Best viking Europe River cruise and Rhine water issues?

[CounselorEllie]

We are trying to choose our first Viking River Cruise in Europe.  Staying with a smaller one in length.  

What is the best Viking River Cruise and Should I avoid Rhine in summer due to water level issues?

[twototravel]

@CounselorEllie A very popular route is Basel to Amsterdam on the Rhine. It is usually a 7-day cruise. We went in early May last year and had no problems with the water levels. There are many small cruiselines that do this route, so suggest checking out others besides Viking, unless you are positive that is who you want to go with. Water levels could be a problem any time of the year, either too low or too high, unless you pick a cruise on a river that only has locks with only high bridges. Look at the posts that keep track of the different river levels to look for trends.

[CDNPolar]

We absolutely loved the Douro River cruise on Viking.  We went in October and all the river banks were covered in vineyards and because it was Fall season, all the leaves on the vines were golds and reds, and orange in colour.

 

On the Douro, you only sail during daylight hours and this was a plus because you don't miss the multiple locks and the scenery that is so beautiful.

 

The River Ships are also only half the size - purpose built to fit the locks on this river - and this makes for a more intimate experience as well.

 

You spend a couple of nights in Lisbon to begin (Part of the cruise) and then do a day excursion from Lisbon to Porto where you board the ship on Day 3. 

 

It is not a concern that you only sail during the day because the ship really in essence does not move that far and you are only sailing for a short while, and that is either early or later in the day.

 

We would do this river cruise again we loved it so much.

 

See our video below. 

 

 

[pontac]

14 hours ago, CounselorEllie said:

We are trying to choose our first Viking River Cruise in Europe.  Staying with a smaller one in length.  

What is the best Viking River Cruise

 

There are no bad ones..... You'll enjoy whichever you pick. Assume the boat and service are the same and pick based on the excursions and places you moor. Check both directions as excursions can differ)

 

A bit more info from you about your desires and time of year you are considering would help...

 

Do you want to see countryside, do you prefer small old town and villages or big bustling cities, are you interested in trying local foods, are you interested in wine?

 

Our first Viking cruise was from Basel to Amsterdam, a cruise we repeated in 2023 which is a route many first timers do. I think scenery wise the opposite direction is better. This cruise might be more convenient for your air travel.

 

I loved the Rhone - between Lyon and Avignon, again a cruise we taken twice, once in each direction.

 

As @CDNPolar says, the Douro has splendid scenery, but I didn't enjoy the long coach ride from Lisbon to Porto and the flight back from Porto goes to Lisbon to connect with onward flight. But if you've not been to Lisbon before it's a great place to visit. (We had both been there many times before and would have preferred to fly straight to Porto).

 

If, like me, you're heavily into wine then the Bordeaux cruise will take you through those famous vineyards, but if you have no interest in wine then I'd not recommend it for your first cruise

Edited January 16 by pontac