What Is on a Rhine River Cruise Itinerary?

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The problem with with reminiscing about past cruises is that they make you want to take another one. We’d had such a great time cruising the Caribbean that we decided it was time to do it again. But why not try something different and take a Rhine River cruise?

Except for calmer waters, it would be the same thing, right?

Wrong.

Cruising the Rhine River vs. the Caribbean

Tasting jenever with one of our new friends - another one took the photo
Tasting jenever with one of our new friends – another one took the photo

Ocean cruising and river cruising are polar opposites. Put all your Caribbean memories aside and prepare for a completely different experience.

Okay, well, some things are the same.

  • It’s still true that you get to see a lot of places while only unpacking once.
  • Lodging and all your meals aboard are still included
  • Both offer free entertainment on board every night

But that’s where the similarity ends. There are a whole lot of reasons to take a river cruise. For starters,

  • Wine is included with lunch and dinner
  • There are no boring days at sea where all you see is an endless stretch of water. Every day is a new place. Or even, a new country.
  • On a river cruise, it’s all smooth sailing, so you’ll never need medication for a queasy tummy.
  • Most shore excursions are included in the cruise price.

How to choose a river cruise

River cruises can be as exotic as the Mekong, as wild as the Amazon, or as romantic as the Danube. Looking at the list of choices in our search results, we felt like kids in a candy shop. Everything sounded good to us.

Step 1: Consider your budget. Weigh the cruise price and airfare to get there. For us, Europe was the most affordable option.

Step 2: Choose an affordable European river cruise company with a good reputation. Thanks to Mr. Google and some cruise forums (Cruise Critic is my all-time favorite), we finally settled on Viking River Cruises.

Step 3: Select the cruise route and date. Sadly, most of their most popular routes were already completely booked, so our choices were limited. Who knew they start filling up the year before?

Anyway, we finally chose a Rhine River cruise, which so happens to be one of the most popular European river cruise destinations. Cruising between Basel and Amsterdam lets you tour 4 countries in a week: Switzerland, Germany, France and Netherlands.

rhine river cruise Destinations, Europe, France, Germany, Itineraries, Netherlands, Switzerland

What happens on a Viking river cruise

We had a fabulous time—it was worth absolutely every penny—and we met some wonderful people, some of whom we still keep in touch with.

Here is our cruise – as we saw it. We want you to know what you can expect and get an idea of all the wonderful places you’ll visit on a Rhine river cruise.

ⓘ TIP: Though you’ll get a taste for the Rhine itinerary, what you won’t see here are all of Dan’s amazing photos. (That would be one LONG post!) The best shots are in our related posts about each destination, so read on and then head over to our photo galleries for even more shots.

Day 1: Basel

street in Basel Switzerland

Our cruise began in Basel, Swtzerland. The town sits on the Rhine River where Switzerland, France and Germany meet. We arrived in town the day before, because you never know when a travel snafu might create an unexpected delay. Not a problem; it was fun to have a day to explore Basel itself.

Day 2: Breisach and the Black Forest

souvenir shop in Black Forest

Every day begins with a sumptuous breakfast buffet, complete with cooked-to-order items. A tour usually follows.

Our morning was spent on a picturesque bus tour through the rolling hills and dense forests of the scenic Black Forest. We stopped to visit a very old, historic abbey, and then drove to a local workshop and see a cuckoo clock-making demonstration and visit the restaurant. I made it a special point to get the recipe for Black Forest cake. For me, it’s a memorable souvenir.

Back to Breisach for lunch on the ship. Then, while some of our shipmates enjoyed an afternoon in town, we took an optional excursion (read: extra cost) to the quaint Alsatian town of Colmar. Verdict: Serously worth it!

The ship set sail in the late evening.

ⓘ TIP: If you take the Alsace tour, you’ll still have time to take a short walk through Breisach after dinner.

Day 3: Alsace, France

alsace wine tasting by Robert Blanck on Rhine River cruise

Our ship docked in Kehl while we were sleeping. Today we would take a guided tour of Strasbourg, home to the European Parliament and capital of France’s province of Alsace.

Our drive took us through a few of the province’s quaint villages, many of which reminded us of the town in Disney’s animated film, Beauty and the Beast.

Alsace is a curious blend of French and German culture, and is known as a unique wine region. Alsace produces some of the most noted dry Rieslings in the world as well as highly aromatic Gewürztraminer wines, so we had a chance to stop at a winery to learn how they are made.

