This amazing river cruise will have you sailing along the Rhine River from Basel to Amsterdam. You will sail through four countries amongst some of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe.

Viking’s Rhine River Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam

One of the things I love about river cruises is that they take you to some of the most known cities in the world, but they also take you to some of the small towns that you have never heard of. No stop is a tourist trap or a town created for the cruise ship. You get to immerse yourself within the town that people live and work in. This river cruise is a mixture of both. Everyone has heard of Amsterdam, but not everyone has heard of Koblenz.

Pre and Post Extension with Viking

Viking usually provides the option of pre and post extensions. We first did this when we sailed the Danube from Budapest to Regensberg and again on the Nile, in Egypt. The same incredible service and experience, all handled by Viking. We decided to do it for this trip as well. We spent a couple extra days in Basel at the beginning and Amsterdam at the end.

Sailing on the Viking Ship the Hlin

This 190 passenger river cruise ship cruises the Rhine and Danube rivers. At 190 passengers, it makes it intimate and not overwhelming. It promotes culture and education over partying. Yes, most people think of retirees for this ship, especially since there are no children under 18 allowed. There are not swim up bars or clubs, casinos or water slides. We did our first one in our late 30s, and while we do not have kids, so people might think this makes sense, we thoroughly enjoyed it. The other positive about these ships are that there are no coffin or closet rooms. There are no inside rooms, so the lower levels have a long window to see out.

Viking River Cruise Basel to Amsterdam Itinerary

This is the itinerary for their 8 day Rhine River Cruise – The Rhine Getaway

Basel, Switzerland

Breisach, Germany

Strasbourg, France

Speyer, Germany

Rudesheim, Germany

Koblenz, Germany

Cologne, Germany

Kinderdijk, The Netherlands

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Experience the free excursions that Viking provides at each port along the Rhone River

There is a free excursion at every port. There are also optional, paid excursion but we have always stuck to the free. Your guides are locals that live in the area, which I really appreciate. Insider perspective and while they take you to the main sites, they will also point out some local spots. Here are the free excursions that occurred at each plus a little of our own time at each port.

Basel, Switzerland

Whether you arrive early for the pre excursion or arrive the day the river cruise starts you are taken on a city walking tour.

If you have time and you are able, I highly suggest doing the 3 Country Loop. A six mile loop that has you running from Switzerland, to France, to Germany and back to Switzerland! It can start wherever but we started in old town. Just make your way to the river and you will find your way. Some of it is on city streets and you do cross a border check, but you do not have to stop.

Breisach, Germany

You will journey into the Black Forest, where the landscape isn’t all trees. From rolling hills, vineyards and barns made 100% of wood, it’s beautiful. This was the first excursion where you had an option of what you wanted to do.

Cuckoo Clock demonstration, stroll to the chapel or a hike in the Black Forest. None take long as you only have 45 minutes until the Black Forest cake cooking class. Then buses leave 30 minutes later. The roads are windy on the way there. So windy.

Then you have the afternoon in Breisach. Walk a few blocks into town for ice cream or walk up the hill to the Romanesque-Gothic church built between the 12th and 13th centuries or run along the river.

Strasbourg, France

The only stop in France and it’s a good one. We loved this walking tour. The history, architecture and beautiful streets will have you stopping almost every block to look at something. Be careful of the people trying to sell flowers or random items on the streets. One of the people on our tour was told to not do it, he did it and the woman almost did a slight of hand and took 60 euros from him.

Speyer, Germany

Our favorite to so far! The streets were clean, the buildings beautiful and they have a two week pretzel festival here. We missed it and it felt like a fail, but next time we come back we will be here for that. You will have time to walk the city center and get a bite to eat or a coffee before heading back to the boat.

Rudesheim, Germany

This is a quick evening stop where you can get off the boat and be right in town. Stop at any one of the restaurants for a drink or bite to eat. Or just stretch your legs and take in the quaint town.

Sailing Morning

We had a sailing morning between Rudesheim and Koblenz. This stretch is absolutely beautiful and the best done by boat. You’ll see some of the small town, luxury manors and 21 castles! We enjoyed hanging out on our balcony and watching these amazing castles go by. You can head to the top deck where there is commentary.

