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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. To learn more about each port of call and our included as well as optional excursions, click on the individual days below.
Ships
Cruise through the morning as you enjoy breakfast and the passing scenery. Arrive in Mannheim and disembark for a tour of 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 this hilltop post.
Rhine Getaway Map
One thing I liked about sailing with Viking is how leisurely the day to day pace is. 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. The castle was once home to the prince-archbishops of Cologne and is decked out in gold, marble and all-around extravagance.
Post: Basel
For your best first time river cruise experience, don't be tempted to miss the daily pre-dinner port talk about the next day's port of call and activities. They also provide the opportunity for you to ask any questions. We dock this morning in Kehl and disembark for a guided tour of Strasbourg.
Castles & cathedrals
You can also pre-book one of many “Optional Excursions,” which are tours that you’ll have to pay extra for. I never did any of the Optional Excursions, so I can’t say if they were better or worse than the included tours. I assume that most people flew out of Amsterdam within a day or two of ending the cruise.
Viking Gersemi Cruise: Expert Review (2023) - Cruise Critic
Viking Gersemi Cruise: Expert Review ( .
Posted: Wed, 12 Jul 2023 16:51:52 GMT [source]
The 40-mile Upper Middle Rhine Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the banks are lined with more than 40 hilltop fortresses and lush vineyards. Here are five of our favorite Viking Rhine River cruises to help you find the perfect itinerary. Take a journey along Amsterdam’s network of canals or perhaps browse one of the city’s museums.
For a couple stops on the journey, boats running in opposite cities are docked together. Colleen Lanin, MBA, is the founder and editor Travel Mamas and Grownup Getaways. She is an expert in family travel and travel for adults aged 18 to 88. As the author of the book, "The Travel Mamas' Guide," she teaches parents how to make the most of traveling with babies and children. Colleen loves sharing tips on hotels, cruises, spas, theme parks, and global lifestyle topics. When she is not traveling the world, she lives in Arizona with her husband and two kids.
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. River cruising is a much more intimate experience, with unreserved seating at meal times so you get to mix and mingle with almost everyone on board by the end (if you want!). Because of this, they have the flexibility to turn each propeller a full 360 degrees for precision and smooth sailing so you shouldn’t experience any seasickness on board. We did a fun tour of the wheelhouse and learned from the Captain that Viking ships utilize four propellers instead of a traditional rudder. The interiors were really unique and the guided tour was excellent. Note – a couple others from the cruise did the optional dinner excursion on this day and raved about it.
What's it Like Taking a Winter River Cruise in Europe? - Cruise Critic
What's it Like Taking a Winter River Cruise in Europe?.
Posted: Tue, 27 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
If you’re wondering how we made it to Basel, we flew from Chicago into Zürich and then booked a private car transfer. Zürich Airport is the nearest major international airport to Basel, and the drive is about an hour. There are also frequent trains that run between Switzerland’s largest city and its gateway to the Rhine. 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.
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. Rich with history, Heidelberg is home to Germany’s oldest university, the ruins of a romantic Renaissance castle, and the world’s largest wine barrel.
Stay current with special offers, news and destination-focused content. 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. Longtime readers of my blog will know that I don’t shy away from giving my honest opinion when it comes to travel. With that in mind, I’m happy to report that this Viking River Cruise was an outstanding experience!
At this point in the cruise, the Rhine starts to become much more scenic. Beautiful villages and vineyards can be seen in all directions. Rüdesheim is a touristy town known for its wineries and historic center, called the Drosselgasse. Viking doesn’t offer an included tour here, so I explored on my own. However, since we docked in the late afternoon, time felt even more limited here than in Speyer.
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. Spanning the best of Europe, Viking's 15-day Grand European Tour covers all of the highlights on the Rhine and more. At every port of call, Viking offered one included (free) tour. These tended to be walking tours that lasted about two hours and introduced guests to the various cities. However, if you’d rather explore one of the stops on your own (or even stay on the ship), you are more than welcome to skip any of the tours.
This cruise began in Basel, a quaint little town in Switzerland right on the border of both Germany and France. If you can spend a day or two in Basel before your cruise, I highly recommend it. We booked a walking tour with a local guide (independent of Viking), and I’m really glad we did. Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. To avoid unnecessary stress from flight delays or cancellations plan to arrive at least one day before your cruise departs.
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