viking tours rhine getaway

• Expeditions
• Complimentary Brochures
• Basel to Amsterdam
• Amsterdam to Basel

Rhine Getaway

• From $2,399
• 6 Guided Tours
• 4 Countries
• Dates & Pricing
• 2024 2025 2026
• Basel to Amsterdam Amsterdam to Basel

Cruise Reviews

Find out more about the Viking experience from our guests.

Hank & Bea W.

We will return with viking..

Outstanding crew; very professional and helpful. This was our 1st cruise upon retirement and we will return with Viking. Outstanding cultural and historical information prior to and during our cruise. Great fun, great food and great people. Thanks for some wonderful memories.

Mark & Debbie

Debbie and I took a Viking river cruise and it blew us away! The staff was friendly, knowledgeable and eager to assist. The food and drink was beyond description. The tours were fun and informative. Our cruise exceeded our expectations and we look forward to our next cruise!

Glennie, Jim, Tiffany, Danielle

Exciting and wonderful experience.

The Rhine Getaway was the first (NOT LAST) Viking river cruise we took in our lives with our family. It was truly an outstanding, exciting and wonderful experience for us. We enjoyed the scenery, the stops, the shore excursions, and the food. The ship's crew was most attentive to our needs and became friends by the end of the journey. The Covid protocols Viking followed were very much appreciated. It made us feel safer.

The perfect vacation.

Viking has structured the perfect vacation. The accommodations utilize the space (both cabins and public areas) in a very efficient and comfortable way, and the staff kept everything clean and orderly. The meals were creatively presented and delicious. The staff, overall, could not have been more friendly and had a marvelous way of remembering your drink and food preferences which made each passenger feel special. The included tours were just right...introduce you to the city, show you the highlights, and afterward you are allowed plenty of time to set out on your own. The optional tours were worthwhile, and all of the passengers who chose one of the optional tours gave them rave reviews. (My daughter and I loved the evening dinner and tour of the beer gardens.) When I got home I could not stop talking about the trip, and when I received the information on the 2022 cruises, I immediately booked the "Romantic Danube" cruise for next year. I think that says it all!!

Kate W & Jerry B

The trip of a lifetime..

My 97 year old father and I just completed the trip of a lifetime on Viking Longship Kara. He wanted to see the castles and cathedrals and was not disappointed. As a WWII vet, he was especially thrilled to go on the extra excursion to the Colman Pocket and Audie Murphy memorial. All of the tours were awesome, with excellent local guides. On board the ship, we were treated to personalized service from professional staff and excellent meals. Although we were travelling during COVID, the protocols on the ship (including daily testing of all passengers and staff) made us feel secure. I hope to go on another Viking cruise soon.

Nancy and John

Thank you, viking..

Once again, Viking proves to be the epitome of exploring the world in safety and comfort and the very best river cruise line in the world. This was our 6th Viking cruise (on the Rhine the second time because it has been our favorite) and we are booked in the Spring for Tulips and Windmills. Thank you, Viking!!

Great and relaxing.

Great relaxing Cruise. Our ship people were great. Ship was wonderful and clean. Great music every night in the lounge...dancing and the bartenders were great. I would go it again and just stay on the boat a little more instead of walking off. Employees went above and beyond to help you.

Jared Draper

Avsolutely amazing..

This cruise was absolutely amazing! I enjoyed every bit of it, the excursions were so well executed and ran by local tour guides. If you get the chance do the optional excursion called "Top of Cologne" it was the highlight of the cruise for me.

Richard & Andrea

Traveling with viking is effortless.

European Christmas Markets are something else and Viking is the perfect stress-free way to visit them. Cruising with Viking is effortless. The staff are great as is the food and ambiance. You go with them once and suddenly everything else is second best.

Satisfied Guest

Loved every minute..

We are greatly looking forward to the Rhine Getaway. We last cruised on the Grand European tour and absolutely loved every minute. Staff was beyond excellent.

Julianne Verret & Robinson Pyle

Perfectly executed..

Every single moment of this trip was perfectly executed. All meals were exceptionally prepared. The staff could not have been more attentive. Noted staff members were the Program Director and our housekeeper. All passengers were vaccinated and we were given COVID tests every day. We felt very safe. We are not “Cruise people” and felt a bit wary before the trip, but this was not like a typical cruise. It was a truly luxurious hotel that calmly floated down the Rhine. I have already booked our next adventure with Viking and can’t wait!

Bill & Elyse Tierney

A journey we will never forget.

We have gone on numerous sea cruises over the years, but this was our first river cruise, and it was a vacation we will never forget. We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the cruise. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The excursions were wonderful. And the food was the best we have ever had.

Marlon & Paula

Viking always exceeds our expectations..

We have booked the Rhine river cruise for the second time and highly recommend this cruise. This will be our 7th Viking cruise and we keep coming back due to the excellent service from the ship’s staff and the itinerary. We have always had such a very good experience and we don’t even consider any other cruise line as Viking always exceeds our expectations. We are lifelong Viking cruisers.  

William Crawford

Everything was top notch..

My sister and I were treated to an awesome cruise down the Rhine, this being our first cruise. Everything was top notch. We were treated to first-class service. The food was great. The program director who gave the port talks was awesome. The guides were very knowledgeable. Viking really outdid themselves. We made great friends for life. Thank you, Viking, for such a great birthday cruise for my sister and me.

Evelyn & Paul

What a great experience..

This was our first cruise and what a great experience. I am still in awe at how well organized and professional Viking is, in all aspects. Everything was perfect . . . we felt special and never felt like a number or part of a crowd. We loved our staff. We loved the tours and tour guides. We loved the food . . . We will definitely be back. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Viking!

Thomas Beckstein

A most truly amazing adventure..

I cannot express how wonderful the staff were. I never could have imagined such an experience. Please look into Rhine Getaway. I am sure you will have a wonderful, enriching experience. Thank you, Viking, for this opportunity.  

Bob & Colleen

Such a fantastic experience..

Wow! Such a fantastic experience. Started with the pre-cruise extension in Amsterdam. When we boarded our ship our luggage was in our stateroom, which was clean and functional. The ship and public areas are clean. The program director was energetic and entertaining. All crew members were friendly and helpful. The included excursions were well planned, as were the optional excursions we chose, and the tour guides knowledgeable. The food and service was first class. We were blessed with great weather and spectacular scenery. We opted for the post-cruise extension in Lucerne, and were not disappointed. This was our first Viking river cruise and will not be our last.

Mike & Dina

Viking staff made it possible..

I cannot express how wonderful a time we had on the ship with its amazing staff, the new friends we made, and the tours that we enjoyed every single day. The destinations were diverse and the guides so knowledgeable, I tried nightly to journal the fraction of information I could remember! We had a most memorable time, but Mike and I will remember with love the work of the Viking staff that made it possible.

Went off without a hitch.

Our ship was perfectly appointed and maintained with a friendly and efficient staff. Our Veranda Stateroom . . . had so much built-in storage, once we got everything put away, we were comfortable. Meals were all delicious and beautifully presented. We enjoyed the variety of food, in particular the constantly changing regional choices of French, German and Dutch food. . . . The itinerary was wonderful, offering a glimpse of so many historic and beautiful towns and cities. We liked the fact that a variety of optional tours were offered, and there seemed to be something to suit everyone. My favorite day was the morning we spent on scenic cruising of the Rhine Gorge, with entertaining and educational narration about the castles and towns by our Program Manager. Guides are carefully selected, and schedules carefully adhered to. The total experience, from the pre-cruise extension in Lake Como to exiting the boat on the final morning in Amsterdam, went off without a hitch and made for a memorable experience.

Doris from Nashville

The ship is lovely..

The ship is lovely, spotless and the staff outstanding. Our stateroom steward was a jewel and always on the spot to assist with anything needed. The Cruise Director was extremely pleasant, helpful and gave great advice about the ports and tours. I think the Captain was the hardest working person. He was everywhere, doing everything from carrying luggage to tying up the ship and just generally always on the go assisting where it was needed--that's the first time I have seen that out of a captain.

Mike & Abby

What a wonderful trip..

This was our first cruise, and we chose the Rhine for castles and the variety of places where this cruise stops. It was far beyond our expectations. Everything was absolutely lovely, from being greeted to shown our stateroom. The staff was professional, friendly and very hardworking. Our captain was charming and available to speak to if one wished. Our Cruise Director worked nonstop to make sure everyone had a great time. The food was amazing, such a beautiful presentation for every single meal, and many choices; something for everyone. One regret, that it ended so soon. We give the experience a solid A. Thank you, Viking, for a great vacation!

John & Joanne

Many great memories..

My goodness, this was our first Viking river cruise and we were totally amazed. We were fortunate and able to cruise the Rhine River from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The tours in each of the cities we visited were very informative and we also did some extra excursions to local beer gardens and taverns. The local guides were very knowledgeable as well. We had a super great time. The food on the ship was excellent and the staff was beyond our expectations. Our Cruise Director was the best and joined us on some excursions. We will not hesitate to book with Viking or another river cruise or even try an ocean cruise ship. I had to keep pinching myself because I could not believe we were actually cruising the Rhine and having a most wonderful time. Excellent trip and many great memories.

William & Judith McGuire

An outstanding experience..

Excellent service. Unparalleled attention by everyone. Excellent guides, knowledgeable and attentive. Considerate of our comfort. Onboard staff was excellent, attentive and always helpful. An outstanding experience!

Giles & Anita

Everything (food, excursions, staff) lived up to our high expectations... Met wonderful folks from across the country. It will be remembered as the trip of a lifetime. Thank you, Viking and staff!  

David Hawkins

Food on board was incredible..

This was an awesome trip... Really enjoyed the Taste of Alsace... The food on board was incredible. We are already planning another cruise with Viking.

Bob & Susan

Food was great..

This was our first river cruise… Met nice people... Ship was very clean... The staff was fantastic from the bartender to the maid; they knew your name and what you drank. Get the Silver Spirits beverage package... Food was great; breakfast had ample choices plus an egg station... The regional menus had great meals sourced from local dishes. I liked German night with wursts, sauerkraut and other dishes such as saurbrauten... Had great steaks... Nice, quiet cruise… We spent two days in Amsterdam and two days in Basel pre- and post-cruise. Basel was great… All in all a great cruise for the price... Bon voyage!

Wonderful way to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

The staff was personal and professional, and we were completely satisfied with the trip and ship. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Our two-day extension in Basel, Switzerland was wonderful... Our guide helped arrange for trip to Lake Lucerne, she also traveled with us on the tram and then ran to the connecting train to make sure we got on the correct train at the proper time.

