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The winter season is an ideal time to visit, with fewer travelers and easier access to landmarks. 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. With calls in Amsterdam, Cologne and Basel, this journey reveals a rich landscape of beauty and culture. When it comes to Rhine River cruise tips the single most important item is a comfortable pair of shoes as you will be walking -- a lot.
REVIEW: Viking Cruises,Treasures of the Rhine - Scottish Field
REVIEW: Viking Cruises,Treasures of the Rhine.
Posted: Mon, 04 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Day 3: Strasbourg 🇫🇷
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.
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You will stop at Cochem, the prettiest town on the Moselle, where the old town is filled with half-timbered houses. Perched on a 300-foot promontory is Cochem Castle, the highest fortress on the Moselle which dates back more than 1,000 years. To see Cochem from another perspective you can take a guided bike tour along the riverbank or join an evening excursion celebrating the wine, music and legends of the Moselle. You can choose to start or end the 12-day Paris to the Swiss Alps itinerary with two days in the French capital or the largest Swiss city of Zurich, nestling on a shimmering lake. A comfortable motor coach transfer will take you to and from your Viking ship. Stay current with special offers, news and destination-focused content.
Impressions of the Rhine River
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. Air fare offer applies to select gateways; air fare offer may vary across gateways and itineraries; call for details. Uncork new discoveries as you raise a glass of Riesling on our acclaimed Rhine River cruises through Switzerland, Germany and The Netherlands. See how the Rhine, Main and Moselle river systems unfold to create a spellbinding display of storybook villages, Dutch windmills, German vineyards and splendid UNESCO Sites. What’s more, Viking offered specialties from each region we were passing through. I loved the fact that I got to try Swiss, German, French, and Dutch food all onboard!
To skip down to the second half of this post (a review of the ship and its amenities), click here. We chose to do 2 optionals and on the other days, relaxed on board or went into town to explore on our own! 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.
Viking River Rhine Cruise Review: Ports and Excursions
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. Another advantage to booking airfare through Viking is they also include round trip transfers. So I recommend booking airfare through Viking (after doing a price comparison on your own, of course).
Cultural Cities and Historic Towns
Explore Germany’s fabled Black Forest region and admire verdant hills amid stunning scenery. Despite this, the Viking Hermod had a beautifully designed interior. The lounge and front terraces were comfortable places to sit, relax, or sip a drink. The ship’s common spaces never felt cramped, even when all the passengers were gathered together (e.g. during dinnertime).
You’ll have to make this decision for yourself, but beer and wine are included with each meal even if you don’t purchase the unlimited drink package. I did the math, and you’d basically have to drink two additional cocktails each day (outside of lunch and dinner) to make the package worthwhile. 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. Viking offered a short included tour, then we had about an hour or so to explore on our own. There are some other interesting churches a little further inland, or you could check out the many side alleys that branch off of the Maximilianstraße.
Viking Rhine River Cruise: Explore Paris and Sail the Rhine
Spanning the best of Europe, Viking's 15-day Grand European Tour covers all of the highlights on the Rhine and more. 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.
If you decide to stay onboard you will have a full-service experience in terms of food and drink and the chance to relax with a book or take a nap. Also, don’t forget to enjoy scenic sailing moments along the iconic Middle Rhine to enjoy the historic castles and hillside vineyards. Discover Nordic wonders by sea, then tour highlights of the legendary Rhine River. From the seaside village of Skagen, Denmark, sail the North Sea to Amsterdam. Admire Cologne’s famous cathedral and tour Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. Experience France’s multicultural Strasbourg and Germany’s storied Black Forest before disembarking in cultured Basel.
Here you’ll find Festung Ehrenbreitstein, a sprawling nineteenth century fortress that overlooks the town. Visiting the fortress was interesting, but there didn’t seem to be much signage in English, so I don’t feel like I learned a lot about its history while I was there. You truly pass one castle every few minutes once you enter the Rhine Gorge. Our cruise Program Director also provided a running commentary on all of the things we were seeing as we sailed by. There’s something incredible about seeing these archaic stone structures from various angles as you move along the water.
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.
I loved seeing the patchwork of vineyards on the steep mountainsides, but the coolest part of the day is seeing all the castles. If you have extra time and want to walk around the town, feel free to. 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.
They also have a permanent menu that includes classics like Caesar salad, steak, and burgers, but I ordered most of my meals from their rotating menu. Now that you’ve seen the itinerary for the Rhine Getaway, the second half of this post will include some information about the actual cruising experience on Viking. 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.
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