Viking Rhine Getaway April 2025

[mommawest1]

We are 4 60ish yr old active couples going on our 1st cruise. We chose Rhine Getaway (A to B)in April because of its size, no children and great reputation. Although I have seen several posts, they are scattered and older. 

 

Want to hear from veteran travelers who have been on the particular cruise as to what are the absolute musts, your favorite meals, restaurants, excursions, plus those to avoid. We are planners and want to know the best excursions along with those we could skip or add on too. Thanks for your input. 

 

The Tupelo Crew

[pontac]

I last went on this cruise in 2022 and my review is here

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=687006 

 

And I've cruised on the Rhine several times.

 

As what is a 'must' for me might not be of the same interest to you, and vice versa, why not state what your interests are?

 

As it's your first river cruise, I'd recommend just going with the flow. Take the included excursions, look at the optional (extra cost) excursions and see if they are of particular interest, but doing a cruise is a full day and many people feel quite tired.

 

There's an optional excursion on day 4 to a restaurant in Rüdesheim. I've not been on it myself but feedback is that it's a bit touristy and that Rüdesheim is a small place so its easy to stroll there from the boat and dine in a restaurant that you choose and be among locals. And save money.

(but bear in mind that  there are traditional dishes as an option every evening plus unlimited wine/beer and one night you'll have a Taste of Germany with local dishes and beers. Already paid for in your fare.)

 

On Day 5 there's an optional tour to the Technic Museum. This is a short walk from the boat and it's easy to do on your own, there's a English language guide book and exhibits have English explanation boards. The Museum is plainly visible on Google Maps.

(see Day 3 of my Trip Report - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2939234-trip-report-rhine-and-mosel-discovery-viking-hild-25-april-1-may-2023

 

Day 7 is an included excursion the the Black Forest. I've been on it once, but I didn't go the next cruise which offered it . You drive to and through the forest and stop at a place where they make and sell cuckoo clocks, and there is a demonstration of  making a Black Forest Gateau.

 

Enjoy your cruise. I expect it'll be the first of many. Our first cruise, going with friends, was with Viking along the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam. We've now done 14 river cruises and are about to go on our 15th.

 

Edited June 16 by pontac

[Phutch9136]

Agree with pontac assessment. Use google maps to see how far some of the paid excursions are from the ship. Easy to enter location as Viking dock Vienna, for example, to Saltzburg. With traffic it can be a 2.5 hour commute each way. Viking buses are very quiet and comfortable. Ride up to the Black Forest was very scenic and I enjoyed the small hike we did. Skip the Rudesheim restaurant excursion! The food served to the group was inedible. While customers around us were ordering off the menu and getting fabulous dishes. Tiny town, go to the restaurant on your own reservation, you don’t need to be with the group. Ask Viking front desk to make reservations for you. Short pleasant walk. 

Be aware when description says “time on own” it’s very limited, they don’t want you to wander far from them. There’s nothing wrong with this scenario if that is your touring and mobility style. 

[mommawest1]

Thanks for your suggestions. Good to know about what we could skip and what we could do on our own. We are extending the cruise 2 extra days in Amsterdam, but at the mercy of Viking for picking our hotel. It will be during the Tulip season and would love any restaurant /activity suggestions. Can’t decide if we want to see the Anne Frank House (may be depressing)???

[dd57]

If you are going to be in Amsterdam at tulip season and you like flowers, I highly recommed checking out Keukenhof Garden.  You can take a bus to get there, or take tour.  It is capacity controlled with timed entry.  The flowering gardens are really beautiful.

[knoxclone]

If you are interested in the Anne Frank House, be advised you have to purchase tickets well in advance, and they are limited in numbers each day. 

 

Agree that a visit to Keukenhof is wonderful, even if you are not "into" gardening. I'm not, but ended up really enjoying the visit, There is also a small tulip museum just down the block from the Anne Frank House which give a quick over view of the tulip industry and its importance to the Dutch economy.  5 Euro entrance fee and worth it IMHO, especially if you don't make the trip to the Keukenhof. 

 

If Viking is still offering the WW2 tour in Colmar, I recommend it.

 

Regarding food - try  rijstafle - Very well known in Amsterdam  - it's Indonesian cuisine, basically a large number of small plates with such as items  curries, grilled, meats and vegetables and you make your own "rice bowl".  Best shared with with several people.  

[pontac]

@mommawest1 regarding  dinners in Rudesheim, have you seen the remarks and photo's about this in the Roll Call forum, here and following:

Rhine getaway Viking 2024 - Page 5 - Viking River Roll Calls - Cruise Critic Community

 

Regarding Anne Frank House: I went decades ago (before it became a major tourist attraction). If you have a particular interest in Anne Frank by all means go, but otherwise don't bother.

