Rhine & Danube Port Walkability/Accessibility

[Grandwoman]

We’re looking at the 14-day Viking River Grand European Tour next fall. There will be a stop every day. Most of the included excursions are labeled “moderate”. My husband needs a walker/rollator for distances. Realistically, will the towns and attractions along the Rhine & Danube be too difficult and tiring to navigate due to cobblestones, uneven surfaces, and steps? We’re also aware of the low river levels this season which caused busing and multiple changes of ships, adding to the physical demands. Looking forward to your feedback before we possibly make a costly mistake. Thanks in advance.

[notamermaid]

This is a tricky one. When you look at the brochures you can sometimes see the towns and attractions photographed without a ship near by. That does actually mean the attraction is sometimes not near by. A few of the places are not actually on the river itself. Nuremberg is not on the Danube and the ships dock on the canal. Passau is so crowded these days you might be or might not be in the prime spot. Apart from being essentially on a hill. Cologne could see you further out than you want to be. It varies from town to town. Touring is often done by bus. The brutal truth is, if you cannot climb three steps onto a coach I do not recommend a river cruise. In times of low water things could get very inconvenient for you if cannot climb many steps. Will you and your husband enjoy a cruise where some of the places can hardly be reached by you? Are you fine with being slow negotiating the old cobble stones? Some of those are worse than others, mostly you will be fine, but steps to many attractions of the old kind could be difficult for you. You cannot get into Marksburg castle if you are not steady on your feet and a walker is impossible. These are just a few examples.

 

You might prefer a shorter trip to see if you can handle it. That is my suggestion.

 

While Viking will be happy to accommodate you as much as possible, I am sure, do have a look at their policy as I seem to remember they address mobility in their terms and conditions. You can look those up online, I think.

 

This is my general opinion.

 

I am sure past cruisers of Viking will give you an insight into their travels soon.

 

notamermaid

 

[G.M.T.]

Pictures of Passau's cobbled streets:

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=passau+cobbled+streets&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQl92Dt-DeAhWGa1AKHff4BmkQsAR6BAgGEAE&biw=1152&bih=575&dpr=1.67

[FuelScience]

Another factor to consider is the fact that the sun deck of many ships is not accessible by elevator. When rafted next to another ship, one may be required to climb to the sun deck, cross over to the the sun deck of another ship and then walk down another set of stairs en order to disembark.

[philw1776]

Good points about rafting, etc.  I have been with many folks on canes but they struck me as fairly agile.  I would not recommend a river cruise to folks needing walkers.  If you're determined to try anyway, select a shorter cruise so that you won't be disappointed with inaccessibility or be pleasantly surprised by your success and eager to book another cruise. 

 

[bubbulz]

One other thing to consider is the fact that, even if there is an elevator on the ship, there is no guarantee that it will be operable for your entire trip. From what I've seen, they can be a bit on the temperamental side.

[Marjan1]

 

We have recently returned from a Budapest to Amsterdam river cruise.  

 

Hubby has dodgy knees so we were aware of mobility issues.  We knew our ship did not have an elevator, so there was no-one aboard with a wheely-walker.  

 

To to enjoy a similar cruise, you must

Be able to climb at least one flight of stairs (to access sundeck, or to cross another ship when rafted)

Be able to climb 3 or 4 fairly steep steps into a bus

Be able to walk for at least 2 hours as often you have a short bus ride to a town followed by a walking tour.  

Be able to navigate cobblestones 

 

[Hoyaheel]

7 hours ago, Marjan1 said:

To to enjoy a similar cruise, you must

Be able to climb at least one flight of stairs (to access sundeck, or to cross another ship when rafted)

Be able to climb 3 or 4 fairly steep steps into a bus

Be able to walk for at least 2 hours as often you have a short bus ride to a town followed by a walking tour.  

Be able to navigate cobblestones 

 

Those are great, very specific factors to consider!

 

We did a river cruise with 2 sets of parents in 2014. My mom has arthritis in her knees and is mostly mobile, but....She brought along her monopod walker and found it tremendously helpful.

 

Most cruise lines will have "gentle walkers" or some other tour labeled for those who have mobility issues - for instance, that group took the bus from the Heidelberg castle down into the town while the rest of us walked.

 

Another thing to consider is that you do NOT have to take all the tours! This is hard for me, because I'm frugal and dangit I've already paid for them! (which is why river cruising is not my preferred mode of travel). But if your husband isn't up for a tour every day, much less morning and afternoon, it's possible to stay on the ship and relax. In some ports, you can walk into town and sit at a cafe (that depends on how close your dock is to the "interesting" part of town, as noted above).  We did a Christmas Markets cruise so of course we wanted to spend time in the markets, or in a pub trying the local beers.....So we went off on our own quite often. Though most of the included tours were pretty brief, and we could do both, but that's going to be itinerary dependent....

 

Good luck making this decision! How smart of you to consider these things BEFORE booking the trip!!

[Grandwoman]

Thanks to everyone for your honest comments. As we thought, the daily shore walking tours would prove too much for my husband. Coupled with the possibility of added inconvenience from low river levels, we’ve decided against the river cruise. Plenty of other options to explore on the bucket list! We really appreciate your advice! Happy & safe travels to all!