Informationw as excellent.

Lovely trip... this was our fourth Viking river cruise. Once we arrived our guides took over... Their information was excellent.  

The Moore Family

First class all the way..

Our long-planned cruise was a multi-generation family celebration... As a party of nine, with varying degrees of travel experience, the Viking river cruise far exceeded our expectations. For those who had previously traveled in Europe or taken a Viking cruise, I heard positive comments across the board from the ship layout, to the stateroom accommodations, to Viking staff members, to the variety and quality of food served, to the excursions and the cruise pace. For those experiencing Europe for the first time, I was teased that Viking has set the bar high for all future travel. Thanks to the staff, from the Program Director, to the chef to the captain, the concierge, room stewards and all guides. It was first class all the way. We have already booked a cruise for 2019 to Provence. Thank you!

Willie & Melissa Collins

The food was expectional.

This was our first Viking cruise and probably won’t be our last. The staff was very nice and helpful. We can’t say enough about our Program Director. The food was exceptional, especially breakfast. Keep up the good work Viking! I recommend the French balcony stateroom which we enjoyed.

Anne & John

A sheer delight..

This was our first Viking river cruise and it was a sheer delight. We would highly recommend this cruise as a great way to get to know Viking. The Rhine is beautiful. The staff made us feel so welcomed. They quickly learned our names and were so friendly. This cruise is designed to give you a taste of Germany and also made us want to return again. We are planning our next Viking cruise.

We were treated like royalty.

[My wife] and I finally got our chance to go on a Viking river cruise… Once we landed in Switzerland, a Viking representative met us at the airport and took us directly to the ship. From that moment on, we were treated like royalty. After being welcomed on board and unpacking, we met other guests in the lounge—all adults and no young children. The staff welcomed us and introduced themselves. By the end of the trip, we were on a first name basis... The ship itself was a work of art. It was beautifully designed for sightseeing and relaxation. The entire place was spotless and sparkling clean... Every inch of the ship was elegantly appointed. The Viking dining experience was like eating at a five-star restaurant... Evenings had local entertainment and there was always live music. We were pampered and we loved it… Everything was so well planned... I can see why Viking is now the world leader in both river and ocean cruises. They do everything from A to Z with first-class care and service.

Jack McCarthy & Mary Broughton

Absolutely fabulous.

We just finished our 12th Viking cruise in four years on June 24, 2018. All of the cruises have been truly spectacular from the air service to all staff members. The wait staff to the senior staff have always been first rate and we could not have asked for a more enjoyable experience. Having said that, this past cruise was absolutely fabulous in every respect. Everyone from the wait staff, the bartenders, the maître d', the Program Director and the hotel manager were way beyond anything we have experienced in every respect. Needless to say we have already contacted our Viking agent to plan our next trip this year. We remain two of the greatest advertisers for Viking cruises.

Gary & Valene Winters

We have never enjoyed a vacation like our rhine getaway.

We sailed on the Viking Lofn from Amsterdam to Basel, and it was, in a word, epic. We have never enjoyed a vacation like our Rhine Getaway. We met two other couples who are now our “cruise buddies.” Thank you so much.

Kelley & Al

Made friends on the ship..

We loved our Rhine Getaway river cruise. Our Program Director was outstanding; he delivered insightful talks and was always cheerful and helpful. Our staff was great and accommodating. The cruise, shore excursions and optional tours were wonderful. My husband loved the Mercedes-Benz factory tour. We made friends on the ship and have already booked another cruise with our new compatriots.

Jim & Kim

It was totally amazing..

We went on the Amsterdam to Basel cruise and the staff and guides were the best ever. We did a post-cruise extension in Basel and it was totally amazing. The weather was great and we saw so many great castles and ate great food on and off the ship. At the Black Forest we each bought our own cuckoo clocks and they shipped them with no issues. They arrived fantastic... The staff on made us feel so welcomed and loved that we have already booked our next Viking cruise … We are overly excited to be on Viking again... We tell all our friends and coworkers about our cruises.

T & L. Graham

Flawless from start to finish.

This Viking river cruise was flawless from start to finish. The coordination of air, land and river portions were seamless. Viking representatives were easily identifiable at every transfer area and would lead you through that segment of your cruise... The river cruise personnel were marvelous, from the Cruise Director to the chef and room stewards. They were always smiling, friendly and helpful, which made this cruise spectacular! We could not have asked for better. Do not be afraid to take a Viking cruise if you have dietary restriction! My wife is on a salt, sugar and starch restricted diet and Viking was able to accommodate! Fantastic treatment from every Viking employee we encountered! If you are looking for a cruise, sail with Viking for a perfect trip!

Dana & Thor

Our trip was perfect..

We booked a Danube river cruise for May of 2017 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary... From the moment our Viking representative met us in the Munich airport, our trip was perfect. Everything was smooth. The rooms were marvelous, the tours were interesting, the service on board was impeccable, the food remarkable, and our fellow travelers interesting and friendly. There was a great balance of free time and scheduled activity time while on the ship. No pressure to do anything if you didn’t want to! Our extensions, both before and after the cruise, were handled seamlessly and having a Viking representative at the hotel was so helpful as we planned our free time. This was our first Viking cruise, but it will not be our last!

Renee & Luc

Incredibly well orgnized..

Just returned from our first river cruise with Viking on the Rhine River. Amazing trip. Picturesque vistas, very well organized, informative and pleasant daily visits, guides always interesting and well informed. Very well-run cruise from the moment we landed in Amsterdam to our drop off at the airport on our return home. Viking has thought of everything. Exceptional staff, from the captain to the housekeeping team. Everyone was diligent, hardworking, dedicated and very pleasant, always willing to help and accommodate our needs... Looking forward to our next cruise.

Did not disappoint.

We booked the Rhine Getaway because it was my first trip to Europe and the Rhine goes through five countries. It did not disappoint… I’m writing this review three years after our trip because of the impact Viking has had on me! My memories and pictures are replayed daily and I dream of another river cruise through France when time and budget allow.  

An experiencenot be missed

The most incredible experience ever! We sailed on the Viking Hlin from Amsterdam to Basel and included both a pre-cruise extension in Amsterdam and a post-cruise stay in Lucerne. Viking was so much more than we expected, an experience not to be missed by anyone! We especially thank our Cruise Director for an incredible experience.

David & Karalene

Excursions were awesome..

Excellent trip. All the niceties from airport transfers, wonderful staff with amazing service, knowledge of the area in history and resources... The excursions were awesome. Great history and stories with a twist of humor. Loved the whole trip down the Rhine.

Kathy & Cheryl

Stateroom was excellent.

Just got back from the Rhine Getaway… This was my first river cruise and wow was I surprised. The ship was beautiful and staff top notch. Our cruise director kept us busy, both on and off the ship. The stateroom (veranda) was excellent, and the heated floors in the bathroom were great! Will definitely do another river cruise with Viking. Maybe we will try the Danube next.

Deb & Ed

Best decision we ever made..

Having never been to Europe, we decided on a relatively beginner cruise. The Rhine Getaway was the best decision we ever made. The staff were extremely friendly and accommodating. The tours were well executed with local guides answering every question and joining in on the festivities. The meals onboard were excellent, with several choices at each meal for all palates. This was one cruise we will remember and recommend, for a long time.  

Jan & company

What an experience.

Our first cruise was on board the Viking Longship Odin for the Christmas Markets in 2013. That year Condé Nast gave this Longship the highest ranking not only for Viking, but all its competition. What an experience! We are now booked on our third Viking river cruise.

Fell like I'm leaving friends behind,

The staff! So friendly, attentive and helpful. I feel like I'm leaving friends behind at the end of the cruise. And everything was so well thought out and planned, every detail.  

Suellen Hubbard

Enjoyed every minute.

We were on a river cruise in November 2012… We enjoyed every minute of our trip. The staff were so accommodating and the tours were so well planned... The whole trip was so delightful. We didn’t have one complaint.

Douglas Woods

First-class service..

Excellent service; food and staff outstanding; would do anything to make you happy, excursions also were very good. Viking provided first-class service from boarding the ship to leaving for home.  

Took care of all our needs.

The staff are excellent. They made us feel at home and took care of all our needs with a smile.  

Enjoyed the small-sized ship.

This was our first cruise and we really enjoyed the small-sized ship and the family feeling from the staff.  

Heated floor.

The heated floor in the bathroom was wonderful.  

Enjoyed immensely.

Enjoyed my cruise immensely and think Viking will be a great way to see other areas of the world.

Ellen & Jack

Forgot we were on a ship..

Most of the time I forgot we were on a ship… We had a room with a deck and it was wonderful. The room was always clean and we always had water available. Our Program Director was always available to answer questions and was just super. We had a waiter who always used our names which was a big plus to us... We did the Black Forest tour which was great... The coaches are first class and very comfortable. We just booked our next Viking cruise... Can't wait!

John and Jo

The best tour guide ever..

It may seem unusual that we focus on the staff when we were in the midst of such a beautiful area, but the staff is a critical factor in the enjoyment one experiences on a cruise. We certainly did, and the joy that the staff took in their work contributed to our experience! Likewise, our local guide in Cologne was quite simply the best tour guide we have ever encountered. Thanks to all for this opportunity to view a fascinating part of Europe. We are quick to recommend Viking.

Everything was above expectations

Great trip from Basel to Amsterdam. Well-trained staff who enjoy providing top-class service. Everything was above our expectations.  

Valerie & Gail

Always available to assist..

This was my first Viking river cruise (traveled with my sister) and loved the whole experience. The excursions were great, and the consideration for those who couldn't walk and move as quickly as others was very helpful (my sister needed to use a walker). The staff was always available to assist, and with a smile.

Tom and Ann

First river cruise but certianly not the last..

Incredible is the only way to describe this journey! The activities, the food, the staff...It was all perfect. This was our first river cruise but certainly not the last!

Mike & Kathy

Nothing short of fabulous.

We had such a wonderful experience on the Viking Idun sailing from Basel to Paris. The staff was so friendly and the Program Director was absolutely fantastic! Viking is so well organized and it made for a smooth trip with no unexpected glitches along the way. I could not ask for a more enjoyable experience. River cruising is so laid back and relaxing although there was much to do when you wanted to, and many new friends to meet. I would highly recommend Viking to anyone looking for a European journey with no stress.

Claudia Joyce

The entire ship was squeaky clean..

