I also want to know about the comfort of the beds!

Hi Vicki, I thought the beds were comfy for a ship! To be honest I can fall asleep anywhere so I’m probably not the best person to ask..

Thanks so much for this post! My fiancé and I are scheduled to go on the first Viking Rhine Getaway on Aug 1 after COVID! I’m in my 20s and he’s in his 30/, so I’m assuming we will be some of the younger ones on board.. my biggest question is about attire. I pretty much live in athleisure so I’m worried we are going to be too informal compared to the rest of the crowd. What kinds of things do people wear during the day tours and dinners on board?

Ooh I’m jealous of your trip!

I would say you can wear whatever you want. There’s no dress code and Viking is pretty casual. Some people do dress up for dinner (just a nice top and jeans/pants) but it’s not required by any means. For the excursions, they’re usually walking tours so most people wear comfy clothes (good walking shoes, comfy pants, t-shirt and jacket if it’s colder).

We’ve all had about 18 months of lounging at home in sweats, so I don’t think anyone will look twice at wearing athleisure :)

Have a great time!

We depart on 9/15/21 and are so excited our rescheduled 2020 trip is happening this year! We’re doing the Lake Como extension before our cruise and staying in Amsterdam for two days on our own after the cruise. Any suggestions of things we must see or do?

Oooh that’s amazing! Yes I have a lot of posts on Lake Como and Northern Italy (under the Destinations menu tab, or you can type in the search box)

Hello. I noticed that the cruise includes 3 meals/day. My concern would be what if you’re out sightseeing and you want to experience the local cuisine by eating lunch or dinner in the town? Do you get a choice of not eating every meal on board the ship? I would want to eat at the different restaurants. Do you just pay for all the meals and if you want to skip some on the ship, you just eat the cost?

Yup, you an definitely skip the ship meals and eat at local spots if you’d like!

Sher, Thank you for sharing this very detailed and encouraging insight into the Viking Rhine River tour. Our 4 children gave us a Viking Rhine River tour for our 50th wedding anniversary (Oct. 16th) because during our 2nd year of marriage we lived in Erlangen, Germany for the year. We are in the planning phase of our trip. We hope to go in the May timeframe. Your post has given us great encouragement.

We have several questions and would appreciate your unbiased input: 1. My wife is diabetic (Type 2) and takes medicine that makes her have to use the bathroom about every 2 hours. Is that going to be a problem while touring, hanging around town, or riding on the bus? 2. We are 74 and 75 respectively, and while we are in fairly good health, long, rushed , arduous walking would not be fun or even physically welcome. Is that a problem? 3. We have heard from friends who have taken ocean cruises that sometime the evening entertainment is very risque. This would not be appealing to us, so we were wondering if that is what we might experience? 4. Since the world is not fully over COVID, what are the chances that that is going to have us in masks the whole time, or worse yet end up quarantined somewhere?

Thank you for any insights you can provide especially since you traveled with you Mom.

Hud and Susan

Hi Hud and Susan, that’s so sweet of your kids! I think you’ll really enjoy the river cruise. It’s very relaxing and you can do as much or as little as you want :) I also really loved the Rhine itinerary and the whole river cruising experience.

For the Rhine River itinerary, I don’t recall that we had any significantly long (2+ hour) bus rides. Most of the bus rides were 30 minutes to an hour and there is a bathroom on the bus for emergencies. You can check with Viking’s customer service about the bus times (just to be sure), as I’m sure it can vary slightly from year to year and on weather conditions. Basically if the ship can dock in a port that’s near town, the transportation time is very short. In some countries though, like Italy, the cruise terminals are located quite far from the city, so if you picked one of the Italy itineraries you might be subjected to long bus rides. But for the Rhine itinerary it’s not like that at all, and sometimes the ship can dock right in town and you walk off the boat and are in the city center! overall I *think* it would be ok in terms of your wife’s medicine. There are multiple bathrooms on board Viking, and in town there is always a cafe where you can get a cup of coffee and use the facilities.

There is typically a guided tour every day (usually in the morning) and Viking always has a slower paced group option. So you can join that group for the walking tour and it will be a more leisurely pace and route. Even for the regular groups, my mom didn’t find the pace to be rushed or strenuous, but pretty relaxing.

No, if anything there isn’t that much entertainment on the river cruise at night. Most people go to the lounge to socialize or get a drink, or relax in their room on the balcony.

Hm, I don’t know about the mask situation. You can probably ask Viking’s customer service for their policy on board. And you can check the country government health websites for each city on the itinerary. I would hope things would be even better in spring of next year, but you really never know!

Hope this helps x Sher

Were you aware that if you book two cruises back to back on Viking, butterfly cruises, that they won’t honor the promotions on either cruise? I booked two cruises that had free air promotions. Even though Viking was saving money by paying for one airfare instead of two, they would not agree to honor the promotions. Their solution was for me to cancel the second cruise. Strange that they would penalize me for giving them more business.

hm that is really strange! i’ve never tried back to back cruises, but good to know

Thank you for this wonderful article. I am wondering if it makes sense to save $$ and get a lower priced cabin without a balcony of any sort.

Sher, Thanks so much for this valuable information. It is much appreciated! We’ll be on the Rhine Getaway cruise this coming August. Do you know which stops where the ship docks you are able to walk off the ship right into a town or very close to it? Also, is there a way to find out how long the drive by bus is for each excursion? I read reviews on another site that particularly complained about the drive to the Black Forest and that there really wasn’t a lot of time to look around once there. It sounds like out of a 4 hour excursion, almost 3 hours are traveling by bus. Thanks for your help.

Hi Shelley, glad it was helpful! I remember Koblenz we docked right in town so you could walk off the ship and be in the middle of the historic area. That stop was overnight so you could explore all night if you wanted to!

Most of the other stops, the ship will be close to town but docked for only a couple hours. So it’s about enough time to do the tour + have some free time then time to leave.

I don’t remember any long bus rides other than Colmar, but it wasn’t bad.. maybe an hour. It could change by year though! I think Viking and all the cruise ships may change docks from season to season, as routes depend on water levels, weather conditions + town permits.

Hi, very interesting blog. We are from Canada and meeting up with friends from UK and have booked a Rhine cruise in September. I’ve been trying to find where Viking docks in Basel, can you help? Thanks in advance.

Hi Sue, I don’t know the exact name of the dock (and it may change from year to year) so best to ask Viking’s customer service!

Love your blog, Sher! Did you do the full-day Taste of Alsace tour in Strasbourg? I have signed up for it on my upcoming Rhine River tour despite its “Difficult” rating. While i can walk pretty well for longish distances (up to 2 miles at a time), I have trouble with steep inclines and with steps unless there is a rail to hold onto and I am hoping the rating is simply because it involves a full day of walking from place to place, rather than because of a lot of stairs and steep terrain, etc. Any insights you can give??? — Jackie, age 71

Ah, I didn’t do that tour sorry! Maybe viking’s customer service team can give you a more detailed breakdown of the tour.. I remember also that the staff on board are very accommodating! In general, Strasbourg is a nice big flat city – it’s not one of those tiny historic towns with uneven cobblestones. i don’t remember much stairs or steep terrain.

I want to thank you so much for this information. We are going on the Rhine cruise next week (concerned about water levels) and since we booked I’ve come across some Viking haters. This is a bucket list trip for us, so your information is much appreciated. I was wondering how much flexibility there is to get on and of the ships while at port. Can you just come and go? Thank you! And please pray for rain or do a rain dance.

yes, while the ship is docked you can come and go easily! it’s one of the things i like most about small ship cruises vs the massive cruise liners

Great article! We leave today for our 1st river cruise with Viking! A bit worried about water levels on the Rhine river. Disappointed to learn that Viking no longer offers the walking tour on the day of arrival in Basel. Was really looking forward to that!

I have been trying to get a Rhine itinerary with a more accurate detail of the time arrive and depart in each port…. even approximately would help.

I think their sailing schedules may shift so that’s likely why they don’t have detailed times published. You can try asking customer service

The best traveling experience we have ever had. Our Rhine River cruise was something we will never forget. From arrival in Amsterdam to our return after two additional nights in Lucerne, we enjoyed every minute. We are already booked on one of their ocean cruises (Mediterranean) next year.

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Remembering My Incredible Viking Rhine River Cruise

By: Author Melody Pittman

Posted on April 5, 2023

If you’re new to European river cruising, you might be drawn to the Rhine and Danube Rivers – and for good reason. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of exploring a Rhine River Cruise with Viking alongside a group of travel buddies. We were among 192 guests aboard the Viking Helvetia. Remembering my Rhine River Viking cruise just might encourage you to take the step to booking one.

Our journey took us through some of the most historically significant cities in Germany and France. From the comfort of our ship, we enjoyed breathtaking views of the countryside and snapped plenty of envy-inducing photos. If you’re eager to explore Europe by water, you won’t want to miss out on the adventure that awaits on the Rhine.

Embarking on the Rhine from Amsterdam

Amsterdam, a city of endless charm and vibrant culture , is an unmatched destination for anyone seeking a one-of-a-kind vacation experience. From strolling through beautiful flower markets to admiring the stunning architecture on walking and canal tours, there is no shortage of things to do and see.

And what’s a visit to Amsterdam without indulging in the quintessential outdoor cafe experience and savoring a delectable sweet treat or coffee?

Amsterdam is also famous for its coffee shops- with a “k”. While visiting these famous spots may have lost a bit of its luster now that marijuana is legal in the US, it is still an intriguing opportunity to experience a different culture.

Imagine school-aged kids ordering up rounds of ganja – it’s not a taboo either, just a part of life in the Netherlands.

Enjoying the laid-back atmosphere while sipping on a refreshing beverage and soaking in the local scene is a must. Amsterdam is definitely a destination for the adventurous at heart.

First Stop: Kinderdijk, Netherlands 

Welcome to the Netherlands, home of the stunning Kinderdijk in the South Holland province. This picturesque area boasts 18th-century windmills and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Join a guided tour through the serene wetlands (umbrellas provided by Viking) and witness the power of these historic structures.

Plus, don’t forget to stop by the charming village of Kinderdijk for some delicious Dutch cheeses and Juniper liquor to take home with you.

On to Koblenz and Rudesheim, Germany

Travel to Koblenz and step back in time with a visit to Marksburg Castle , a major site of the Rhine Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site. As you walk through the castle, which was once used for protection, you’ll be transported to a world of history and beauty.

If you’re up for the challenge, climb the stairs and explore the tight spaces inside this 700-year-old fortress. Take in the stunning views of the river and hilltop homes from the castle’s commanding perch. Don’t miss out on this unforgettable experience!

After Koblenz, picture yourself gliding down the Middle Rhine , savoring the breathtaking views of ancient castles, quaint villages, and lush vineyards. Make sure to pack your binoculars, camera, and a cozy blanket (depending on the season) to snag a spot on the deck. It’s a perfect place to soak in the picturesque scenery.

Perhaps a glass of champagne will make it even more desirable.

Docking in Rudesheim that evening, my friends and I indulged in the local delicacy of apple strudel and a coffee from an inviting café in the pedestrian-only Drosgelgasse. Don’t miss out on the delectable wines produced from this region.

As the sun sets, embrace the nightlife and groove to the beat of energetic music with a chilled brew in hand at a buzzing discothèque. We found that was the only thing to get into after the sun went down in this small town.

Lovely Heidelburg, Germany

Travel back in time to Heidelburg, the historic capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, where the oldest university in Germany (1386) and the scenic Neckar River Valley await. The must-see Heidelburg Castle , a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands tall as a Romanesque cathedral dating back to the 11th century.

We also had some free time after the Heidelburg tour, where my friends and I found a charming outdoor cafe and enjoyed tasty Italian food and drink.

Strasbourg and Colmar, France, Will Wow You

On the Viking Rhine River cruise, Colmar and Strasbourg were personal favorites, with the latter being the largest port on the Upper Rhine. Come see for yourself why these stops have pleasantly surprised and continued to capture my heart.

Our day started with a guided tour of Kehl, followed by one of Strasbourg, where we went to the famous European Parliament and the famed cathedral. An optional excursion was to do an Alsatian Wine Tasting excursion, which we passed on.

Once you’re done with the touring, explore Strasbourg on foot with your friends, as I did. Yet again, we found a cafe for a meal (quiche, salads, and onion pie), and another for sweets (macarons, chocolates, and fruit desserts).

Having Our Best Day

Embark on a journey to the charming town of Strasbourg, an enchanting city that echoes the perfect blend of French and German cultures. Walk along the winding streets while admiring the vibrant flowers and medieval architecture. If you can’t decide which culture is more apparent, don’t worry – that’s the charm of Strasbourg!

You’ll find a patchwork of quaint shops filled with antiques, textiles, knickknacks, and souvenirs. Don’t miss visiting the Strasbourg “Notre Dame” ( Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg ), where you’ll witness its soaring and intricate Gothic architecture.

Another do-not-miss is the 16th-century astronomical clock, a breathtaking representation of life from birth through death. Take a stroll along the picturesque canals of the little Ill River, and prepare to be amazed by the picturesque cobblestone streets and charming half-timbered wooden houses in Old Town.

With everything so lovely to look at, Strasbourg is a place you’ll never forget.

I was particularly drawn to the half-timbered houses and the Schwendi Fountain, sculpted by Bartholdi (State of Liberty fame). Again, we stopped for more sweets.

Breisach and the Black Forest

Breisach is the ideal starting point for a magical journey through the Black Forest of Germany. A scenic bus ride took us through the charming city and onto the mystical, lofty forest, where a light drizzle added to the enchanting atmosphere.

Our destination offered a variety of local shops, talented glassblowers, cuckoo clockmakers, a Black Forest cake tasting, and some free time to explore. The mountain air, rolling meadows, and dense forest scenery left us feeling as if we had entered a magical fairytale. I seriously felt like I stepped into a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale book!

Viking thoughtfully provided umbrellas for the rainy weather. As the day concluded, the option to visit Colmar, France, was offered.

Cologne, Germany — Unforgettable!

Experience the breathtaking architecture and beauty of Cologne, a city that promises to enchant any traveler. Get lost in the winding streets of Old Town and marvel at the stunning gothic splendor of St. Martin’s Church and Germany’s largest cathedral, the Cologne Dom.

Its soaring spires and stained glass windows are a sight to behold and will leave you speechless. Dating back to 1248, this UNESCO World Heritage Site took 632 years to complete.

After our two-hour guided tour, my friends and I had a fantastic lunch in a riverside restaurant. The colorful skinny buildings that were our backdrop were so lovely.

Cologne offers an exquisite blend of art, culture. One of the most enjoyable experiences was visiting the Museum Ludwig , which we did on our own. It features a rare collection of modern art from Pop Art to Surrealism, with special emphasis on Picasso’s masterpieces.

The diverse collection was nothing short of astounding, leaving me speechless as I wandered through its halls.

Another highlight of my trip was visiting the Cologne Chocolate Museum , where I indulged in the finest chocolate delicacies ever served. I savored the smooth, velvety taste of Lindt chocolate in the picturesque glass wing before browsing through its virtual shop for sweet mementos.

The visit was capped off with a decadent feast at the Chocolat Grand Cafe, where every bite was sheer heaven.

FYI : There was a lot of walking on this day, plus very busy skinny streets to get through.

Extended Stay in Basel, Switzerland

Welcome to Basel, the perfect destination for modern-day explorers! Here, where the borders of three European countries meet, you can wander along the banks of the mighty Rhine River, surrounded by stunning historical buildings and charming old-town vibes.

Speaking of charm, the red sandstone Rathaus – Basel’s Town Hall – is a crown jewel in the city center, flanked by architectural marvels in Baroque, Renaissance, and Gothic styles. Trust us, you’ll want to stop and take a photo (or six!).

But that’s not all! As a seasoned traveler, I loved Basel for its abundance of world-class museums, easy-to-use accordion-style buses (that are either free or very affordable), and fantastic pastry and chocolate shops offering unique Swiss treats you won’t find anywhere else.

From chocolate barks adorned with dried fruits and nuts to mouth-watering pastries, Basel has a little something for everyone.

Jungfraujoch: The Top of Europe

If you’re traveling to Switzerland , put the Swiss Alps on your to-do list! On my trip, my friends and I took a Cogwheel train to reach the “ Top of Europe ” and boy was it worth it. It does cover 70% of Switzerland; it would be a shame to miss it.

We added a little luxury to our adventure by hiring a private driver who picked us up from our Viking River Cruise ship and took us to where our journey began. As we traveled for hours through the Swiss Alps to the top of Jungfraujoch, we made stops at a few charming towns and had to switch trains a few times.

My favorite stop had to be Interlaken, it was breathtaking! However, the highlight of our journey was witnessing the Aletsch glacier between Konkordiaplatz and Riederalp. This place is a UNESCO World Heritage in 2001 site for a reason, and it was quite the spectacular sight to see. You won’t be disappointed!

What’s Included With Your Rhine River Cruise

On Viking River Cruises, your journey isn’t just about the destination, it’s about the experience. Take in the guided tours with state-of-the-art audio headsets, indulge in regional specialties and drinks (including beer and wine!) with every meal, enjoy live lectures and performances onboard, all included in the price of your trip.

And let’s not forget about the friendly, professional representatives who will make you feel like family by the end of the week. Your Rhine River Cruise will be nothing short of enchanting.

And this was my favorite photo of the whole trip! We crossed a bridge to tour a castle where the scenery and setting was absolutely marvelous.

Enjoy your Rhine River cruise!

Read more of our cruise and port posts:

A Whirlwind Visit to Paris

What to See and Do in Aruba

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A Viking Rhine River Cruise Review: Basel To Amsterdam

Published July 23, 2022

After two long years of pandemic restrictions, Europe is fully open again! I’m lucky to have an extended family of fellow travel enthusiasts, and we’ve all been looking forward to a reunion vacation in Western Europe for a while now! A Viking River cruise seemed like the perfect offering for a group of eight people spanning three generations . This post is a review of my time on the Viking Hermod as it sailed down the Rhine.

Viking offers various Rhine River cruise itineraries, and the one we booked was called the “ Rhine Getaway .” As of summer 2022, this cruise is eight days long and spans four countries: Switzerland, Germany, France, and the Netherlands . We traveled from Basel to Amsterdam, but it can be booked in the opposite direction as well.

This post is a review of this particular Rhine River cruise. But on a side note, this was also my first time cruising ! If you’re interested in learning about what it was like to experience Viking River Cruises as a first-time cruise passenger, check out my separate post [coming soon]!

Impressions of the Rhine River

The viking cruise ship, food and drink, shore excursions, amenities onboard.

• Entertainment and Activities  

Final Thoughts

Day trip itinerary.

The first half of this post is a review of the Rhine Getaway ports of call . I liked all of the cities we stopped in, but some were more impressive than others. To learn more, read on! To skip down to the second half of this post (a review of the ship and its amenities), click here .

