Table Of Content
The ship’s common spaces never felt cramped, even when all the passengers were gathered together (e.g. during dinnertime). In the Netherlands, the Rhine (or Waal) has a rural vibe to it. We passed cows cooling off in the shallow riverbanks, a few small Dutch villages, and not much else until we approached Amsterdam. The Lower Rhine is not as industrial as the Upper Rhine, and it’s not as picturesque as the Middle Rhine. The Netherlands is a small country, and Kinderdijk is only about 95 kilometers (59 miles) away from Amsterdam. As such, the Hermod was already passing through Utrecht by bedtime.
Rhine & Moselle Discovery
Viking Is Adding 10 New Ships to Its European River Cruise Fleet - TravelPulse
Viking Is Adding 10 New Ships to Its European River Cruise Fleet.
Posted: Wed, 06 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
This river cruise gives you all the highlights of the legendary Rhine in just 8 days. We dock this morning in Kehl and disembark for a guided tour of Strasbourg. See the European Parliament and tour the interior of the city’s famed cathedral.
Day Trip Itinerary
We passed through our first of many river locks on this night, which is one of the most noteworthy aspects of a Rhine River cruise. After looking back on the incredible memories made with Viking, I’m tempted to go book another river cruise right now! You can save money and get perks when you book with CruiseDirect. Cologne is known for its gothic cathedral and its unique Kölsch beer. It’s also the birthplace of the world’s first eau de cologne and home to some of the best shopping in the country. Join us on a richly rewarding 8-day journey to some of Scandinavia’s most scenic and historic ports.
Post: Oslo & Scenic Train
Rather than purchasing the Viking Post-Cruise Extension, we opted to explore on our own. We were lucky to sail during spring when the tulips are in full bloom at the renowned Keukenhof Gardens outside Amsterdam in Holland. This sprawling botanic garden is filled with every varietal of tulips you could imagine among many other lovely flowers and things to do. Strasbourg, France captured my heart and has left me daydreaming of moving to this beautiful French town with a German accent. Discover what’s so enchanting about Strasbourg, France before you go. Land of cuckoo clocks, fruit elixirs, and its namesake hams and cakes — the Black Forest seems like a place dreamed up by the Brothers Grimm for their fairy tales.
Paris to the Swiss Alps
Viking Opens European River Cruises Early Due to Strong Demand - Cruise Hive
Viking Opens European River Cruises Early Due to Strong Demand.
Posted: Tue, 12 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
If I could offer one suggestion to Viking, I’d say either choose Speyer or Rüdesheim am Rhein, and spend the entire day there. However, cruising through the Rhine Gorge the next day made up for it. Sailing past all those castles was the highlight of this cruise. I assume that most people flew out of Amsterdam within a day or two of ending the cruise. However, we stayed for five extra days in Amsterdam and met up with a few more family members there!
Excursions will take you to Trier, with its Roman history, and Germany's oldest university town of Heidelberg with its imposing red sandstone castle. In Bamberg you can try the curious smoked beer and other stops include Nuremberg which, despite almost being destroyed in the war, has three miles of medieval walls. 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 or choose an optional excursion to the quaint Alsatian town of Colmar. Proceed along the Rhine, disembarking to tour the 700-year-old Marksburg Castle and its museum.
But if you don’t have time or want to rest on the ship instead, you probably won’t miss out on too much. Neuf-Brisach is a sleepy little French town that is surrounded on all sides by a visually stunning series of fortified walls. These walls were designed by French architect Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban to help protect border outposts from invasion. You can’t make out the geometry of the walled city from the ground level, but you can explore the city streets and get some sense of their architecture. Viking allowed us to board the Hermod in the early afternoon, which gave us plenty of time to get acquainted with the layout of the ship. Our first dinner was served, and finally we were off in the early evening.
Why Lisbon, Portugal Feels So Magical
We docked at Amsterdam very early in the morning on our final day. After visiting the cathedral, I walked across the Hohenzollernbrücke, which is one of the most notable “love lock” bridges in Europe. Yes, I know this is a trend that’s swept almost the entire world, but the number of locks on the Hohenzollern Bridge is still a sight to behold. This was my least favorite day of the cruise, mainly because we only had a few hours in both Speyer and Rüdesheim.
If you have mobility issues book a cabin closest to the elevators to avoid having to go up and down corridors to reach the lounge or restaurant. A Viking agent or specialist cruise adviser can help select the right cabin for you. To avoid unnecessary stress from flight delays or cancellations plan to arrive at least one day before your cruise departs. You should also allow plenty of time for airport transfers at the end of your voyage, especially if you're going to be traveling during the morning rush hour. A Rhine River cruise is a wonderful way to experience Europe and a top choice for a first time river cruise. If you've never been on a river cruise before -- or have previously been on ocean cruises -- it's hard to know exactly what to expect.
A comfortable motor coach transfer will take you to and from your Viking ship. Spanning the best of Europe, Viking's 15-day Grand European Tour covers all of the highlights on the Rhine and more. Experience the highlights of the legendary Rhine in just 8 days.
I enjoy drinking to be sure, but I would typically have wine with my meals and limit myself to one cocktail per day. My total bar tab came out to be about 90 euro for the entire trip. This cruise began in Basel, a quaint little town in Switzerland right on the border of both Germany and France.
Admire the scenery and sail along the network of Holland’s waterways. Explore this time-honored city, from its Mainz Cathedral to the Gutenberg Museum of printing. Stroll the pedestrian-only Drosselgasse; sample local wines at a quaint restaurant. Sail past hilltop castles along the Middle Rhine, a UNESCO Site, and look for Lorelei Rock. Stroll through Cologne’s Old Town and see the city’s famed Gothic cathedral, a UNESCO Site.
Koblenz is a tourist hub that’s noticeably bigger than Speyer and Rüdesheim. I walked all over the Altstadt (Old Town), which is right next to the Viking River Cruises Dock. As you leave Rüdesheim, the Rhine River goes from picturesque to spectacular. This day of voyaging through the Rhine Valley is the centerpiece of the entire trip.
In Germany, sail past castles commanding the riverbanks, and tour both Marksburg Castle and the ruins of Heidelberg Castle. Admire Cologne, the jewel of the Rhine, with its awe-inspiring Dom, and witness the lush landscape of the Black Forest region. Explore Holland’s famous windmills and waterworks, and encounter multicultural Strasbourg in France.
Of course, you could always eat at local restaurants while you’re exploring the cities along the Rhine. We did that once or twice, but the food on the ship was so delicious that I rarely wanted to pass it up. I really looked forward to coming back on board after each excursion or tour to enjoy whatever was being served that day.
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