The Rhine River is one of Europe’s most-loved and historic rivers. Viking offers multiple trips year-round that travel from Basel, Switzerland, to the Netherlands or in reverse from Amsterdam to Basel. I discovered grand cathedrals and castles, historic cities, medieval towns and stunning scenery on my magical eight-day journey onboard the Viking Tialfi.
Editor’s Note: The writer’ was hosted.
What You Get From Viking Cruises
Viking offers an all-inclusive, no-worry experience. For those with reservations about booking travel on their own or concerns about transportation and language barriers, Viking is a good choice for a guided journey through Switzerland, France, Germany and The Netherlands.
From airfare, ground transportation, guided excursions, dining and a full concierge service while onboard, the Viking team takes the worry and stress out of International travel. That means we were able to thoroughly enjoy our trip.
Even as a frequent traveler writing about locations all over the world, I appreciate the peace of mind of having all of the details covered.
Overall Impressions
My recent trip with Viking on the Rhine Getaway took place in early June with my husband. This is a perfect time of year to travel to this part of Europe as it’s still considered springtime, temperatures are not too hot, and flowers are in full bloom.
A Viking longship is smaller than an ocean cruise ship and holds 200 passengers plus 50 staff members. There are no children or gambling aboard Viking ships.
The experience is casual, yet dignified. Guests average age 50 and up and there are many retired couples. Tour groups for onshore excursions are somewhat divided by ability level, and guests with accessibility needs or who don’t want longer walking tours can request the “leisure” group for a guide that will showcase highlights of the town with less footwork.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Viking-included excursions involve a lot of walking and many European towns have stairs and cobblestone streets. Wear comfortable closed toe shoes and leave your cute sandals at home or onboard for dinner. We averaged 15,000-20,000 steps each day.
What’s Included on a Viking Cruise
- One shore excursion in each port.
- Local guides at each destination and ear headsets to listen to their tour commentary.
- Free Wi-Fi onboard the ships
- All onboard meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Beer, wine, and soft drinks with lunch and dinner (not in lounge area)
- ·Specialty coffee and tea and cookie snack bar available 24/7
- Onboard enrichment lectures and nightly lounge entertainment
- Concierge service to assist with optional shore excursions, local maps and directions and on-land dining reservations and suggestions
Itinerary from Basel to Amsterdam
The Rhine River cruise includes visits to small towns, larger cities and historical sites.
When we weren’t at a destination, we enjoyed the views while traveling on the Rhine. It’s easy to watch the world go by from a stateroom balcony, the lounge and dining room, Aquavit Terrace open-air casual dining space, and the top-level sundeck. This level includes multiple chairs and shade umbrellas, a walking track, shuffleboard and a small mini-golf area next to an herb garden.
Basel, Switzerland
The first day of the Viking experience includes transfers to the Viking longship. If you booked airfare or a pre-excursion trip with Viking, they handle transportation to the ship. A Viking guide will meet you at the airport at baggage claim and escort you through the airport to an English-speaking driver who will take you to the destination.
For this service alone, I recommend anyone not familiar with International travel book everything through Viking rather than attempt to make transportation arrangements on your own.
- What’s Magical: The friendly Viking staff goes above and beyond to welcome guests.
- What Not to Miss: Opening night has a complimentary champagne toast from the top deck during departure. Prior to this is an overview of the itinerary for the week and a safety presentation in the Viking lounge.
Breisach, Germany (Black Forest)
- What’s Magical: The Black Forest and cross-timbered houses that seem made of gingerbread
- What Not to Miss: Sample Black Forest cake for which this region is known
- Included Excursion: Half-day panoramic charter bus tour of the region that culminates in touring a storybook town with a cuckoo clock demonstration.
Optional Excursions
- Full Day Black Forest Experience is a 10-hour immersive small group tour with a local guide and includes a cooking demonstration with lunch, a forest stroll and a hands-on cooking experience making the acclaimed Black Forest cake.
- Into the Black Forest by E-bike is a demanding eight-hour, 23-mile bike tour along the Rhine River, through quaint towns, with lunch, and ends with the reward of a schnapps tasting after a steep incline into the edge of the Black Forest. Charter bus transportation is provided back to the ship. We opted for this excursion and we were glad we did. We had two young guides with about 10 other guests and we took frequent breaks including one for coffee and cake mid-morning. We rode our pedal-assisted e-bikes next to aromatic strawberry fields with incredible views. This excursion was a highlight of our trip and was an additional $269 per person.
- The Colmar Pocket in World War II: Museum and Memorial tour took guests to the other side of the river to France. (The Rhine splits France and Germany.) History buffs on our ship raved about this tour and the knowledge of the local tour guide.
Strasbourg, France
- What’s Magical: picturesque Petite France with colorful half-timbered houses crisscrossed by charming canals
- What Not to Miss: magnificently restored Strasbourg Cathedral and its remarkable astronomical clock inside
- Included/Optional Excursions: Included excursion features a walking tour leading to the cathedral and a short tour inside. Two optional excursions were featured this day. One was climbing stairs to the top of the cathedral for a birds-eye view of Strasbourg and the other was a canal tour (suggested for those with accessibility needs).
