Table Of Content
I never did any of the Optional Excursions, so I can’t say if they were better or worse than the included tours. 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. Strasbourg is a fascinating city that’s much larger than Breisach.
Pre: Basel
The 8 Best European River Cruises 2024 - Forbes
The 8 Best European River Cruises 2024.
Posted: Fri, 19 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
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. I loved seeing the patchwork of vineyards on the steep mountainsides, but the coolest part of the day is seeing all the castles.
Discover Rhine Getaway
In any case, don’t end up disappointed – travel insurance will help when you need it most. Another advantage to booking airfare through Viking is they also include round trip transfers. When I went on my cruise to Cuba, we received a group number each evening for the next day’s stop.
Day by Day
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. One night we had an Austrian / German night, with local specialties like sauerkraut, sausages, pretzels, schnitzel and plenty of German beer. 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. 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.
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.
Cruises
We chose to do 2 optionals and on the other days, relaxed on board or went into town to explore on our own! There’s generally an opportunity to sight see in the morning and afternoon, with one included tour and one optional tour. 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. Every street looks perfectly preserved and it’s quite colorful.
We saw so much that we felt like we were on a Black Forest road trip, if only for the day. Sure, Viking is reputed to have some of the world’s best river cruises and the Viking Rhine river cruise sounds wonderful. We share our thoughts in the following Viking River Cruise review.
We mainly chose the Rhineland Discovery cruise for the opportunity to cruise the Rhine and see Rhine River castles sprinkled along its verdant shore. Despite some cloudy and rainy weather, the view did not disappoint. We also enjoyed visiting a modern German farm complete with its on-site schnapps distillery not to mention adorable goats and cows.
If you want to see the castles up close and personal, pack a pair of binoculars. You may be wondering is it worth getting a balcony on a river cruise and I can definitely say it was amazing! However, if it’s not in your budget, the French balcony cabins with their floor to ceiling doors that can be opened to catch the breeze are wonderful too. I took 8 million photos so it’s impossible to share them all in one post. I’ll break up this trip into two posts so stay tuned for part two next weekend.
I did this completely on my own; it wasn’t a part of the Viking itinerary at all. 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.
A couple nights during the week, Viking hosted either singers, dancers or local activities. 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!). 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. We did a fun tour of the wheelhouse and learned from the Captain that Viking ships utilize four propellers instead of a traditional rudder. One thing I liked about sailing with Viking is how leisurely the day to day pace is.
The interiors were really unique and the guided tour was excellent. 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. We explored Marksburg Castle and wandered a bit on our own after. By afternoon, we reached Koblenz, a city set at the mouth of two rivers. 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.
Viking Opens European River Cruises Early Due to Strong Demand - Cruise Hive
Viking Opens European River Cruises Early Due to Strong Demand.
Posted: Tue, 12 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
See what we thought about our scenic 12-day Viking Rhine River Cruise from Amsterdam to Basel. 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 Netherlands is a small country, and Kinderdijk is only about 95 kilometers (59 miles) away from Amsterdam.
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. You can also pre-book one of many “Optional Excursions,” which are tours that you’ll have to pay extra for.
Admire Cologne’s famous cathedral, and tour Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. In Kinderdijk and Amsterdam, explore Holland’s famous windmills and waterworks. Then, sail the North Sea to the seaside village of Skagen, Denmark. Set off for Norway’s dramatic fjord landscapes, journeying from vibrant Oslo and history-rich Kristiansand to cosmopolitan Stavanger and spectacularly scenic Flåm.
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