My husband and I were fortunate to experience Viking’s eight-day ‘Rhine Getaway’ river journey, travelling from the beautiful Swiss city of Basel to the vibrant Dutch capital of Amsterdam.
For travellers considering their first river cruise, or those looking to explore Europe in a relaxed and comfortable way, it offers the perfect blend of history, culture, natural beauty and effortless travel.
The journey proved to be far more than simply a holiday, providing an immersive experience through some of Europe’s most beautiful landscapes and fascinating historic cities.
This was our third Viking river cruise, having done Lyon to Avignon in 2018 and the Amsterdam to Budapest ‘Grand European Tour’ in 2025, and I am pleased to report that we experienced the same level of service excellence as we had enjoyed on our previous voyages.
Embarking aboard the Viking Mani in Basel was seamless. The city’s excellent tram network delivered us within a short 100m downhill walk to the St Johann embarkation dock.
The typically bright red Viking tent was hard to miss, as was the big smile and friendly greeting from the young man checking in our bags.
Walking aboard the Viking Mani really felt like coming home. The cruise company’s Longships share a consistent design and layout, creating a comforting sense of familiarity to the repeat traveller or “Viking Explorer”.
While our luggage was being delivered to our stateroom, we enjoyed a delicious buffet luncheon in the comfortable, bright and beautifully furnished restaurant.
The staff were friendly and attentive, introducing themselves and asking our names. We quickly discovered that they only needed to meet us once before greeting us by name for the rest of the journey; customer service at its finest.
Our home for the journey was the Standard Stateroom with a fixed window just above river level. It was spacious for a river cruise ship and offered well thought out storage areas, allowing us to easily unpack for the voyage.
As the ship has many outdoor areas, including the wonderful Aquavit Terrace and length of the ship sundeck with ample seating, we did not feel the need for a balcony.
Shortly after departing Basel, we attended a Welcome Aboard presentation in the ship’s spacious lounge, where Morgan, our cruise director, outlined the journey ahead while the ever-present staff ensured everyone was well looked after.
We decided to utilise the Silver Spirits Beverage Package which, at $41 per person per day, was excellent value and gave us the freedom to enjoy a drink when it suited us.
The standard beer and wine with lunch and dinner are certainly an excellent inclusion, however being able to enjoy a sommelier’s selected wine (or two) with dinner was very nice indeed.
All the meals onboard were of a very high standard, with an expansive menu featuring the Always Available Classics and a daily variation of items, usually themed on the region being visited.
The German-themed dinner after leaving Strasbourg on day three was a big hit, especially with the free-flowing schnapps and Kolsch beer.
The staff certainly want the passengers to enjoy themselves and deliver the right blend of friendly yet elegant service.
A huge highlight of this itinerary is the day spent cruising through the memorable Middle Rhine.
The morning that we did this was a brisk six degrees Celsius, however the staff were on hand with blankets and a warming drink to ensure the passengers were looked after.
The incredible views of ancient castles, beautiful German villages and churches were complemented by expert and informative commentary.
The experiences and highlights of the towns and destinations visited are almost too many to mention.
Viking’s included excursions in every port, typically centred around a guided walking tour, were very good and there was also a variety of optional excursions to choose from.
We went on the ‘Flavors of Alsace’ optional excursion in Strasbourg and it was certainly well worth the money.
If you want to immerse yourself in a town’s history via a journey through its culinary culture, this is an excursion for you. Thoroughly enjoyable, informative and memorable.
In most of the towns visited there is sufficient time to explore on your own, which we did on several occasions.
The cable car up to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in the historic town of Koblenz was truly spectacular. The Fortress itself was a wonder to behold but the view across the town encompassing both the Rhine and Moselle Rivers was simply amazing.
Additionally, a walk through the quaint German town of Rudesheim after visiting Speyer in the morning is another must-do.
We were there in the late afternoon and wandered the cobblestone backstreets feeling like we were in a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Their stories did not involve a visit to one of the town’s friendly biergartens…but ours did!
The combination of spectacular scenery, carefully planned excursions, outstanding dining and exceptional service created an experience we will remember for many years.
As we disembarked in Amsterdam, we left with wonderful memories, countless photographs and a strong desire to return for another Viking river adventure.