- Dining: We chose to dine in Strasbourg for lunch at a cozy outdoor café. We ordered a traditional dish known to this Alsace region of France, flammekueche, also called tarte flambee, which is an oven-fired chewy flatbread smothered with onions and sour cream.
Speyer & Rudesheim, Germany
During our Viking Rhine Getaway cruise, we visited Speyer in the morning and sailed to Rudesheim for arrival early evening.
- What’s Magical: Speyer’s Imperial Cathedral is one of the world’s largest Romanesque cathedrals, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- What Not to Miss: Rudesheim is a beautiful town with a surprising number of eateries and open air beer gardens. The town is easily walkable and the Viking ship docks right next to it. Even if dining on the ship for dinner, journey offboard to sample some gelato or a beverage and walk along the shoreline with views of the vineyard covered hills as a backdrop.
- Included/Optional Excursions: Speyer is the only included tour on this day. There is an optional dinner in Rudesheim in the evening or a wine tasting and dinner at Eberbach Monastery.
- Dining: We opted to have the Viking concierge book a dinner for us at a separate restaurant than the Viking group dinners. They suggested a locally owned Italian restaurant. We found it funny we were eating Italian food in a small German town, but it was authentic and better than any Italian food we’ve had in the U.S. We enjoyed a glass of Riesling wine, a local favorite, al fresco with another Viking guest couple before our dinner.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Wear a hat for scenic sailing to protect from the elements!
Scenic Rhine Sailing to Koblenz, Germany
- What’s Magical: No matter the weather, which is sometimes rainy, the views of the 28 castles along this 40-mile stretch of the Rhine are stunning.
- What Not to Miss: Make sure to sit on the top deck for the scenic cruising, even if it’s raining. This allows you to see both sides of the river. Our castle cruising day was cool and misty, but there were ample seats under the awnings and the Viking staff brought us all hot chocolate.
- Included Excursion: The included excursion was a walking tour of Koblenz.
Optional Excursions:
- Medieval Marksburg Castle is the afternoon tour we took. This was a fascinating look into the interior of the castle and the views of the Rhine River and the surrounding area were breathtaking.
- Ehrenbreitstein Fortress is on the opposite side of the river and you can take a cable car across the river to the top.
- Moselle Wine Tasting is a three-hour charter bus tour upriver into wine country. The wine making history here dates back 2,000 years to Roman times and the tour stops at a local winery for a tour.
- Dining: Dinner onboard while docked here in the evening is not to be missed. This was the Viking German night with a selection of pretzels, breads and cheeses on the preset tables when walking in the dining area. The choices for dinner and dessert were plentiful and served buffet style and included schnitzel, sauerbraten (marinated roasted beef), spaetzle (German noodles) and more. The staff also wore fun German costumes and sang during dinner.
Cologne, Germany
An intriguing mix of old and new, Cologne reveals its Roman heritage in its city layout and the ancient ruins that lie scattered throughout town. Its modern shopping is mingled with historic cobblestone streets.
- What’s Magical: The 14th-century Cologne Cathedral contains the shrine of the remains of the Magi, the three kings who visited Jesus after his birth
- What Not to Miss: Beer lovers must try the city’s famous Kolsch, which is like a pale ale and very refreshing on a hot day. There is also a bakery on almost every corner with pastries.
- Included Excursion: A walking tour to the cathedral is included. Note Viking tour guides are not permitted inside, however admission is free. Make sure you tour inside for the abundant display of original stained glass windows and the Shrine of the Three Wise Men.
Kinderdijk, The Netherlands
The last day of the trip a lot of time is spent cruising with views of the countryside and multiple large windmills, culminating in the visit to Kinderdijk and its 19 remarkably preserved 18th-century windmills.
- What’s Magical: Make sure you go inside one of the windmills and view how families lived in them.
- What Not to Miss: Kinderdijk is small and there are only two gift shops with the windmills. Pickup a souvenir or two before returning home!
- Included/Optional Excursions: A late afternoon walking tour is included. We enjoyed the optional Dutch Cheese Making farm tour prior to the Kinderdijk Windmill tour. Participants of this tour walked into a small Dutch town that our guide assured us was reminiscent of Amsterdam, only smaller. We viewed lots of canals and blooming flowers before boarding a charter bus that took us to the dairy farm where we had an educational tour on making cheese, sampled cheese (and bought some from their gift shop) and toured the farm to interact with multiple dairy cows.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
If you have not booked a post extension with Viking or on your own in Amsterdam, the only thing you will see of the city is the cruise ship port and your ride to the airport.
Dining
The main dining room is large and all tables have at least four seats, which encourages guests to meet each other. Another dining location is the Aquavit Terrace on the lounge level. It’s a smaller open-air (weather permitting) option with the same selections as the main dining room, except for breakfast which is continental style.
Breakfast in the main dining room includes an omelet station where a Viking chef cooks made-to-order fresh omelets, fresh fruit and pastries or guests can order off the menu.
Lunch and dinner included a starter, an entrée and a dessert along with a beverage of choice.