This Rhine Getaway cruise from Basel to Amsterdam was our first cruise with Viking. And our experiences with this ship, its entire staff and the itinerary make us look forward to another Viking experience… The entire ship was squeaky clean and the reception to us right from the beginning was warm and welcoming… There are places to sit and just watch the incredible scenery of the Rhine shores go by. And yes, you will see castles, vineyards and fortresses just like in the brochures and magazines you've read… We will cruise again with Viking next year. Lucky us!

Such a wonderful time.

This was our fourth trip with Viking. We had such a wonderful time we just booked our fifth trip. Best staff ever!

Very smoothly organized

The cruise was terrific, very smoothly organized. The staff is so helpful and courteous and the guided tours were outstanding. Not to mention the delicious meals!

Trip was focused on us at every opportunity.

The Program Director made us feel like the trip was focused on us at every opportunity. The food was wonderful and the ship was very comfortable. Everyone was great!

Very well looked after

Excellent destinations and great shore excursions. Lovely ship amenities and very well looked after by staff. Nice to have free Wi-Fi too!

Wouldn't change a thing.

This was my first Viking cruise, and it was absolutely perfect—right down to them arranging a taxi to a doctor when I was hit with strep throat in Germany. The staff, the food, the tours, the Christmas markets and the accommodations were all wonderful; I wouldn’t change a thing. Just booked another holiday cruise and can’t wait!

Marc & Charles Azeltine

A unique experience..

My brother and I recently took our first cruise and it did not disappoint. France, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands—they were all such beautiful places that we didn’t want to come home. Seeing Europe on a river cruise is a unique experience. From the housekeepers to the Program Director, the staff treat you like royalty. Most of our time was spent relaxing on the ship with new friends, and I have to say I have never enjoyed a lounge better than I did on the Viking ship. The piano player really set the mood every evening and made you feel like you were in a magical place. Drinking, socializing, dancing and listening to music—all with the Rhine flowing by. I could live like that forever!

Don and Maryann Johnson

The greatest way to see the world..

This was our second Viking Cruise and it was wonderful. The ship was beautiful and comfortable, and our room was perfect with sliding glass doors to the veranda. The sights we saw have given us such great memories. Each meal was a true delight: breakfast, lunch and dinner always had great variety and were prepared with the freshest ingredients. The personnel went out of their way to provide us with a wonderful time, and the Program Director could answer any questions we had. The tours were extremely interesting and paced just right with enough time for us to sit at an outdoor café, watching the folks pass by, eat and shop. We met some wonderful fellow travelers who said they, too, were enjoying their Viking cruise and would go on another. One last note, the extensions on both ends of our trip were fantastic. Thank you, Viking, for showing us the greatest way to see the world. You have spoiled us for any other kind of traveling.

Tim & Ofelia, Hawaii

What a wonderful journey.

We took the Rhine Getaway cruise and had a great time! The staff were very attentive to our needs, making sure that we enjoyed every bit of our experience. From the tour director to the exceptional and hardworking wait staff, kitchen crew and cabin attendants, we were treated with a cruise par excellence! The included land tours were equally as wonderful and the tour guides were very knowledgeable and informative, giving us insight into the places we visited and ample time to tour the places on our own. All in all, we had a satisfying first river cruise and would do another one with Viking. What a wonderful journey!

Bob & Cindy Hanson

Hats off to viking.

What a wonderful experience. We have been on several ocean cruises and the Rhine River cruise was by far superior. I cannot say enough about the staff and the company as this was an exceptional vacation. From travel arrangements, city tours and excursions to meals and fellow guests from all over the world, we will have memories of all of these for a long time. Hats off to Viking.

James and Donna Ernst

Our second European trip with Viking and the weather was perfect! Switzerland to Amsterdam with so many nice stops on the way. Our suite was perfect and very well attended. The reduced airfare was really a plus, and in Amsterdam an extended stay was a must. Viking seems to go out of their way to make everything as smooth as possible and it is so nice to unpack and have a cozy apartment to return to every night. The new Longship was very nice and the crew was there for every whim. I hope to see Russia sometime soon. No regrets.  

The Sullivans

Thank you for a great time..

What a great time! The reality far exceeded the expectations of this trip. The pre-stay in Amsterdam was full of history and fun discovery. Once we boarded the ship the services and staff were first class each and every moment of our trip. We loved the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel; the sights and tours were spectacular and full of history and facts from local guides. We have cruised a number of times; this was our first river cruise but it won’t be our last. Thank you, Viking, and please give a great big shout out to the Viking Jarl crew, staff and captain for a wonderful trip.  

Randy & Winnie

Best vacation ever..

Our first river cruise and by far the best vacation we have ever had. We celebrated our 35th anniversary on this trip and the crew went above and beyond our expectations to make it a special night for us. The service and food on the boat were incredible, and the variety of the tours as well as the optional tours were perfect for what we wanted to see and do. On top of all this we met seven other couples on the boat and had so much fun getting to know them.  

Paul & Judy Costello

Our first river cruise..

We have traveled to Europe a couple of times before, both on tours and on our own. The accommodations were very comfortable, and our meals were very enjoyable (I am going to need to work on losing the extra pounds I gained during the trip). However, the people were really the key to making the trip wonderful. Viking staff were friendly and always helpful. Their number one objective was to make our visit enjoyable in spite of obstacles such as the weather, and they were successful. Additionally, the open seating policy at meals allowed us to mingle freely with other guests, and we really enjoyed getting to know people from many parts of the world, developing friendships with a number of them. My personal recommendation to other travelers is to plan to arrive in Amsterdam a couple of days early to acclimate to the time zone and to see many of the sights in this beautiful city. We did, and we did not regret it. I am sure that we will be looking for another opportunity to enjoy this method of travel with Viking in the near future.  

Nancy & Colin

Everything was wonderful..

Everything was wonderful on our trip down the Rhine. Viking Rinda is one of the new Longships and we were on its third sailing. We want to do another Viking cruise soon.

Ron & Tina

Thank you for the entire crew..

This was one of the best vacation experiences. The 2-day pre-extension in Amsterdam, the 8-day cruise and the 2-day post-extension in Lucerne were outstanding. Kudos to all involved with Viking and a special "thank you" to the entire crew of Viking Helvetia.  

R. Stephens

First trip to europe..

Prior to my recent Rhine Getaway, I had never been to Europe or on a cruise of any type. This itinerary was a perfect choice for our anniversary celebration since it provided a taste of four countries in just a week. Highest compliments to the entire staff and crew, who were professional and courteous in their duties throughout the cruise. The Program Director did an excellent job organizing the daily excursions and evening entertainment. I cannot help but smile when I consider all of the wonderful “firsts” I experienced. Thank you, Viking River Cruises. I made so many wonderful memories and I’ll definitely be back!  

Nina and Liz

Felt like royalty..

My friend and I left our families at home and had the most wonderful girls’ trip ever. I would not change a single thing about my experience on Viking Sun. The staff was so amazing, we felt like royalty. The tours were perfect, the guides informative and fun. Some of the people we met on the ship became friends for life. We both loved every minute of it and are planning our next Viking cruise. I can’t say enough good things about Viking and our trip.  

Vern & Pauline Garman

Great cruise experience..

The cruise experience was great, from the first call to your travel consultants through the airline reservation process, being picked up at the Amsterdam airport and coming aboard. The new Viking Forseti is fantastic, the management and crew were super, and the Program Director made the cruise even better. The tour arrangements and their organization, the speakers and tour guides, lounge entertainment and the commentary while sailing past Rhine castles added so much to the experience. The entire crew of young folks who made the beds, served the meals and the lounge drinks were so friendly and energized all the time. The meals were also fantastic, and having the choice at breakfast and lunch of either the buffet in the lounge or the full meal in the dining room was a bonus.

The Jones Family

Can't wait to go again..

The Rhine Getawaycruise over New Years, 2012 was our first Viking cruise, after three on another cruise line. We loved it so much we've already booked another cruise. Viking is a cut above in so many ways! We felt pampered and cared for from the moment we embarked, and the Program Director did an outstanding job of providing us with stimulating, intelligently presented excursions and experiences. We can’t wait to go again.  

Jim Short & Kirk Grugel

European christmas markets..

We just returned from a December sailing from Amsterdam to Basel. It was a superb experience that we cannot stop talking about. All the beauty and history of the Rhine River Valley, plus the added bonus of holiday decorations and the terrific European Christmas markets at every stop. Thank you Viking for a superb vacation!  

The Hillmers

Best serivce and food..

Very much enjoyed the trip. Best service and food we have had on a vacation in a long time. Staff was very nice and also very professional. We have already booked the Romantic Danube trip for 2014.  

Albert & Laurie Harris

Love our first cruise..

We just returned from our Rhine Getaway cruise and we had a great time. Can’t say enough about how wonderfully we were treated by the staff; couldn't ask for a better captain and crew. Outstanding! This was our first river cruise and we loved it. Very comfortable room, great food, really enjoyed the guides on the excursions. Loved the windmills at Kinderdijk. We enjoyed this river cruise so much, we are already planning another one. Thank you all so much for the perfect trip.

John & Anne Baxter

Truly a great getaway cruise..

The Rhine Getaway cruise was a wonderful getaway for our family. We enjoyed comfortable, well-appointed staterooms, excellent cuisine and unparalleled service on Viking Helvetia while cruising down the scenic, historically rich Rhine River. The tours included with the cruise were well organized and interesting, and a great introduction to many attractions of the Rhine Valley. On board activities were also well-planned to extend this experience. We saw quite a lot of Europe in not a lot of time, and yet it never felt rushed. Fantastic! We enjoyed the cruise so much we have already booked another Viking cruise for 2013. Thanks, Viking.

Guido & Kathy Casciato

A carefree way to see europe..

Just completed our first cruise with Viking on the Rhine, sailing on Viking Sun, and what a great experience. Viking has this down to an art; excellent staff, great ship, great combination of tours and time to enjoy the many beautiful towns and cities that we docked at. If you want a carefree way to see many parts of Europe on the Rhine, while you sit and enjoy wonderful cuisine prepared and served to you at each meal, this is the company to choose. It is nice to see a company excel at what they do and Viking excels at all facets of the travel business on their ships. Thanks to all for the great trip and look forward to many more excursions.

Edwin & Jing Torralba

Everything was fantastic.

Everything was fantastic: the staff, the itineraries, the organized excursions and guides, and the people we met. This is our second Viking trip; our first one was China, and I promoted it to everyone I met on board. So if anybody from our trip signs up for China next time, we are responsible! We are looking into our next European river cruise and we will definitely go with Viking.  

Suzanne & Tim Schauman

Germany at christmas time..

