Excursions on Basel-Amsterdam Viking Einar May 8,2019

[COMMENCEMENTBAY]

I would love any input from river cruisers who have already made this journey as to their thoughts on the included excursions and others they may have arranged outside of Viking.   Happy to hear your best and worst experiences.   Thanks, Karen

[Cruisen Elf]

We did this Viking river cruise in the opposite direction (Amsterdam to Basel) last Fall.  We enjoyed all of the included shore excursions.  We did not go on the Black Forest excursion because we had already done an optional tour in the morning, and decided to explore the local town instead, since a folk festival was being held there that day. 

 

The 2 optional excursions we paid extra for were Cologne's Beer Culture & Dinner tour, and the Colmar in World War II.  Both were excellent!  The Beer tour was basically a German dinner and pub crawl.  We were able to eat a traditional German meal and sample various Kolsch beers, which are only available in Cologne.  It was a lot of fun, and everyone seemed to  have a good time.

 

The Colmar tour was more somber, but very interesting and moving.  If you have any interest in World War II or Audie Murphy, then I think you would appreciate this tour.  If not, you may want to pass.  

 

We were not able to book any outside, non Viking tours since you can not predict exactly when you will arrive at each town, or where you will be directed to berth.  That depends on the river and the local port authorities.

 

It was a lovely, scenic itinerary, and I predict you will enjoy the experience!

[COMMENCEMENTBAY]

This is such great information and I thank you so much for taking the time to respond.   We do like river cruising and are eager to see this part of Germany.   Regards, Karen

[Rosethorn40]

We leave on this cruise in about 2 1/2 weeks (But doing the Amsterdam to Basel route). We will be doing most of the included and a number of optional tours as well. I plan on doing a full review upon our return. Hopefully I will be able to give you some useful information. 

[COMMENCEMENTBAY]

That would be so fantastic.   I wish you a great trip and will be looking forward to all the details about the excursions...what to do included wise and what to augment with outside trips.   Thanks and safe travels.

[AllisonJames]

Rosethorn40 — looking forward to your report as we are doing Amsterdam-Basel in 2020 (our first river cruise).

[1stimecruiser]

20 hours ago, Rosethorn40 said:

We leave on this cruise in about 2 1/2 weeks (But doing the Amsterdam to Basel route). We will be doing most of the included and a number of optional tours as well. I plan on doing a full review upon our return. Hopefully I will be able to give you some useful information. 

 

RoseThorn40 - That would be fantastic.  Have a wonderful trip and we are looking forward to your full review as we are going in 2020.  Are you spending extra time in Amsterdam or Basel?

[scrap47]

I’m also looking forward to your trip report.  We don’t go until September,  but I love to research and plan!

[Rosethorn40]

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 6:19 PM, 1stimecruiser said:

 

RoseThorn40 - That would be fantastic.  Have a wonderful trip and we are looking forward to your full review as we are going in 2020.  Are you spending extra time in Amsterdam or Basel?

We are doing the two day extension in Lucerne offered by Viking. Both husband and I work demanding jobs with long hours and I just don't have the time to figure out train schedules, find hotels, etc. Of course DIY is much cheaper, but going with the cruise line works for us. 2 Weeks, and 2 days before I drop the dogs off at doggy spa (They love it, I can barely get them to come back home), and we are off. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

37 minutes ago, Rosethorn40 said:

We are doing the two day extension in Lucerne offered by Viking. Both husband and I work demanding jobs with long hours and I just don't have the time to figure out train schedules, find hotels, etc. Of course DIY is much cheaper, but going with the cruise line works for us. 2 Weeks, and 2 days before I drop the dogs off at doggy spa (They love it, I can barely get them to come back home), and we are off. 

 

Our first river cruise was Amsterdam to Basel, and we booked the cruise line's [AMA, but I expect you will find Viking is similar] extension to Lucerne and Zurich.  When I started reading up on Cruise Critic, I questioned whether we had overspent instead of DIY.  But we don't pack in carry-ons only, so the baggage transfer from Basel to Lucerne, Lucerne to Zurich, and Zurich to the airport was worth every penny!  Plus, the transfers were not just point-to-point, but included interesting sightseeing opportunities that we would have missed by taking the trains.  So don't second-guess yourself.