Premium spirits are available with the Silver Spirits package at $25/daily per guest or a la carte. Water, soft drinks, and house wine and beer are complimentary.
The dinner each night includes a chef selection of local cuisine or always available choices like Caesar salad, poached Norwegian salmon or a beef ribeye steak.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in the all-inclusive fare. Dining times are:
- 7 a.m. for breakfast
- noon for lunch
- 7 p.m. for dinner.
Staff encourages puntuality. Most people wear the same clothes they wore for excursions offboard, and we saw an assortment of casual attire.
After dinner, guests could gather in the panoramic lounge for port talks and entertainment. Some evenings featured Romeo, the onboard pianist, and other times regional performers such as a string quartet.
Pricing
Viking delivers an upscale experience that is not stuffy or pretentious. It’s an excellent all-inclusive value with stateroom packages starting at $2,499 per person (double occupancy required).
Prices differ depending on time of year (shoulder season in early Spring and Fall are less expensive). Discounts such as two-for-one airfare are offered regularly through their website.
Viking requires a deposit to book and cruises during high-demand summer months and Christmas market season often sell out one year in advance.
Should you need to cancel, Viking will issue a credit for a future excursion. Trip insurance through a third-party is recommended.
Types of staterooms available
- Explorer suite – only two on each longship, these are more spacious on the end of the ship and feature a separate living room and bedroom, both with access to a wraparound veranda offering 270-degree views.
- Veranda suite – these suites offer a separate living area with a French balcony and a bedroom with a full-size balcony.
- Veranda – level two with a small balcony and two chairs to enjoy sailing from your room. (We stayed in this style cabin and enjoyed opening the sliding glass door for fresh air and to have morning coffee or to enjoy evening sailing).
- French Balcony – these staterooms feature a sliding glass door that opens to a railing, creating a “French balcony” effect.
- Standard – lowest level of the ship with smaller windows and the most budget-friendly
Staterooms are small but efficient with a decent size shower.
Amenities:
- Daily room service to clean stateroom and bathroom and turn down bed nightly
- Fresh fruit and water in stateroom daily
- In-room safe, refrigerator, blow dryer and bathroom toiletries
Optional Excursions & Pre/Post Extensions
Taking the redeye flight makes your first day very difficult unless you do a pre-cruise excursion and arrive early.
After doing a previous Viking cruise on the Danube River and being extremely sleep-deprived my first several days, I knew to book a pre-extension this time. While you can do this on your own, that will mean handling your own transportation to the ship on embarkation day.
We chose to book through Viking but still did some things on our own during the pre-extension time which is normally three days prior to ship departure day.
Trip Extensions for Rhine Getaway
- Lake Lucerne is the option we chose as our pre-extension and we were happy with this choice as we got to view this quaint Swiss town and did a boat ride and cogwheel train to hike Mt. Rigi.
- Lake Como in Italy is another option.
The post-extension for the Rhine Getaway is in Amsterdam. We were surprised that at least 25% of the passengers from our ship extended their stay. All pre- and post-extensions booked through Viking include lodging and transportation.
Optional excursions are available for an additional fee. On our last day in Lucerne we did the Viking-guided Stanserhorn cable car tour in Stans to the top of the mountain and were very glad we did. It had breathtaking views with clear skies the day we were there in June and some of the best pictures from our trip were taken here.
Every port stop offers at least one optional excursion. Included tours are almost always in the morning and start early, around 8 a.m. Excursion options are ranked as easy, moderate or demanding.
Some towns are nearby where you port and you can easily walk into town and explore on your own. We budgeted to do three optional excursions to fill our days. You will have a lot of free time in the afternoons if you do not depart the ship on your own or do an optional excursion. Some people enjoyed that time to read on the sun deck or take naps in their rooms. We chose to make the most of our trip and see as much as we could.
Dress Code/Specialty Items to Pack
While Viking does not have a dress code, some of the places you will visit, such as cathedrals, do have rules. For women, these can include no bare shoulders, so if you’re wearing a sleeveless shirt or dress, make sure to pack a sleeved shirt or sweater to cover.
What to Pack for a Viking Cruise on the Rhine
- A backpack and crossbody bag. Use the backpack for extra items and your water bottle. The crossbody bag is important to protect your money and ID from pickpockets. We were warned by several local guides to stick with our larger group and to carry important items on the front of our body.
- Good shoes. This is a must. You will be doing a lot of walking and Europe has many stairs and cobblestone streets.
- A rain jacket and compact umbrella. Spring lasts through June along the Rhine River. We had two rainy days where we needed rain gear. Viking does provide large red golf umbrellas. But these are cumbersome to carry and easily identify you as a tourist.
- Layers. During our early June trip, we experienced 90-degree weather in Basel and 50 degrees and rain in The Netherlands. Take an assortment of short and long sleeve shirts.
- Hats. I took a baseball cap for ponytail days and saw many others with more stylish sun hats. I chose not to take up the room in my suitcase for that, but saw several for sale in ports.
To book a Viking cruise, consult your travel advisor or visit Viking.com
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