 

If you want to see tulips, then Keukenhof is a must. It's only open during the tulip season ( 20 March - 11 May in 2025) and you're guaranteed to see more tulips than you can dream of. See  https://keukenhof.nl/en/

 

The Tulip Museum in Amsterdam is free to enter the ground floor where it sells everything to do with tulips, including bulbs certified for USA & Canada. https://amsterdamtulipmuseum.com/

 

Restaurants: all types at all prices. To get most out of Rijsttafel the bigger the party the better as more dishes are supplied. I took Mrs P and for just the two of us it was rather underwhelming 

https://www.amsterdamfoodie.nl/amsterdam-food-guide/indonesian-restaurants-in-amsterdam-rijsttafel/

 

There are some old traditional Dutch food restaurants, of which the premier is d’Vijff Vlieghen - which translates rather unappealingly  as the Five Flies - you can read about it and see the menu here - https://www.vijffvlieghen.nl/en

 

When in Amsterdam I like going an Argentinian steak restaurant. There are now many lookalikes, but the original, with cowhide seats, is Gauchos which has several branches around town. I love their tender flavoursome  Argentinian steak and of course their Chimichurri sauce and their all Argentinian wine list. https://www.gauchosgrill.nl/en

 

[Phutch9136]

Amsterdam post stay 2021 we ate here. It was excellent and fun atmosphere 

https://www.loetje.nl/en/locations/amsterdam/

[mommawest1]

Oh my gosh, that looks delicious!

[mommawest1]

AMSTERDAM QUESTION:

 

We added the 2 days in Amsterdam on to our Rhine Getaway Cruise (Viking). They offer Ann Frank House & Tulip/Flower tour. Since we will need to adjust our sleeping pattern, shouldn’t we do the Flower tour on our second day (longer and more walking).

 

ALSO, is upgrading to the more expensive hotel worth it? 
thanks for your suggestions. They have been so helpful!

[Planning to cruise]

We are fairly active 70+ year olds.  We have done a number of river cruises, many (and now only) with Viking.  I think you will find they are a good choice.  We (I!) too are planners and I do much research before going anywhere.  We did the Viking Rhine Getaway AMS to Basel last year. 

 

We were happy to just eat on the ship.  No complaints.  We prefer to use time in ports to see the places rather than spend precious time in restaurants.  Lunch is often skipped when docked, when wandering ashore ‘coffee and cake’ or a light snack suffices.      

 

This is our experience of each port, what we did.  You interests may differ.  We are not interested in cheese making, wine tasting, war etc etc. but prefer to see the places, their art, architecture, history …  We did not do any bicycle tours, are not that active.  May I suggest that if you are a group of 8 you may not need to do the same thing throughout if interests differ?        

Having been to Amsterdam several times our pre extension was to the Hague.  No complaints, only praise for our Viking provided transfer and hotel.  Other than the transfer tour on the final day we skipped the included tours there preferring to do our own thing by visiting art galleries, a walk around and taking the tram to Delft.  The ship spent the first day of the cruise in AMS.  We spent it in the Rijksmuseum, having pre booked tickets and getting there by tram.  If it is your first visit, either do what interests you after researching or take one of the ships tours to suit.  I went to Anne Franks House many years ago when it was less commercialised.  Judging by the crowds outside now it looked to be chronically busy - I would agree with the view that unless you have a specific interest it may not be worth it.  We did the canal cruise as it was part of our transfer but I felt you didn't see much, the canals are low down giving limited views.           

Kinderdjik        a morning.  The choice is to do a tour or stay on board, it is not near anywhere.  We did the included walking tour.  It is an interesting sight, worth seeing.  After entering with the guide, thus not having to pay admission, it was not long before we went off on our own and saw more, returning later with the group.  The guide was too slow and uninteresting.      

 

Cologne           we did our own thing all day walking the city after researching what we wanted to see and working out a route.

 

Koblenz           we did the included walking tour.  It was Sunday morning, much was closed.   

 

Rudesheim      an evening call.  Had a quick walk around, found it very busy and touristy and returned to the ship.  As with other places on the Rhine, we had been decades ago when things were quieter.  The restaurants seem geared to the tourist market.    

 

Speyer            the ship is docked about a 15 min walk through parkland to the town.  We did our own walking tour of Speyer and its cathedral. 

We had been to Heidelberg.  It is an interesting place and of course you get to see more of Germany en route with the tour but whether a tour with lunch at the university is worth it, I’m not sure? 

 

Strasbourg      started off with the included tour which starts by touring the outskirts of the city before stopping in the centre to do the guided walk that finished by lunch time.  There, we soon broke away from the guide to do more on our own and returned to the ship later in the afternoon by shuttle bus.  When we are in Strasbourg again next year on a different Viking river itinerary we hope to see more of the European diplomatic area under our own steam, using trams.  Being from the UK that will of more interest to us than to Americans.    

