Enchanting Viking Rhine River Cruise Vacation – My Thoughts & 10 Effortless Tips

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After recently returning from a Viking Rhine River cruise, I’m sharing my thoughts, experiences and effortless tips if you’ve been considering a similar vacation in your future!

Taking a Viking Rhine River cruise has been on my radar (bucket list) for several years now and we finally did it! Both my husband and I love to travel, especially when it involves European adventures. We have Europe in our blood, with my first trip overseas (alone!) at 14 years old to live with my French relatives for several months in Paris. On the other hand, my husband spent his formative years growing up in Switzerland with his expat parents. I believe that since we were both exposed to daily European existence as youngsters we grew to have a great appreciation for the culture and ways of life!

Air Travel Via Viking

Before I get into the actual Rhine River cruise and all of it’s aspects, I wanted to point out that we decided to let Viking arrange our air travel. When we travel within the US we do economy class but when traveling to Europe we opt for business class for the bed! Viking was able to get us better prices than we could get ourselves and they included airport transfers by private car.

Be sure to check out my recently updated How To Pack A Carry-On For 2 Weeks post that has a FREE PDF for you to download!

River Cruising vs. Ocean Cruising

Living in Miami we’ve been able to hop on and take a handful of ocean cruises in the Caribbean and we also had taken one Mediterranean cruise, but this was a first river cruise for us. The appeal of less people, no children, no casinos and no rocking boats (seasickness is something that affects me) drew us to take a further look and to celebrate a big birthday for my sweet husband. I do the planning for all of our trips and decided to go with Viking due to their well deserved excellent reputation (not sponsored). By the way, Viking does ocean cruises and we talked to several couples on our cruise that have done them and spoke quite highly.

Viking Rhine River Cruise – Castles & Cathedrals

Viking calls the cruise the 8 day Rhine River cruise that we took “castles & cathedrals” and highlights the following:

Explore one of Europe’s best-loved rivers. 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. Savor the various culinary traditions of Alsace. With calls in Amsterdam, Cologne and Basel, this journey reveals a rich landscape of beauty and culture.

Viking.com

We signed up for this Viking Rhine River cruise about 6 months before the cruise was to begin. I believe that there must be a lot of people looking to book river cruises, as they were mostly sold out and I luckily secured a cancellation by checking daily for about a week! I would highly recommend that if you are going to book a river cruise you do so well in advance, as they often do sell out quickly!

We went “all out” and booked a upper deck Veranda Suite room (only 7 on the ship) which included a bedroom with a French balcony, a living room with a small balcony to sit on and a lot of extras that were well worth it to us. Most of our fellow travelers had the regular rooms and were surprised that our room included the large living room, a welcome bottle of champagne, an elegantly laid out mini-bar with wine, beer & soft drinks (replenished daily), fresh flowers, a daily fruit plate & a small plate of cookies each day.

We did use our balcony on occasion, but the ship mostly traveled at night and there wasn’t much to see. On the day that the Viking Rhine River cruise actually cruised during the day we were up on the top deck (along with many other guests) looking at and photographing the castles! More on that below.

We also had free laundry services and we did utilize it once, so that cut down on what we had to bring along. Beautiful presentation is always appreciated by me and the laundry on this Viking Rhine River cruise came back folded and wrapped in tissue in leather boxes.

Viking Rhine River Cruise Ship – The Tialfi

The Viking ships are called “long ships” and have streamlined Scandinavian design and understated elegance. They provide comfortable spacious staterooms and fine dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can learn more about the Tialfi ship here.

Even when the weather wasn’t grand there was plenty of light coming into the main areas of the ship. There are stairs between decks but they are easy to navigate and we noticed a small elevator for those who might need one.

The lounge was a nice place to hang out with newly made friends, or to attend the daily talks about what was planned for the following day. There was a pianist playing in the evenings and local entertainment on several other evenings.

The Aquavit Terrace was set up for al fresco dining (weather permitting) and we did eat lunch out there one sunny day.

The dining room has enough tables and chairs for all and there are no tables for two. We enjoyed mixing and mingling with a variety of guests. After the first couple of nights we found that we generally sat at a table with mostly the same people that we enjoyed getting to know.

As mentioned we had breakfast, lunch and dinner available every day and most days we did all meals on board. The chef was very good and with this Viking Rhine River Cruise he excelled in putting together some local specialties. If you have any dietary restrictions the chef will do their best to accommodate.

There are two lovely coffee stations on the ship that are open all day with self-serve coffees, teas and cookies always available.

Before I share some photos of the destinations on our Viking Rhine River cruise (which I know you’re waiting for…hah!), I want to share a list of some tips that could help you in planning your trip.

