PRE/POST Rhine Itinerary

[cruisinlawn]

Hi...this will be our 1st river cruise after many ocean cruises over the past 20+ years. Very excited as we'll be doing the 8-day Rhine, Amsterdam to Basel with Viking. We will fly in to AMS on Saturday morning and board on Tuesday. We plan to take in as much as possible Saturday afternoon thru Monday evening in the Amsterdam area, we've done some research and have points of interest in mind, though any suggestions are much appreciated.

 

The bigger concern is post cruise. We disembark on a Tuesday morning and curious if the following is doable...

Tuesday - off the vessel, spend the day and overnight in Basel.

Wednesday - transfer to Lucerne and enjoy the afternoon/evening there.

Thursday - day trip to the Alps, overnight in Lucerne.

Friday - transfer to Zurich airport for return flight to Atlanta.

 

We have a small amount of flexibility so any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks for any input. Enjoy.

[texasstar]

I would skip the overnight in Basel and go directly to Lucerne.  You can take the train, and many hotels are within walking distance of the station.  Most everything in Lucerne is in walking distance.  We really enjoyed a trip up to Mount Pilatus.  When you are ready to head to Zurich, the train station is in the ground floor of the airport, so it is very easy to make connections.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Consider the trip up Mount Pilatus your 'alps' visit and enjoy more time in Lucerne.  After a river cruise, you will need a vacation – so use the post-cruise stay to catch your breath!

[sharkster77]

It was just a 15-20 minute cab ride from the ship in Basel to the train staition, then a one hour train ride to Lucerne--we were there by lunchtime.  Enjoyed 2.5 glorious days in Lucerne, then another easy 1 hour train to Zurich airport--train station is in the terminal.  A plus was sending unneeded luggage from Basel station to Zurich airport train station--didn't have to schlep all our bags that weren't needed while in Lucerne.  Lucerne was very very pretty.

[AnhaltER1960]

8 hours ago, cruisinlawn said:

We have a small amount of flexibility so any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks for any input. Enjoy.

 

Absolutely doable, your plan. Distances in Switzerland are short and train connections are excellent, as others have pointed out already. So it is basically up to your interests, if you want to have more nature (=Alps) or more culture:  Basel does have splendid museums. Fondation Beyeler with its collection of modern art and changing exibitions in the suburb of Riehen (easy tramride from Basel city centre) alone is worth half a day.

 

Dont overdo your pre-cruise programme - the eastbound jetlag (America to Europe) is much worse than the westbound jetlag. You will be tired.

[cruisinlawn]

Thanks for the quick replies. You are correct, though I did indicate we were going to do as much as possible in Amsterdam, we do plan on keeping low key on the Saturday arrival. Not as young as we once were so the go, go, go on arrival will be limited if at all.

 

It seems from these replies along with other searches, Basel is largely about various museums and cultural aspects.  And apologies if my interpretation of Lucerne being the foothill to the Alps, I figure that'll be the closest we ever get to them so will plan to take it in.

 

Any other suggestions are certainly welcome. TIA, enjoy. 

[TMLAalum]

The Lucerne Tourist Bureau The Official Lucerne & Lake Lucerne Region Guide | Luzern.com offers daily English walking tours in season and twice weekly off-season for @20 CHF pp. I recall from our 2019 November visit to Lucerne that there is a discount available if you are staying in a Lucerne hotel. We enjoyed our tour and got an unexpected bonus when we stopped into the Jesuit Church and heard classical yodelers rehearsing for a noon "free" concert there. Their voices were so lovely we returned for the concert! The website I've linked is a trove of information, so enjoy browsing through it.

 

In addition to Mt. Pilatus, Rigi is also a very doable day trip from Lucerne. Since we've been to Rigi, Pilatus is on our itinerary for September 2023 post Rhine cruise. Here is a link to a very helpful website for planning your visit to Pilatus: Lucerne to Mt Pilatus: How to Get There & Best Way to Visit (fullsuitcase.com)

 

Our Avalon river cruise add-on to Lucerne is priced at twice of arranging our accommodations, dining at restaurants of our choosing, and deciding which day would work better for a trip to the mountain!

[Gourmet Gal]

Renting a car can give you more flexibility.   We drove from Basel to Lausanne for a couple of overnights then to Interlaken for an overnight then on to Lucerne.  We had fun stops all along the way…a cheese factory, a chocolate factory, WWII bunker and airstrip inside a mountain, etc...  Switzerland is so beautiful and their roads and tunnels are amazing.

[TMLAalum]

1 hour ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Renting a car can give you more flexibility.   We drove from Basel to Lausanne for a couple of overnights then to Interlaken for an overnight then on to Lucerne.  We had fun stops all along the way…a cheese factory, a chocolate factory, WWII bunker and airstrip inside a mountain, etc...  Switzerland is so beautiful and their roads and tunnels are amazing.

Agree, but with one concern about rental car in the heart of Lucerne-parking! We did not want to trust valet parking, which is typical for most of the Lucerne hotels. 
 

We instead stayed at Hotel Balm in Meggen. Free public transportation to Lucerne, free self parking, a lake view room and a delicious included breakfast!

 

For our 2023 visit, we will be traveling from Basel by train and staying at a Lucerne hotel within walking distance of the station. Easier to coordinate for our group of 12…….

[cruisinlawn]

Thanks to all, appreciate the feedback. Enjoy

[mapsd]

One thing I always recommend for Amsterdam, is that if you plan to visit the Anne Frank House, book your tickets the first day they're available (it used to be 45 days, now I believe they release an entire month on the first Tuesday of the preceding month).  