 

Breisach          we did the Black Forest Tour.  A scenic drive through countryside and a visit to a wood working / cuckoo clock making centre.  Thought this one worthwhile.    

 

Basel   no sooner had we docked (outside Basel) than we were transferred to the airport.  Disappointing.  We saw nothing and were sorry that we had not arranged to stay for longer.  As we begin the next VRC there next year we have already booked a hotel in the city for a couple of nights to see the city on our own.   

[sboh]

 

“(but bear in mind that  there are traditional dishes as an option every evening plus unlimited wine/beer and one night you'll have a Taste of Germany with local dishes and beers. Already paid for in your fare.)”

“We were happy to just eat on the ship.  No complaints.  We prefer to usetime in ports to see the places rather than spend precious time inrestaurants.”
 

I agree with both these statements although my recent first ever Viking river cruise was from Provence to Lyon. Enjoyed the food onboard so much I did not eat in any restaurants except on my 2-day pre-extension in Aix. I did however enjoy buying snack type foods (nought, pink praline brioche, chocolate) in the towns we visited. Suggest eating on the ship and save your food budget for your extension in Amsterdam.

 

Also, I was in The Netherlands in April of 2022, loved Keukenhof and I’m not a gardener. Can’t imagine going during tulip season (and there’s many other types of flowers too) and not going there. It’s an experience.

[mommawest1]

Thanks for everyone’s help. It has been invaluable. I’ll share this with our group of 8!

[iwannacruz]

Thinking of taking this cruise in either Feb or March of 2025. Any thoughts on doing the Rhine cruise that time of year?

[Canal archive]

Apart from the possibility of cold and damp with the right mindset any cruise with any company at this time of year is doable. Enjoy!

[notamermaid]

The winter itinerary is a bit different in ports and excursions and I actually find it superior to the Rhine Getaway. Here is a sponsored trip review, but I would call it a fair assessment, gives a good overview: https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles/a-viking-rhine-river-cruise-in-winter

 

Check the dates carefully as you will hit German or Swiss Carnival depending on the week that you go in. You may like this or not, see if you would like to plan accordingly.

 

Agree with the cold and damp. And there is a small risk of flooding.

 

notamermaid

 

[ural guy]

10 hours ago, iwannacruz said:

Thinking of taking this cruise in either Feb or March of 2025. Any thoughts on doing the Rhine cruise that time of year?

We did this route late December.  Do you really dislike crowds?  These dates may work for you.

 

Do you like museums, or wandering through parks?  

 

You're from South Carolina? March days will be getting longer, still cold and potential 'grey' weather (no sun and yuk).   It can feel colder than the temperature as it is a wet cold.  Or you may get lucky, I was in the Alsace region of France mid March this year, and many trees were in bloom.

 

For my family, and others from even further north, this isn't asbig of a deal as it is worse at home. 40f and we may just have a lightjacket and hat on, scarf and gloves in a bag, at the ready.  All in what you're use to.

 

 

[knoxclone]

I travelled on AMA at the end of February this year. While the trip started off cloudy and grey in Amsterdam, with some spotty showers, it was never really "cold", as temps were in the 40F. And as we moved farther south, we ended up w 2 sunny days where we were exploring in short sleeves.  

 

Benefits of traveling in February/March included a lower pax number on the ship, (which in turn allowed for smaller tour groups, fewer children, uncrowded museums and other tourist attractions), but be please aware that in some of the smaller towns, some of the shops, smaller museums and restaurants had shorten hours or were closed after Christmas holidays and did not reopen until closer to Easter. However, the upside to that was on several of our excursions, the venues were opened specifically for our group.

 

The key is have a flexible attitude, and pack layers! 🙂  

[QueenofEverything]

You absolutely must make time in Amsterdam to visit Keukenhof.  It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  They plant 6-7 million bulbs every year, most of them tulips.  Also many daffodils and other beautiful flowers.  It is only open 8 weeks in the spring.  Google it but keep in mind the pictures don't do it justice.

[cruisinlawn]

Being you end in Basel, I suggest a post cruise stay in Lucerne. From there, take a day tour into the Alps. We did so to the Oberland region, one of the best tours we've ever taken to Mt Jungrau, "Top of Europe". Great trip and would go back if ever nearby again. Enjoy

[vacation44]

On 8/2/2024 at 9:47 AM, mommawest1 said:

 

ALSO, is upgrading to the more expensive hotel worth it? 
thanks for your suggestions. They have been so helpful!

We are in the very early planning stages for our first river boat cruise in the summer of 2026 and this thread has been very helpful.

 

Any feedback on upgrading the hotel that Viking usually uses?

[mommawest1]

We are doing a pre-excursion in Amsterdam early April and was wondering if the Viking hotel upgrade is worth it as well. 

[Kiwi-gal]

Thank you for this have found this very interesting and helpful.