Day 1: Boarding in Basel 🇨🇭

This cruise began in  Basel , a quaint little town in Switzerland right on the border of both Germany and France. If you can spend a day or two in Basel before your cruise, I highly recommend it. We booked a walking tour with a local guide (independent of Viking), and I’m really glad we did.

Viking allowed us to board the Hermod in the early afternoon, which gave us plenty of time to get acquainted with the layout of the ship. Our first dinner was served, and finally we were off in the early evening. We passed through our first of many  river locks  on this night, which is one of the most noteworthy aspects of a Rhine River cruise.

If you’re wondering how we made it to Basel, we flew from Chicago into Zürich and then booked a private car transfer. Zürich Airport is the nearest major international airport to Basel, and the drive is about an hour. There are also frequent trains that run between Switzerland’s largest city and its gateway to the Rhine.

Day 2: Breisach 🇩🇪

The Hermod pulled into its first port of call very early in the morning, which meant we had a full day to explore  Breisach , a small village in Germany. I actually decided to skip the included tour (a bus trip to the Black Forest) in the morning and walk across the French border to the village of  Neuf-Brisach . I did this completely on my own; it wasn’t a part of the Viking itinerary at all.

Neuf-Brisach is a sleepy little French town that is surrounded on all sides by a visually stunning series of fortified walls . These walls were designed by French architect  Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban  to help protect border outposts from invasion. You can’t make out the geometry of the walled city from the ground level, but you can explore the city streets and get some sense of their architecture.

In the afternoon, I went back to Breisach and explored its most famous landmark: the  Breisacher Münster St. Stephan , a beautiful brown church that towers over the rest of the town.

The interior of the Breisacher Münster is interesting, but my favorite part of this cathedral is its view from the top of the hill overlooking the village.

Apart from the church, Breisach feels pretty touristy. If you have extra time and want to walk around the town, feel free to. But if you don’t have time or want to rest on the ship instead, you probably won’t miss out on too much.

Day 3: Strasbourg 🇫🇷

Strasbourg is a fascinating city that’s much larger than Breisach. Due to its  location on the Rhine , Strasbourg has a unique mix of French and German cultural elements . It’s also home to a number of European Union institutions, although the Viking itinerary doesn’t include any tours to these government offices. They are clustered in an outlying district of the city.

Instead, we explored Strasbourg’s historic center, based mostly on Grande Île. Here you’ll find the famous Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg , a staggering gothic cathedral that was actually the tallest building in the world from 1647 to 1874!

The other area I really liked in Strasbourg was  Petite-France . This tiny neighborhood is split up by canals that are lined with gorgeous half-timbered homes (the iconic style of German architecture with wood beams on the exterior). We walked through here on our guided tour, and I came back afterwards to enjoy the views for a bit longer.

Strasbourg was probably my favorite day trip on our cruise, so I’ve written a separate blog post about the city. Check it out using the image link below!

Day 4: Speyer and Rüdesheim am Rhein 🇩🇪

This was my least favorite day of the cruise, mainly because we only had a few hours in both Speyer and Rüdesheim . I feel like we did get to see slightly more of the former than the latter, but both stops were rushed.

Speyer is a small city  on the western bank of the Rhine . Some notable landmarks include the Dom zu Speyer (Speyer Cathedral) and the Altpörtel (Old Gate) directly west of there. The two are connected by the short Maximilianstraße, which serves as the main street in the historic district.

Viking offered a short included tour, then we had about an hour or so to explore on our own. There are some other interesting churches a little further inland, or you could check out the many side alleys that branch off of the Maximilianstraße.

Speyer seemed like an interesting town. I would’ve enjoyed spending more time there. However, as I mentioned above, this is only a half-day stop. Before lunch, we met in the Domplatz and boarded buses that brought us back to the ship. We sailed for a couple hours before making our second stop of the day in…

Rüdesheim am Rhein

At this point in the cruise, the Rhine starts to become much more scenic. Beautiful villages and vineyards can be seen in all directions.  Rüdesheim  is a touristy town known for its wineries and historic center, called the Drosselgasse . Viking doesn’t offer an included tour here, so I explored on my own. However, since we docked in the late afternoon, time felt even more limited here than in Speyer.

I took a short walk through the Drosselgasse, but I was much more intrigued by all the hilly vineyards overlooking the town. There’s even a chairlift that goes up, hinting that the views up there would be good! I walked up the Oberstraße, which turns into the Germaniastraße. Finally, I turned left onto  this paved trail . The panoramic views were indeed incredible!

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Day 5: Cruise through the Rhine Gorge; Stop in Koblenz 🇩🇪

As you leave Rüdesheim, the Rhine River goes from picturesque to spectacular. This day of voyaging through the Rhine Valley is the centerpiece of the entire trip . The surrounding landscape becomes more dramatic. I loved seeing the patchwork of vineyards on the steep mountainsides, but the coolest part of the day is seeing all the castles.

There are so many of them! You truly pass one castle every few minutes once you enter the Rhine Gorge. Our cruise Program Director also provided a running commentary on all of the things we were seeing as we sailed by. There’s something incredible about seeing these archaic stone structures from various angles as you move along the water.

Since we spent the first half of Day 5 cruising, the city of  Koblenz  was another half-day stop. However, our time here didn’t feel as rushed as the whirlwind tours on Day 4. Koblenz is a tourist hub that’s noticeably bigger than Speyer and Rüdesheim. I walked all over the Altstadt (Old Town), which is right next to the Viking River Cruises Dock.

The other main activity in Koblenz is taking the cable car to the other side of the river. Here you’ll find  Festung Ehrenbreitstein , a sprawling nineteenth century fortress that overlooks the town. Visiting the fortress was interesting, but there didn’t seem to be much signage in English, so I don’t feel like I learned a lot about its history while I was there.

One other noteworthy attraction on the southern edge of the Altstadt is  Kurfürstliches Schloss Koblenz . This ornate white palace is surrounded by impeccably maintained gardens that seem to serve as a public square for the city.

Day 6: Cologne (Köln) 🇩🇪

Cologne is the largest city this cruise stops in, so there wasn’t enough time to explore all that I wanted to. With that said, we at least had a full day docked here. The included Viking tour served as a brief introduction to the riverfront and Kölner Dom , the city’s massive iconic cathedral. After that, we had the rest of the day to explore on our own.

I thought the main sanctuary of the cathedral was stunning, but I actually didn’t really like climbing the church tower . The views from the top were fine but not as stunning as some of the other panoramic views I saw on this cruise (e.g. in Breisach or Strasbourg). More importantly, the climb is essentially one long spiral staircase – with visitors going both directions on it! It felt kind of dangerous. Frankly, being on a spiral staircase for that long with only the occasional narrow gothic window was disorienting and dizzying. If you want to climb a church tower, I suggest going up to the top of the Notre-Dame in Strasbourg instead.

After visiting the cathedral, I walked across the Hohenzollernbrücke , which is one of the most notable “love lock” bridges in Europe. Yes, I know this is a trend that’s swept almost the entire world, but the number of locks on the Hohenzollern Bridge is still a sight to behold.

The last thing I did in Cologne was visit the Museum Ludwig . It was hosting a fascinating temporary exhibit featuring the works of  Isamu Noguchi . I’m not the biggest museum enthusiast, but the Ludwig ended up being very captivating.

Day 7: Cruise through the Dutch Countryside; Stop in Kinderdijk 🇳🇱

In all honesty, the Rhine (which turns into the Waal) is less scenic in the Netherlands than it is in Germany. You’re no longer surrounded by hills, vineyards, and castles. Instead, the riverbanks are flat and sandy here.

Our final shore excursion ended up being a really fascinating one: a guided tour of  Kinderdijk , a ‎UNESCO World Heritage Site on the outskirts of Rotterdam famous for its windmills. Our tour guide did an excellent job of introducing us to the history and purpose of mills in the Netherlands.

The landscape here is so pretty, and one of the highlights of this visit was being able to see the inside of a mill. All in all, a short visit to Kinderdijk was a great way to wrap up our final full day on the Viking Hermod.

Day 8: Disembark in Amsterdam 🇳🇱

The Netherlands is a small country, and Kinderdijk is only about 95 kilometers (59 miles) away from Amsterdam. As such, the Hermod was already passing through Utrecht by bedtime. We docked at Amsterdam very early in the morning on our final day.

There were no day tours of Amsterdam organized by Viking on Day 8, but we were allowed to stay on the boat until the late afternoon (with lunch included). However, we did have to vacate our staterooms by 8:00 a.m. so that the cleaning crew could start preparing for the next cruise.

After checking out, guests are free to go on their way. I assume that most people flew out of Amsterdam within a day or two of ending the cruise. However, we stayed for five extra days in Amsterdam and met up with a few more family members there! I had mixed feelings about this bustling Dutch metropolis, which I’ve written about in a separate blog post.

Cruise Review

Now that you’ve seen the itinerary for the Rhine Getaway, the second half of this post will include some information about the actual cruising experience on Viking.

If you’re considering booking this cruise for yourself, you might be wondering: what is the Rhine River actually like between Basel and Amsterdam? Well, in my opinion it seemed to have three distinct sections. From Basel until Speyer (Day 1 to Day 4), the Rhine feels very industrial . It’s lined by factories, and to be honest, the river is not amazing here (although the cities along it are). Luckily, the boat sailed at night through the Upper Rhine, so it’s not like we really missed out on much.

From Speyer to Cologne (Day 4 to Day 6), the Rhine River is incredibly scenic . Viking did a great job of scheduling so that passengers could enjoy the view from the boat during the day on this portion of the trip. The vineyards, villages, and castles of the Middle Rhine are undoubtedly the river’s most unique offerings.

In the Netherlands, the Rhine (or Waal) has a rural vibe to it. We passed cows cooling off in the shallow riverbanks, a few small Dutch villages, and not much else until we approached Amsterdam. The Lower Rhine is not as industrial as the Upper Rhine, and it’s not as picturesque as the Middle Rhine.

The most noteworthy thing about this cruise ship is its capacity: only about 200 passengers . There are four levels, and each room has a window. The ship has one single dining room that can accommodate all passengers at one time, an indoor lounge, a terrace, plus an open-air deck on top that runs the length of the ship.

The meals on our Viking Cruise were consistently amazing ! I really looked forward to coming back on board after each excursion or tour to enjoy whatever was being served that day.

What’s more, Viking offered specialties from each region we were passing through. I loved the fact that I got to try Swiss, German, French, and Dutch food all onboard! They also have a permanent menu that includes classics like Caesar salad, steak, and burgers, but I ordered most of my meals from their rotating menu.

The Viking breakfast buffet is also excellent! The omelette station is absolutely worth waiting in line for, plus it moves along fairly quickly.

Of course, you could always eat at local restaurants while you’re exploring the cities along the Rhine. We did that once or twice, but the food on the ship was so delicious that I rarely wanted to pass it up.

Should you get the drink package?

You’ll have to make this decision for yourself, but beer and wine are included with each meal even if you don’t purchase the unlimited drink package. I did the math, and you’d basically have to drink two additional cocktails each day (outside of lunch and dinner) to make the package worthwhile. I enjoy drinking to be sure, but I would typically have wine with my meals and limit myself to one cocktail per day. My total bar tab came out to be about 90 euro for the entire trip.

Like the food, all of the alcoholic drinks on this cruise were expertly crafted. Everything tasted great, and they were never watered down or too strong. They even made a great White Russian, which is one of my favorite cocktails!

At every port of call, Viking offered one included (free) tour. These tended to be walking tours that lasted about two hours and introduced guests to the various cities. In general, I’d say these tours were pretty good. However, if you’d rather explore one of the stops on your own (or even stay on the ship), you are more than welcome to skip any of the tours.

You can also pre-book one of many “Optional Excursions,” which are tours that you’ll have to pay extra for. I never did any of the Optional Excursions, so I can’t say if they were better or worse than the included tours.

The Viking Hermod was not a massive vessel. As such, it didn’t have all of the amenities that some other cruise ships might. There was no pool, casino, food court, gym, bowling alley, nightclub, etc. Part of this is because Viking’s clientele seems to skew older : my cousin, my brother, and I (in our twenties or late teens) were the youngest passengers on board. Viking River Cruises does not allow minors, so there are no amenities specifically aimed at kids.

Despite this, the Viking Hermod had a beautifully designed interior. The atrium and dining room were both warm and inviting spaces. The lounge and front terraces were comfortable places to sit, relax, or sip a drink. The ship’s common spaces never felt cramped, even when all the passengers were gathered together (e.g. during dinnertime).

I also found the stateroom to be comfortably sized. There is lots of space to store your luggage, and I found that the bathroom and shower weren’t too small.

Entertainment and Activities

One thing I really loved about this cruise was that there were lots of fun optional activities onboard the ship in the afternoons and evenings. Our family group enjoyed game nights and musical performances, but you could also attend things like a glassblowing demonstration or a Q&A session with the captains of the ship.

Longtime readers of my blog will know that I don’t shy away from giving my honest opinion when it comes to travel. If an attraction is overrated, I will tell you that. If a tour is underwhelming, I will tell you that. With that in mind, I’m happy to report that this Viking River Cruise was an outstanding experience ! I’ll cherish the memory of going down the Rhine with my extended family for the rest of my life.

Was the cruise perfect? No. I really would’ve preferred a little more time in fewer stops. If I could offer one suggestion to Viking, I’d say either choose Speyer or Rüdesheim am Rhein, and spend the entire day there. However, cruising through the Rhine Gorge the next day made up for it. Sailing past all those castles was the highlight of this cruise.

If you’re looking for an upscale travel experience in Western Europe, consider Viking’s Rhine Getaway. I had never been to Switzerland, Germany, France, or the Netherlands before this trip. Now, I can’t wait to go back and explore all four of those countries in greater depth! It’s safe to say this cruise inspired even more wanderlust in me. By that metric, I’d say it was a resounding success!

Have you ever been on a Viking River Cruise before? Are you about to embark on one? Leave a comment below and let me know! I’m curious if other travelers loved this cruise as much as I do!

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This post was published on July 23, 2022

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This post has 23 comments.

We have not yet done a river cruise. And the Viking River Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam sounds like a great itinerary. So many lovely stops along the way. I would love to see all the castles and palaces along this route. The Viking ship looks like a great way to travel on the rivers.

We are leaving September 7 for the Amsterdam to Lucerne cruise and staying over in Lucerne 2 days. You have described everything perfectly so I know what to expect. Just praying they get rain between now and then.

Peggy did you get rain? Did you have to disembark for a day and go on a sister ship?

A Glowing review of Viking River Cruising. However you were fortunate to travel on a longship from destination to destination, we just completed are first Viking River Cruise and we had quite the opposite experience and picture you describe so charmingly above. Having arrived back a week ago from the Grand European Tour, Budapest to Amsterdam we were exhausted and could have done with another holiday. It would be to long for me to go into all the details, I could fill a book, but now looking back Viking should really have given us an update on the current River conditions. Basically they didn’t, and there lies the problem, yes we knew about the possibility of low and high water but had no idea how bad it was before we arrived, only to be told by a fellow passenger when we boarded ship of the current situation, having to maybe change boats half through our tour. Well we were prepared for that we could handle it and enjoy ourselves what unfolded was problem on problem on problem. Pack unpack pack unpack get the picture, inordinate bus journeys on a longship leisurely cruise, you’d be lucky. hotel stays in Vienna Köln & Amsterdam, Viking docking areas that were waste or industrial sites and nowhere near a village never mind town or city. We changed boats 4 times and even never left on the one we boarded in the first place, most of the excuses were obvious low water etc etc, but then when you have just got off a coach because you couldn’t travel down the Danube or Rhine because of ‘Low Water’ but then you hear from another Viking tour group that you just crossed paths with that they travelled down on that same stretch of water with no problem or we’re about to travel down the stretch water that you just spent 2 hours on a coach because we were told we couldn’t, makes you think what’s go on and who’s telling the truth? Don’t get me wrong the-programme director and staff on the first week were great and worked tirelessly, the 2nd half not so much, funny that! Anyway I could go on on, but there doesn’t seem no point, we were promised that Viking would contact on our return, still waiting a week on, but having trawled the internet and Viking Customer websites I won’t hold my breath in getting anywhere with that approach if what I hear is all true! I always thought Viking was a leading light in River Cruising, shows you how wrong you can be.

Hi Mike, Thanks for your honesty. We are due to board Viking’s Rhine River Cruise on 9/9, two years after canceling twice because of the pandemic. However, with all the news of the drought and low water levels in Europe, we have sadly decided to cancel once again. We will rebook in the late spring when the River is at a higher level. .Speaking with Viking, they made it sound like it was probably only a bus ride between two ports and that there hasn’t been a problem so far. However, your post has given a more honest picture of what actually happened, validating our decision to cancel. Thanks again for your post.

Just did the Rhine on the Viking Mani mid April with my mom. It was my 1st cruise and first time « across the pond » Did you get to see the parrots in Cologne? It was an amazing sight to see them flying over the longboat to roost for the night. I made some Rudensheim coffee during one of the exhibits on the boat. I had the adventure of my dreams on this cruise. The pre-excursions on Lake Lucerne were amazing. The Pearls of Switzerland excursion was worth the extra money but be prepared for a 13 hour tour. The Alps we’re breathtaking and I got to make CHEESE (and bring some back to the states?

I’ve always wondered about Viking cruises! I see their ads all the time. The only cruise I’ve done is on the Nile River; big cruise ships don’t appeal to me, but I don’t mind the much smaller river boats and more frequent shore excursions. This really sounds like a lovely way to see a lot of Europe!

Think twice about cruising now. We just returned from the Rhine Get Away Cruise. We had to do a “ship swap” due to low river levels which meant packing up and getting out of our cabin at 8am the next morning. We also spent 5-6 hours on a coach bus to get to our next destination. The scenic castle tour advertised was not possible. Viking offered a $50 on board credit for our inconvenience. In addition, both my husband and I left the ship sick and tested positive for COVID. I’m disappointed that Viking never checked to make sure passengers were vaccinated. There were many people that were coughing and appeared to be sick on this cruise.

What trip did you take? We are planning on Basel to Amsterdam next July and wonder if that is the same as you. I am getting mixed information about the river level and the experiences. Any insight you could share would be appreciated. Thank you

Viking, please address the concerns re the low tide. My cruise is Nov 13. Physically, I cannot do Bus Tours ior do extra packing and unpacking That is not what I signed up for. So if Viking plans on transferring passengers and traveling on busses….then they need to cancel the trip. I need and want a nice, peaceful, laid back River Cruise The President of Viking says he treasures HONESTY. Let’s put that to work.

Did you get a response from Viking?