Despite the lack of rain and the river levels being low, the staff and the journey were remarkable. Our trip was part land and part river. Going to Germany at Christmastime with the sights, sounds and snow have left us wanting more; therefore, we have booked the Romantic Danube for December 2013.  

LeaRaye & Cliff Huff

Gracious, friendly and helpful staff.

The most wonderful experience! Great accommodations. The staff were so gracious, friendly and helpful; they treated us like we were so important. Remembering our names was exceptional. Tour guides were fun and made each exploration special, and they were careful to make sure we all got to and from our excursions with nobody left behind. Also meeting new friends from other countries made the trip even more fun. I am eager to go on another. We highly recommend Viking for any cruise you may want. They are premium!  

Cheryl Fauerbach

It was lovely..

We recently went on a Rhine river cruise with Viking and had a great time. Superior staff, interesting excursions with tours of castles, cathedrals, quaint towns and vineyards. It was lovely. Having the ship as a base made our trip very relaxing. We also met many wonderful people on board.  

Nancy Schill

Staff was wonderful..

Just returned from our first-ever Viking river cruise, the Rhine Getaway and want to tell you it was awesome! Staff was wonderful, especially our waiters and our tour manager for the descriptions of each tour and also for the way in which they were managed, with nothing left to chance. Food was out of this world, especially the desserts. Also met some wonderful fellow travelers. See you next year, Viking!

Sharon Dittmer

Need a little time away? Contact Viking River Cruises. You won’t regret it! Pick long cruises or shorter ones; they’re all pretty great.  

Jean Lee Perry

Thanks for the memories.

Loved our first Viking river cruise last month down the Rhine. Will definitely plan another Viking trip! Thanks for the memories.  

Carol Kenton

Would go back tomorrow..

We just returned from the Rhine Getaway cruise. Would go back tomorrow! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful and Viking takes very good care of you.  

Jean & Doug Pendl

A winter wonderland.

Our trip from NYC was well scheduled and the flight that Viking had arranged was very comfortable. On arrival in Basel we were quickly met by a Viking representative and transported to the ship. We spent a fabulous day in the sunshine of Basel taking tours and visiting our first Christmas markets. The snow began to fall as we departed, which seemed to set the stage for our trip through a winter wonderland. Every port of call was well planned and led by very knowledgeable guides. The service on board was impeccable, with all our wants fulfilled. It should be noted there is not much to do on the ship as compared to ocean cruise ships but our time was well spent at the Christmas markets. We took some extra time in Amsterdam on our own at the end. This cruise will allow you to take in a number of different cities of Europe and still not feel rushed. It is cold in December so appropriate clothing is a must to maximize your enjoyment.

Jeffrey Hubbard

Highly recommended.

Took an 8-day cruise with Viking through Germany in December and would highly recommend them.  

Susan DeColaines & Bill Swanson

A wonderful week.

We had a wonderful week cruising on the Rhine. Our tour guide was excellent. Everything was organized and very well done. The ship was comfortable, well run, very maintained and the food was delicious. The variety of other travelers was very pleasant. We’re booking immediately for our next Viking cruise!  

Connie Tritt

Best cruise ever..

Best cruise ever...from fabulous food to lovely locations and very comfortable staterooms. What a wonderful way to experience the world!  

Marjorie & Leland Wieweck

Our fourth cruise with viking..

We have just returned from our cruise on the Rhine and the trip was wonderful. The weather was perfect and the fall colors were beautiful. The staff were great and made the trip a delight. This was our fourth cruise with Viking and we would recommend this trip to everyone! Having to unpack only once makes traveling effortless and the open seating during dinner helps you meet the most interesting people who enrich the experience. We can’t wait to plan our next trip.  

Jim & Peggy Meadows

A lovely time..

We had a lovely time on this cruise. In all the food was excellent. And how can anyone forget the phrase, “Ciao for now”?  

George & Beth Adams

A very relaxing vacation..

We've just returned from our first Viking River Cruises journey on the beautiful Viking Helvetia. The freedom to do as much or as little as you like made for a very relaxing vacation. Loved the open seating for the meals; it was such fun to meet so many interesting people from a variety of places. We loved sleeping with our window open listening to the birds and the gentle sound of the water as we fell asleep, then watching the sun rise over the horizon in the morning. I cannot say enough about how wonderful our experience was on your cruise. I have three friends who have asked me to send them your site already!  

Don & Nancy Griffith

Remembered for a lifetime.

We cannot say enough about how pleased we were with all aspects of our Viking River Cruises journey. We felt like the entire staff was there just for us. Thank you again for giving us a vacation that will be remembered for a lifetime as the best we've ever had.  

Kenneth Reese

Such a great way to travel..

I’ve just returned from the Rhine Getaway cruise aboard Viking Helvetia. Great trip! I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the cruise. Such a great way to travel. Congratulations to the entire crew.  

Thomas LeFevre

I top my hat to you..

I greatly enjoyed the smaller, more intimate nature of the cruise. One can develop multiple friendships among passengers due to the smaller groups and frequency of encounters. I tip my hat to you and your staff for a job well done and I look forward to my next trip with Viking.

Willy & Karin Goedeke

We enjoyed every minute.

We just wanted to let you know how pleased we were with our Rhine cruise. It was just perfect; we enjoyed every minute!  

Roxanne Lennon

By far the best way to travel..

I've only been on two of Viking's cruises, but my parents and other family members have been on a total of 21 cruises with your company. The great job you did on our most recent trip confirms our belief that Viking River Cruises is by far the best way to travel.  

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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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Lobsters & Lighthouses: Sailing on a Maine Windjammer

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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Fantastic Cruise - Rhine Getaway - Viking Cruises France

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The Viking staff was always courteous and friendly. The food and dining room service were very... read more

We are posting this in tandem to the one about the French river cruise and are suggesting that if... read more

Fantastic Cruise - Rhine Getaway

We recently took a Viking River Cruise down the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland on the Viking Vidar. Viking is an A1 company who is 1st class all the way from beginning to end, from Program Director to Housekeeping, from the Captain to the Executive Chef and everyone in between. I would highly recommend cruising with Viking where all your needs are met. Included Tour offerings and additional excursion choices are available to meet every need and level of interest.

2 July 2019 . Do not use Viking Cruises! Unfortunately a river lock is inoperable leaving the boat stuck in Nürnberg. Viking communication has been terrible. First, Viking knew of the broken lock BEFORE the cruise started yet did not notify any guests to have the option of not traveling to Europe. Three days later the boat had not moved an inch yet Viking has sent ZERO emails to the guests. Calls to customer service simply end with “we are working on plans” and we may bus you on Day 5 (of 7) for 8 hours to get on another boat to cruise for a day or two on the Danube. Today we traveled 3 1/2 hours by bus to participate in a less than 2 hour shore excursion. Needless to say the majority of shore excursions are not possible due to bus distance. Tomorrow promises to be worse... but we don’t know anything yet! Our current boat view is an industrial area on a canal. We had heard Viking was a good company...lack of communication and no recovery plans indicate they are just a bureaucracy without good leadership. To make matters worse there has never been an apology and no talk of any compensation... not even a free drink! thousands of dollars and personal time down the drain!

Thanks for reaching out, Brooks B. We regret to hear of your disappointment in the necessitated changes that impacted your journey. While our records indicate that you recently received communication regarding compensation for these changes, we’d be happy to discuss your experience further and invite you to contact us directly. We appreciate the opportunity to respond, Brooks B., and wish you a lovely day.

On my first Viking cruise, and after hearing so much about it I am disappointed. The good: the staff dining as well as cleaning and maintenance are helpful, friendly and efficient. They really try to make you feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. The bad: the ship has so far docked in industrial areas, today overlooking a rubbish dump. Buses into town are limited, you have to be part of a tour to get off the boat and into town. We saw a number of cruise boats docked in the city, why not Viking? Catch a taxi into town or out of it is not an answer one expects to hear. Feels like we are in a cage since one can’t get off the ship to go anywhere on ones own. The advantage of river cruises is to be docked in cities and not in industrial areas with barges and rubbish dumps. I would not have booked this cruise if I had known where we would be docking. Are they saving money by docking in industrial areas Organization is bad, 2 buses going into the city for the walking tour, only one bus coming back. It does not require a lot of intelligence to know if you take 2 bus loads of people into town, you would need 2 buses to bring them back. It feels like Viking doesn’t care. I can’t fault the ship staff for this but I do fault Vikings management and organization. The bar is not manned at noon? Why? Where to go for a soda or beer? On the whole disappointing, will not recommend based on current experience. Again the staff is great, the organization bad.

Hi, pl281. While we’re glad your onboard crew were able to make your time aboard enjoyable, we’re sorry to hear of your disappointment in the shore excursion organization and docking locations. As we value the integrity of your experience and are interested in discussing your comments in further detail, we invite you to contact us directly if you haven’t already. We hope to hear from you soon, pl281, and wish you a wonderful day.

Boarded the ATLA ship yesterday looking forward to a beautiful and well deserved vacation only to be told at our welcome briefing that we can’t begin our cruise. The “fix” is to take day trips by bus 1-4 hours in length for the next 2 days to the destinations we would have gone to if we could get to the Danube. And then on Day 4 of the cruise we get to take a 5 hour bus ride after we pack up all our belongings to what should be the 3rd stop in Krems. This is some river cruise! I did not sign up for a bus tour. No satisfaction from Viking corporate office though the staff on board is lovely. The photo is the lovely view from my balcony of a dirty industrial area which I’ve been looking at for over 24 hours. Thumbs down!

