Rhine Getaway 2024 Itinerary Amsterdam to Basel Viking®
Table Of Content
The range of breakfast foods ran the gamut from healthy fruit and yogurt to more decadent options. Passing on the menu items, we stuck to the breakfast buffet where we enjoyed cheeses, meats and other regional delicacies. We consider ourselves to be low maintenance travelers who don’t need a lot of assistance, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t appreciate excellent service. And that’s exactly what we got from the international crew while cruising the Rhine with Viking. What a treat it was to not have to worry about luggage for twelve straight days!
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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. If you’re wondering how we made it to Basel, we flew from Chicago into Zürich and then booked a private car transfer.
Cruises
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That being said, we were thrilled when we received an unexpected offer from Viking River Cruise. Needless to say, it was an offer that we couldn’t refuse. This was our chance to try a certain ease of travel and to see what it’s like to experience a trip with guides and planned meals.
Night Jewels Of The Rhine & Glacier ExpressDetails
Listed prices may have blackout dates, qualifications or restrictions. Note Basel airport is not in Switzerland and it has two exits from the baggage hall. Make certain you take the Swiss exit or you'll be in France.
Rhine & Viking Shores & Fjords
All prices shown above are per person based on double occupancy. 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. The Netherlands is a small country, and Kinderdijk is only about 95 kilometers (59 miles) away from Amsterdam.
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The Hermod pulled into its first port of call very early in the morning, which meant we had a full day to explore Breisach, a small village in Germany. I actually decided to skip the included tour (a bus trip to the Black Forest) in the morning and walk across the French border to the village of Neuf-Brisach. I did this completely on my own; it wasn’t a part of the Viking itinerary at all. Like you, we sometimes like to be able to stay put a little longer, relax, sightsee and take in the vibe of a town or city. However, I think it would be a nice treat to do one day , relaxing on board watching the beautiful views go by, Another one for my "to do" list.
My Trip
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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. The first half of this post is a review of the Rhine Getaway ports of call. I liked all of the cities we stopped in, but some were more impressive than others. To skip down to the second half of this post (a review of the ship and its amenities), click here.
NEW! Treasures of the Rhine
First the day long cruise down the Rhine, with narration from the onboard cruise director. Second, the bus trip to Strasburg, which was an included excursion. Highlight of that was the astronomical clock at the Cathedral. Hard to fathom how ancient people could mathematically be so exact. From Speyer to Cologne (Day 4 to Day 6), the Rhine River is incredibly scenic. Viking did a great job of scheduling so that passengers could enjoy the view from the boat during the day on this portion of the trip.
The ship’s common spaces never felt cramped, even when all the passengers were gathered together (e.g. during dinnertime). 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!
If you want to climb a church tower, I suggest going up to the top of the Notre-Dame in Strasbourg instead. Strasbourg is a fascinating city that’s much larger than Breisach. Due to its location on the Rhine, Strasbourg has a unique mix of French and German cultural elements.
The landscape here is so pretty, and one of the highlights of this visit was being able to see the inside of a mill. All in all, a short visit to Kinderdijk was a great way to wrap up our final full day on the Viking Hermod. In all honesty, the Rhine (which turns into the Waal) is less scenic in the Netherlands than it is in Germany. You’re no longer surrounded by hills, vineyards, and castles.
The vineyards, villages, and castles of the Middle Rhine are undoubtedly the river’s most unique offerings. 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! I had mixed feelings about this bustling Dutch metropolis, which I’ve written about in a separate blog post. 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.
I really would’ve preferred a little more time in fewer stops. 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.
You should check out Viking Cruises when you're ready to try a river cruise. They really do a nice job with all the details and the overall experience. As internet junkies, it was a bit stressful to have spotty internet during our Viking Rhine getaway. Though out of the ship’s control and likely common on river cruises on the Rhine, the internet (or lack thereof) was a bit of a bummer. We saw so much that we felt like we were on a Black Forest road trip, if only for the day. Viking offers many excursions on its Rhineland Discovery cruise, many of which are at no additional cost for participants.
Our family group enjoyed game nights and musical performances, but you could also attend things like a glassblowing demonstration or a Q&A session with the captains of the ship. 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. I thought the main sanctuary of the cathedral was stunning, but I actually didn’t really like climbing the church tower. The views from the top were fine but not as stunning as some of the other panoramic views I saw on this cruise (e.g. in Breisach or Strasbourg). More importantly, the climb is essentially one long spiral staircase – with visitors going both directions on it! Frankly, being on a spiral staircase for that long with only the occasional narrow gothic window was disorienting and dizzying.
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