Good afternoon, We have plans on going on Viking in July 2023 from Basel To Amsterdam. I appreciate the honesty of some of these reviews. The river level is of great concern to my husband and me. And with weather conditions and forecasts being what they are, my fear is this issue will get worse over time not better. One huge attraction to a river cruise is the lovely scenery during the time on board as well as only unpacking one time in 8 days. I will be contacting Viking to ask about their issues this year and just how much disruption there has been to date. Also noting, I have read some other issues regarding the Rhine River. One issue appears to be the huge increase in traffic on the river. The container ships appear to be taking less tonnage, therefore, increasing the number of ships on the river. I appreciate the commentary and will be looking for more answers before we pay the balance of our scheduled trip for 2023.

We are right on target to go July 2023. I hooe you got answers from Viking. We are very concerned about the water levels too! Thank you!

Yes, that is the same cruise we were on. We did a “ship swap” due to low river levels. It was an inconvenience for sure packing up and getting out of the room by 8am. We spent quite a bit of time (I believe 6 hours or so) on a coach bus getting to our next destination. We also made a stop at and docked for the night at a port that was very industrial and unattractive. Viking did the best they could under the circumstances. We missed the scenic cruising through the castle gorge because of this ship swap. Keep an eye of river levels before paying for this cruise. I’ve heard that some cruises had to do this “ship swap” twice!

Just returned from the Romantic Danube Cruise – Budapest to Regensberg 8/28/22 with the Prague extension and a non-Viking extension in Amsterdam for my 60th birthday.

It was an AMAZING experience!!!

Our ship, ATLA, also experienced low water levels so could not dock at Regensburg and we had to take a bus to get to Regensburg. Thankfully we were able to get there because that was my favorite city of the entire tour!!!

Viking is amazing and I loved every minute of it and cannot wait to go back for another cruise! They go all out – I felt supported and pampered with little to no stress! Everything is done for you – from the excursions to the food to the entertainment to having your room cleaned every time you turn around! All of the Danube cities are picturesque, clean and stunningly beautiful! And I found the pace great!

The only thing I saw as a drawback, and agree with the Caffeinated, there was not enough time given in several cities for shopping and exploring. I paid for the extension to go to Salzburg to see the Sound of Music sites. Our guide was terrible! The guides on these excursions are so important and will make or break an excursion. We were rushed through and I even had to ask to go see the steps and fountain in the movie where the kids are running through the palace grounds!!

I second the recommendation to Viking to allow a lot more time in some cities such as Vienna Regensburg, Passau, Salzburg etc. I also recommend a specifically focused Sound of Music tour for all of us old people who loved that movie!

Despite some rushing and low water levels I would go back in a heartbeat!!!

Thank you for the feedback. I do appreciate the information. For the cost of the trip, I am starting to rethink it for sure. My feelings about climate change and seeing any dramatic changes for the good by next year are not too optimistic. We may tour Europe via another mode of transportation.

We have not addressed Viking directly as yet. My feeling is that they will most likely give the glowing reviews and how next year will be fine. I would much rather read information from guests and their experiences.

Hi, enjoyed your review. We are booked with 7 other couples for a Viking Rhine Getaway in April, Basel to Amsterdam. Very excited and love reading the reviews and seeing the photos. It will be all of our first river cruise. Some of us are starting a week earlier for time in Italy & Switzerland, part of us are also staying longer in Amsterdam afterward. Out excursions we’re just posted & we signed up for most of the included ones. But we are trying to figure a way to get to Heidelberg instead of Speyer & Rudesheim. We don’t want to do the ship’s excursion to Heidelberg.

We are going on this exact Viking cruise in June and we really love your insights into this trip. It has been very helpful and we appreciate your honest evaluation! We can’t wait!

Great information and review! We (14 of us) are going on the same cruise in April/May. We just finalized our plans and excursions over the weekend. It should be amazing!

Thank you for providing detailed descriptions and insight. Very helpful in planning the itinerary for our B-A cruise this fall.

Pingback: A Comprehensive Review of Viking River Cruises - Tech Innovator Hub

So sounds like a cruise in mid April would work, just wondering about the weather in mid April. When is high water season. Are there other river cruises? I ‘ll keep researching other sites and blogs. Thanks this was a great read… Norm

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11 Most Memorable Experiences On My AmaWaterways Rhine River Cruise

• Cruises and Sailing
• Destinations
• River Cruises
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The Rhine River is the setting for one of Europe’s most popular river cruise itineraries. Typically sailing the length of the river between Amsterdam and Basel, these enchanting Rhine River cruises visit the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland. This memorable journey of discovery is a rich cocktail of delights perfectly suited for those who love spectacular scenery, history, culture, wine, and outstanding cuisine.

Cruises along the legendary Rhine are filled with centuries-old castles, Gothic cathedrals, terraced vineyards, storybook villages, meandering canals, and culinary delights. There’s so much to see and do along this route, as I was able to experience recently with AmaWaterways . The award-winning, family owned and operated cruise line is celebrating its 20th anniversary and offers highly immersive river cruises on many of the world’s most scenic waterways, including the Rhine. 

AmaWaterways invited me to be their guest to sail their 7-night Captivating Rhine itinerary from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, on their newest ship, AmaLucia . This floating luxury boutique hotel is filled with amenities, including a panoramic lounge, an expansive sun deck with a pool and walking track, complimentary bicycles, and daily wellness activities. All accommodations are spacious outside staterooms, and the majority have AmaWaterways’ signature twin balconies. AmaLucia also offers multiple connecting cabins as well as triple and quad accommodations, which are ideal for families and multigenerational groups.

Our sailing offered a wealth of opportunities to be immersed in the history, culture, and landscapes of Europe. All 21 enriching excursions offered on our AmaLucia voyage were included in the cruise fare, and two to four tours were available in each port of call. This luxury of choice is particularly appealing for those traveling with family members or a group of people who may have different interests and activity levels. Guests can explore at their own speed, with most walking tours available at gentle, regular, and active paces. Guided hiking and biking excursions are also featured. The tour options were excellent, and I often wished I could clone myself so I could experience multiple tours offered simultaneously.

My AmaWaterways Rhine River cruise was filled with so many fabulous moments that it’s hard to pick favorites. Here are 11 of my most memorable experiences:

1. Marveling At Castles Along The Rhine

Sailing through the dramatic Rhine Gorge, a roughly 40-mile stretch between Koblenz and Rüdesheim, was an unforgettable highlight of my Rhine river cruise. The Upper Middle Rhine Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with historic castles , palaces, fortresses, and legends. 

Standing on AmaLucia ’s sun deck, I was mesmerized by the awe-inspiring scenery complete with picturesque towns, hillside vineyards, and 30 stunning castles and fortresses lining the river. Our knowledgeable cruise manager provided expert commentary on the Upper Middle Rhine Valley’s castles, the area’s stories and legends, the massive Loreley Rock, and the iconic statue that bears the siren’s name. The crew made the experience even more memorable by serving Rüdesheimer coffee (more on this adult beverage later) and an elaborate barbeque lunch on the sun deck.

Pro Tip: Get AmaWaterways’ Castle Cruiser map and plan to be up on the top deck early before your ship starts sailing past the first castle. Double-check the exact timing with your cruise manager so you won’t miss a moment of this experience.

2. Savoring Exceptional Cuisine

AmaWaterways is known for delivering memorable dining experiences , and it is a member of La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, one of the world’s most prestigious invitation-only culinary organizations. 

I was impressed with the consistently high quality of our meals and the personalized, attentive service on the AmaLucia . AmaLucia’s dining areas include the Main Restaurant, the panoramic Al Fresco Terrace, and the elegant Chef’s Table complimentary dining venue. The Chef’s Table is a reservation-only gourmet culinary experience featuring an exquisite multi-course tasting menu paired with complimentary wines. The Main Restaurant serves three mouthwatering meals daily, with menus featuring fresh, locally-sourced ingredients and regional cuisine, including exceptional meats and seafood. Wines, beer, and soft drinks are complimentary with meals, and a tapas menu is available in the lounge. 

The AmaLucia staff did an excellent job dealing with food allergies, and they surprised their guests with unannounced treats like gelato parties and other delights during our cruise. 

Pro Tips: Make reservations for The Chef’s Table at the reception desk on embarkation day.

3. Strolling And Shopping In Strasbourg

I fell in love with this “Gem of the Alsace,” a historic city that blends both French and German cultures. Strasbourg’s Grande-Île, an urban island created by a tributary of the Rhine and a canal, is a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with cobblestone streets, enticing shops, and sidewalk cafes. 

I enjoyed visiting centuries-old Gothic Strasbourg Cathedral, with its magnificent astronomical clock; sampling Alsatian cuisine; and strolling through the enchanting Petite France district, with its quaint half-timbered buildings and flower-bedecked bridges. Shopping at boutiques along the Rue du Dôme, the Rue des Juifs, and in Petite France was a treat.

Pro Tip: If you’re planning to go shopping, take your passport with you for possible value-added-tax refunds if you might make large purchases in one or two stores. A photo of your passport often works.

4. Watching The World Go By

Some of the best moments of my AmaWaterways river cruise were spent on our ship, simply relaxing and enjoying the breathtaking scenery. It’s rare to have this kind of pleasurable downtime, and our floating luxury hotel provided front-row seats for the Rhine’s spectacular show. 

My AmaLucia stateroom featured AmaWaterways’ signature twin balconies, providing beautiful views from both the French balcony and a full-size veranda equipped with comfortable chairs. 

AmaLucia ’s sun deck is another great place to watch the Rhine’s ever-changing landscapes. The sun deck offers loungers in both sun and shade, and a large seating area at the bow is equipped with comfortable couches, tables, and chairs perfect for taking in the panoramic scenic views.

Pro Tip: Have breakfast or lunch at the Al Fresco Terrace at least once during your cruise. The views are amazing, and it’s a choice spot to watch your ship pass through the Rhine River locks.

5. Enjoying Rüdesheim After Dark

Rüdesheim am Rhein is one of Germany’s most picturesque wine areas. Guests can soar above the vineyards on a gondola ride to the hilltop Niederwald Monument, join a wine tasting, visit the unique Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet museum, and take a guided biking or hiking tour. 

I enjoyed sampling local wines and viewing the terraced vineyards, but one of my favorite experiences was exploring Rüdesheim after dark. This quaint town comes alive at night. We strolled around the Old Town and down Drosselgasse, a narrow cobblestone street lined with restaurants, wine bars, taverns, and boutiques. Our group listened to live music and visited the Rüdesheimer Schloss for authentic Rüdesheimer coffee , a potent beverage made with local Asbach brandy and sugar and topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. It was an enchanting evening.

Pro Tip: AmaWaterways provides free tourist train rides for easy access to Rüdesheim’s Old Town area. Wear sturdy shoes, since the cobblestone streets can be hilly and uneven.  

6. Interacting With Our Fantastic On-Board Community

AmaLucia offers an environment of casual luxury, along with an incredibly welcoming staff. It was fantastic to spend time relaxing on board and enjoying the ship’s amenities, exceptional cuisine, personalized service, and vibrant onboard community. 

The AmaWaterways team created fantastic camaraderie on our cruise, encouraging close interaction with staff members and other guests. Guests come together to share stories at mealtimes and get to know each other better on shore excursions. We had fun with new friends in the evenings, enjoying the entertainment and dancing the night away in the Main Lounge and at parties on the sun deck.

Pro Tip: Plan to be at the ship’s daily Sip & Sail happy hour in the Main Lounge. It’s a great place to meet and mingle with other guests, and complimentary wine, beer, and spirits are served.   

7. Exploring Historic Heidelberg

Our included tour of beautiful Heidelberg was a fabulous experience. This well-preserved city is set along the scenic Neckar River and is home to Germany’s oldest and most renowned university. We started by taking a guided visit through the ancient ruins of Heidelberg Castle, a royal Renaissance palace built with stunning red sandstone. The world-famous fortress towers above the Neckar Valley and its cellars contain the Heidelberg Tun, the world’s largest wine barrel. After touring the castle, we had plenty of time on our own to explore the Old City with its countless shops and boutiques, stroll along the waterfront, and relax at an outdoor café while sampling German beers.

Pro Tip: Walk across Heidelberg’s Old Bridge to enjoy dazzling views of iconic Heidelberg Castle, the Old City, and the Neckar River.

8. Amping Up Wellness And Staying Active

Most AmaWaterways river cruise ships have a professionally trained Wellness Host on board who leads complimentary yoga, Zumba, and other fitness activities throughout the journey. Active shore excursions, including guided bike tours and hikes, are also offered in ports of call. Guests who prefer riding in their spare time rather than taking a biking excursion can use AmaLucia ’s complimentary bicycles. 

I loved AmaLucia ’s activities and yoga classes and discovered flexibility I didn’t know I lacked. As a result of the superb wellness programs on AmaLucia , my husband and I have taken up yoga at home.

Pro Tip: AmaWaterways also offers very reasonably-priced massage services on their ships, and guests raved about their treatments. Make your appointments at the reception desk on embarkation day.

9. Cruising Along Amsterdam’s Canals

Amsterdam is home to 165 canals, and a scenic canal cruise along these tree-lined waterways is a fantastic way to see the city’s centuries-old historical center and beautiful attractions. There’s so much to see and do in Amsterdam, so plan to spend several days here before or after your cruise. During our extended time in Amsterdam, we took a fabulous canal tour and visited the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Floriade Expo, a world-renowned horticultural exhibition occurring once each decade. 

Pro Tip: AmaWaterways offers immersive, fully-escorted land packages in Amsterdam and Switzerland on their Rhine voyages. Guests highly recommended these convenient river cruise extensions.

10. Discovering Enchanting Riquewihr

Surrounded by lush vineyards, idyllic Riquewihr is one of the most beautiful towns in France. Straight out of a fairytale, Riquewihr is a medieval French village said to have inspired animators creating Belle’s hometown in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast . This storybook village is filled with postcard-perfect half-timbered houses, cobblestone streets, charming shops and cafés, and structures dating back to the 13 th century. Riquewihr is known for producing outstanding wines, such as its exceptional riesling. We enjoyed relaxing at a delightful outdoor café and sampling local treats here.

Pro Tip: Riquewihr’s cobblestone streets can be uneven, and there’s a tourist train available if preferred. Make sure to try Les Macarons de Riquewihr at Maison Alsacienne De Biscuiterie . They’re delicious!

11. Chilling Out In The Pool

When choosing your river cruise ship, consider the amenities that would make your vacation more pleasurable. Europe’s summers are often hot, so spending time in the pool is appealing. AmaLucia ’s sun deck features a lovely outdoor pool , and I was thrilled to kick back and cool down there during our cruise in July. Aqua aerobics are also offered here. The ship’s pool is heated, so it can still be wonderful to enjoy in the spring and fall.

Pro Tip: Head up to the pool in the evening. It was a fantastic place to relax while watching the sunset, then sit at the swim-up bar while stargazing later at night.

For more along the breathtaking Rhine River, check out:

• 10 Fairytale Castles To Experience On Germany’s Middle Rhine
• 11 Reasons Why We Love River Cruises In Europe
• Danube River Cruise Vs. Rhine River Cruise: 7 Key Differences

Nancy is founder of the Family Travel Network, launched in partnership with America Online. She serves on the Board of the Family Travel Association and is a consultant and frequent presenter at top travel industry conferences and events. Nancy is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association and the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association. She was honored with the Family Travel Association's Mike Janes Media Member Award in 2022.

Rhine Getaway Viking River Cruise Review | 8 Day Travel Itinerary

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The Rhine Getaway Viking Cruise explores the medieval towns, castles, and cathedrals of the Rhine River. The spectacular scenery of the Rhine is a highlight of the voyage. On the journey you will sail past European villages, vineyards, and turreted fortresses on a Viking Long Ship.

The cruise embarks in Amsterdam, Netherlands and disembarks in Basel, Switzerland. The Viking Rhine River itinerary includes stops at ports in the Netherlands, France, and Germany. This Working Joe Travel cruise review includes all the essential information you will need to decide if this river cruise is right for you.

While there is much to see and do, Randy and I found the cruise to be well-paced. After unpacking, our work for the week was done. Viking expertly coordinated every detail of the daily Viking Rhine River excursions. On this cruise we experienced minimal wait times, comfortable transport, and quality guides.

Overall Impression : As working-joes, we found this travel itinerary to be a great blend of discovery and relaxation. Highly recommended.

For more information on cruising and travel to Europe read our blog posts on:

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RHINE GETAWAY VIKING TRAVEL TIPS

The 190- passenger long ship never felt crowded. It was beautifully appointed and had ample indoor and outdoor common areas that were designed to take in the landscape. The ship is categorized as a small ship. It often docked within walking distance of port cities or within a short bus ride (there was no tendering into port). Onboard rocking was minimal and there was little-to-no seasickness.

The passenger list was primarily made up of working professionals and retirees. There were many people traveling in groups (some large), but also many couples.

There was one main dining room, The Restaurant , that served three meals a day. Beer and wine were included with lunch and supper. There were set dining hours, but no assigned seating. We found that without assigned seating if you did not arrive early, you were apt to be ‘stuck’ at a table of folks traveling in a group. We quickly found a few other couples to make up a table, and these became our dining companions for the rest of the trip.

Other dining options included the Aquavit Terrace that served lighter fare food, and the Lounge which had drinks and snacks available all day. In-room refrigerators were stocked with bottled water daily. The food was excellent.

Veranda Stateroom

Spacious. Comfortable. Many amenities. The stateroom had floor to ceiling sliding glass doors with a full-sized veranda (so busy we hardly used it). We had a mini-fridge and 42” TV with free movie channels, cruise information, and ship board cameras. There was a safe in the room.

No formal nights – yeah! Dress is casual in the day; dressy-casual at night. Bring comfortable walking shoes. Some excursions include cathedrals. Men and women should have knees and shoulders covered. And, at many sites only small purses and bags are allowed. Check online ahead.

Entertainment

Low key. A highlight of the day is a lecture about the next port of call. There was an on-board historian. In the evening, Viking would bring on local musicians for mini-concerts. There was a lounge, sundeck, and library to mingle. The in-room TV had free movies and we loved the real time onboard video cams.

Viking Rhine River Excursions

There is one free excursion per port included in the cruise fare. It tends to be a 2-3 hour morning overview of an area, often a walking tour. The tour guides are top quality. The ports were all walkable, accessible, and interesting. Optional Viking Rhine River excursions are also available for an extra charge. Or, passengers can book their own excursions (in Europe we often use GetYourGuide ).

Here is a sampling of some the excursions passengers can book outside of the cruise line on a Rhine River cruise:

Cologne Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour

Koblenz Guided Wine Tasting

Heidelberg Highlights and Castle Tour

Strasbourg Guided Bike Tour with a Local

Black Forest & Baden Baden Day Trip

While onboard, the Viking River Cruise staff makes you feel like an honored and respected family member. Leaving for excursions, staff gave out water, and umbrellas if needed. While taking in the scenery on the sun deck, staff would bring around hot/cold drinks and warm cookies. Tipping was not allowed; no ‘nickel and diming’ onboard – so nice! Great attention was taken to making transfers to and from the airport go smoothly. Exceptional service.