Boarded Atla ship today and told ship won't be moving for 4 days of the 7 day cruise! No refunds or extra trips offered! Just too bad it is what it is! #vikingisunreliable #thosisnotacruise #norefundoffered #noextrasoffered

We cruised the Rhine Getaway with Viking. The ship was beautiful, clean, spacious, well laid out, and had everything we needed. The stateroom, while very small, was very well furnished, clean, in good condition and perfectly laid out for a 7 night stay. Our stateroom was on the lowest floor, just at water level. These rooms are actually mostly below water level, with a window that is about eye level and just a few inches above the water. While it may be nice to opt for a room with a balcony on a higher floor, note that most of the time you spend on the ship will be either sleeping, or when the ship is at port. When the ship is at port, there are often other ships tied right against it and your view is blocked anyway. When the ship is moving, the views are spectacular though. The food on board was decent, about as good as you can expect aboard a ship that needs to feed 200 people. You could choose to dine at set times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Or have a meal at extended hours in the lounge. There was also complimentary coffee, tea, water, and snacks available 24 hours a day. The staff were amazing. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful at all times. You could not pass a staff member without receiving and smile and a hello. I'd like to specifically mention our Program Director, Candi. She was amazing; personable, professional, always had a great attitude, and worked well under pressure. On the third day of our trip, a lock on the river malfunctioned and the ship was unable to proceed as scheduled. We were stuck with no way of getting off the ship to do our excursions for the day. The staff worked extremely hard to convince the port authority to allow us to pull the ship into the broken lock, allow Viking to drive four busses and two taxis ONTO the lock, allow the guests to get off the ship, walk across the lock to the busses, so that we could get to our destination and spend time sightseeing. While we did lose several hours, we were able to salvage the day and see the destination. Every staff member aboard remained calm and professional and helpful and informative while this ordeal was happening. Kudos to them all! Cruising along the Middle Rhine, we got to see many many castles. We spent the day on the sun deck with a pair of binoculars and a camera and it was amazing. The only complaints we have about the trip is with regard to the on shore excursions. Be aware that at almost every port, it is required to take a shuttle bus into town to see the attractions. This means that you are limited to leaving and returning at given times, and don't get as much time to see the destination as we'd have liked. Tour guides are provided, along with listening devices so that you can hear them. However, we found these tours to be slow and limiting what we could see and experience. We like to wander and explore when we travel, so this was less than ideal for us. However, at most ports you may leave the group and explore on your own, as long as you return to the meeting point for the shuttle at the scheduled time (this is not true of all stops). As for the guides, they were less than stellar. A few were downright terrible, and we did leave feedback for Viking about the particulars. Overall, it was an amazing trip and we would sail with Viking again.

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VIKING RIVER CRUISES 8 Days | Rhine Getaway Northbound

BASEL TO AMSTERDAM Day 1 | Basel, Switzerland. Welcome to Basel on the Rhine River in northwest Switzerland. Transfer from the airport to your ship. After boarding, enjoy time on your own getting acquainted with the city—or join our “welcome walk” to stretch your legs and start getting oriented. Cruise through the night to Breisach. (D) Day 2 | Breisach, Germany. Arrive during breakfast in Breisach, gateway to the Black Forest. Take a scenic excursion through the area’s renowned mountain landscape, rolling meadows and dense forests. Once there, visit a local workshop and see a cuckoo clock-making demonstration. Return to Breisach for some free time before evening departure. Or, choose an optional excursion to the quaint Alsatian town of Colmar. Dine aboard and cruise through the night to Kehl. (B, L, D) NOTE: Sailing departures November 25–December 23 will also visit Breisach’s Christmas market. Day 3 | Strasbourg, France.  Arrive in Kehl this morning and disembark for your guided tour of Strasbourg. See the European Parliament and tour the interior of the city’s famed cathedral. Free time allows you to further explore this Alsatian city’s blend of French and German cultures— fabulous churches, medieval covered bridges, beautiful parks and some lovely Art Nouveau and modernist architecture. As always, your Program Director can help you plan your free time. Return to your ship for dinner and departure. (B, L, D) NOTE:  Sailing departures November 25–December 23 will also visit Strasbourg’s Christmas market. Day 4 | Heidelberg, Germany. Rüdesheim. Wake up in Mannheim and disembark for a tour to Heidelberg to see Germany’s oldest university, founded in 1386. Then visit the beautiful sandstone ruins of imposing Heidelberg Castle, and take in the scenery of the Neckar River Valley and the city’s many red rooftops from its hilltop location. Continue with a walking tour through the Old Town to Heidelberg’s renowned gates. Return to your ship for afternoon cruising. Arrive in Rüdesheim in the early evening. Spend free time in the pedestrian-only Drosselgasse and sample a glass of locally produced wine at one of the restaurants or wine bars—dine aboard or stay in town if you prefer. Remain docked overnight. (B, L, D) Day 5 | Braubach. Koblenz.  This morning, sail along the most scenic stretch of the Rhine, where castles overlook the river from their hilltop locations. This part of the Middle Rhine Valley is so beautiful that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Midmorning, disembark for a tour of 700-year-old Marksburg Castle and its museum. Return to your ship for lunch and a short cruise to Koblenz, where you disembark and enjoy some time in this charming town at the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine Rivers. (B, L, D) NOTE:  Sailing departures November 25–December 23 will also visit the Koblenz Christmas market. Day 6 | Cologne.  Cruise along the Rhine this morning, arriving just after breakfast in Cologne. Disembark for your walking tour of this gem of the Rhine. Stroll through Old Town past St. Martin’s Church and spend some time inside Cologne’s Dom, a remarkable Gothic cathedral. The rest of your day is free to explore the dockside taverns, cafés and shops. Dine aboard before evening departure. Sailing departures November 25–December 23 will also visit Cologne’s Christmas market. (B, L, D) Day 7 | Kinderdijk, Holland.  Spend your morning enjoying some popular Dutch diversions: sample Dutch cheeses and jenever, a distilled juniper liquor, and try your hand at sjoelen (Dutch table shuffleboard). After lunch, your ship arrives in Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for an afternoon tour of this ingenious network of windmills and other flood management devices. You learn why the windmills were built and see how they work, plus you enter an actual working windmill for a tour of its mechanisms and living quarters. Board your ship for departure and dinner. Arrive at Amsterdam after midnight. (B, L, D) Day 8 | Amsterdam. After breakfast, disembark and proceed to the Amsterdam airport for your return flight. Or, add 2 nights in Amsterdam so you will have time to explore this picturesque and cosmopolitan capital. (B) NOTE: Itinerary is subject to change without notice. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to the itinerary schedule you receive with your final documents.

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Viking introduces the definitive way to explore the world in comfort. We call them Ocean & River Voyages, an innovative marriage of our award-winning river and ocean cruises. Designed for those who want to get the most from our rivers and oceans itineraries, these enriching journeys highlight the historic treasures, colorful cultures and seldom-seen sights of both inland and coastal destinations, so you will enjoy the full Viking experience on one seamless itinerary. These are epic voyages that only Viking can provide.

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RHINE & VIKING SHORES & FJORDS

Rhine & viking shores & fjords (bergen-basel).

Discover Nordic wonders by sea, then tour highlights of the legendary Rhine River. Embark in historic Bergen, a city with deep Viking roots, and set off for Norway’s dramatic fjord landscapes, cruising to scenic Flåm, cosmopolitan Stavanger, history-rich Kristiansand and vibrant Oslo. From the seaside village of Skagen, Denmark, sail the North Sea to Amsterdam. Explore Holland’s famous windmills in Kinderdijk. Admire Cologne’s famous cathedral and tour Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. Discover the turreted fortresses, grand cathedrals, historic cities, medieval towns and spectacular scenery of the Middle Rhine—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Experience France’s multicultural Strasbourg and Germany’s storied Black Forest before disembarking in cultured Basel.

Stateroom Pricing - Rhine & Viking Shores & Fjords (Bergen-Basel)

June 15, 2025

Prices are per person based on double occupancy. $200 USD per person discount included in pricing below.

August 24, 2025

RHINE & VIKING SHORES & FJORDS (Basel-Bergen)

Tour highlights of the legendary Rhine River, then discover Nordic wonders by sea. Experience cultured Basel before setting sail for Germany’s storied Black Forest and France’s multicultural Strasbourg. Discover the turreted fortresses, grand cathedrals, historic cities, medieval towns and spectacular scenery of the Middle Rhine—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 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. Disembark in historic Bergen, a city with deep Viking roots.

Stateroom Pricing - Rhine & Viking Shores & Fjords (Basel-Bergen)

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Rhine getaway.

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Pre-extension: lake como, pre-extension: lucerne, pre-extension: basel, post-extension: bergen, post-extension: oslo & scenic train, post-extension: iceland & the golden circle, post-extension: the best of norway & scenic train, extend your cruise (bergen-basel), pre-extension: bergen, pre-extension: oslo & scenic train, pre-extension: iceland & the golden circle, pre-extension: the best of norway & scenic train, post-extension: lucerne, post-extension: basel.

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Booking Terms & Conditions

PRICE GUARANTEE: Once you have paid in full for your trip, you are safe from any additional charges. Airfare increases, currency fluctuations, increased fuel surcharges, new government taxes—none of these will apply to you.

2025 OCEAN & RIVER VOYAGES AND AIR SAVINGS: Offer valid on bookings made from October 1-31, 2023. Terms & conditions for select promotions may vary; Please call for details. A limited-time $25 deposit is applicable to all itineraries except World Cruise products. Special savings plus $1,499 international airfare valid on 2025 departures of Rhine & Viking Shores & Fjords . Airfares may vary on other gateways & departures. Airfare does not have to be purchased to get cruise\cruisetour offer. All prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. Additional restrictions may apply. 2025: Pay in full by May 31, 2024. Offers expires October 31, 2023.

AIR UPGRADE: Upgrade to Premium Economy air from $995 per person or Business Class air from $2,995 per person based on select gateways and dates. Additional airline-imposed baggage charges may apply; for more information visit Airline Luggage Restrictions. Air prices are per person based on cruise/cruisetour check-in date and include transfers plus all government taxes/fees of approximately $160 and air fuel surcharges. Air seats are limited; airfares are subject to change and are not guaranteed until full payment of air is received. For more information about customized air services, US gateways and our Frequent Flyer Upgrade Program, visit the Viking Air Plus page.

AIR OFFER RESTRICTIONS: Offer expires October 31, 2023.

Note: U.S. flights depart one day prior to check-in date. Paid Business or Premium Economy Class may require travel in economy on flights within North America or Europe. Premium economy is limited to specific airlines and we may not be able to accommodate based on aircraft type and availability. Roundtrip airport transfers are included when air is purchased with a cruise or cruisetour package; if air is not purchased from Viking, transfers may be purchased separately. All transfers must be in conjunction with a Viking-purchased cruise, cruisetour, land extension or extra hotel nights. Air prices are per person based on cruise/cruisetour check-in date and include transfers plus all government taxes/fees of approximately $160 and air fuel surcharges. Air seats are limited; airfares are subject to change and are not guaranteed until full payment of air is received.

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Viking cruise Rhine getaway

We are taking the Viking “Rhine getaway” in November 2022. I was wondering on the stops do we need to take the optional cruise tours? What they offer, is that doable on your own by walking or taxis?