Day 4: Heidelberg and Rüdesheim

Drinking game in Rudesheim, an optional Rhine cruise tour

On the fourth day of our cruise, we woke up in Mannheim. The morning was spent touring Heidelberg University and the ruins of Heidelberg Castle. We ended with a walking tour through the city’s Old Town before returning to the ship for lunch.

We spent the afternoon cruising down the Rhine to Rüdesheim. Most enjoyed dinner on board, but we’d signed up for an optional excursion into town. But this wasn’t just any old boring dinner…. the after-dinner entertainment included audience participation … and after a schnapps drinking game, I was drafted to help play Edelweiss on cowbells.

Day 5: Cruising the Middle Rhine Valley

Ship cruising in the middle Rhine valley

This morning we sailed along the most scenic stretch of the Rhine, where castles overlook the river from their hilltop locations. This part of the Middle Rhine Valley is so beautiful that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’d also pass the famous Loreley Rock.

But it wasn’t all cruising. We also were given an opportunity to have a guided tour through one of the castles along the way.

Marksburg castle, turret and balcony. Man stands in the foreground

Marksburg Castle is in great shape, especially considering that it’s over 700 years old, and I was surprised to learn that people actually still live there!

Another short cruise downriver brought us to Koblenz, a pretty town where the Moselle joins the Rhine.

What timing! We arrived during the Federal Flower Show, so after our usual tour, our cruise director offered free tickets to all passengers.

That was a bonus we hadn’t expected.

Day 6: Cologne

Passengers toasting their visit to a brauhaus in Cologne

Cologne may have given its name to Eau de Cologne, but these days it’s more famous for its Gothic cathedral – which is yet another UNESCO World Heritage site. The cathedral is where our walking tour of the city ended. We spent a lot of time exploring shops and finally had to return to the ship in the afternoon … because our feet hurt.

Our day ended with another optional tour: Bar hopping in order to try kölsch, Germany’s only true, all-barley, pale ale. This locally-produced beer is top-fermented, so it’s served in small glasses to keep its bubbles. Unfortunately, that means it can’t be bottled for export. So you’ll have to visit Cologne to try it.

ⓘ TIP: It’s customary for the servers to replace empty glasses with a full one without asking. Cover your glass with your coaster to signal that you don’t want any more.

Day 7: Kinderdijk

rhine river cruise Destinations, Europe, France, Germany, Itineraries, Netherlands, Switzerland
One of our rare photos together – he’s usually behind the camera

It takes a long time to cruise to Kinderdijk from Cologne, so our morning was spent on board. This gave us a chance to enjoy some classic Dutch cheeses and sample jenever, a Dutch gin (see the photo above). We also joined a competition in Dutch table shuffleboard and relaxed on the sun deck, just watching the changing scenery.

As home to 19 authentic, working windmills, Kinderdijk has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status. We had a unique opportunity to not only learn how the Netherlands continues to keep its below-sea-level land dry but to also explore the inside of an actual working windmill.

Dan took lots of photos of its mechanics and a windmill keeper’s living quarters, as well as the town of Kinderdijk itself.

ⓘ TIP: En route, there’s a life-size replica of Noah’s Ark along the shore. Your cruise director will point it out—so be sure to ask.

Noah's ark, as seen from a Rhine River cruise ship
Secret highlight: Cruising past the famous, life-size replica of Noah’s Ark.

Day 8: Amsterdam

Bicycle in front of Amsterdam canal
This is a typical sight in Amsterdam.

The worst part of our cruise was waking up on our final day. Because we knew it was time to disembark.

Sadly, our breakfast in Amsterdam marked the end of our extraordinary tour. We only had the rest of the day to explore Amsterdam because we were leaving for Paris in the morning. And there’s a lot to see in this city.

ⓘ TIP: For more sightseeing, see our photo albums from Switzerland, Germany, France, and Netherlands.

Additional cruise costs

Optional tours: Viking offers a free city tour in every cruise port. This itinerary also had four optional tours that were geared to special interests. They were quite fairly priced. Far less than what our Caribbean cruise line charged for its excursions, actually.

Considering the amount we were saving just on that—plus they were once-in-a-lifetime opportunities—we signed up for all four.

All-inclusive drinks package: I’ll confess that we splurged on the optional Silver Spirits package, which offers unlimited cocktails, wines, beers, espresso drinks, and more. An unnecessary indulgence, but it was nice to know we could visit the bar whenever we wanted. and get as many refills of wine as we wanted at dinnertime.