VIKING RHINE RIVER ITINERARY

Day 1 amsterdam, the netherlands.

Check-in at the ship is 3 pm. If you arrive early lunch is available. Unpack, and head outdoors. The pier is within walking distance of Amsterdam’s historic district. Take a walk along the boardwalk to Amsterdam Centraal Railway Station. Pick up a city map. From here it is a short walk to the historic district and Dam Square. Meander about the area. Then, make your way to a Amsterdam canal boat tour . They are plentiful and easy to locate.

Most canal boat cruises operate with a hop-on, hop-off approach. The boats run different routes around the UNESCO-protected concentric canal rings. This is a wonderful way to see the city. You will float past the tall, narrow facades of Amsterdam’s building, its houseboats, and intricate bridges. The canals are scenic in the day, evening, and in the rain. If time permits visit the Anne Frank House or take a Red Light District Tour .

Day 2 Kinderdijt

After breakfast, join the shore excursion to the Kinderdijk windmills. You will be bussed a short distance to a ridge of windmills. There, you will tour the interior of a working windmill at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Spend the afternoon settling into your room, and discovering the ship. In the evening there is a welcome reception and dinner.

Day 3 Cologne, Germany

In the morning, visit the city of Cologne, Germany for a walking tour. The highlight of the tour is the magnificent gothic Cologne Cathedral in the Old City. After the guided walking tour, you can return to the ship for lunch or stay in the city to explore on your own. Try this Cologne Panoramic City Tour or a Cologne Local Brewery Tour .

Randy and I had reserved a bike tour for the afternoon, but it was cancelled. Instead, we found a German pub for lunch. Then, we walked the city and saw remnants of a medieval wall and Romanesque churches. We also had great fun wandering around a department store, and a bridal shop.

Late in the day, we returned to the ship where it was docked next to a boardwalk and city park. We sat on our veranda and people watched. It was wonderful.

Day 4 Koblenz, Middle Rhine & Rudesheim

This was our favorite day of the cruise.

The ship docked in Koblenz, Germany. The included shore excursion was a trip to Marksburg Castle. The well-preserved castle overlooks the town of Braubach, and the Rhine. The tour took in many areas of the castle including its armament room, music room, cannons, and ramparts. It was fascinating. Many other passengers enjoyed a local wine tour .

After lunch on the ship, we made our way to the sun deck for an afternoon of scenic cruising. On the way to Rudesheim, Germany we floated past villages, vineyards, and castle after castle sitting high on nearby hills. We enjoyed drinks and snacks against the spectacular backdrop. It was a photographer’s dream and a wonderful time to get to know the other cruisers.

That evening we left the ship and trekked into Drosselgasse. The German village’s cobblestone streets were lit up by shops, restaurants, and pubs. Most of the pubs featured live German bands.

Day 5 Heidelberg and Speyer

This morning the included shore excursion is a tour of the 13th century Heidelberg Castle . The neighborhood leading up to the castle is lovely. The castle itself is a complex of buildings; some crumbling, others well-preserved. After touring the complex, there is a short bus ride to charming Heidelberg Town where the tour continues.

Later in the day, you will travel to the town of Speyer, Germany. There is free time to explore the city, and its Imperial Cathedral as well as many ancient Jewish sites, sculptures, and gardens.

Day 6 Strasbourg, France

Today, you will be bussed to the city of Strasbourg, France. After a guided walking tour of the picturesque Tanners District and Strasbourg Cathedral, you will have free time to shop and wander about. We loved the bakeries and Renaissance architecture at this stop. In the afternoon, try a guided bike tour .

Day 7 Breisach & Black Forest, Germany

The included shore excursion this morning is a scenic coach ride through Germany’s Black Forest Region. You will motor past quaint villages, farms, and forests on your way up into the mountains.

The tour stops at a compound with an inn and little stores, including a cuckoo clock shop. There is time for a short hike, to grab a bite to eat, and to shop. This was our longest shore excursion. It was a gorgeous ride and region.

Day 8 Basel, Switzerland

Breakfast, disembark, transfer to airport.

Gute Reise (have a good journey)! Laura and Randy

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8 Highlights of a Rhine River Day Cruise, Germany

By Author Paulina

Posted on Published: November 15, 2018  - Last updated: September 13, 2022

I discovered a gem, that’s so close to my home country Luxembourg , that I cannot believe why it took me so long to explore it. I am talking about the Middle Rhine River Valley in Germany !

Steep vineyards, legendary castles on hilltops, great food and quaint wine villages are creating a truely enchanting setting. My favorite way to explore the German Middle Rhine River is by river cruise.

Let’s sail off to the best destinations for a Rhine river day cruise in Germany!

Read more about the best castles on the Rhine

There are 2 options on how to explore the Rhine River Valley, a declared UNESCO Heritage Site since 2002, by boat:

• You can either opt for a cruise that takes you from Basel or Strasbourg to the German Rhine
• or you can explore the Middle Rhine River Valley by day cruises from main Rhine towns

A European  river cruise on the Rhine can take everything in between to 2- 8 days. You sleep on the boat and enjoy entertainment and dinner on the boat. You mostly discover the highlights of the Rhine River Valley during the day trips. Some of the most popular Rhine River Cruises are

• the classical Rhine River cruise from Basel to Amsterdam
• the Romantic Rhine by Avalon Waterways

The main difference to a Rhine Day River Cruise or tour is that you don’t have your base on the boat but in one of the quaint wine villages along the river or in a larger town like Koblenz or Rüdesheim.

My favorite route to explore the gems of the Rhine River is with the Rhine Pass from Koblenz . It gives you the freedom to visit all the villages and castles at your pace. I recommend taking the route from Koblenz to Bacharach which covers all of the highlights mentioned in this post. Your base can thus be in Koblenz or in one of the quaint wine villages like Boppard, St.Goar or Bacharach.

Buy here your Rhine Boat Pass from Koblenz to Mainz

If you want to spend more time in Koblenz I recommend the River Cruise including a Cable Car ride in Koblenz and a visit to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.

Now that you are ready to sail off, let me share with you my favorite highlights of Rhine River Day Cruise. The order is based upon my personal preference, however, you’ll find a map at the end of the post with the best of a Rhine River Day Cruise.

Read more: Things To Do in Koblenz

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General Information about Rhine Travel Geographic situation : The Rhine river flows from Switzerland along Liechtenstein , France, Germany and the Netherlands . Language : German. English is widely spoken. Currency : EUR How to get there : By airplane to Luxembourg Airport or Köln Airport Rent a car to drive from airports of Luxembourg , Köln or Düsseldorf or explore the region without restrictions. Check cheap rental car prices here Public Transport: By train. Wine villages are well connected to public transport on the train line: Mainz -Bingen – Koblenz.  Check cheap connections and prices here  Economy & Activities : Wine growing, main fluvial trade route in Europe and Tourism including cycling , hiking,  river cruises and castle hopping.

Where to stay in Middle Rhine Valley, Germany

1. bacharach, altes hause – “old house” in bacharach.

Bacharach reflects the quintessence of the Romantic Rhine : green, steep vineyards, an impressive castle, medieval ruins, timber frame houses, cobblestone streets, a perfectly maintained fortification wall and friendly people.

The dock is located only a few meters away from the historic town center. 

Like so many towns on the Rhine, Bacharach made its money from collecting taxes from the ships passing down the river. In order to absorb the romantic, absolutely relaxing atmosphere, I recommend to start your tour at one of the medieval entrance gates , make it to “ Altes Haus ”, the prettiest and oldest house (1368) in town, stroll on the main street “ Koblenzerstrasse ” packed with wine terraces.

Take “ Rosenstrasse ” to your left and walk up to the Northern entrance gate, from here it’s only 5 minutes to reach the “ Postenturm ”, the best place for panoramic views over the Rhine river and charming Bacharach village.

I was particularly intrigued by the Gothic ruins of a massive chapel, the Wernerkapelle , which lays on the way to the castle Burg Stahleck . For me, Bacharach village is the best place to enjoy the (wine) Romantic of the Rhine river.

Buy here your R hine River Day Cruise Pass to Bacharach

I highly recommend spending at 1 night in Bacharach, as the atmosphere is sublime in early mornings and at nightfall.

Where to stay in Bacharach

The best place to stay in Bacharach is Rhein-Hotel Bacharach. The hotel is family-run since 3 generations and lays on the fortification wall. Mr. Stüber, manager and cook at Rhein-Hotel Bacharach will serve you German cuisine with a modern touch. Their entire menu is based on the concept of “ Slow food” including regional and seasonal products. You can also buy local wines and liquors at Rhine-Hotel Bacharach. It’s definitely the place to stay in Bacharach.

My second favorite village for a sightseeing cruise is Boppard. Winegrowing center, it is home to several prestigious Riesling wines. Viticulture in Boppard goes back to Roman times and with its 75 hectares, one of the largest wine-growing towns in the Middle Rhine.

Boppard is the perfect place to enjoy the romantic vibe of a typical Rhine village . I recommend to wander through its narrow streets and enjoy the terraces on the Rhine promenade. I also loved to explore the particularly well-maintained fortification walls.

Buy here your Rhine River Day Cruise Pass to Boppard

The main sights of Boppard are the ancient Roman fortress and the Electorial Castle, one of the few castles along the Rhine River that hasn’t been destroyed. Usually, castles were built on hilltops, away from the villages.  

I highly recommend to include a wine tasting in Boppard in order to enjoy the locally produced white wine. Almost every restaurant will be pleased to give you an introduction to viticulture in the Rhine River Valley.

3. Sankt Goar

Goarshausen.

Sankt Goar is the last village before you reach the Lorelei Rock, it’s thus an extremely popular destination due to its central location in the Rhine Gorge. You can easily explore it in one day cruise from Koblenz.

The dock is only a few metres away from the historic town center.

Like other towns on the Rhine River, Sankt Goar has an impressive castle , Burg Rheinfels towering on a hilltop. The castle can be visited and you’ll enjoy a great view on the Rhine and on the sister town Sankt Goarshausen on the opposite river bank.

Buy here your Rhine River Day Cruise to St.Goar

Sankt Goarshausen with its own castles, Maus and Burg Katz, is connected by ferry to Sankt Goar. 

You’re looking for something quirky ? Then the Doll and Teddy bear Museum might be for you! The museum hosts a large collection of puppets, soft toys, and puppets on over 3 floors. The items come from all over the world. (Sonnengasse 8, 56239 St. Goar, +49 6741 7270)

Did you know that Sankt Goar is home to the largest free-hanging cuckoo clock in the world? It is hanging outside a souvenir store and is about 3.5 meters high and 2 meters wide. Every hour, the little figures in the clock spin and of course, the cuckoo makes its appearance. The souvenir shop, family-run business is located on the road along the Rhine River. ( Heerstr. 131, Sankt Goar 56329, +49 6741 934120)

4. Loreley Rock

View on the loreley.

The river bend and its legendary Lorelei (or Loreley ) rock are an absolute must when visiting the Middle Rhine River.

Located between the winegrowing villages of St.Goar and Oberwesel , the steep, the 194m high slate cliff is the narrowest point of the Rhine river . Shrouded in legends, this place has been depicted in countless paintings, poems, and songs. However, the most famous one is by Heinrich Heine.

The legend says that Loreley, a melancholic mermaid sits on a rock, combing her golden hair. Sailors get easily distracted by her beauty and her mesmerizing song and smash their vessels against the rocks.

Indeed the place is particularly difficult to be navigated, but there was no ship wreckage during the last decades.

Buy here your Rhine River Day Cruise along the Loreley cliff

5. Oberwesel

Oberwesel is the first stop on your Rhine River Day Cruise after the Lorelei Rock. Also known as the ‘City of Towers and Wine’ , Oberwesel is an absolutely charming place to visit due to its old city wall, the picturesque old half-timbered houses and the ancient ruin Schönburg .

Buy here your Rhine River Day Cruise to Oberwesel

Oberwesel has the oldest, largest and best-preserved city fortifications on the Middle Rhine. Of the original 22 towers of the city fortifications, 16 are still preserved today. The “ox tower” is the most famous one. The town also used to count up to nine monasteries.

Oberwesel is also the perfect departure point to hike up to Maria Ruh will from which you’ll enjoy panoramic views on the Lorelei cliff. Just follow the RheinburgenWeg signage and you’ll reach the hill in 1h30. The hike is medium-difficult and includes climbing parts.

6. Stolzenfels Castle

Princess moments in stolzenfels castle.

You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to castle hooping on the Middle Rhine River, but I highly recommend to visit Stolzenberg Castle, probably the epitome of Rhine romantic.

Located at only 10 minutes by car from the city center of Koblenz, Schloss Stolzenfels towers on the left river bank and offers dramatic views on the Rhine and backcountry.

Buy here your Rhine River Day Cruise to Stolzenfels

Built in the 19th century on top of medieval ruins, Stolzenfels castle is one of the prettiest castles on the Rhine river thanks to its park, artwork and fanciful, majestic exterior. Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm rebuilt the castle in a Gothic Revival style and it opened again in 1842. The prince even opened up the castle to foreign visitors, something very unusual at that time.

Opening hours vary with the seasons and tickets cost ~5€. You can reach the castle by foot from Stolzenfels village.

7.  Marksburg Castle

Marksburg setting.

Although I didn’t visit Marksburg castle, I particularly liked the dramatic atmosphere around the castle. Whilst I was on the opposite river bank, I had the best view on one of the most well-preserved castles in the Rhine River Valley.

Towering above the of Braubach , the Marksburg is one of the principal sites of the Rhine Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site. In opposite to other Rhine river castles, the fortress was used for protection rather than as a residence for royal families.

Of the 40 hill castles between Bingen am Rhein and Koblenz the Marksburg was the only one which was never destroyed. That means that the Marksburg was left basically unchanged since Medieval Ages.

Guided visits cost 7€ and can be arranged here .

From B 42, in the direction of Rüdesheim or Koblenz, use the exit to Braubach and follow the signs to “Marksburg”. You will find a spacious parking site close to the castle.

8. Visit Bingen

Mäuseturm in bingen.

Bingen was not only home to one of the most remarkable women in the Middle Ages, Hildegard von Bingen , but also a perfect stop during your Rhine River Day cruise.

Surrounded by vineyards, Bingen is one of the larger towns on the Rhine river. Some of the must-sees in Bingen include the wooden crane and the Klopp castle who has been destroyed several times during the last centuries. From here you’ll enjoy beautiful views on the town and on the river. The castle site also hosts a restaurant . 

Buy here your Rhine River Day Cruise to Bingen

The icon of Bingen is the Mouse Tower ( Mäuseturm ) shrouded in historic traditions and legends. Located on a small island in the Rhine River just outside Bingen, it makes for a nice photo opportunity from the river bank or a boat.

The legend says that the cruel archbishop of Mainz, locked up the peasants of the town in a barn and set it on fire. He got chased out of his castle and halfway across the river to the tower by an army of mice who ate him alive.

I hope some of these, admittedly very personal, highlights of my visit to the Middle Rhine River Valley in Germany  could convince you to include the region in your travel plans.

Have you been in the Rhine River Valley, Germany? Did you enjoy it? I would love to hear about the things you loved (or loved less) in the comment form. 

Map: Highlights of a Rhine River Day Cruise, Germany

Before You Go: Top Tips for your Trip 

• You’ll snap tons of photos and I love to take my  GoPro  in order to shoot even in extreme situations. 
• Make sure to wear comfortable  walking shoes  and  hiking sandals  when traveling to warm countries. 
• Sunscreen is key! I always take with me my  eco-friendly sunscreen  by Thinksport.  Buy here your eco-friendly sunscreen + free shipping.
• I always carry a  light rain jacket,  just in case.
• Travel insurance is essential! If you haven’t already obtained travel insurance for your trip, travel protected against all odds with  World Nomads.

In order to get  more information  on tourism in Rhine River Valley, Germany, I recommend the site of the Romantic Rhine Tourism.

Disclaimer: I have been a guest of Romantischer Rhein Touristik. All my opinions, as always, are my own. This post contains affiliate links. In case you purchase one of the items, I’ll receive a small commission. The price remains the same for you.

Hola! I’m Paulina, a seasoned travelette who crossed the Atlantic Ocean by Boat HitchHiking. On my blog, find expert insights for an extraordinary holiday through outdoor and sustainable travel like hiking, cycling, and sailing. Let’s embark on unforgettable journeys together! 🌍🚀

• Cruising Down the Rhine River: Our Great Viking Longboat Experience

By Mike and Debra DuBose with Blake DuBose

In 2015, we traveled 820 miles down the Rhine River on an eight-day Viking River Cruise from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Basel, Switzerland. It was one of the best trips we’ve ever taken—and we don’t say that lightly, having logged more than 2 million flight miles across the world! The experience was simply outstanding, from start to finish. We enjoyed delicious, exceedingly fresh food; fine wines; tailored itineraries; breathtaking scenery; excellent customer service; and modern, clean rooms. Dr. Gary Raymond, a friend who took the identical Viking riverboat cruise weeks before, echoed his satisfaction with the trip, commenting that out of 18 cruises he has been on, this was one of the best! He noted, “Everyone from the captain down was open to taking care of any problem you could come up with.”

Viking is one of several major cruise lines, including AmaWaterways, Uniworld, Avalon Waterways, and Tauck, to run river cruises in a variety of countries. Taking a Viking cruise is a very different experience than being on one of the large cruise ships, however. Having only 190 passengers on board promoted a unique and relaxing atmosphere. There were a few teenagers, but most of the passengers were 50 or older. We did not see (or hear) any children or loud, wild groups, as one would experience on the larger cruise ships, which carry thousands of passengers!

Viking operates 40 longships, mostly catering to experienced, English-speaking experienced travelers. We rode aboard a Viking longboat named “Mani” on our trip. The riverboat is very quiet, and the river is so calm you can hardly tell you are moving! The ship is handicapped accessible and has an elevator. (More details about Viking cruises can be found at www.vikingcruises.com .)

When to go:  When scheduling your trip, remember that riverboat cruises are dependent on rains—water levels in the rivers must be high enough to accommodate the boat, but not too high. Surprisingly (but very importantly), the Rhine is not very deep, so if the water level is too low, your cruise could be cancelled. Water levels that are too high are also a problem—in fact, as our friend Johnny Moore experienced, high, fast-moving waters make the ship unable to dock, and you will have to be transported by bus to your next location. (Moore noted, however, that “Viking took great pains to try to make up for the inconvenience” by booking the passengers into a nice hotel and providing them with a great meal.) We recommend that you check the river’s water levels using Google before going to avoid any surprises!