We did that cruise. We had a very nice time. We did all of the included excursions and none of the optional tours. We found the optional cruises to be quite expensive and we were able to do most on our own. We also extended our trip on both ends and booked and handled that on our own. I do recommend arriving to Europe at least a few days before your cruise to get over jet lag a bit. What I did was to do some research into all the cities the cruise stops at so I had about a half a day of activities we could do on our own. I had maps for each city ready to go. We got to Basel a couple days before the start of the cruise. We found Basel to be delightful, we did some walking tours on our own. They have an excellent Tourist Information Center that I contacted ahead of time. When we arrived to the ship for the cruise, they were doing an unplanned walking tour of Basel and we did that, too. There was a Black Forest included excursion which was nice. I don't recall what the optional excursion was but we walked into and around the cute town of Breisach. The included tour of Strasbourg was a few hours and quite good. There was a couple optional tours (one I think was to Colmar) but we enjoyed more time in Strasbourg. Some took an optional tour to a winery in Ruedesheim but we walked around on our own and did some wine tasting. I can't recall what the optional tour for Koblenz was, but we elected to walk around Koblenz. The included tour was to a castle. If we hadn't done Koblenz on our own, we wouldn't have seen it. In Koln there was an excellent walking tour of the old town and the cathedral. Some took the optional tour and did kolsch tasting. We went back to the cathedral and then found a brewery and did our own kolsch tasting (at 1 euro a glass) There was an optional cheese tour that we didn't do and instead we enjoyed the time cruising on the river. The cheese tour people took a bus to kinderdijk. After the cruise, we spent a couple more days in Amsterdam.

The only town that was a bit more complicated to explore on our own was Strasbourg. My recollection is that all we needed to do was take the city bus. Or maybe Viking had a bus, I can't remember.

To be fair, I never heard anyone complain about the optional tours, however, I'm not sure I would have been happy with them because of the cost. Viking will tell you their price includes airport transfers. etc. Well, I've never had difficulty using public transportation on my own to get from any airport in Europe. Also, some people that did do the air and ground transfer with Viking were leaving at the end of the cruise at 5am to get to their flights. Ummm, HARD NO.

We would do a Viking cruise again at some point. We actually were looking at the one into Russia, so that won't happen soon. . .

You aren't required to do any excursion, optional or not. Without knowing exactly what each of the optional excursions are, I can't say whether you could do them independently or not.

You might want to look at Cruise Critic. They have a forum specifically for River Cruises.

We found that the included tours on this cruise were very good; usually they were in the morning and helped us get our bearings in each port. Afterwards we explored independently (depending on how long we stayed in port). I had done my research in advance; Viking staff members helped me with transportation questions (buses,taxis). A Covid-related caveat...if countries increase restrictions, it could be that the only way you are allowed to leave the ship is on a cruise company-operated tour. In that case you may want to consider an optional tour that gives you more shore time.

I can't recall what the optional tour for Koblenz was, but we elected to walk around Koblenz. The included tour was to a castle.

Viking says that for 2022, the included tour is the walking tour around Koblenz. The optional excursions depend partly on your direction of travel, apparently. From the online itinerary for Viking's 2022 Basel > Amsterdam Getaway tour:

Proceed along the Rhine, disembarking for a walking tour of Koblenz. Alternately, choose an optional excursion to tour the 700-year old Marksburg Castle, or enjoy a lively and informative tour of Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.

For their 2022 Amsterdam > Basel tour, this text appears:

Arrive in Koblenz this afternoon and disembark for a guided exploration of Koblenz on foot. You may also join an optional excursion that offers a lively and informative tour of Ehrenbreitstein Fortress; or, choose to journey into Moselle wine country on an optional excursion, stopping for a tour and tasting at a local winery.

With Ehrenbreitstein Fortress no matter your cruise direction, these links should be informative:

Things to see/do at Ehrenbreitstein Tripadvisor reviews of Ehrenbreitstein

You can do the fortress independently. I have no idea exactly where your boat docks for Koblenz, however. From Koblenz proper an aerial tram gets you to the fortress, which sits atop a cliff on the opposite side of the Rhine (this part of Koblenz is called Ehrenbreitstein.) VERY simple.

If your boat docks on the Ehrenbreitstein side of the river, you could maybe walk (or catch a taxi ride or bus??) to the hillside elevator (€6 round trip) to reach the top:

Marksburg Castle (€11 at entrance) is an outstanding example of a medieval castle. Not sure what your time allotment is, but it's certainly doable on your own. It's in Braubach, a DIRECT 20-minute train ride from Koblenz' City-center ("Stadtmitte") station, the closest station most boat docks in Koblenz proper. Direct trains for Braubach leave there at :44 after the hour. Round trip fare is €10.40 on a day ticket. Once there, it's an uphill hike of about 25 minutes. Or you might arrange a taxi ride if you see the walk up as undoable.

(If your boat docks on the Ehrenbreitstein side of the Rhine, you can catch a train from the Ehrenbreitstein rail station to Braubach. It's about 25 minutes from there and includes a change of train in the town of Niederlahnstein.)

Marksburg website Braubach photos (scroll through) One family's visit, with walking footage included

Moselle River wine tasting outing... This is nearly as simple as getting to Ehrenbreitstein.

Walk, bus or taxi to Koblenz Main Station (Hauptbahnhof) directly to Winningen (a 10-minute ride leaving at :25 after every hour) and ride the train along the Mosel River. It's a small, beautiful old-world wine town that's easy to walk around with cozy places like this to have wine and snacks/lunch. €8.10 gets you there and back on a day ticket.

We did this tour from Amsterdam to Basel and elected to do the pre and post extensions with it. It was a great tour and if available, I highly recommend the extensions (however they may not be available for your time frame) The pre- Amsterdam tours with Viking are a definite must if capable. We learned so much and had a wonderful time. The post tour was in Luzern and the additional paid tour was probably the best tour of the entire cruise..although quite expensive, but it lasted 10 hours.

As for the included tours on the cruise, some are very good and we found them worth doing. We did do extras though as we had previously been to a few of the places. We elected to take the top of the cathedral tour in Cologne and it was breath taking ( if not scary to be on top of the roof of the tallest Gothic church in Europe ). Also the Colmar tour has made us really want to take the RS Eastern France tour as a result...so beautiful. The wine tasting tour was excellent as well the evening out tours with music and dinner..I don't think we could have done any of these ourselves.

We have been on 4 Viking trips (2 river, 2 ocean) We like the river trips the best and have found the air-service, pick up service to be excellent and definitely well worth it. As far as somebody saying you have to be picked up by 5:00 am...not really...you can arrange what flights you want to be on by simply electing the Viking air+ service for $50.00 each. You can pick your own airline and flight and determine your own fate....I would not simply use what they give you for flights...you never now what you will get. Viking allowed us to extend our trip from Luzern and go to Cyprus for a week before returning home...no extra cost from the free air fare they gave us...only the $50.00 air+ (and we paid our way to Cyprus and back to Basel) for the return home flight.

Forgot to say that we also did the Viking Grand European tour in November and it was wonderful. Cool and crisp, beautiful fall color and leaves...we would do November again in a heartbeat!!

jetlady51, we did this cruise a few years ago. A couple of general notes about the excursions. Viking has these set up and timed so that you are back at the ship for mealtime (unless the excursion is for dinner). Its very convenient as the transport is there and ready. The downside is there isn't a lot of time at any location because of the large group of people to manage. One good thing is they do make accommodations for "slow walkers". Note that the ship often docks at a location that is far away from the town center (except for Cologne) and therefore arranging for your own transport somewhere is trickier. We did have one couple who didnt make it back on time. Make sure you know the departure schedule.

So, we did all the included excursions, and many of the optional ones. I think we saw more by using their excursions (some of them were pretty far from the city we were docked at) than we would have on our own. But if you just want to sit and have a leisurely coffee, by all means skip the optional excursions. Just pick the ones that sound interesting. Bottom line is I don't think we could have easily duplicated the optionals on our own. PS there is nothing to do on the ship, if you stay there.

As far as the extensions, we stayed extra days on our own in Luzern for a fraction of what the Viking extra would have cost. We'd been there before so knew our way around, and managed the logistics just fine. Viking had no problem with arranging our departure flight from Zurich to accommodate our plan (at a slight extra cost).

That's too bad about Koblenz and Marksburg. For us, Marksburg was the included tour. The walking tour of Koblenz is easily done independently Our ship docked by the town of Koblenz. Burg Ehrenbreittstein is doable from Koblenz as it is right across the river from where the ship docks..

We looked at doing some Moselle wine tasting on our own from Koblenz. There was not enough free time to use the bus to get to the closest wine town, a taxi might work. You will have to look at the amount of free time you have that day. From what someone posted above, if you do one of the optional tours for Koblenz, depending on the length of the optional tour, you may not have time to visit the town of Koblenz on your own.

And, that brings me to another factor. Look at what you miss by doing the optional tour over the included tour or having free time. For, us, we never had difficulty finding something to explore. In the end, I think your decisions come down to budget, your interest in the various excursions and your ability to be independent.

I think you should look at each optional tour and pick out the ones you may be interested in. From that point, you can figure out the ease and cost of doing it on your own and post where you need help.

In regard to Stan's comment about where the ship docks, for us, the ship was convenient to get into explore every town except Strasbourg. Strasbourg wasn't that difficult as there was a bus that would take people in.

EDITED TO ADD: I just noticed that Heidelberg was deleted from the Rhine itinerary. That's too bad. Remember as you review the comments you get, your itinerary is likely different than previous itineraries.

Keep in mind that the boat docks at each location dependent upon the season...busy dates (summer) are docked further out, fall, closer to the location. For our November trip we were docked within walking distance to EVERY single town. We even walked back to the ship when we needed to use the restroom. For our July trip, we were docked MUCH further away and docked side by side with other boats so that we literally had to cross each boat to get to shore. No way to get to sights without the bus or a taxi on that tour.

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Explore one of Europe’s best-loved rivers. Discover the turreted fortresses, grand cathedrals, historic cities, medieval towns and stunning scenery of the Middle Rhine—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Taste the region’s renowned white wines, the roots of its terraced vineyards reaching back to Roman times. Savor the various culinary traditions of Alsace. With calls in Amsterdam, Cologne and Basel, this journey reveals a rich landscape of beauty and culture.

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6 Fabulous Shore Excursions On A Viking Rhine River Cruise

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A Rhine River Cruise is on the bucket list for many. Who has seen a commercial showcasing the castles along the Rhine as guests sail by on-board a river cruise?

TravelAwaits writer Peggy Cleveland and Senior Vice President Missy Glassmaker were hosted on Viking’s new Longship, the Viking Egdir , on the 8-day Rhine Getaway itinerary. This cruise took them to four countries — Switzerland , France , Germany , and the Netherlands — and included six guided tours. 