It was also worth it to know we wouldn’t have to worry about an exorbitant bill at the end. We don’t drink a lot, but we considered it peace of mind insurance.

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Written by Linda

Linda is multilingual and has been to over 50 countries. Her insatiable love of travel, cuisine, and foreign languages inspired her to create As We Saw It, where she documents her trips, shares practical itineraries, and offers insider tips. She’s passionate about helping fellow travelers save time, money, and hassle, and loves to discover new places to explore.

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6 thoughts on “What Is on a Rhine River Cruise Itinerary?”

  1. We are leaving on our Viking Rhine cruise from Amterdam to Basel in 142 days. I know, seems like a long time, but it will get here before we know it. Our first river cruise. I have been to Amsterdam and spent 9 years in Germany in the military.
    We are ending our cruise in Basel and will rent a car at the Basel Bad Bahnhof and tour Bavaria and Switzerland before returning to the US 10 days after the cruise ends.
    Can’t wait. Thanks to all who have posted itineraries, questions, and thoughts on these boards. Love your tips and suggestions.
    Does anyone have any insight into the availability of Taxis at the Cruise Port (Dreilandeck) in Basel? We will need to catch a taxi to the Basel Badisher Bahnhof and are hoping taxis are plentiful. I have one contact (Rent a Limosine) but we are hoping that taxis will be available. I’ve also read that the Viking Cruise Consierge can help with this type of thing.
    Thoughts, suggestions, tips etc. greatly appreciated.
    Thanks. Pat and Mary

    • Pat and Mary, we are so excited for you – river cruising is so fun! And your idea to tag on extra time after the cruise is brilliant – you sure are making the most of your trip!

      They’ll cover departure details at the evening briefing the night before you disembark, but you don’t need to worry about the taxi. They’ll make all the arrangements and even give you your departure time. The nice thing is that they let you know when your taxi arrives, so you can linger over your last (amazing) breakfast buffet. Priority is given to people with pressing flight connections. If it helps, when we docked in Amsterdam, I think we left the ship at around 9:30 am.

  2. The wine fests travel around Germany, it would be fun to follow a few and drink with locals on a further trip. Entering the tent was scary at first, we were a group of 5 ladies; but after entering and finding a seat, we had a ball. Everyone was so friendly and some spoke English. I think it was a Saturday night and the people we sat near working together and chartered a bus for a two hour ride to Cochem, so they left a midnight and we stayed a little longer. The only American song was “Rocky Mountain High” which everyone knew every word well and we all sang along with the band.
    Cochem has a small lovely castle at the top of the hill with a grand view of River and valley. And lots of sidewalk cafes for which it is known, pastries, Rudesheim coffee, and wine. Plus, lovely little twisting streets to walk. hotels on both sides of the river. the ladies I was with shopped at the best little shoe store near St. Martin church, allowing us to buy good quality boots and shoes. Our boat was docked there for over night which allowed us the time to walk to the wine Fest after dinner.
    that is my only disappointment with river cruising, not enough time to explore these beautiful little towns, but only so much can be seen in 13 days. I want to return someday and rent a car or travel by train for a more leisurely visit.
    my only experience has been on two cruises with Uniworld, but some of our other travelers cruise only Uniworld.

    • We agree, the problem with cruises is that they only give you just enough time to see if you’d like to return somewhere! On the other hand, sometimes they take you to places you might never have thought to visit otherwise.

  3. I am enjoying your comments and pictures. I was just on a cruise with Uniworld on the Rhine in November. One of my favorites was Colmar, just beautiful. I would like to go back there sometime and stay longer in Colmar and Basel. it is such a picturesque valley.
    We had high water levels on the Moselle river and had to dock in Koblenz and bus to locations for 3 days. That is a weather dependent fact of river cruising but I think river cruising is the way to go. very relaxing to have you clothes and body in one room for the whole tour and not have to pack up, over and over again. Also, all the staff is so friendly and accommodating, and the big plus….they speak perfect English. Did you get to see Cochem? We went to the local wine Fest on the evening we were docked there. So much fun to see the locals enjoy wine and Life!

    • We’re so happy you’re enjoying our posts. Did you enjoy Uniworld? We’ve never experienced their service but hear they are quite good.

      We absolutely adored Colmar but didn’t get the chance to see Cochem. Glad you enjoyed the winefest; what else is there to do in town? We’re always looking for new things to see!

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