We sailed in July, and the weather was great. However, although temperatures are cooler, May and September are generally our preferred months to travel because the summer tourists have not yet descended on Europe, children are in school, and snows are melting, resulting in higher water depths.

How to book:  You can choose to arrange your cruise, flight, and hotel for yourself; work with your local travel agency; or buy the cruise (or a cruise-air combination package) directly from Viking (Reid Panlilio is a good Viking agent and can be reached at 877-668-4546 Ext. 8815). Moore recommended, “Use a travel agent and interview them before booking to see what additional amenities you might get by using their agency. We booked with AAA and received $125 each in on-board credit. We talked to others who did even better.” 

If you know someone who has traveled on Viking and you mention their name and address, both you and that person may receive a $100 per person credit ($200 per couple) for the referral. As the travel agent for his family of companies, Mike is not eligible for the referral, but ask around to see if you know anyone has travelled with Viking before booking! If you book more Viking cruises, you may also receive additional incentives.

The air-cruise package can save you money, but you usually can’t choose your airline, won’t receive airline reward points, and may have to make multiple stops or have a complex flight schedule. We met some Viking passengers whose luggage had been lost due to the combination of airlines they were assigned. You can request to fly on a single carrier for an additional cost, but there are no guarantees. If you select the Viking combination package, you generally will know the details of your flight about 75 days out. Whatever your choice, book at least six months (or, preferably, a year) in advance, since Viking cruises often sell out and the price escalates as you approach the sail date of your desired cruise. You can also opt into airport pickup and drop-off service with luggage transfers at an additional cost. We never check luggage ourselves, preferring to carry everything we need aboard the plane so it doesn’t get lost. See our article on  the art of packing  to learn how we fit everything necessary for a ten-day trip in two carry-ons per passenger!

Since river cruises may be cancelled, we recommend that you charge the trip to a credit card that provides travel insurance, such as Chase Sapphire or Marriott Visa; study and consider the travel insurance offered by Viking; or purchase your own travel insurance from businesses such as Allianz or American Express (Frommers.com has a good review of several options). You can obtain a two percent discount on your cruise if you pay by e-check. We preferred to pay the extra fee and use our credit card to not only generate points, but also provide some rights and travel insurance.

If you keep the same itinerary, it may be possible for you to change the dates of your cruise for a small fee, as we did. You can also cancel your cruise, but there may be penalties, so read the details. At the time this article was written, Viking was offering all kinds of incentives, including free air travel and cancellations without penalties. Check their website before booking for updated specials.

Prior to leaving, you will receive two detailed booklets, but no paper tickets. The first booklet provides background on the history of the Rhine River, and the other deals with your cruise. Be sure to read the second one carefully! Also, we were advised in March 2016 that Viking plans to implement a special online access point for booked passengers called MyVikingJourney.com where you can manage many aspects of your Viking trip.

Room selections: Each riverboat has three stateroom floors: water level, middle deck, and upper deck. There are five different types of rooms (Explorer Suites, Veranda Suites, Veranda Staterooms, French Balcony Staterooms, and Standard Staterooms) at varying price points, with the larger rooms on the higher floors being most expensive. Rooms on the upper deck exit into the bar, entertainment, and buffet food area, and middle deck staterooms are close to the dining hall. The upper deck is also home to the Aquavit Terrace. According to Departures Magazine, some individuals book the Viking river cruise for the terrace alone!

The most economically priced rooms, the Standard Staterooms, are located on the lowest level. This stateroom level is partially underwater and has only two small windows, so the view is not good (although two passengers we spoke to said they enjoyed seeing ducks floating by). Moore recommended, “Pay the extra cost and get a cabin with a view!” Some travelers who had been on multiple Viking cruises did not complain about staying in Standard Staterooms, though.

Rooms on the middle or upper decks either have a French door (without a balcony) or a balcony or terrace, which we recommend! We chose a Veranda Stateroom and enjoyed sitting out on our balcony throughout the cruise. We stayed on the upper deck this time, but will try the middle deck on our next Viking trip since the rooms are similar and the middle deck is less expensive.

Each room is assigned an English-speaking steward who keeps your room neat and clean, plus places bottled water in your room each day. He or she will greet you upon arrival and attend to any room-related needs you have. To increase the level of pampering even further, the ship also has a concierge who will assist you with any other matters. Moore noted, “If you take a cruise on Viking, don’t overlook the value of a great concierge. They can answer almost all of your questions and help you with many different facets of the cruise.”

Viking’s modern rooms are fairly spacious and are decorated with soothing colors and art. Most have a comfortable queen sized-bed, but the pillows are small (you may ask your steward for larger pillows—or make other requests, such as firmer or softer pillows, or heavier or lighter blankets, as Moore did). The rooms have thermostat-controlled heating and air and plenty of American-type, 110-volt electrical outlets that can power most electronics. There are two thermostats in the room: one for the cabin and a second one hidden in the bathroom for the heated floor. Be sure to ask your steward how to properly operate these since the main cabin thermostat needs to be set on a certain temperature.

While it may not appear possible, most of your carry-on luggage can be stored under the bed! The large, flat, wall-mounted television has English-speaking channels, including ones like CNN, CNBC, etc., and free, recently-released American movies, which we watched late at night when it was too dark to see the river. The shower/bathroom was fairly spacious, with large towels, good water pressure, and a hair dryer. In addition, each room had a decent-sized closet with a safe.

We recommend selecting rooms in the middle of the ship for several reasons: there is no rocking motion; some of the passengers in the rear complained of fumes and loud engine noise or vibrations; and the middle rooms have quick access to the stairs or elevator to different levels. Our room was so quiet that we never even knew we were moving!  

What to bring:  Because temperatures vary radically depending on your route and the dates you go, we recommend checking the weather forecast for each port a week before leaving and packing accordingly. Mike added the Weather Channel app to his smartphone and checked each port’s weather the day before disembarkation to ensure he and Debra wore appropriate clothing. Everyone dressed casually on our Viking trip, unlike some of the larger cruises. There was no formal captain’s dinner, and we only saw two people wearing sports jackets, suits, or dressy female attire. Whatever you bring with you, be sure to pack comfortable shoes and thick socks, as you will be walking a lot on the shore excursions! Conveniently, Viking provides umbrellas and ponchos in the event of rain, so you don’t need to pack those.

Before you board:  We flew into the Amsterdam airport on Delta aboard a Boeing 747. (You can also fly into Basel, Switzerland and travel upriver to Amsterdam). The cruise goes through four countries: the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland. All of these countries use the euro, except for Switzerland (although some vendors there will accept euros). Viking does not cash checks aboard the ship, but they will make change from larger euro bills, which is very helpful because many shopkeepers in Europe prefer exact change.

Although Amsterdam has something of an unsavory reputation due to legal drugs and prostitution in its “Red Light District,” we found it to be one of the most enjoyable and clean cities we have ever visited, and we never saw anyone using drugs while there! Prior to the cruise, we employed private guide Tom van der Leij and his wife Ana to take us on a tour of Amsterdam and the surrounding areas, and they did a great job! You can visit them at www.tomstraveltours.com . We recently published an article about our trip to Amsterdam, which can be found at  www.mikedubose.com . Regardless of whether you fly in through Amsterdam or Basel, we recommend arriving two or more days ahead of your cruise departure date. This will give you some time to unwind, overcome any jet lag, and enjoy the city, as well as build in a cushion in case of flight delays. We stayed at Hilton hotels in both Amsterdam and Basel on our extra days before and after the cruise. They were great since they were modern and strategically located near train, bus, or tram stations, which allowed us to get around the cities easily. You may also go through Viking to extend your vacation with a few extra days in nearby cities prior to and following your cruise; we received mixed reviews on these add-on trips.

Getting started:  You normally board the boat in the afternoon on the first day, but you are welcome to enter earlier for lunch. You will have to go through a safety drill. The life jackets are small, and if you have a big head (like Mike!), they may scratch your face and neck when you put them on. Before the ship heads down the river, Moore recommends purchasing a river map from the reception desk. “Ours cost only 7 euros, and it was money well spent,” he said. The map contains information about the river, with kilometer markers (similar to mile markers on the highway) to help identify landmarks.

Food and drink:  Unlike some cruise lines that provide food all the time, meals are only offered three times per day. There is no assigned seating, in contrast to larger cruise lines, so we rotated tables most days in order to meet new folks. Some of the passengers we talked to had taken five or more Viking cruises! By the time we departed the ship on the last day, we knew about half of the travelers aboard. At mealtimes, you have a choice of being served at a table or going through a buffet line on another level. Service was outstanding, and the food was some of the best, freshest cuisine we have ever eaten. Periodically, the longship would stop in ports to stock up on fresh foods that seemed to have been picked that very day. On one day during the cruise, the chef will also invite those who want to tour the kitchen to walk through and inspect the facility as the food is being cooked.

At lunch, there is a salad bar with an abundant selection of produce, and you can choose your plated meal from menus and be served by a waiter. The food was so good and country-specific (not to mention, free) that we rarely ate while out visiting ports or on tours off of the ship. Great selections were offered every day, and there were always fish and ribeye options (one day, Mike got both!). Moore noted that “if you are not at least somewhat adventurous in the culinary area, you might find yourself ordering ribeye steak (an everyday option) more than once during your cruise, and on German night, if you don’t care for sausages and other German fare, your options are very limited, as the everyday menu is not available that evening.” Fortunately, the chefs can accommodate special diets as well. Dr. Raymond once mentioned that he loved liver and onions, and the chef made a special trip at one of the ports to cook that meal as a delicious surprise for him! The desserts were also excellent.

Wine and beer (served during meals) were included in the price of the ticket. Like the food, beverages were tailored to the region we were visiting at the time. However, if you have a favorite brand of drink, Viking—unlike other cruise lines—will allow you to bring your own alcohol when checking in with no corkage fees. Coffee (including special drinks like mochas and espresso), tea, and cookies are available 24 hours a day, and in the morning, you can enjoy a delicious selection of pastries.

Cell phones, wireless internet, and computer access: Each room has acceptable complimentary wireless, and there are two large-screen computers on the water level that you can use free of charge. However, some of the longboats do not have self-service printers, so if you need something printed (such as your boarding passes), you will need to send your documents to the concierge or front desk staff using their e-mail addresses.

If you plan to use your smartphone while abroad, call your cell phone provider beforehand to unlock it for international use and learn how to avoid astronomical data charges. As long as you are connected to the ship’s Wi-Fi or at a restaurant (servers usually will help you log on), we have found that data charges are minimal.

When leaving the ship, be sure to enter its telephone number into your phone’s address book in case of emergency, and take a small compass if you don’t have one built into your smartphone that operates without Wi-Fi. When he decided to venture off alone, Mike got lost in a small German town where no one spoke English! If you do get lost, however, you can find the ship by heading back to the Rhine River, as he did.

Tours and places you will visit:  In your room, you will find two sets of earbuds to use and receivers to hang around your neck when taking tours. Viking contracts with local tour guides who speak English and are knowledgeable about the area to guide you—although they sometimes went into so much detail we only remembered a small percentage of what they said!

At most ports, you will disembark and travel to the tours via large, modern Mercedes buses or on foot. You will be assigned to a rotating group of 20 passengers. Each group has its own guide, so there will be plenty of individualized attention and time for questions. Then, you will tour certain parts of each port, after which you are usually released for free time on your own. You can also stay on board the boat and relax or take the bus with the group and break off on your own rather than taking the guided tour. However, if you do, be sure to note the time and the place where the bus will depart to return to the ship.

Viking’s Rhine Getaway stopped in these cities and ports: Amsterdam, Kinderdijk, Cologne, Koblenz, Rüdeshiem, Heidelberg, Speyer, Strasbourg, Breisach, and Basel. You don’t need your passport at each stop, but Viking staff will need to see them in advance when you initially board. Then, you will be given a special Viking passport card that allows you to enter and leave the ship at its many stops. Lock your passport in your room safe on Day 1 to keep it secure. (Make sure to empty the safe on the last day of your cruise!)

Many tours and excursions built into your trip target UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Sites. There are 936 of these sites—including famous landmarks like the Great Wall of China, Versailles, and Machu Picchu—in 153 countries all over the world. They have been declared to be of “outstanding universal value” to humankind for cultural, historical, and natural (i.e. Yellowstone National Park or the Great Barrier Reef) reasons.

Prior to arriving at each port, a Viking staff member will place an itinerary for the day in your room (you will also receive a faxed, abbreviated USA Today newspaper on a daily basis). These excellent 3-4 page documents include extensive information about what to expect so you can prepare. Each provides a detailed overview of the country you will be visiting, its characteristics, famous people who have lived there, and things to see, do, and eat. They also include updated temperatures, port arrival/departure times, dock numbers, staff telephone numbers, ATM locations, important landmarks to visit, and other tips. You will be briefed in a large group meeting about the next day’s activities as well. Before you leave on tours or excursions, friendly staff members will hand out cold bottled water (or umbrellas and ponchos, if rain is a possibility). Upon your return, they will give you another bottled water and a cool washcloth to freshen up.

Tours of most cities are included in the cost of your trip, and Viking offers additional excursions, which may be booked prior to your arrival or on board, for an added cost. The following are our impressions of each stop we made, including comments from us or other passengers:

Kinderdijk, Holland:  Very good. It was fascinating to see 19 of the 1,000 windmills located in the country, and we actually went inside one and could see the blades turning! Some Dutch windmills date back to the 1700s and are still used to pump water out of canals and grind grains. Families even live in them! There was a shop as we exited the tour that sold reasonably priced gifts. If you are interested in the Bible story of Noah’s Ark, there is a replica of the ark in Dordrecht, Holland that you can see from the Viking longship as you pass. The enormous wooden boat measures 450 feet long and three stories high and is complete with full-size plastic animals. Carpenter Johan Huibers spent three years and more than $1 million to build it! It was an awesome sight to behold, but was unfortunately not on any of the ports of call.

Cologne, Germany:  Some people found the trip between Kinderdijk and Cologne boring. Upon arrival at Cologne, we were disappointed in the tour. Instead, we recommend exploring the city on your own while the ship is docked in the port. Cologne was one of the first settlements in Germany, and it has a great domed cathedral that was the only structure in the city to survive the bombs of World War II. The cathedral is beautifully lit at night, but note that it is closed to visitors on Sunday (as are most shops). There was a tour of the Rococo-style Brühl palaces and their gardens offered for 44 euros, which we did not take. We heard good comments about the 29-euro Brauhaus (brewhouse) pub crawl and culture tour, however! Unfortunately, Cologne has experienced some unrest recently due to tensions over refugees from the Middle East, so that may affect future visitors and some caution is needed in this city.

Koblenz, Germany:  We skipped the castle excursion and heard unfavorable comments about the tour there.

Rüdeshiem, Germany:  We arrived late, but this was a nice village with many shops. We walked a good bit here. For 15 euros, you can visit Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum, which features all types of self-playing pianos and music boxes. However, it was not air-conditioned, and when we toured, it was hot! There was an optional dinner here for 59 euros that other passengers rated as fair, saying that all the food was preselected for them, while others from the cruise boat just showed up and ordered what they wanted. The dinner is located in a pedestrian area called the Drosselgasse where you can hear “oom-pah-pah” music. We chose to eat dinner on the ship and thoroughly enjoyed a delicious German meal.

Heidelburg, Germany:  We were disappointed in the castle tour. You only got to see the exterior of the building, and while there were interesting and beautiful parts overlooking the town, the crowds hindered the potential good times. We suggest ordering a taxi or asking the tour director to take you to the old town market square instead. The second part of the day, when we disengaged from the tour and shopped in the old town, was excellent, and we enjoyed perusing some of its hundreds of shops.

Speyer, Germany:  We did not visit the Speyer Museum of Technology, but wish we had! This museum boasts an impressive collection of locomotives, classic cars, and a German U-boat submarine. A Boeing 747 sits on a pedestal outside of the museum.

Kehl, Germany:  Instead of taking the Strasbourg, France tour, we walked through this small German town where we were docked. Go after 10 AM, which is when businesses open up for the day. If you need to buy anything, Müller Drogerie is a good store. There was an optional Alsatian wine-tasting excursion for 49 euros each that we heard was disappointing. However, if you are a Mercedes lover, the 19-euro visit to the Mercedes factory there—which has produced more than 3 million of the luxury cars since 1992—may be of interest to you!

Breisach, Germany:  At the Breisach stop, we split up, with Debra going to nearby Freiburg and Mike taking the Colmar World War II excursion in the afternoon. Debra rated her Freiburg visit, which was free, as one of the best after breaking away from the tour group. She noted that they had some excellent small shops with handmade jewelry and crafts, as well as good eateries. Mike enjoyed the World War II tour and recommends it to any fellow World War II buffs. The 39-euro tour offered details on the offensive where heroic French and American troops forced Germans to retreat from the Colmar region. It also included information about Audie Murphy, America’s most decorated war hero (be sure to watch the movie To Hell and Back , which provides many details about Murphy, beforehand if you choose to go). However, unless you know a good bit about World War II, we would not recommend it. There is also a tour of the medieval quarter of Colmar and its squares and canals for 39 euros.

Basel, Switzerland:  This is a very clean city that limits automobile traffic and has an excellent tram system. The Hilton we stayed in at the end of our trip was near the tram station, and the hotel provided free tram tickets. We took trams #8 and #11 to the “old town” section, which is worth a visit! Basel is very close to Germany and France, and fewer residents speak English than in other places we encountered. They use Swiss francs rather than euros there. The Swiss chocolate was wonderful!

On the river:  While cruising down the river, be sure to go to the top deck and look for the 30 castles you will pass along the way. Take some small, lightweight, but powerful binoculars to enjoy the best views (Bushnell makes an excellent pair that can be bought on Amazon.com or at Wal-Mart). Viking staff will give you maps showing the castles’ locations. There are more than 20,000 castles or castle ruins in Germany! In fact, Moore’s favorite part of the trip was the Scenic Middle Rhine Cruising morning, “where we were able to see castle after castle set along the river banks among rolling vineyards with picturesque villages and towns dotting the shores…narrated by our Program Director, who did an outstanding job of relating the history of most of the castles and telling tales of valor and heartbreak woven into their pasts.”

The ship passes through 12 river locks along the Rhine between Amsterdam and Basel. These locks, or boat lifts, are water devices that raise and lower a ship between stretches of water that are at different elevations. This was a fascinating process to watch from the upper deck (some raised the ship by 50+ feet!). If water levels are high, the navigation center on top of the ship can be lowered when passing under bridges to avoid collisions. Staff will demonstrate it if you ask! Touring the navigational deck at night was very intriguing.