This cruise is heavy on castles and cathedrals as you cruise along the Rhine River. It is a rich landscape renowned for vineyards producing white wines, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the culinary traditions of the Alsace region — with its influences from both Germany and France — as well as the windmills and cheeses of the Netherlands.

One of the benefits of a Viking River Cruise is that a shore excursion is included in each port. We were both pleasantly surprised at the quality of these trips. Peggy is one who tends to explore on her own because, frankly, most tours she’s taken in the past have been pretty boring. The included Viking excursions typically took place in the morning and lasted about 3 hours. 

The guides were awesome! All were well-vetted and so knowledgeable about the destination. You will either be on a walking tour or a bus tour for which Viking uses their own buses. In your room, you will find a QuietVox audio receiver to wear around your neck with an earpiece. It allows you to hear the guide while the group can spread out a bit, which is nice for social distancing and if you want to linger and look at something a bit more as the group moves ahead.

Pro Tips: Tours start as early as 8:30 a.m. so get a good night’s sleep. Also be sure to wear good walking shoes. Peggy wore Keen’s Women’s Targhee II Waterproof Hiking Shoes . A hiking shoe gives you a great tread and support without the bulk of a boot. The terrain on this trip was very uneven with cobblestones and old pavement as well as some trails. Also note if you have mobility issues. Even tours rated “easy” have a walk from the ship to the bus which can be a challenge for some. Work with the ship’s program director or guest services for options.

Here are some of the fabulous excursions Peggy enjoyed on her Viking Rhine River Cruise.

1. The Black Forest

Breisach, germany.

I thought this was a great excursion and it was included. After our ship docked along the shore in Breisach, it was a short walk to the Viking buses where we met our guide, Walter Hirsch. The trip took us on a scenic drive through the fabled Black Forest, past three quaint villages and rolling hills covered in vineyards. We stopped at the Hofgut Sternen Hotel situated at a more than 700-year-old crossroads in the heart of the Black Forest. The location has a long history of hospitality towards travelers. 

My first stop was at the restaurant to enjoy a slice of Black Forest cake before visiting the shops and looking at the amazing assortment of cuckoo clocks. I ended up having enough time to take a hike into the forest and walk along a rushing stream before heading back to the bus.

2. Flavors Of Alsace

Strasbourg, france.

This is the best tour I have ever taken and, with my travel history, that is saying a lot. This was the most expensive of the optional excursions I took at over $200, but I felt it was well worth it. This tour is rated “demanding” as total walking or standing time may exceed 3 hours. 

The tour took us through Grande-Île, UNESCO World Heritage Site in Strasbourg, France. This charming historic district is filled with darling small shops, restaurants, and food merchants. It seemed like every type of food had its own small shop. We went to a bakery for eclairs, a shop for cheese, and even one for gingerbread. 

Our guide Steve is certified by the French Government and had to pass both a written and oral test. This certification is required to give tours of French monuments and museums. Steve was so personable and knowledgeable about the culinary traditions of the Alsace region. This made all the difference when spending 7 hours with someone. 

In addition to stops for food sampling, the tour included a stop at a Winstube where we enjoyed a wine tasting of Alsace wines and nibbled on local cheese and charcuterie. We also learned about and ate Flamkuchen, a local Alsace specialty. Similar to a pizza with a thin crust, we tried a savory one with onion and bacon lardons, and a sweet one with apples then flambeed with calvados liquor. Very impressive. 

We also toured the Strasbourg Cathedral, timing it perfectly to watch the astronomical clock in action, before heading back to the ship.

3. Kinderdijk Windmills & Dutch Cheese Making

Kinderdijk, the netherlands.

I am a big foodie, so any excursion that involves a farm-to-table experience is one I will always sign up for. The ship made a brief stop in Gorinchem, the Netherlands, for guests leaving on this excursion. Alas, we just walked from the ship along the historic city walls to our bus because this was such a darling small town and so picturesque that I wished we had time to explore it. 

The bus took us to a farm in Streefkerk to see the Booij kaasmakers (cheese makers) and learn how raw milk cheeses are made. The Booij family has made cheese for over 350 years and the craftsmanship and experience shows in their superior cheeses. After tasting the cheese, I think our whole group purchased some to bring home; it was that good.

We then boarded the buses and headed to the Kinderdijk Windmills to take a tour and link back up with the ship. A nice surprise was greeted by our program director, who took all our cheese for us so we didn’t have to carry it around while exploring the windmills. I enjoyed my afternoon in this bucolic setting. The historic windmills provided a perfect backdrop to the canals with a variety of waterfowl swimming about.

Here are some of the fabulous excursions Missy enjoyed on our Viking Rhine River Cruise.

4. Medieval Village Of Colmar

This was the first taste of the adorable villages you dream about when planning a Rhine River Cruise. We took a bus to the village and then were on our way. It was the end of the Easter break in Europe and several Easter Markets, think Christmas Markets but with a spring feel, were still set up — a real treat! 

Colmar is just so picturesque. It’s like being dropped into a storybook. Our guide excellently engaged us with stories from centuries of history, unique architecture, and other small details I would have been sure to miss had I been exploring on my own. The stroll was lovely and at an easy pace. The only problem was, you want to stop and linger at the cafes and shops! 

That’s where the QuietVox audio receiver Peggy mentioned above really pays off. It’s in every room on a Viking River Cruise and allows you to linger at the store windows to take a look, but still listen in as the group moves ahead. We did have about 45 minutes to explore at the end of the tour. This was plenty of time to pick up a few goodies.

5. Cologne By Bicycle

Viking offered an included walking tour of Cologne during our stop. Many on board took part and really enjoyed it. However, if you like a smaller group setting, want to work off a few calories from all the delicious food, and of course, enjoy riding a bike, this is the perfect tour for you. 

We met our lovely guide just off the ship and we were off. We biked across the Rhine River with several stops along the way to hear about the history and take pictures, including outside of the cathedral and the store where eau de cologne was invented. Our guide, a trained opera singer, even shared her talents with us at one stop. While that can’t be guaranteed on every Cologne bicycle tour, it was magical. The tour also included a stop to relax and grab a coffee or tea, which was included. Then, we made our way along the Rhine for several miles before heading back to the ship.

This tour allowed our group to see a lot of the city in less time, and with just six of us taking part, created great opportunities for getting to know one another, even while biking along the Rhine. We became fast friends and it made the entire experience so much more enjoyable. 

I hadn’t ridden a bike for years before joining this tour and while riding through a major city was daunting, and I felt a bit rusty at the beginning, it was a great experience and the guide was very patient. Finally, the team behind the guide is prepared should any issues arise. We had one member of our party blow a tire and they met us within minutes.

Another Option: Cologne’s Beer Culture & Dinner

This excursion was a ton of fun. We learned a little and laughed a lot! If you like beer and want to try authentic German fare, which was delicious, this is a great experience. The only problem was that it had to end, but guests on the ship were dancing the night away when we returned and you only need to know one thing: there was a conga line which always signals a great time.

Pro Tip: I ended up wearing my comfortable, exercise-type clothes much more than I thought I would on this trip. There’s no need to overpack, but just don’t forget to pack a few things you would normally wear when out for a good walk or bike ride.

6. Kinderdijk Windmills By Bicycle

Viking really puts you in the middle of the action on this stop. The windmills are basically across the road from the ship just begging you to come visit. Viking offered a walking, barge, and bicycle tour of the windmills. After having such a great time on the Cologne bicycle tour, I decided to join this one as well. 

What made this unique was being able to really see the windmills from various perspectives, as well as riding along the village that adjoins them, which wasn’t accessible on the walking or barge tours. I will say, our guide was just okay. He wasn’t very engaging, nice enough, but the competition was stiff with the many other fabulous guides we experienced throughout the week.

What We Both Loved

Finally, I agree with Peggy that the Flavors of Alsace was amazing and would highly recommend it. We had an excellent guide and a really great group of people from the ship on the tour, which made it even more enjoyable. We even had time to ride the double-decker carousel — a first! I also loved the included Black Forest excursion. The drive up was a bit windy, in case tight turns on a bus can make you woozy.

Other Excursions Guests Enjoyed

I made a point of chatting with the guests, learning which excursions they were going to experience and following up to see what they thought. A few that stood out were: the Black Forest E-bike tour, Mercedes-Benz Factory visit, Wine tasting and Dinner at Eberbach Monastery, and Moselle Wine Tasting.

Castles Of The Middle Rhine

While not an excursion, seeing 21 castles in just a few hours is what draws guests to this cruise. The sailing through the Middle Rhine is an unforgettable experience. The crew shares details of each castle over the ship’s intercom while you are able to just excitedly watch each go by. I feel the top deck is the best place for this, but it can really be enjoyed from anywhere, which is pretty special. 

Pro Tip: After booking your Viking Cruise, make sure to read 5 Important Things To Do To Prepare For Your Viking Cruise . There are detailed tips on how to research shore excursions and when to book.

Missy Glassmaker is an Emmy-nominated producer and writer. She spent most of her career in broadcast television news, working in Providence, Rhode Island; Knoxville, Tennessee; and St. Louis, Missouri. Missy enjoys cooking, entertaining, and of course, traveling. Her favorite travel companions are her twin sons, who are always ready to explore.

She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest. Her work can be found in Northwest Travel & Life Magazine , 253 Lifestyle Magazine , and other regional publications. She is the author of 100 Things to Do in Tacoma Before You Die , Reedy Press, and a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA). The name of her travel blog came about from her friends constantly asking her, "Peggy, Where Should I Go?"

My Rhine Getaway Experience and What to Expect on a Viking River Cruise

I ’m not sure what I expected on my Viking River cruise, or how my Rhine Getaway experience would turn out. I had heard amazing things but nothing really specific beyond a high level of enjoyment. “You will love it” from those that have been lucky enough to go and, “I’ve heard it’s amazing!” from those that haven’t.

After cruising with Viking I thought I would help lift the fog by sharing my Rhine Getaway experience. More specifically, what to expect on a Viking River cruise.

Table of Contents

Prepare to Smile…A Lot

The very first thing I noticed with my Rhine Getaway experience was the high level of customer service the crew puts forth. Stepping onboard in Amsterdam I was met with warm smiles and a heartfelt greeting. This was instrumental in setting the tone for the rest of my week – one that was friendly, and beyond courteous. This high level of service continued into my stateroom where I found a modern and comfortable room complete with a welcome note, fresh fruit, and a bottle of bubbly.

Off to a great start.

