viking river cruise rhine getaway
Last summer, I embarked on a fabulous Rhine River cruise. Castles, cathedrals, 'bourgs and 'bergs, this was an adventure of a life time.
There’s so much to see and do on a Rhine River cruise, as I was able to experience recently with the award-winning cruise line AmaWaterways.
Discover the enchanting Rhine River Cruise sailing from Basel to Cologne. This beautiful cruise travels through Germany, France and Switzerland
Hi, friends! I'm so excited to get to share with you our Viking River Cruise on the Rhine Getaway, a 7 night cruise on the Viking Kara. We saw so much beauty, walked countless cobblestone streets, viewed castles from afar and up close, as well as explored medieval cathedrals that we could only dream about seeing in person. What a rich and wonderful trip to take! I can't wait to share it all with you. I'm breaking this cruise down by day so you can get an idea of how a Viking River cruise flows. This was our first and I'm hoping it won't be our last! We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and had an exceptional journey with them, truly a dream of a trip! In this post, I'm going to share like none of you have ever been on a Viking Cruise, so that when I'm finished sharing, you'll have a grand overview of what it's like. From our Veranda stateroom accommodations as well as lots of food we partook of onboard the Kara, we were not disappointed at all. In fact, we were fed so well it was impossible to even get hungry!
Revel in the beauty and history of one of Europe's great waterways with this hop-on/hop-off cruise pass on the romantic Rhine River. Admire passing scenery like legendary Loreley Rock and imposing castles while sipping a coffee or beer on deck, and customize your itinerary with 19 different stops at tiny medieval towns and bigger cities along the way. The pass is valid all day on the UNESCO-listed Middle Rhine from Cologne to Linz and Koblenz to Mainz.
2017 Rhine Cruise - Day 6: Strasbourg en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strasbourg_Cathedral
a travelogue of a viking river cruise rhine getaway
24 exclusive Viking River Cruise insider tips tailored for first-time cruisers to help make your European journey the cruise of a lifetime!
Viking River cruise Rhine review - everything you need to know before you go on a river cruise. This cruise from Amsterdam to Basel shares itinerary details
All you need to know about Rhine River cruise planning, including Rhine River cruise lines, Rhine River itineraries, Rhine River cruise tips and the best time to go on a Rhine River cruise
Discover the best river cruise in Europe for young adults here. Itinerary, tours, activities, food and more on our Rolling on the Rhine River Cruise review.
Avalon Waterways has about 50 different Rhine River cruise itineraries ranging in length from 5 to 24 days. Most packages combine a cruise on the Rhine River with other waterways, such as the Moselle, Main, Danube, Rhône and Saône.
Last summer, I embarked on a fabulous Rhine River cruise. Castles, cathedrals, 'bourgs and 'bergs, this was an adventure of a life time.
Your guide to all the best castles, cruises and cities on the Rhine in Germany. Are you on the hunt for a memorable and unique travel experience? Look no further than the Rhine River Valley
a travelogue of a viking river cruise rhine getaway
While we have been on 80 ocean cruises, we share all the Viking River cruise tips we wish we had known before our first river cruise!
Welcome back to my Travel Bucket List Series. I hope you have enjoyed the destinations I have highlighted throughout the year.
If you’re considering a trip on a Viking ship or if you’ve already booked a ticket, here’s what you need to know about the Viking Cruise Line.
24 exclusive Viking River Cruise insider tips tailored for first-time cruisers to help make your European journey the cruise of a lifetime!
Viking River cruise Rhine review - everything you need to know before you go on a river cruise. This cruise from Amsterdam to Basel shares itinerary details
Considering booking a Viking Rhine River Cruise? This review will give you the scoop on all of the ports and excursions along the Rhine River in Europe.
From architectural gems beautiful churches medieval sites and great food Speyer has quite a lot to offer. Here's how to spend 24 hours in the city.
Last summer, I embarked on a fabulous Rhine River cruise. Castles, cathedrals, 'bourgs and 'bergs, this was an adventure of a life time.
If you have time to visit the Alsace region of France, here is a collection of some of the best things to do in Strasbourg.
Looking for the best things to do in Dusseldorf?? In this post find the best things to do with one day in Dusseldorf or over a weekend.