Onboard entertainment:  Unlike on larger cruise ships, entertainment on the Viking ship was limited. They typically had a piano player present each night, and on one occasion, graduate students from a local music college played violin and piano. They were excellent! Another time, there was a glass-blowing demonstration. Most passengers congregated on the upper deck at night for the views, drinks, and conversation. There is a covered area up there for shade during the day, as well as a walking track if you want to get some exercise on your trip (there is no gym).

Health and safety:  While terrorism is a threat worldwide, we felt safe on this trip and aboard the ship. Although there is no physician present, staff members are trained in first aid and CPR. Let them know in advance if you have any serious medical conditions.

Wrapping up the trip:  Unfortunately, all good things come to an end! On the night before you leave the ship, you will be asked to place your luggage outside your stateroom door with a time you plan to depart. (Keep any valuables or important items like jewelry, medicines, and passports on your person in case your luggage is stolen or accidentally taken by the wrong person.) When you arrive at your final destination of either Basel or Amsterdam, you walk off the longboat, which will only take about 10 minutes. Once you have disembarked, your cruise director will greet you and you will select your luggage. Then, you will meet your taxi driver, who can be reserved through your tour director the day before. It gets a little crazy at the taxi stand, so mark your luggage with your name, contact information, and some unusual items like colored ribbon to differentiate it from the others. 

If you booked a combination package with Viking, staff will give you instructions on leaving the country. If you are arranging your own flight, be sure to print your tickets the night before (not to mention, enroll as a frequent flier beforehand so you get points for the long plane ride!). On the day before the end of your cruise, you can buy multiple Viking coupons worth $200 toward a future cruise with Viking for only $100.

Getting home:  Be sure to include at least two hours between connecting flights and allow yourself up to two hours to get through Customs in the US. You won’t have to go back through European Customs when returning home. We were very impressed with Amsterdam airport security!

For frequent travelers, we recommend the Global Entry program, which makes US Customs a breeze for low-risk passengers enrolled in it. See www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry  for details on the program, which is a great buy at a one-time fee of $100 for a five-year period. You can add your Global Entry information onto your frequent flier profile and be automatically enrolled in the US TSA “PreCheck” (fast lane) program as well!

For more unique tips on international travel, we recommend our article “ International Travel for Beginners, Pros, and Everyone in Between .”

The bottom line:  Viking is a well-organized, customer-driven company that caters attentively to its passengers’ comfort and offers the best food and great fun. Nearly all of your expenses are included in the package you select, and it’s a great deal for the first class treatment you receive. They simply have their act together! As many other Viking passengers, we would rate our trip aboard the Viking longboat Mani a 9 out of 10—and with a little tweaking of the tours and excursions (especially incorporating more shopping time at the ports), it could reach a 10! We just completed our second Viking riverboat cruise from Budapest on the Danube, and it was another great voyage. See you on the river!

We thank fellow passengers Marilyn Miles, Johnny and Susan Moore, and Dr. Gary Raymond for their input into this article.

About the Authors:  Together, we have logged more than 2 million flight miles over the world in the last 40 years. Our corporate and personal purpose is to “create opportunities to improve lives” by sharing our knowledge, research, experiences, successes, and mistakes. You can e-mail us at [email protected] .

Mike DuBose  received his graduate degree from the University of South Carolina and is the author of The Art of Building a Great Business. He has been in business since 1981 and is the owner of Research Associates, The Evaluation Group, Columbia Conference Center, and DuBose Fitness Center. Visit his nonprofit website  www.mikedubose.com   for a free copy of his book and additional business, travel, health, and personal published articles.

Debra DuBose  has been married to Mike for 44 years and co-writes articles with him. She holds bachelors and graduate degrees from Winthrop University and Francis Marion University.

Blake DuBose  graduated from Newberry College’s Schools of Business and Psychology and is president of DuBose Web Group ( www.duboseweb.com ).

Katie Beck  serves as Director of Communications for the DuBose family of companies. She graduated from the USC School of Journalism and Honors College.

© Copyright 2016 by Mike DuBose—All Rights Reserved. You have permission and we encourage you to forward the full article to friends or colleagues and/or distribute it as part of personal or professional use, providing that the authors are credited. However, no part of this article may be altered or published in any other manner without the written consent of the authors. If you would like written approval to post this information on an appropriate website or to publish this information, please contact Katie Beck at [email protected] .

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This Rhine River Cruise Took My Breath Away. But Not in the Way I Expected.

Amawaterways’ european river cruise is not what you might think. see if you can keep up..

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The Rhine River is one of the most popular destinations for cruising in Europe.

Photo by Mae Hamilton

• AmaWaterways
• From $3,199

I’m out of breath and panting, somewhere near Heidelberg, a historic German city located near the foothills of the Odenwald. My cycling group and I are pedaling toward Schwetzingen Palace, renowned for its Versailles-like gardens, about six miles away from our ship docked along the Rhine. As I pause in the middle of a cornfield, all my group mates are but a glimmer of silver hair in the distance.

“Don’t worry,” the wellness instructor says sympathetically. He had stayed behind with me so I wouldn’t get lost. “Some of these older people have been cyclists for years.”

“They’re in such better shape than I am!” I say. He gives me a look. “Well, yes.”

Amawaterways’ Captivating Rhine itinerary takes cruisers through several exciting destinations including Cologne, Germany, which is known for its UNESCO-protected cathedral.

It’s day five of AmaWaterways’ seven-night “ Captivating Rhine ” cruise. I’m sailing from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, on the 156- passenger AmaLucia, which was christened in 2022. One of the newest ships in the company’s fleet, it offers two dining options (a main restaurant and the dinner-only Chef’s Table, which seats 32 guests), a spa, a walking track, and complimentary beer and wine.

But what distinguishes AmaWaterways from the seemingly endless array of Rhine River cruises is its wellness program and active excursions. It’s no secret that river-cruise passengers tend to be older, but this company is a go-to for those who like to start the day with vigorous bike rides and cap it off with a vineyard-side wine tasting. To that end, each ship has an onboard wellness instructor who organizes daily activities, including yoga, cardio workouts, and dance classes. Passengers can borrow bikes at no charge for use on land. AmaWaterways also offers shore excursions, ranging from a gentle cable car ride over vineyards to a Black Forest hike.

Toward the end of my trip, I sat on a stoop enjoying a mango gelato after a long walking tour of Riquewihr, a fairy-tale medieval French town. I had sweated my way down the Rhine for the past week, but it was exactly the kind of vacation I needed. For someone like me, whose mind is constantly racing with worries, staying active allowed me to be more present and connected—even when I was being shown up by people twice my age. Those moments in a new destination, when the responsibilities dissipate, make travel—and the sweat—so rewarding.

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What to Pack for a Rhine River Cruise

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I just returned from a 10 day Viking Rhine River Cruise. We booked a spring cruise for late April, expecting beautiful spring weather. It turns out that the weather on the week we chose was unseasonably cold. Temperatures ranged from the 30’s to a high of 50.

One day it snowed, another day there was sleet and a bit of rain almost every day. Which sounds horrible. But most of the time the weather was cold but lovely. We had sun every day.

My strong recommendation is that you check the weather before you go to make sure you pack the right clothes for the weather.

What to consider when you pack for a River Cruise

I decided early on that I wanted to pack everything in a carry-on + a backpack that would fit under my seat. I was able to do that because:

• I packed tops and bottoms that went together.
• I only took 2 pairs of shoes – one pair that I wore on the plane and another in my suitcase.
• I decided not to care if I wore the same thing twice.
• I used these compression cubes .
• This backpack was so roomy and had so many pockets. It held A LOT!
• AND…. I knew the ship had laundry service if we needed it.

My River Cruise Packing List

My travel outfit.

• 2 piece sweatsuit with hoodie
• walking shoes
• crossbody bag

What I packed

• 6 socks – these have a cushion that prevents blisters and sliding down.
• 1 additional pair of walking shoes
• 1 extra pair of earrings

This part is hard for me because I always have more things I want to pack in the TSA approved liquids bag than is allowed. Here’s how I managed it:

• Packed in these clear TSA approved liquids bag instead of a quart size Ziploc bag. These stand up nicely and seem to hold more.
• Did not take, shampoo, conditioner or body wash. Viking provides all of these and they are good quality.
• Packed the bare minimum of skincare (cleanser, moisturizer with sunscreen, eye cream)
• Did not take a hair dryer. A good quality one was provided in our stateroom.

Other items

• Prescriptions and Over the Counter Meds like Advil
• Electronics organizer for plugs, cords and portable chargers
• Adapter. We needed this in our hotel pre-cruise. Our Viking stateroom came equipped with several 110v plugs and USB ports.

“Appropriate” Attire for a Viking River Cruise

People wear what is comfortable for travel. You’ll be taking buses and walking on all the tours. Maybe even cycling it you choose one of those excursions.

From Viking:

There are no “formal nights” in the evening; recommended evening dress is “elegant casual.” For ladies, this may include a dress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse; and for gentlemen, trousers and a collared shirt. A tie and jacket are optional. 

On our cruise no one “dressed” for dinner. Everyone just wore what they had worn that day. No one was sloppy, but no one dressed up. I didn’t see a dress, skirt or sport coat the entire time.

If you want to dress up, you could add a dressier top to your packing list and some more upscale jewelry.

But you will not feel out of place if you don’t dress for dinner.

A final note about packing for your River Cruise

Be sure you pack the toiletries and over the counter medicine that you need. The small shop on Viking ships is full of Viking merchandise like souvenirs, hoodies and umbrellas. They DO NOT have any “drugstore” items. And there isn’t a CVS where you dock to run in and get the essentials (like the hair gel I forget to pack that I really need for my hair to look decent).

As far as your wardrobe – pack clothes that are weather appropriate, are comfortable and that you feel good in!

Download my Rhine River Cruise packing list here for easy reference .

You might like: My Review of Viking’s Rhine River Cruise – Everything You Need to Know

Cathy Lawdanski

Cathy Lawdanski is in the middle of the retirement/empty nest years. She writes about thriving in these years through service, lifelong learning and having fun.

10 Best Podcasts for Empty Nest Women

Review of viking’s rhine river cruise – everything you need to know, you may also like, review of viking’s rhine river cruise –....

Sounds like an awesome trip. Just curious, your list of clothing is really minimal, were you able to have laundry service on the ship?

Yes. About 2/3 of the way through (we were gone 10 days, even though the cruise was 8 days), we used the laundry service on the ship to wash just enough to get us home. But, I wore all my outer clothes twice. It was cold the week we cruised, so we didn’t sweat. My list is also minimal bc I packed in a carry-on and backpack and did not check luggage.

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Helene in Between

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Viking River Cruise: 15 Things to Know Before You Go

By Helene Sula

The moon shone brightly on the smooth Rhône River as we sailed silently, passing dimly lit chateaus and castles. I took a seven-day Viking River Cruise through France’s Provence and Lyon region and was not only enthralled with the scenery but adored the ship itself. 

If you're considering a Viking Cruise or want to know what it's like to sail on a river, this post will guide you through everything you need to know before you go.

I boarded the Viking Buri on a windy spring day in Avignon, France. Upon arrival, waiters greeted me with a lemongrass scented towel and a glass of ice water. After briefly looking at our passports, the Maître d' himself ushered our luggage into a cozy stateroom and explained the features of the room.

Was this really a cruise? Yes. And it only gets better from here.

Viking Cruises offers excursions on the sea and river. I was delighted to spend seven days along the Rhône River on the Provence and Lyon itinerary .

Viking features a number (over 60 in fact!) of river cruises on their fleet. I've outlined what you can expect on a river excursion.

15 things to know before you take a Viking River Cruise

It’s stress-free..

When I set sail on Viking I was immediately met with many questions, the most frequent, why take a cruise? To me, taking a cruise is probably the most relaxing vacation.

Travel planning usually takes a lot of time: where to stay, eat, sleep, and most importantly, what to see. But when taking a cruise much of this (and more) is done for you. With a Viking cruise, you know they've taken care of everything. You can sit back and enjoy the scenery around you. No need to stress. When I really want to relax I choose Viking.

See my first time cruising with Viking, here:

Stress-Free Travel with Viking Ocean Cruises

Very few “extra” costs

I hate being nickel and dimed. When paying for a vacation, I want to know all of my costs up front. This is one thing I love about Viking. Once you pay for your cruise, you’re pretty much all set. Included is a tour every day, all of your meals, and unlimited beer and wine at lunch and dinner. If you want an alcoholic drink at any other time, you can purchase the reasonably-priced “Silver Spirits” package which includes unlimited top-shelf liquor, specialty beer, and wine — available whenever you want.

Once you book your cruise, you’ll receive extensive details about your journey and options for booking tours. Of course, you can stick to the included tours. We spent more to take a few optional tours. For example, we took a truffle, cheese, and wine tasting tour outside of Lyon — one of my favorite experiences on the trip. We also purchased an additional trip to a Les Baux to see “Carrieres de Lumières” — an incredible display of Van Gogh’s artwork on an old stone quarry wall. Set to music, it felt like walking through a real life “Fantasia” and as if I was part of the artist's masterpieces. I think these tours were all well worth the additional cost. 

At the bottom of this post I share my exact trip itinerary.

It’s surprisingly casual

I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t have enough formal wear for dinner at night, as is required on some cruises, but not to worry. Viking River cruises are somewhat casual.  I loved that I could wear jeans or a dress at dinner. I would suggest packing a nice pair of flats, blouse, and jeans or pants, to wear for dinner (no shorts or t-shirts). You don’t have to wear a long black dress every night. I did also pack a few dresses, leggings, and I ended up buying a Viking fleece on board. I wasn’t anticipating how chilly France would be in May! I always pack my tennis shoes and a few lightweight sweaters. 

You won’t spend tons of time in the room, but opt for a balcony

The itineraries with Viking sometimes mean you might visit one or two places in a day. That means you’ll have lots to see and do. But, when you are cruising, it’s absolutely wonderful to see the sights from the comfort of your room’s balcony. We spotted stately chateaus, vineyards clutching the sides of cliffs, and hilltop towns nestled beside fortresses. You can enjoy a cup of coffee or tea as you watch the world sail by. It’s a not-to-miss experience!

For me, one advantage of a river cruise is the luxury of having all your belongings in one place. I travel a lot and am often hauling my stuff from place to place. With a cruise, I can easily visit multiple places across the country, or even countries, and have the convenience of putting everything in one spot and knowing all my meals, transfers, and sleeping is in one convenient and comfy spot.

Bring Your Cruise Documents

This might sound like a no-brainer, but the two things you shouldn't forget are your passport and your cruise documents. The documents outline all the details you need to know about your trip and also include things like handy luggage tags.

You'll also find important information such as currency, language, and flight details if you booked with Viking.

Something to note is that Viking provides transfers to and from the airport, so you won't need to worry about getting to and from. Since I was exploring France a bit before my cruise, I found my own way to the ship. But they provided transfers from the ship to the airport when I was departing.

Leave your converters at home

Another great feature of a Viking River cruise is the ship's electrical outlets. Is that a crazy thing to say?! Yes. But having to pack additional converters or keeping your fingers crossed that your curling iron won't blow up is a nice feature. On the Viking ships you'll find American plugs (as well as European), making it easy to plug in your electronics.

Basically, Viking thinks of everything — just one reason I love this company.

Tell the staff about your special occasions

Michael and I were celebrating our 8th (!) wedding anniversary aboard the ship. I casually let the ship staff know about it. To our delight, on the night of our anniversary, the waitstaff surprised us with a delicious cake, candles, then serenaded us to “It's Now or Never.” It was such a memorable moment!

Viking goes out of its way to make you feel special, especially if you're celebrating an important event. So feel free to let them know.

The ship has WiFi, but it's limited

Yes, they advertise WiFi on board the Viking ships, but it's not going to be lightning fast Internet like you're used to at home. Just something to keep in mind. The Internet is good enough to check your emails or social media, but not quite strong enough to upload a video. This is not the case on ocean cruises, but I did find this on the river.

It's all about the destination

Yes, the cruise ship is incredible. But get off the boat! When you dock ashore, Viking includes an activity each and every day. This makes Viking different from other ships. They want you to get off the ship and find out more about the places you're visiting.

If you want additional help you can also use the onboard concierge to plan additional experiences or things to do. I highly recommend using these services to find unique options, food, and things that interest you.

Seven days isn't enough? No worries! Viking offers trip extensions so you can see even more of the cities and learn more about the history.

The food alone is worth the cost of the trip

All the Swiss-trained chefs prepare the food fresh every day. Viking menus emphasize specialty dishes from the region where you’re cruising. All the delicious food on Viking is included and starts with a breakfast buffet and a choice to order off-the-menu. You can also grab pastries in the Aquavit terrace.

Lunch is served in two locations: the dining room for a more formal order off-the-menu, or pasta and salad from the buffet. The Aquavit terrace grill serves burgers, hot dogs, and more. Dinner is served in the dining room or Aquavit and you’ll order off-the-menu.

You’re encouraged to order a starter, main dish, and dessert. Don’t worry if you can’t choose. They’ll bring you both! I particularly enjoyed the savory soups such as mushroom truffle and French onion. There’s also a coffee and water station with soft, fresh baked cookies. They're dangerous — I couldn’t pass by without grabbing one. The exceptional food on Viking is worth the cost of the cruise alone. 

Almost everyone on the ship has sailed with Viking before

The first night of our arrival we received welcome drinks and listened to music in the Aquavit lounge. The staff went over important information before introducing themselves. Then the guests were asked if they had sailed with Viking before. Nearly every hand shot up! A true testament to the Viking experience. 

There's a reason why Viking consistently receives awards as the best cruise company out there.

The cruise is great for adults of any age

Viking doesn’t allow children on board. You must be at least 18 to book a cruise. Most of the time you’ll find a bit of an older crowd. But that’s not to say younger cruisers will feel out of place. There are activities to appeal to all ages. 

River cruising differs greatly from ocean cruising

Having sailed with Viking on both ocean and river, I can tell you the experience is not the same. Ocean cruises feature a much larger ship, a wider variety of restaurants and entertainment, and a bigger crew. The Viking River cruises are more intimate. You usually dock overnight at many of the ports, leaving you the option to explore in the evening if you choose. 

Leave time to explore your ship

The Viking Longship is an absolute masterpiece of Scandinavian design. Clean lines and beautiful, modern decor are featured throughout the vessel.

We sailed on the Viking Buri — well equipped with everything you could need and more. A glamours marble entryway leads to a lovely staircase toward a library, beautiful dining room, sun deck, bar, lounge, as well as many tucked away corners where guests can relax. 

The staff are world class

One day I mentioned that I preferred Diet Coke over coffee in the morning. Every morning after that, the waiter or waitress brought me a Diet Coke with a fresh glass of ice, I never had to ask again. They specialize in that personal touch, even making a point to remember names!

Intent on making the trip the best ever, the staff are fun, personable, and helpful. They not only cook, clean, organize, and serve, but they also entertain. One reason I and others keep coming back to Viking is because of the incredible staff. One important note: you tip additionally per day, per person. I recommend to also tip any staff you feel went above and beyond. For us, it was the Maître d, bartender, and piano player.