Without a ticket, you will waste a lot of time waiting in line.

Book the ticket that includes the introductory program.   Its worth it!

Edited December 15, 2021 by mapsd

[mapsd]

Agree with the others who suggest going straight to Lucerne.

There are a few tour companies that do a daytrip up Mt Pilates & returns via boat.

 

Mt Titlis, with its 360 degree gondola & a beautiful mountain lake, is another good choice for getting a taste of the Alps without travelling far.

[cruisinlawn]

Getting excited😄 Thank you!!

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 hours ago, mapsd said:

Lucerne.

There are a few tour companies that do a daytrip up Mt Pilatus & returns via boat.

You can book this right at the train station, with several variations (train vs boat with the cog railway on one side, cablecars on the other)

[cruisinlawn]

How does Stanserhorn Mtn compare to Pilatus? Would we get a similar experience with Stanserhorn?

[TMLAalum]

10 hours ago, cruisinlawn said:

How does Stanserhorn Mtn compare to Pilatus? Would we get a similar experience with Stanserhorn?

Thanks for enlightening me about this mountain! I googled it and from my brief peek, Stanserhorn appears to be easier to access from Lucerne than either Pilatus or Rigi. A major difference is that Stanserhorn has a revolving restaurant which are not features of the other two peaks. Though if you enjoy spinning, Titlis offers a revolving cable car!

[Psoque]

I know this may be a minority opinion, but we thought Basel has a lot to offer for a visit.  I agree that Lucerne and Zurich are also excellent places to visit, but we had a blast in Basel when we stayed there for three nights before our river cruise last month.  We especially enjoyed visiting the Kunstmusem (it is basically a complex of three museums), which is one of the most impressive art museums we have visited in Europe.  And it was great because it was not crowded at all.  

[WisRiver]

I will echo Psoque's recommendation for Basel.  In October, 2021 we spent three nights in Basel before boarding our Viking River cruise.  We stayed at the Hotel Basel near the Marketplatz.  When you stay in a hotel in Basel, you get a Basel card which gives you free rides on the tram and bus system.  https://www.basel.com/en/baselcard  Since Marketplatz is the hub for most public transport in Basel, you have quick, convenient tram rides to most of Basel.  Several times we rode out to the end of a line, explored the neighborhood, and rode the tram back.   We had excellent lunches at the both museum's restaurants.  

 

The Kunstmusem is great.  I would also recommend the Foundation Beyeler for a modern art collection. 

https://www.fondationbeyeler.ch/en/home 

The Beyeler is easily accessible by tram.  The Basel Card gives you an admissions discount at both Museums.  

 

We arrived in Basel by train from Paris and went from our hotel to the Viking river dock.  In both cases we took a taxi, since we did not want to carry our luggage.  Taxis are expensive.  Both trips cost us about 20 Euros for a 10 or 15 minute ride.  

 

Enjoy Basel.

[CPT Trips]

Definitely purchase tickets on line in advance for the Rijksmuseum and/or Van Gogh museum if you plan to visit them. We find that doing something relaxing outdoors after a transAtlantic flight really helps with jet lag; perhaps take a canal cruise on your arrival day.
 

You could always take the long way (a total travel time of about four hours) from Basel to Lucern by taking the train to Interlaken to have lunch and get a view of the Jungfrau, Mönch, and Eiger before journeying on to Lucern. That should satisfy your Alps urge. Your ship’s concierge/tour director ought to be able to assist you with travel arrangements all the way.

[sharkster77]

1 hour ago, CPT Trips said:

Definitely purchase tickets on line in advance for the Rijksmuseum and/or Van Gogh museum if you plan to visit them. We find that doing something relaxing outdoors after a transAtlantic flight really helps with jet lag; perhaps take a canal cruise on your arrival day.
 

You could always take the long way (a total travel time of about four hours) from Basel to Lucern by taking the train to Interlaken to have lunch and get a view of the Jungfrau, Mönch, and Eiger before journeying on to Lucern. That should satisfy your Alps urge. Your ship’s concierge/tour director ought to be able to assist you with travel arrangements all the way.

The nice thing about pre-purchasing tickest for the Rijksmuseum is that they are good for one year, can be used anytime once during that year.  So no worries about what day, pre- or post-cruise, you will go there.

[Psoque]

On 12/25/2021 at 11:55 AM, WisRiver said:

I will echo Psoque's recommendation for Basel.  In October, 2021 we spent three nights in Basel before boarding our Viking River cruise.  We stayed at the Hotel Basel near the Marketplatz.  When you stay in a hotel in Basel, you get a Basel card which gives you free rides on the tram and bus system.  https://www.basel.com/en/baselcard  Since Marketplatz is the hub for most public transport in Basel, you have quick, convenient tram rides to most of Basel.  Several times we rode out to the end of a line, explored the neighborhood, and rode the tram back.   We had excellent lunches at the both museum's restaurants.  

 

The Kunstmusem is great.  I would also recommend the Foundation Beyeler for a modern art collection. 

https://www.fondationbeyeler.ch/en/home 

The Beyeler is easily accessible by tram.  The Basel Card gives you an admissions discount at both Museums.  

 

We arrived in Basel by train from Paris and went from our hotel to the Viking river dock.  In both cases we took a taxi, since we did not want to carry our luggage.  Taxis are expensive.  Both trips cost us about 20 Euros for a 10 or 15 minute ride.  

 

Enjoy Basel.

We stayed at Hotel Basel also.  I thought the location was outstanding.