Hi, friends! I'm so excited to get to share with you our Viking River Cruise on the Rhine Getaway, a 7 night cruise on the Viking Kara. We saw so much beauty, walked countless cobblestone streets, viewed castles from afar and up close, as well as explored medieval cathedrals that we could only dream about seeing in person. What a rich and wonderful trip to take! I can't wait to share it all with you. I'm breaking this cruise down by day so you can get an idea of how a Viking River cruise flows. This was our first and I'm hoping it won't be our last! We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and had an exceptional journey with them, truly a dream of a trip! In this post, I'm going to share like none of you have ever been on a Viking Cruise, so that when I'm finished sharing, you'll have a grand overview of what it's like. From our Veranda stateroom accommodations as well as lots of food we partook of onboard the Kara, we were not disappointed at all. In fact, we were fed so well it was impossible to even get hungry!
24 exclusive Viking River Cruise insider tips tailored for first-time cruisers to help make your European journey the cruise of a lifetime!
Travel the World's in-depth review of Viking River Cruises' Romantic Danube European river cruise.
Friday, April 18, 2014 Our Viking River Cruises Rhine Getaway began yesterday with a 15:00 flight from Minneapolis/St Paul through the night to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. There we caught the 9:15 flight to Basel/Bâle/Basilea, Switzerland (Swiss cities often have names in German, French, Italian, and/or Romansh). Arriving about 10:40 at the EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, we had to be sure to exit into Switzerland, not France or Germany! We were unable to purchase the BaselCard at the airport, and few seemed to know about this city pass. Tourist information sent me to the SBB (Schweizerbundesbahn/Swiss Federal Railway) who said the card was available at the main train station. We asked the Viking River Cruise representative who met us at the airport, and he said we would get a museum pass at the ship (not!). Meanwhile Kent visited an ATM to get Swiss Francs. We were hurried onto motor coaches (with the Viking logo) and driven into the city where the Viking Gullveig ship was docked near St Johanns Tor/St John's Gate. The normal docking location is at Dreiländereck/Three Countries Corner, so we missed the landmark where the three countries meet, but we were now conveniently close to the old city. View of Basel from the ship Viking Gullveig Johanniterbrücke/St John's Bridge and Mittlere Rheinbrücke/Middle Rhine Bridge Brynne and Paul were able to check into their cabin, while Kent and I would have to wait until later for a clean room. I asked at reception about this museum pass, which they do not provide. The Program Director, Ryan, did not know about the BaselCard, but he was to ask a local guide. It was 11:30, and Viking graciously provides a light buffet lunch for both departing and arriving passengers who are around at that time. We enjoyed some salad, pasta, and/or sandwiches, then began our own exploration of Basel. The Program Director's only information was that there is a BaselCard, but that because today was Good Friday and a local holiday, everything would be closed (not!). The Viking staff offered a Welcome Walk at 13:00 and 15:00, a leisurely walk through the city center, which we did not take because of our own tour. I think the 15:00 was not attended due to pouring rain. We walked the one block to St Johanns Tor to the tram stop. St Johanns Tor/St John's Gate (c. 1356) We had to use a credit card to get tram tickets. Took the tram to Barfüsserplatz where we found the tourist office to purchase the BaselCard. Using the BaselCard as our transport pass, we took the tram to the Basel Zoo. 'Tango' tram built by the Swiss company Stadler Arrived at the Zoologischer Garten Basel/Basel Zoological Garden (founded 1874, Switzerland's oldest and largest zoo), locally nicknamed the "Zolli," and used the BaselCard to enter for free. First the Vivarium/Aquarium (1972): Garden eels including the Heteroconger hassi/Spotted garden eel, Gorgasia preclara/Splendid garden eel (striped), and the larger Heteroconger longissimus/Brown garden eel Outside the Monkey House: Ape species Homo sapiens The Bird House (1927): Bird House door handle In the Etosha Building (2001) with the theme of a 'Circle of Life:' Suricata suricatta/Slender-tailed Meerkat After leaving the zoo, we walked past the Markthalle/Market Hall, built in 1929 as a trading center for wholesale fruits and vegetables. In 2009 it