Here’s a look at our exact 7-day Viking Buri Provence and Lyon Excursion:

Day 1 – arrival and avignon.

We arrived in Avignon and headed to the ship where a light lunch was provided. Our luggage was whisked right into the room and we had time to explore the boat and meet our fellow passengers on the ship.

Day 2 Arles

At Arles, known as the place where Van Gogh cut off his ear, we did a walking tour, saw the incredible Roman ruins, and walked the lovely sun-drenched cobblestone streets. Here we also went to Les Baux to see the “Carrieres de Lumières” exhibit in the quarry.

Day 3 Avignon

Heading back to Avignon, we walked through the city walls and explored the Pope's Palace- one of the most important historical sites in France. Now, it's used for a theater festival each year. We also went to the market and sampled oysters and candied fruits.

Day 4 Viviers

Lavender is extremely prevalent in Provence. On a tour of a lavender museum, we learned the many uses of this beautiful flower. Driving through small towns near the area I spotted house after house with blue shutters — a signature color in Provence.

Day 5 Tournon

After exploring the small town of Tournon, we hopped on a steam train! Yes, this was an included tour — incredible. We passed beautiful churches, bridges, and a gorge. Afterward, we took a walking tour of Vienne with its lovely church and Roman temple.

This, my second time to Lyon, reminded me of what makes this city so special — the incredible church, the views all around the city, the intricate and historical murals that explain its history. Because we were docked in Lyon that night, we could stroll the streets and take in the well-lit city after dark.

Day 7 Lyon and Excursion

Today we left Lyon on a bus tour that started with learning and tasting wine in the Beaujolais region. After wine, we had a feast of truffle flavored delights followed by a truffle hunt with an adorable dog. We finished off the day learning about goat cheese making, and we brought home salted caramel sauce.

Day 8 Departure from Lyon

On our final day, we packed up our stuff, had a delicious breakfast, and Viking assisted us straight to the Lyon airport. I was so sad to go, but know I'll be booking another Viking cruise soon!

How to choose a Viking cruise:

First and foremost think about the length of time. You can opt to spend seven days cruising the river or opt for two weeks cruising in the ocean.

Are you adventurous? Do you prefer seeing the sights like castles and walking cobblestone streets? Consider what you like to do or what's on your bucket-list and let the cruise fit your options.

If you're still feeling stuck, just remember, you can't really go wrong. Viking prides itself on going to astonishing and enriching destinations. I find Viking to be really exceptional. We left feeling they made every possible effort to make our trip special. And it was. 

MEET THE AUTHOR

Helene Sula

I believe that one trip can change your life. It did for me. I'm a self proclaimed home body that quit her job, moved abroad, and more often than not, lives out of a carry-on bag. If I'm not traveling, I'm most likely re-reading Harry Potter or watching "Midnight in Paris" while snuggling my dogs. I'm a digital marketing expert who turned my love of travel into a full-time career. And I help others do it too.

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Which Rhine river cruise is right for you?

Every Tauck river cruise on the Rhine is carefully crafted to let you explore the region with the perfect balance of iconic cities and scenic views; architecture and art; religious sites and medieval castles; traditional cuisine and world-famous wine (or beer!) – plus each cruise includes unique and exclusive experiences, like dinner at an island castle open only to Tauck guests. In fact, we have so many incredible cruises on the Rhine, that it can be difficult to choose the right one for you. But we’ve created this helpful guide to make your decision easier, whether you’re a first-time cruiser or you’re coming back again because you just can’t get enough of the Rhine!

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The River Cruise Lady

River cruising and small ship luxury cruising

AmaMagna Gems of Southeast Europe river cruise

February 6, 2023 by River Cruise Lady Linda Leave a Comment

How would you like to sail on the most unique river cruise ship in Europe?

Then it’s time for you to sail on the stunning AmaMagna ship which is double the width of a regular river cruise but yet carries only 30 more passengers!  Enjoy your large balcony stateroom and variety of 4 restaurant choices as you sail along the exotic lower Danube from Romania to Budapest Hungary.

You will visit the medieval towns and grand cities along the Danube’s famed Iron Gates which are the showcase of eastern Europe. From fortress hikes to walking tours to bike rides, you will get to choose from the many excursions offered every day.

Nature lovers will enjoy the chance to see Bulgaria’s natural wonder, Belogradchik, a fairytale stone world of fantastic shapes associated with interesting legends. Wine connoisseurs will have a opportunity to taste history from the centuries­ old wine ­growing hills dating back to the Romans in one of the visited towns.

Grab some friends and let’s sail together!   Drop Linda an email to [email protected] to ask about her special discounted rate.

Columbia Snake River Cruise Pacific Northwest USA

March 20, 2022 by River Cruise Lady Linda Leave a Comment

Even though I am from the Pacific Northwest, I thoroughly enjoyed my Columbia/Snake river cruises. I sailed from Portland to Clarkston/Lewiston and the change of scenery was amazing. We went through historic sites, locks, dams and saw some breathtaking waterfalls. Sea lions were sunbathing on logs as the sky showed off  its snow-capped mountains.

Here is a map of the itinerary which can start or end in Portland/Spokane

There are a few different companies and ships that do this itinerary but I went on an old fashioned Paddlewheeler which was great and the sound of it going around and around was mesmerizing.

We toured Astoria, Stevenson, The Dalles, Richland, Clarkston and saw many historical sites.

My pictures wouldn’t save here so I will do a good old computer restart and try again as the pictures of Multnomah falls were spectacular and would love to share.

Covid Protocols for River Cruising

May 13, 2021 by River Cruise Lady Linda Leave a Comment

Now that European river cruising is starting to become operational again (so exciting!!) there are going to be some new Covid protocols going forward in order to keep both the passengers and the crew safe.

I looked at the top river cruise companies that I book and they all will require that you have either  a Covid-19  vaccination certificate or a negative Covid test done right before you board the ship.

Each line will also require that passengers fill out some pre-departure documentation forms which can be viewed at their links below:

Ama Waterways – Prior to boarding, an online health and contact screening questionnaire will need to be filled out.

Avalon Waterways – Have 3 pdf forms you can view, the first being the Pre Trip Health Screening form – click Avalon-Health-Screening to view.  The next is their Health & Safety Covid-19 Waiver – click Avalon Health-Safety-covid-19 and lastly is their onboard safety protocols which you can view Avalon Onboard-Protocols

Emerald/Scenic – Have their cruise with confidence program viewed at River Cruise with confidence | Our commitment to your health & safety – Scenic°

Tauck River Cruises – Have two documents that need to be signed for their Travel Well Pledge – view at Taucks Travel Well Pledge

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises – They require a Travel Declaration to be signed – view at Uniworld Travel Declaration

Viking River Cruises – Passengers will have to complete a Digital Health Survey online at their MyVikingJourney.com once they have booked their trip.

Multigeneration River Cruising!

January 20, 2020 by River Cruise Lady Linda Leave a Comment

I thought I would share a few of the last bookings that I’ve done for river cruising because you may not have thought of this option if planning a multi-generation trip with your family.

My client was turning 80 and she thought about how she wanted to spend her birthday and decided on a family trip.  Her spouse had passed away years before so she decided to splurge and take her children and grandchildren on a European river cruise. There was a range of ages from 12 to 79 and even her brothers & sisters decided to join in the fun!

It worked out great for them because there are so many different excursions options to choose from (mostly always all included).

For example, on a Rhine river cruise with Ama Waterways, in Cologne the excursion choices would be a walking tour, or cathedral visit or Kölsch beer tasting or a bike tour through the city.  So what usually happened was everyone went off and did their choice of excursion and then they would gather for dinner together in the dining room and talk about their different experiences – such a great family bonding time.

Avalon Waterways also have Active & Discovery itineraries which work well with families too.  Then of course Uniworld and Tauck both have dedicated family departure dates (usually in the summer or for the Christmas Market cruises) which then have even more excursions geared towards family groups.

So consider river cruising as a way to create a wonderful legacy that your children/grandchildren will have of travelling with their parents/grandparents and memories that will last a lifetime.

Renew your vows on a River Cruise

January 14, 2019 by River Cruise Lady Linda 6 Comments

Do you have an upcoming milestone Wedding Anniversary?  Whether its ten, twenty-five, thirty, forty, fifty years or something in between – how would you like to renew your vows with your loved one ?  If your wedding day was a long time ago and you would love to re-marry your spouse all over again but with a romantic European town in the background, I have an amazing ‘proposal’ for you 😊

One of the river cruise companies that I partner with has a Renewal of Vows Package on their Danube River Cruise itinerary.

This romantic package includes:

• Symbolic Renewal of Vows Ceremony led by a designated official
• Two 1-hour massages PLUS one manicure/pedicure or hair salon service
• Bottle of champagne
• Romantic turn-down service with rose petals
• Special custom-made dessert by the onboard chef
• Sundowner excursion with champagne

The cost of this package is $500usd or $599cad but if you bring 2 other couples to go with you, I will pay the cost for you!  If you bring 5 other couples with you, one of you will sail for free!  Know a group of people? if you bring 10 other couples, you both sail for free!

Here is the Romantic Danube itinerary and the river cruise pricing starts at $5820usd/$6820cad per person for a French Balcony category (based on May/June 2019 dates) Extra nights in Budapest, Prague or Munich can be added on for a longer stay.

I look forward to helping you and your partner celebrate your Anniversary just the way you deserve!

Perhaps you could write your special date on a lock and add your own Love Lock to one of the bridges you’ll visit!

River Cruise on the Rhine and Mosel

December 8, 2018 by River Cruise Lady Linda Leave a Comment

**Update** Crystal River Cruises has now gone out of business but I’m going to leave this blog post for the time being

From the welcome airport greeting to the final farewell, our Crystal River Cruise was a fantastic experience! We met the friendly Crystal staff at the Amsterdam airport and were promptly transferred by Crystal’s own fleet of buses (that follow along the cruise) to the Crystal Mahler. The river cruise pier is located right in front of the historic Grand Centraal Station so we took a stroll around the ship, checked into our cabin (they call them suites) and headed out to tour the city.

We walked past the station, Anne Franks House, over many bridges & canals and even the Red Light District (which is usually fairly quiet during the day but a rather robust women was standing outside as we went by). Amsterdam is such a beautiful, bustling walkable city although one has to look both ways frequently to avoid the constant whish of bicycle riders that whiz past (at top speeds I might add) as that is their main form of transportation there.

Heading back to the ship, we decided to unpack and took some pictures to show the features of our Petite Suite – category S4/S5. The cabin was spacious enough at 188sq ft but with the closet & bathroom lacking drawer space to put some of our stuff, just made do with using the cupboards instead. The mini-bar was fully stocked with water, beer, pop and later white wine. The Nespresso type coffee maker is unique to Crystal as you don’t often see any type of coffee maker in a river cruise cabin. The suites are also equipped with binoculars, Audio machines for going out on tour to hear the guides without having to stand beside them and lots of plugs.(great for all the devices we tend to bring along)

If you upgrade to the Deluxe Suite -category S1/S2, which is larger at 253 sq ft (there is one cabin in category S3 and if ever interested in that one, just pop me an email to [email protected] and I can explain the difference between that one and the S1/S2) you get a full walk in closet plus two sinks in the bathroom and drawers in both) Both have the luxurious King Size bed (or two singles), the Panoramic Balcony Window, interactive TV system with complimentary movies on demand, a bedside Ipad and wifi.

Dining options on the Mahler were plenty starting with breakfast at the Waterside restaurant, usually served between 7:30 and 9am or if felt like sleeping in, could catch the late risers breakfast at the Bistro served from 9 to 11:30am. If you happened to really sleep in, there were snacks & pastries at the Bistro from 11:30am to 6pm or lunch service started at 12:30 to 2:30pm. The Waterside restaurant times varied daily but was usually between noon and 2pm. Of course you could also order 24 hour room service (including selections from the main restaurant menu) or help yourself to the 24 hour self-service pantry which featured snacks, specialty coffees, teas and non-alcoholic beverages. Dinner was either at the Waterside restaurant, the Bistro for a Tapas menu or for a special multi course with wine pairing evening, there was the Vintage Room which had an extra cost and needed to be reserved in advance. The food on Crystal was some of the best I’ve ever been served – the presentation was always artistically crafted and the taste was delicious.

Our cruise itinerary had to be changed due to the record low water conditions on the Danube so we ended up sailing on the Rhine, Mosel and the Belgian Waterways instead and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Crystal was to be commended for coming up with new excursions due to the changes and we visited some wonderful picturesque places like Bernkastel, Bruges, Ghent and Arnhem. They included cultural visits in Nijmegen to the Van Gogh Kroller-Muller Museum, the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague, Drachenfels Castle in Bonn and a magical Concert evening with Eva Vermeeren, Hanne Roos & The Turnhoutse Snaar.

We participated in many of the bike excursions that Crystal offered and although they do not store the bikes onboard, top quality e-bikes were brought to each location where they offered the excursions. We rode through Historic Nijmegen, Veluwezoom National Park, the Netherlands Waterlands and even biked up a mountainside to play golf and sample some local wine (don’t worry, they bussed us home after that 😊)

The evening entertainment ended up being something we looked forward to every night. Some lines just have a piano player softly in the background in the lounge but our cruise had Rita and Bruno, a musically talented couple who both sang and played the piano. They seemed to be able to sing anything and even led a couple of triva contests too. There was also an indoor pool that looked inviting but I never saw anyone using it (perhaps they did early in the mornings?) Same with the gym, but again, could have been used early. One place that did get a lot of use was the self service laundry room which included two washer/dryers and ironing board.

While it is true that the cost of a Crystal River Cruise can be higher than other companies offering an all inclusive experience, it seemed as though most passengers felt that it was a very good value for what they received. Plus their crew to guest ratio is one of the lowest at 1 to 1.55 which we noticed as there always seemed to be a helpful crew member to assist. Crystal has four Rhine class sister ships which are the Mahler, Bach, Debussy and Ravel while the Crystal Mozart that sails on the Danube is configured differently.

Rhine River must watch video

July 22, 2018 by River Cruise Lady Linda Leave a Comment

If you are contemplating a Rhine River cruise soon, this video which was created by Ama Waterways on their brand new ship, the AmaKristina, is a fantastic look on what you will be seeing, life onboard and so much more! Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a comment once you’ve watched it. Thanks, Linda

Viking River Cruise transformed into Ocean Cruise!

March 6, 2018 by River Cruise Lady Linda Leave a Comment

I recently returned from cruising on the almost brand new Viking Sea sailing out of San Juan Puerto Rico. It was so impressive the way that Viking took all of the wonderful attributes of river cruising and copied them onto their ocean cruises. Plus since the ship carries just over 900 passengers, is considered a small ship which allows them to visit ports not available to the larger ships. Here we were docked right in the heart of the city in Willemstad, Curacao

Viking Sea Docked in Curacao

Like river cruising, there are many inclusions like a shore excursion included in every port, beer/wine with lunch and dinner, specialty coffees, teas & bottled water and of course the biggest perk for me as I was still working, was the free WiFi. Most people that I talked to onboard said it was so nice to have all the inclusions and not to be nickle & dimed to death which tends to happen on many mainstream cruise lines. Also included are two specialty restaurants, one is The Chef’s Table which is a multi-course tasting dinner paired with select wines and the other is Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant serving freshly prepared pastas and antipasto accompanied by fresh seafood or special of the day. Not sure which one was my favorite as they both had amazing food.

Manfredis Restaurant VikingSea

One difference from their river cruises (which still offer cabins on lower decks that only have a window) is that all the cabins on the Viking Sea have a spacious private balcony. Another great option for those who love to eat outdoors (which includes me) is the restaurant at the back of the ship near the pool where you can enjoy breakfast or lunch on the patio.

Viking Sea Outdoor Restaurant

Like river cruising, the Viking Ocean itineraries tend to be city/port intensive which allow you to really get immersed in the destinations visited. In fact, many of the passengers had taken a river cruise first and then decided to try out their Ocean cruises and were very impressed. So whichever one you choose to try first, you’ll be pleased with either!

For more information, see VIKING CRUISES

How big is a river cruise cabin?

November 23, 2017 by River Cruise Lady Linda Leave a Comment

It seems as though the river cruise companies (or most cruise companies for that matter) always showcase their largest suite category cabins in their ads but in reality, most passengers end up in their regular cabins.

Every time I take a new river cruise, I try to capture some video or pictures of the cabins to share with you for size perspectives.

The one below is the AmaCerto built in 2012 by Ama Waterways which is 445ft long and holds 162 passengers

The cabins sizes shown in the video are 300 sq ft – Suite Category 210 sq ft – Twin Balcony Category BA 170 sq ft – French Balcony Category C 160 sq ft – Window Category D

AmaCerto Deck Plan

Not just flowers on a Tulip Time River Cruise

July 22, 2017 by River Cruise Lady Linda Leave a Comment

I went on a Tulip Time river cruise this spring with Ama Waterways thinking that it would be all about flowers but nothing could be further from the truth!

Don’t get me wrong, we did see Tulips but we also visited a fabulous museum, learned how to make Belgian chocolate, biked through Antwerp viewing their incredible architectural buildings, strolled peacefully through the windmills in Kinderdijk and maneuvered the canals in Amsterdam.

The next days tour decision was a tough one as you had to choose between the Arnhem Bridge & Airborne Museum (renowned for its role during WWII’s Operation Market Garden) or the Kroller Muller Museum (which boasts the 2nd largest Van Gogh collection in the world). So our small group split up and some did choice A and some did choice B and when we gathered back on the ship in lounge for a pre-dinner drink, all agreed that both were great tours. (read between the lines as this meant that each group thought their tour was better)

That afternoon took us to the Floralia Spring Flower show at Kasteel van Groot-Bijgaarden which had 14 hectares of brilliantly colored tulips, daffodils and many other spring flowers. The garden area surrounds the castle where the almost 1 million bulbs are still planted by hand each year ! (loved the Peacock)

Then we headed for the beauty of Bruges which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that included medieval buildings, winding canals and statuesque churches. I could have taken pictures there all day and this one was at the famous corner that is used many times when displaying Bruges.

After leaving Belgium, we headed back towards the Netherlands stopping in Rotterdam where excursions could be taken to visit the bustling city or a bit farther took in the charming city of Delft (known for the hand-painted blue and white pottery) with a stop in The Hague before travelling back to the ship. In the afternoon, we sailed peacefully into Kinderdijk to see hundreds of windmills dotting the horizon. With the sun shining brightly, it made for a wonderful stroll or bike ride through the area.

Kinderdijk Windmills

Our last full day was a full one with the morning touring the spectacular Keukenhof Gardens, a 70 acre park that probably had the most flowers I’ve ever seen. It was so colorful and I’m sure the pictures don’t do it justice.