Koblenz, Germany

The afternoon was spent in Koblenz and this was such a cute town. We were able to get in a run along the river here and through the town to see some of the fun art, cute buildings and the convergence of two rivers. The fort looking over the city was an incredible site.

Cologne, Germany

We had the entire day here and we absolutely loved it. Start the day with a short walking tour through Viking and then go check out the Love Lock bridge that has hundreds of thousands of locks. Check out some of the other sites, run along the river and then make sure to end the day at the Lindt chocolate museum. You don’t even have to go through the museum. Do what we did and just go to the store and buy a ton of chocolate!

Kinderdijk, The Netherlands

We were really looking forward to this stop. A place that might be hard to get to otherwise. The 200-350 year old windmills were a wonder to see. It was fun learning about the history and that now they are all privately owned, except for one, which is a museum that you can go into. It was also interesting to learn that they stop the windmills in a specific configuration. It can either mean that they are on a break, done for the day, celebrating or mourning. Again, this is one of the reasons we love river cruises. We didn’t have to pay extra for this excursion. It was included during the stop. We didn’t miss out on anything.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

I fell in love with Amsterdam 30 years ago as a kid and so I was wondering if I would still like it today. I couldn’t believe that it had taken 30 years to get back. But yes, I fell in love even more. The canals, the beautiful buildings lining the streets and all the museums and the food! The food was more than I expected. We had one of our top 3 ever bowls of ramen. I will be doing a few more posts specifically of Amsterdam. Museums that are a must, restaurants that are a must and some other fun things to do!

Must Pack Items for Your River Cruise

This should come without warning but it is a good idea to have enough medication for the trip and a typed out list of the medication with dosage. We actually had a minor medical emergency with one of our friends and so always make sure to have it handy if needed. I always say to pack a familiar snack to have with you. Along with what you are used to wearing for sunscreen, lotions and over the counter medication. Comfortable and stable walking shoes, hiking/walking poles and a day pack. Viking will give you water but it is better to carry in a backpack than your hands. Cobblestone can be troublesome especially if you are slightly unsteady on your feet. There can be a lot of walking on some of the city tours, so make sure you know your ability and plan accordingly. For some of the walking excursions, they have the “L” group which is leisurely. You will stop more, take more direct routes and usually stop at a cafe during for a drink.

Other than that, there are no formal nights and no real dress codes on the boat. Be comfortable. Each river cruise we have been on, someone has not gotten their luggage and so they have what they have. So always carry one set of clothes in your carry on with your toiletries. But no one stops you on your way to the dining room to check what you are wearing. You don’t feel the need for dress coats, dresses, etc. You will find that people will sit in the aquavit very early to claim a spot. It is on the third floor and there usually is only 5 tables. I will say it is a minor annoyance if you want to sit up there. People have no awareness that other’s might want to.

Review of Viking River Cruise along the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam

This river cruise was amazing but I will say that it might have been my least favorite of the four that we have been on. For some reason this river cruise you could feel some of the cost cutting that Viking has started to do. Not in the luxury or comfort but in some of the small things. The daily news was condensed, some of the snacks that they provide and during high tea telling two couples that didn’t know each other that they needed to share the tray of bites that come. Other cruises I would have had an entire tray to myself. During the cruise they offer cookies and pastries at the coffee station. They were always out and didn’t replenish often. When you are on the ship and there isn’t any other way to get a snack unless it’s meal time, it should be refilled throughout the day.

I also had this feeling that the staff was a bit off. During our port talks the program director provided incorrect information almost every talk. Port talks occur so they can tell you what is going to be happening the next day. One day multiple people were late and we mentioned it to him and he said that you always have to check the daily news. Well, then there is no point to the port talk. They also used to provide a free HH cocktail for repeat guests. They did not do that this time. In general the dining staff did not seem cohesive. We might have been on a cruise with a lot of new staff. The staff can make the river cruise. Our last one from Lyon to Avignon was extra amazing because all the staff were just so on point and friendly.

All in all, this was a great river cruise. However, if you have done other river cruises and you are trying to figure out what’s next, then this is a good one to check off the list. You get to see more of Germany but if it is your first or even your second, I would highly suggest making sure that you do the Danube. Our favorite was Budapest to Regensburg. That cannot be missed! You can read about it below.

If you have been on this cruise, let me know what you thought!

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