was renovated as a kind of mini-mall, but now there seems to be hope it will become a food-based market again. Stopped in the Bahnhof/Railway Station (1854, designed by Emil Faesch and Emmanuel La Roche): Electric RE 460 039-1 locomotive 'Rochers de Naye' 'Flirt France' trainset RABe 522 204 from Stadler Rail of the S-Bahn/commuter railway Across the Centralbahnplatz is a monument from the French city of Strasbourg thanking the city of Basel for taking 1,778 civilians as refugees in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War: Strassburger Denkmal/Strasbourg Monument (1895) donated by French Baron Hervé de Gruyer Schindler Be 4/x tram #222 On one side of the Centralbahnplatz is the headquarters of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), established in 1930 in Basel for the purpose of overseeing German World War I reparations, which now has a role in monetary policy and banking supervision. Bank for International Settlements HQ (1977, designed by Martin Burckhardt) We took a tram past another BIS building: Bank for International Settlements (1994, designed by Mario Botta) Back at Barfüsserplatz, the Barfüsserkirche/Barefoot Church (1298, the former church of the Franciscan mendicant order, later a salt warehouse, then in 1894, the Historisches Museum/Historical Museum): Historisches Museum Basel/Basel Historical Museum Stadt Casino/City Casino (1876) Used the BaselCard to visit the Spielzeug Welten Museum/Toys of the World Museum for free; an amazing collection of over 6,000 teddy bears and dolls in a variety of settings with toys and miniatures. At this point, Brynne and Paul headed back to the ship for a jet lag nap. Gymnasium St Leonhard (1899) Walked past the Fasnachtbrunnen/Carnival Fountain or Tinguelybrunnen/Tinguely Fountain (1977, by Jean Tinguely): Kinetic sculptures erected on the site of the stage of the old city theater In constant motion and in dialog like the actors and dancers who once performed here (KSS) Wisteria japonica (KSS) Walked along St Alban-Graben: Bibliothek des Kunstmuseums/Art Museum Library in the former Swiss National Bank building Kunstmuseum/Art Museum (1936, designed by architects Rudolf Christ and Paul Bonatz) Kunstmuseum/Art Museum entrance Along Rittergasse: Former chapel, now a residence (KSS) Hohenfirstenhof (c. 1356) Bischofshof/Bishop's Court (1451-1458?) Münsterplatz: Münster/Cathedral (1019-1500 in Romanesque and Gothic styles) (KSS) Münster/Cathedral façade with statue of St George and the dragon Münster/Cathedral west façade Gymnasium/School (1589, oldest building in Münsterplatz) Friedrich Nietzsche taught here Pisonibrunnen/Pisoni Fountain (1874, architect Paolo Antonio Pisoni) (note the dog trough) (KSS) View down on the Münsterfähre/Cathedral Ferry A few of the steps down to the ferry Kent ringing the bell for the ferry The ferry 'Leu' arrives The BaselCard gave us a free ferry ride. The ferry is tethered to an overhead cable; the current carries the ferry across the river Ferry cable over a "pulley" Ferry cable Along Obere Rheinweg: Wisteria-covered house Basilisken fountain View across the Rhein/Rhine River; note the small buildings on the wall Next along Rheingasse: Fischerstube, an Ueli Bier micro-brewery; Basel's smallest brewery No caption needed (KSS) We crossed the Mittlere Rheinbrücke/Middle Rhine Bridge (1903-1905): Mittlere Rheinbrücke/Middle Rhine Bridge Mittlere Rheinbrücke/Middle Rhine Bridge's Käppelijoch/Span Chapel Love locks on the chapel gate Back in the Altstadt/old town: Medieval artisan's houses on Rheinsprung Staatsarchive/State Archive (1898-1902 by Eduard Vischer and Eduard Fueter) with the Sevogel Brunnen/Fountain (1899) Staatsarchive/State Archive frog water spout (KSS) St Martinskirche/St Martin's Church (parts date to 1287, considered to be the oldest parish church in Basel) Marktplatz/Market Square: Rathaus/City Hall (1504-1521, Burgundian Gothic style) Animal carvings on façade windows (KSS) Rathaus/City Hall north Rathaus/City Hall south Carved faces on courtyard windows (KSS) Geltenzunft/Guild of the Wine Merchants (façade dated 1559-1596 by Daniel Heintz) It had started to rain, so we took the tram back to the Viking Gullveig and checked into our cabin. Cabin double bed Cabin bathroom Cabin desk and big screen TV The Viking Gullveig ship was built in 2014 and was taking its fourth cruise. It is one of the Viking River Cruise longships, named for the Viking longships; it is indeed a long narrow boat. Painting of Gullveig, a figure in Norse mythology Sun deck One of two hot beverage machines The evening routine began with a Cocktail Hour, usually about 17:30-19:00, during which the Daily