10 Practical Tips For Taking A European River Cruise Vacation:

1. Research Cruise Lines: I did this before choosing our Viking Rhine River cruise and you should too! Explore different cruise lines that offer European river cruises. Consider factors such as cruise duration, destinations covered, amenities offered, and budget.
2. Choose the Right Season: European river cruises are popular during the spring and summer months when the weather is mild and pleasant. However, consider shoulder seasons like early spring or late fall for fewer crowds and potentially lower prices. We were very lucky with our river cruise and had nice sunny weather most days but early spring can be miserable. Be prepared for that!
3. Pack Light and Smart: Since river cruise cabins may be smaller than those on ocean cruises, pack efficiently. Bring comfortable clothing suitable for both daytime excursions and onboard activities. River cruises are usually informal, so what I did for dinner was to just toss on a colorful scarf or some textural jewelry to dress up my outfit of the day.
4. Stay Informed about Excursions: River cruises often include guided shore excursions in their packages. Familiarize yourself with the itinerary and excursion options beforehand to prioritize activities and make the most of your time in each port. Our Viking Rhine River cruise included one complimentary tour each day and we only signed up for two additional paid excursions. You could also set up your own extra excursions via a tour company like Viator (have used them many times!) or a recommended local guide.
5. Stay Flexible: While it’s good to have a general plan, be open to changes in the itinerary due to weather conditions, water levels, or unforeseen circumstances.
6. Don’t Overlook Onboard Activities: River cruise ships offer various onboard activities, including cultural lectures, cooking demonstrations, and evening entertainment. Take advantage of these opportunities to enrich your experience and meet fellow travelers. We went to two musical events onboard including a local string quartet and a trio of German performers in costume.
7. Budget for Additional Expenses: While many amenities are included in the cruise fare, such as meals and some excursions, budget for additional expenses like gratuities (we opted for prepaid gratuities while onboard), alcoholic beverages, optional excursions, and souvenirs. Bring a small amount of local currency in cash.
8. Be Mindful of River Levels: In some cases, low water levels may affect the itinerary, requiring adjustments to docking locations or alternative transportation arrangements. Stay informed about any potential impacts and trust the cruise line to handle such situations professionally.
9. Arrive Early, Depart Late: Consider arriving at the departure city a day or two before your cruise begins to acclimate to the time zone and explore the area. Similarly, extend your stay at the end of the cruise to fully immerse yourself in the final port city. With Viking River cruises you have the option to do this through them or you can add days on your own. We arrived a couple of days early in Switzerland and stayed a few days at the end in Amsterdam.
10. Purchase Travel Insurance: Protect your investment by purchasing travel insurance that covers trip cancellation, medical emergencies, and other unforeseen circumstances that may disrupt your vacation. We purchased ours through Viking, but there are other companies to utilize on your own.

Destinations On Our Viking Rhine River cruise

It’s important to know that on both European river cruises as well as ocean cruises the ships dock in a port that is often not the main city you might wish to visit. We experienced that on our Mediterranean ocean cruise when for example Rome was the destination and we docked in Civitavecchia, an hour bus ride away. For the Viking Rhine River cruise (and most river cruises) the destination cities are small and you won’t see large ocean cruise ships docked in those towns. We enjoyed some of the small cities but not necessarily all of them. Here is a list of those that we visited on this cruise:

1. Basel, Switzerland
2. Breisach, Germany
3. Strasbourg, France
4. Speyer, Germany
5. Rüdesheim, Germany
6. Koblenz, Germany
7. Cologne, Germany
8. Kinderdijk, The Netherlands
9. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

We enjoyed Basel and spent two days there ahead of our Viking Rhine River cruise. Switzerland is incredibly clean, green and well organized with lots of trams in most cities for getting around.

Since my husband spent his youth in Zurich, we enjoyed taking a train (one hour non-stop) and visiting the city once again. It was a beautiful clear day and you could easily see the Swiss Alps in the distance.

I took a couple hundred photos via my iPhone on this trip, but have picked some of my favorites to share with you today. If you’ve been to Europe then you know that there are beautiful churches, cobblestone streets (wear sensible shoes!), grand castles, small shops and lovely towns. Below are just a few favorites!

Cologne, Germany from the river, which gives you a different perspective.

One of our favorite days was sailing on the Viking Rhine River cruise and seeing the castles along the river!

The area of Kinderdijk, The Netherlands was so picturesque with it’s working windmills! We got to walk around and go inside one of them and learn more about what they did in the past and in today’s times.

We spent the tail end of our Viking Rhine River cruise experience in Amsterdam and since I hadn’t been there in many years it was such fun to go back! We enjoyed the city of bikes and you have to be quite careful not to get run over by one, as they are the main mode of transport!

We took a tour of Keukenhof Tulip Gardens that is about an hour bus ride out of Amsterdam and this was definitely my favorite activity of the entire trip! Don’t miss this place if you have a chance to go and the tulips were in full bloom!

I hope that you enjoyed my post on our Viking Rhine River cruise and if you have any questions let me know in the comments below!