Then onto Amsterdam where we finished up with a great canal cruise through the city (where you find out why they call it “Venice of the North” )

Now that I’ve taken you through my trip, I realize that I haven’t even talked about all the wonderful food (and drinks) we had onboard Ama Waterways! The staff were really friendly and our Cruise Director Rachel was one of the best ones I’ve ever experienced. She delivered her port talks with humor, personal stories and kept everyone interested, on track and on time. I was in a French Balcony cabin and since the weather was great, enjoyed sitting in the stateroom with the breeze flowing in on many occasions.

I would highly recommend a Tulip Time river cruise to anyone !

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River Cruise Guide for Seniors Along the Danube and Rhine

W elcome to our guide on river cruising, specially designed for seniors who love to travel! River cruises are a great way for seniors to see beautiful places comfortably and easily. They are perfect if you don’t like the trouble of packing and unpacking a lot. In this guide, we talk about two famous European rivers: the Danube and the Rhine. These cruises for seniors will show you lovely views and old cities and make sure you’re comfortable the whole time. Whether you travel a lot or this is your first cruise, this guide will show you why river cruises are great for seniors. Sit back, relax, and join us as we explore why a Danube and Rhine river cruise is a wonderful choice for seniors.

Why Choose a River Cruise for Seniors?

For seniors looking for a memorable travel experience, river cruises are an excellent choice. Unlike ocean cruises, river cruises offer a more intimate and relaxed journey. They typically host fewer passengers, which means more personal attention and less crowding. This is especially appealing to seniors who value comfort and a peaceful environment.

One of the biggest advantages of a river cruise is the scenic and gentle nature of the journey. These cruises glide along historic waterways, offering stunning views of landscapes, quaint villages, and iconic cities. The slower pace of river cruising is perfect for seniors who want to enjoy their travel without feeling rushed. It’s an effortless way to see multiple destinations while enjoying the luxury of staying in one place.

Moreover, river cruises are known for their accessibility. The smaller size of river ships means easier navigation for seniors, with fewer stairs and more convenient access to all areas of the vessel. This accessibility extends to shore excursions as well, which are often tailored to be senior-friendly.

Finally, river cruises provide an enriching cultural experience. From onboard lectures about local history and culture to excursions that take you into the heart of each destination, these cruises offer a deeper understanding and appreciation of the places visited. It’s not just a journey; it’s an immersive cultural experience, making it an ideal choice for seniors eager to explore and learn.

River cruises offer seniors a comfortable, scenic, and culturally rich travel experience perfectly suited to their pace and interests.

Exploring the Danube River

The Danube River, Europe’s second-longest river, is a treasure trove of experiences for senior travelers. Flowing through ten countries, it offers a unique blend of natural beauty, historical richness, and cultural diversity. A cruise along the Danube is not just a journey through a scenic waterway; it’s a passage through centuries of history and culture.

For seniors embarking on a Danube River cruise, the experience begins with the breathtaking landscapes. The river meanders through rolling hills, vineyards, and dramatic cliffs, offering ever-changing vistas that are easily enjoyed from the comfort of the ship. This serene setting is perfect for those who wish to relax and soak in the natural beauty of a tranquil environment.

As the cruise progresses, a series of enchanting cities and towns unfold along the banks.

Vienna , the city of music, enchants with its imperial architecture and classical concerts – a treat for seniors who appreciate the finer arts.

In Budapest , the stunning Hungarian capital split by the river, you can witness the majestic Parliament building, especially captivating when lit up at night. Bratislava, with its charming old town and laid-back atmosphere, offers a quieter but equally rewarding experience.

For history enthusiasts, the Danube River cruise is a journey back in time. Visit ancient fortresses like Devin Castle near Bratislava, or explore the Roman ruins in Viminacium, near Belgrade. Each site tells a story that enriches the travel experience.

The Danube also presents a culinary journey. Seniors can indulge in local flavors, tasting dishes that have been perfected over generations. From the hearty goulash of Hungary to Austria’s famous pastries, each region offers its own culinary delights. Additionally, wine lovers will appreciate the fine wines produced in the Wachau Valley, renowned for its vineyards.

Each stop along the Danube offers leisurely-paced excursions, ensuring senior travelers can explore comfortably at their own pace. These excursions often include guided tours with knowledgeable guides who provide insights into the local history and culture, making the experience both enjoyable and educational.

The Danube River cruise for seniors is a splendid blend of natural beauty, historical exploration, and cultural immersion. It’s a journey that satisfies the soul and sparks the imagination, leaving travelers with memories to cherish for a lifetime.

Exploring the Rhine River

A cruise along the Rhine River is a journey through the heart of Europe, offering senior travelers an enchanting mix of fairy-tale landscapes, medieval castles, and vibrant cultural centers. Stretching from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea, the Rhine passes through a variety of stunning landscapes and historic cities, making it a prime destination for a leisurely and enriching cruise experience.

As seniors embark on a Rhine River cruise, they are greeted by the picturesque beauty of the river’s banks. The Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is particularly breathtaking with its steep vineyards, quaint villages, and numerous castles perched on hillsides. This section, often referred to as the Romantic Rhine truly captures the essence of a storybook in Europe.

The cities along the Rhine are equally captivating. Cologne, with its iconic twin-spired cathedral, is a must-visit for its rich history and vibrant atmosphere. Strasbourg, in the Alsace region, is enchanted with its blend of French and German cultures, showcased in its architecture, cuisine, and unique Alsatian wines. Basel, known for its art and culture, offers a more laid-back experience, ideal for seniors who appreciate the quieter side of city life.

Historical exploration is a significant aspect of the Rhine cruise. The region is dotted with castles and fortresses that date back to the Middle Ages, like the imposing Marksburg Castle and the ruins of Heidelberg Castle. These sites provide a window into the past and are often accompanied by fascinating stories and legends.

The Rhine also offers a culinary journey that appeals to senior travelers. From the hearty German cuisine and world-class Rieslings to the delicate flavors of Alsace, each region along the river offers its own gastronomic delights. Many cruises include onboard tastings and themed dinners, providing a taste of local flavors in a comfortable setting.

Moreover, the pace of a Rhine cruise is particularly suitable for seniors. With options for leisurely strolls in port towns and relaxed sightseeing tours, travelers can explore at a comfortable pace. The accessibility of these tours ensures that the beauty and culture of the Rhine are easily enjoyed by all.

In summary, a Rhine River cruise presents a wonderful combination of scenic beauty, historical exploration, and cultural immersion. It’s an ideal choice for senior travelers seeking a relaxing yet enriching European adventure.

8 Must-Haves for Your River Cruise

Embarking on a river cruise, especially for seniors, calls for thoughtful preparation to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable journey. Here are some must-haves that you should consider packing for your Danube or Rhine river cruise:

• Comfortable Footwear: As you’ll likely be exploring a lot during port stops, comfortable walking shoes are essential. Opt for sturdy, non-slip shoes that can handle cobblestone streets and uneven surfaces.
• Layered Clothing: Weather can be unpredictable, especially when cruising along European rivers. Pack lightweight, layered clothing that can easily be added or removed. Include a waterproof jacket for unexpected rain showers.
• Binoculars : To fully appreciate the scenic vistas along the rivers, a pair of binoculars is a great accessory. They’re perfect for viewing architectural details of distant castles or spotting wildlife along the riverbanks.
• Medications and Health Supplies: Apart from your prescription medications, bring along basic health supplies like pain relievers, band-aids, and any daily vitamins. Also, consider seasickness remedies if you’re prone to motion sickness, though river cruises are generally very smooth.
• Portable Power Bank: A power bank is handy for long days out when you might need to charge your phone or camera.
• Travel Documents and Currency: Keep your passport, travel insurance information, and any necessary visas easily accessible. Also, carry some local currency for small purchases ashore, as some smaller shops may not accept credit cards.
• Sun Protection: Sunglasses, sunhat, and sunscreen are crucial, especially during the summer months, to protect against the sun’s rays while you’re enjoying the deck or on excursions.
• Camera : Don’t forget your camera or smartphone to capture memorable landscapes and historic sights.

Packing these essentials will help ensure that your river cruise experience is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible, letting you focus on the beauty and culture of the Danube and Rhine rivers.

Choosing the Right Cruise for Seniors

Selecting the right river cruise is key to ensuring a fulfilling and comfortable experience, especially for senior travelers. When considering a cruise along the Danube or Rhine, there are several factors to keep in mind:

Cruise Line and Ship Size:

Different cruise lines cater to varying preferences and styles. Some offer a more luxurious experience, while others focus on cultural immersion. Smaller ships often provide a more intimate and personalized experience, which can be ideal for seniors seeking a relaxed pace and easy accessibility.

Cabin Comfort and Accessibility:

AmaViola Suite

Consider the layout and facilities of the cabins. For seniors, it’s important to choose a cabin that is easily accessible, preferably without many stairs. Some ships offer cabins specifically designed for seniors or those with mobility issues, featuring wider doorways and walk-in showers.

Itinerary and Duration:

Look at the itinerary closely. Some cruises might be more port-intensive, with daily stops and excursions, while others offer more days at sea for relaxation. Depending on your stamina and interest, choose an itinerary that balances sightseeing with downtime. Duration is also a key consideration – shorter cruises might be a better fit for those who tire easily.

Pace of Activities:

Check the type and pace of activities offered. Many river cruises offer a range of excursion options, from leisurely walking tours to more active adventures. Ensure that there are activities suited to your comfort level and interests.

Medical Facilities and Services:

Confirm the availability of medical services onboard. While river cruises are generally safe, having medical support readily available provides peace of mind, especially for those with health concerns.

Dining Options:

AmaWaterways River Cruise food

Consider the dining arrangements. Look for cruises that offer flexible dining times and a variety of meal options, catering to different dietary needs and preferences.

Reviews and Recommendations:

Finally, read reviews and seek recommendations from other senior travelers. Personal experiences can provide valuable insights into what to expect and help you make an informed decision.

Senior travelers can choose a river cruise that not only meets their needs but also provides an enriching and enjoyable experience along the Danube and Rhine rivers considering these factors.

Making the Most of Your River Cruise Experience

To truly enjoy your Danube or Rhine river cruise, embrace every moment. Engage with fellow travelers and share stories; these interactions often enhance the travel experience. Participate in onboard activities and attend educational talks to deepen your understanding of the regions you’re visiting.

Don’t hesitate to spend some quiet time on the deck, soaking in the scenic landscapes and peaceful ambiance of the river. Remember, the beauty of a river cruise lies not just in the destinations but in the journey itself. So, relax, stay present, and savor the unique experiences your river cruise offers.

A river cruise along the Danube or Rhine offers seniors a wonderful blend of comfort, adventure, and cultural enrichment. It’s a chance to explore Europe’s heart in a way that’s both relaxing and engaging. So, embark on this journey and create memories that will last a lifetime. Book a river cruise . 

15 Beautiful Medieval Towns in Europe

16 Epic Train Rides in Europe

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The post River Cruise Guide for Seniors Along the Danube and Rhine appeared first on Mommy Travels .

Alumna travel influencer shares her story — and top travel tips

By Gisela Valencia

July 22, 2024 at 2:31pm

Alumna Jen Ruiz ’09 is a travel guru.

She is also an author, entrepreneur and three-time TEDx speaker who has been featured by The Washington Post, Huffington Post, ABC News, Forbes, Insider and more. She has traveled across the globe to places ranging from Greece and Argentina to Thailand, Iceland and Jordan. Along the way, she blogs about her adventures and shares tips for affordable traveling.

She is an author of six books covering topics such as ways to solo travel safely and how to transform a blog into a business. Most recently, she wrote her memoir, “12 Trips in 12 Months,” which was published by Blackstone Publishing, the same publisher that earlier this year released books by Whoopi Goldberg and Robert Downey Jr. Ruiz and her new book have been featured in news stories, podcasts and even on a billboard in Times Square.

How did Ruiz become so successful?

It started with a deeply personal travel challenge she set for herself in 2017: to take 12 trips in 12 months. She was only one year away from turning 30, she was single — and wishing she could find a good man, get married, travel with her hubby and live her life. After a failed relationship that year, she decided to fully enjoy life as a single woman.

“I didn’t want to be anxious about waiting for romance,” Ruiz said. “I was looking to celebrate my life. There are pros and cons to every life stage. We spend so much time wishing our life away. I asked myself, “What is the pro of my life stage’?”

She realized she had time to travel so she embarked on a journey to experience the world. It proved lifechanging. She not only smashed her travel goal (she ended up taking 20 trips) but also found a new career as a blogger and writer.

Ruiz quit her job as a lawyer and dedicated herself full-time to her blog and business. Today, she regularly works with brands who hire her to travel across the globe to share her experience with her followers. She’s got a long list of partners, such as Viking River Cruises (she'll be taking a cruise for the company through Eastern Europe later this year).

Earlier this month, Ruiz came back to FIU for a special event hosted at the Barnes and Noble at MMC’s Graham Center. She and fellow travel blogger Kristi Evans led a conversation about Ruiz’s memoir. Ruiz was greeted by avid bloggers and would-be-travelers as well as an ardent base of sorority sisters and friends from her alma mater.

“I loved my time at FIU,” said Ruiz, who majored in political science, under the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs. “I was involved in Greek Life, Model UN, and I was the representative at large for the Student Government Association.”

She says that her student activities were the best preparation for her current job, whether it be creating marketing plans for her books or landing solid partnerships. “All those extracurriculars, it’s basically what I do for a living now. It reminds me of running for student government.” 

She shared some of her insight as a travel expert and blogger with Panthers.

Traveling tips

• Find cheap flights . Budget airline tickets and look for deals. Sign up for flight alert programs that notify you when affordable flights become available. You can also use travel points and miles from credit cards and other purchases to reduce your total flight bill.
• Always bring an airplane bag . “Bring wipes, so you can clean seats, windows and any other area you will be touching,” she says. Also bring headphones, a backup charger and an anchor battery. Ruiz also takes slippers on flights over six hours long. She also wears tights (“you don’t want any of your clothes touching stuff in the bathroom”) and a hoodie to keep her warm when it’s cold.
• If you’re traveling by yourself and concerned about safety, make sure you book walking tours and food tours. “You have a built-in group of people that way,” she says. “The guide is designated to make sure you make it back to your hotel okay.”
• Don’t use public wi-fi. You could get hacked. Seriously. Ruiz recommends using an eSIM or SIM card with your phone to connect to wi-fi instead.
• Make sure to bring your own medicine pack. It should include bruise ointments, a burn kit, allergy medicine and pain relievers. You never know what’s going to happen!
• For students:   Take advantage of study abroad trips and exchange programs . Check for affordable deals, too. “On studentuniverse.com,” Ruiz says, “students can save a couple hundred bucks just with a student ID.”

Travel Faves

• What is an awesome first trip? Try a European river cruise, Ruiz says. “I did a Viking River Cruise of Christmas markets on the Rhine. It was great.”
• Favorite food on a trip: Moussaka from Greece. Moussaka is an eggplant or potato-based dish often including ground meat and cheese.
• Favorite place to visit? “It’s hard to pick a favorite. It depends on what experience you have in mind,” she says. Of the trips recorded in the memoir, her favorite was the south of France. “I got to see the lavender in full bloom,” she recalls. “I felt at ease and so peaceful there. I was also able to go find the real-life places Van Gogh painted. For adventure, Jordan can’t be topped. It’s the best. You’ve got the Wadi Rum desert, Petra, so many great things.”

Three tips to become an influencer

• Decide what your expertise is . “That’s what will make you influential,” Ruiz says. “You have to pick a topic that you know more about than other people. You need to have a core skill set."
• If you’re interested in travel blogging, start with your own city . “You already have that expertise,” Ruiz says. “Even if you can’t travel, you can share hidden gems in your own town. That’s what’s going to help you stand out. You can even go deeper and find your niche. Be a blogger on Miami travel food or Miami travel art or Miami travel history.”
• Think of it like a business . “When you share your knowledge or entertainment across platforms, you are providing your skillset to others. You want to be recognized outside of individual platforms.”
• Have endurance . “Most bloggers quit within two years of starting,” Ruiz says. If you want to be a blogger, she says, you need to stick with it. “Eventually, it will take off.”

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Rhine River Cruise Travel Guide 2024-2025: Exploring the Timeless Beauty, Rich History, and Cultural Treasures Along One of Europe's Most Famous Waterway Kindle Edition

Do you like to take a gorgeous journey along the enchanting Rhine River but are unclear how to plan it perfectly? Do you want to escape the hassle of deciding on the best cruise, managing local customs, and making the most of your time in each port? The "Rhine River Cruise Travel Guide 2024-2025" is intended to ease your travel concerns and ensure that your trip is nothing short of wonderful. Three frequent issues tourists encounter: 1. Selecting the appropriate sort of cruise from the numerous alternatives. 2. Understanding local customs and manners can improve your trip experience. 3. Making the most of each port visit while not losing out on major sights. Five reasons why this book is the final solution: Comprehensive Planning Guides: Detailed help on planning your vacation, from budgeting to packing necessities. 1. Comprehensive Cruise Options: Detailed comparisons of various cruise types, ranging from opulent to budget-friendly. 2. Cultural Insights: Practical advice on local customs and etiquette to help you fit in and enrich your trip. 3. Port Highlights: Comprehensive coverage of important ports of call, ensuring you don't miss any must-see sights. 4. Onboard Tips: Practical suggestions for life on a river cruise ship, such as entertainment, activities, and staying connected. How will this book solve your problems? 1. Maps: Use precise maps to easily navigate your journey. 2. Local Knowledge: Learn about local norms so you can respect and enjoy the culture. 3. Activity Guides: Learn about onboard entertainment alternatives and activities to keep every moment fascinating. 4. Environmental Tips: While on your vacation, look for methods to support local communities and protect the environment. 5. Food and beverage recommendations: Enjoy the best gastronomic experiences with our food and drink guides. 6. Accommodation Advice: Learn about the best accommodations to suit your preferences and budget. What To Expect: "Why Choose a Rhine River Cruise?" Discover the unique allure and benefits of a Rhine River cruise. "Types of Cruises: From Luxury to Budget" Find the ideal cruise to suit your style and budget. "Major Ports of Call" Investigate the important locations and what makes each one unique. "Life on a River Cruise Ship" Gain a thorough idea of what to expect onboard. "Entertainment and Activities" Learn about the various entertainment alternatives available on the ship. Don't miss out on this vital information, which will make your Rhine River cruise an unforgettable experience. Purchase the "Rhine River Cruise Travel Guide 2024-2025" today and embark on an exciting journey!

• Print length 119 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publication date July 20, 2024
• File size 2502 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• See all details

Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D9TRY44B
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 20, 2024
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 2502 KB
• Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 119 pages

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