Briefing takes place. Today the ship set sail at 19:00 to head down the Rhein. The Rhein starts in the Swiss Alps, and tumbles down into the Bodensee/Lake Constance. Leaving Lake Constance, it becomes a serious river and measurement in kilometers starts. Basel is located at Kilometer/KM 165-169. The measured portion of the Rhein is to KM 1,033 at Hoek van Holland, Netherlands. The entire Rhein is 1,232 km.766 miles long. Dinner began at 19:00. Brynne and Paul at dinner Dinner started with an amuse-bouche (cherry tomato and mozzarella skewer in pesto). There was a choice of a first course, either of two appetizers (Parma ham & melons with grapefruit vinaigrette or goat cheese and pine nut brûlée with apricot compote), a salad (grilled bread, cucumber & tomato salad with toasted pine nuts and red wine vinaigrette), or a soup (fish and shrimp sinigang). The main course was a choice of a meat dish (pepper-crusted chicken breast with glazed baby carrots and chickpeas, straw potatoes and chipotle jus), a fish dish (Asian-spiced cod fish on sesame rice with turnips and grapes in cream), and a vegetarian dish (Bali crêpes with coconut chili sauce, pineapple and Thai vegetables). Finally a choice of desserts, the chef's choice (panna cotta with apricot compote), a cake (New York cheesecake), ice cream (walnut) or sorbet (lemon) with chocolate, butterscotch, or forest berries sauces, and a fruit plate (honey melon) as well as a cheese plate (Appenzeller and Gorgonzola served with red onion confit, white baguette and crackers). Additionally, Caesar salad, pan-fried fillet of salmon, pan-roasted chicken breast, and pan-seared New York steak were always available. Each night two wines were suggested (Grüner Veltliner and Blauer Zweigelt from Winery Mörwald, Wagram, Austria). It seemed the complimentary wine was unlimited, and soft drinks and beer were also complimentary. We were not up for after-dinner music and dancing! Next: Black Forest.
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24 exclusive Viking River Cruise insider tips tailored for first-time cruisers to help make your European journey the cruise of a lifetime!
Basel, Switzerland will surprise you. While plenty of people are aware of Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland’s third-largest city should not be overlooked.
Celebrate your German heritage with this classic Bavarian Gingerbread heart recreated for you in wood! ***Choose from several sizes! Small 6 inch size fits in the hand as shown. Created to look just like the Lebkuchen cookies that are found all over Germany at folk festivals and at Christmas time. The real ones are made of edible gingerbread but this one is made of wood so you can easily keep it for years. -Hand painted and hand sawn right here in Bavaria Germany for an authentic German Christmas. -The Hearts have a hand braided blue and white Bavarian colored cord for hanging. Cute to hang on a door to welcome guests! The hearts say “Frohe Weihnacht” which means merry Christmas in German, or choose from our other custom sayings. We will make this just right and personalized for you. *****PLEASE SEPECIFY WHERE YOU WANT THE PERSONALIZATION, FRONT OR BACK. Consider carefully if you want a year on the front, unless it is a special date it will look outdated the next season and may discourage the use of this piece which is designed of solid wood to last a lifetime. Lebkuchen was invented by monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th century. Lebkuchen bakers were recorded as early as 1296 in Ulm, and 1395 in Nürnberg. It is traditional to write little sayings on them in white frosting and hang it around the neck of your loved one. Your special heart comes wrapped in clear cellophane and tied with a curly ribbon, all ready for gifting!
Viking's Christmas river cruises offer the best of Europe's medieval castles, cathedrals, and storybook towns, with festive Christmas markets in every port.
What to pack for a Europe river cruise? Here's everything you need to know; how and what to pack from clothes, electronics, luggage and more.
Viking River cruise Rhine review - everything you need to know before you go on a river cruise. This cruise from Amsterdam to Basel shares itinerary details
Is Colmar worth visiting? Here are all the things you need to consider, from prices and getting around to day trips and landmarks!
A full one day in Cologne itinerary (+ map with all must-see sights, where to try the famous Kölsch beer and the best castles near Cologne).
What to see in Basel? Thinking about adding it to your Swiss itinerary? Check out how we spent 24 hours in this colorful, lively city!
Cologne!