Prepare to Eat…A Lot

The high-level service on my Rhine Getaway experience flowed from my welcome to the stateroom, to the dining hall. Smiles continued with the staff and new friends made at each meal. Viking River Cruises encourages sitting with other guests which made for some fun nights over some incredible meals. It was shocking the quality of food put out on this river cruise ship – even more so after touring the kitchen. Although there was always a set menu to pick from, my Viking Rhine Getaway experience highlights included local dishes pulled from the port towns we visited. Then there was one of the most amazing Thanksgiving dinners I have ever had.

Another thing to note on what to expect on Viking River Cruises is the included wine and beer with your meals. This was something I later found is not common in the cruising world. On top of that, the staff in the dining hall does a great job keeping you lubricated. My wine glass never went dry at dinner service. “Thank you, Linus.”

Prepare to Tour…or Not

Another anomaly on the Rhine Getaway experience is the inclusion of excursions. This added value feature is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that Viking River Cruises does an amazing job in keeping you busy and seeing the highlights of each stop. It is a curse in that it can leave you with little downtime to unwind. The excursions, of course, are optional. That said, my FOMO kicked in and had me out every day.

The tours are wonderful but definitely not how I am used to travelling as they are very handheld, leaving little time to explore on your own. This is great for first-time travellers and the travelling retirees, but not so much for my Rhine getaway experience. I did have a great time though, with plenty of highlights including a UNESCO World Heritage visit to the  windmills in Kinderdijk , strolling Strasbourg  – a French town that thinks it’s German, and a short beer tour in Cologne. Note, the latter was optional and at an additional charge.

Then there were the Castles. SO. MANY. CASTLES. This is a Rhine Getaway experience after all.

And of course, churches. This is Europe. Church highlights on my Rine Getaway experience included the Strasbourg Cathedral and the Cologne Cathedral. The latter being Germany’s most visited landmark .

Then there was eating Black Forest Cake in the Black Forest!

Prepare to Relax

As I mentioned, the excursions on Viking River Cruises are included and optional. If you choose to enjoy a day or two on board the ship you have plenty of time to do just that. Keep in mind, it is a river cruise and not a massive ship with endless entertainment. That said, weather permitting you can enjoy the sundeck or the view from your stateroom balcony if you have one. Also, in your room, there’s a flat-screen TV with on-demand movies. There is a small library as well as a 24-hour espresso machine and snacks. I made good use of this and caught up on work while using Viking River Cruises complimentary Wi-Fi – yet another cruise ship anomaly.

Prepare to Party…or Not

One thing I didn’t expect with my Rhine getaway experience was to be out partied by the vacationing seniors on board. After a day of bus tours and walking, I was exhausted. Add an amazing but heavy meal and I wanted nothing more than a movie in my stateroom. Not my new dinner friends. Each night there is some form of entertainment in the lounge area. From dancing to singing along with musicians, the seniors took full advantage – which somehow made me that much more tired.

Prepare for the Unexpected

Lastly on my takeaway from my Rhine Getaway experience is to expect the unexpected. Water levels on the Rhine vary drastically which can often mean your Viking River Cruise can only go so far. Note: the water has to be shockingly low as my visit to the bridge made me realize. The average death on the Rhine is only 9 feet. Even more shockingly is the fact that these boats only require inches of water to operate. Inches! For my Rhine getaway experience, this meant a ship swap, bypassing the low section of water. Viking made the transition as seamless as possible .

We left on a tour one day and instead of returning to our ship we continued on to the next one. Erin’s parents had experienced low waters while on a Danube river cruise weeks before. This cruise line (a competitor) did not swap ships but docked and shuttled guests by bus for the remaining couple of days. Again, these conditions are out of the company’s control. How they handle it or not . Still, something to keep in mind as we missed out on some riverside Castles along the Rhine, something that other guests we talked to had specifically taken the cruise to see.

Expect More

In the end, my Viking River Cruises Rhine getaway experience is one I can glow about. At the time I had nothing to compare it to but after taking a Caribbean cruise I realized that you can expect more on a Viking River Cruise. 

More specifically:

• The smaller ships allow for more personalized experiences
• Alcoholic beverages are included with meals
• Excursions are included and optional
• Wi-Fi is included as there is a computer station for all to use
• You can bring your own beer on board and not be charged an arm and a leg for it
• Tips are not included!

You might want to check out other popular things to do and see in Amsterdam!

  Rhine Getaway Experience Good to Know

Cruise Rates: Rates change depending on the season. See here for latest rates! Includes:  All meals, tours, and a ridiculously comfortable room. Don’t Miss:  Strolling Strousboug, Cologn Cathedral, and German beer! Note:  The Rhine Getaway is extremely popular. I recommend you book well in advance!

What are you thoughts on my  Rhine Getaway Experience ? Let’s hear it!

For more reviews from Europe  and beyond see HERE .

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Although I was provided a complimentary Rhine Getaway experience thanks to  Viking River Cruises , the experience, opinions, and failure to keep up with the seniors is my own.

So how does Viking rank?

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• Pingback: Danube Viking River Cruise Highlights from Port to Port | This Life in Trips

Thank you! I leave October 23 for this same cruise!

No worries! Hope this captured what to expect and hope you have a great trip!

I have a question about where the boat generally docks and how close is to the towns? Is there transportation there if you decide to go off on your own instead of the Viking tours?

Hi Barbara! It really depends on the port. Most are centerally located making it very easy to explore on your own. Pasau is great for this, as is Cologne and Amsterdam. The boats do relocate throughout the day at some stops but generally you can safely explore on your own and the ships staff are always there to assist and arrange transportation if needed.

If you tour the Danube check out this post I did on walking highlights from the port in Budapest!

https://www.thislifeintrips.com/budapest-on-foot-viking-cruise-port/

Great that really helps – I may come back with more questions. I am doing this Rhine Getaway cruise in November with pre-cruise stops in Amsterdam and Post-cruise in Lucerne.

Hey Shaun, Thanks for this summary of your cruise. I’ve only considered going on a cruise once in China and had some good friends tell us great things. I just wasn’t convinced that’s how I wanted to spend my holiday. However, seeing it through your blog, the food, the stops and the service. This may be what I’m needing. Thanks for the nudge on getting on a cruise. Soon enough I’ll be sailing away! Cheers, Max

Thanks Max! Glad I could help sway you! Stay tuned as I have upcoming posts dedicatied to the food onboard and one on the overall experience of the Romantic Danube Cruise.

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Wow.Cool pics :-). I love cruising myself so I agree with the food, love it. Cool experience to have. Safe travels.

Cheers Rosi! I head out on another Viking Cruise tomorrow. Come along via Snapchat! @lifeintrips

Wow, Shaun. This is an excellent story & images! Nicely done. I recognized several of the places in your photos. I’ll be in touch with you privately with a question about the Viking PR rep. Regards, Roy Stevenson

Great post, and pictures! I took the same cruise in the opposite direction a few years ago and loved it, despite being one of the youngest on-board.

Cheers Bruce! Curious, did you have water level issues?

No, we went in late October and had no issues with water levels at all. Unfortunate that you had to miss part of the middle Rhine and castles. You’ve inspired me to make my own blog post on the subject, so thanks for that!

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• Experience the lush landscape of the Black Forest region
• Explore Holland’s famous windmills and waterworks and take part in the inviting nightlife in Rüdesheim’s Drosselgasse.
• Set at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers

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Travel themes.

• Culinary & Wine
• Small Ship Cruise

Destinations

• Netherlands

Attractions

• Heidelberg Castle
• St. Martin's Cathedral
• Educational/ learning
• Historic sightseeing
• River cruise
• Ruins & Archaeology
• Wine Tasting

Trip includes

• 8-day cruise with river-view stateroom
• 6 guided tours with audio headset
• All meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches & 7 dinners, featuring regional specialties and including Welcome Cocktail Reception & Dinner
• Complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks with onboard dinner and lunch
• Visit 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
• Culture Curriculum: Enjoy a classical music performance; learn how to create your own Alsatian Flammkuchen; observe a traditional glassblower; attend lectures on Germany’s current affairs & origins of Rhine River cruising
• All port charges
• Free Wi-Fi, connection speed may vary

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Accessible Germany River Cruise

12-day D-DAY ANNIVERSARY TOUR

Cycling from Amsterdam

Best of France Tour

Meals: Dinner

Arrive in Amsterdam, then transfer to your ship.* After boarding, the afternoon is yours to relax or explore the city on your own. If your arrival schedule permits, you may wish to visit the Anne Frank House.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, disembark and proceed to the airport for your return flight.* or, extend your journey with 2 nights in Lucerne. Enjoy the scenic landscape of the Swiss Alps with a view from your hotel, situated on the banks of beautiful Lake Lucerne.

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The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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Inspiring destinations, thoughtfully designed itineraries, immersive cultural explorations, state-of-the-art ships, fine cuisine, excellent service and remarkable value. All created with personal attention to every detail.

We call this the Viking Experience. It’s the way your bartender has your drink prepared at just the right moment. The gentle guidance from your tai chi master during your lesson in China. Or the handwritten directions from your concierge to the oldest coffeehouse in Vienna. Every aspect of your time with Viking, from expertly prepared meals to carefully created enrichment programs and beautifully appointed ships, is planned to bring you closer to experiencing the most from your destination.

With more itineraries in more destinations worldwide, we offer behind-the-scenes insights and opportunities that set us apart from other travel companies.

While we deliver the expected and iconic, such as visits to museums and landmarks, we also go beyond. On every itinerary, you can experience local life through such excursions as home-hosted visits or trips to local markets. We also offer the opportunity to see the working world of bakers and artisans, and the option for our guests to experience priviledged access to museums, private collections and after-hours events that we thoughtfully curate.

DISCOVER YOUR DESTINATION

Our daily shore excursions include must-see highlights and delightful surprises. These expertly guided tours bring you closer to the art, architecture, history and people of the land.

GAIN GREATER INSIGHT

Watch a local German glassblower or learn about French Impressionism. Our Culture Curriculum, an enriching onboard program, infuses every cruise and brings history to life.

CAPTURE THE CULTURE

Accompany us on a shopping trip to the local market. Walk through the door of a centuries-old cathedral or visit a contemporary art museum. Meet local fine food and wine purveyors. Our tastings and demonstrations expand your mind and satisfy your senses.

EXPLORE ASHORE

Have you yearned to visit the vaults of the famed Hermitage Museum? Attend a classical concert in Vienna? Enjoy a Tang Dynasty dinner show in Xian? Your Program Director can organize a variety of optional tours.

PERSONALIZE

An appointment at the best spa in Prague or dinner at one of Lyon’s Michelin-star restaurants? Our onboard Viking Concierge is there to assist you with special requests.

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