Viking Rhine Getaway Itinerary: Our Day-by Day Experience from Amsterdam to Basel
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I took the Viking Rhine Getaway from Amsterdam to Basel on a multigenerational family trip in July 2026. Our Viking Rhine River Cruise itinerary included stops in the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland, with a mix of guided excursions and free time to explore on our own.
One of the things I appreciated about Viking was having an included excursion in each port, usually a morning walking tour. We took the included tour in every port, then used our free time to explore independently in the afternoons. This worked especially well for our multigenerational group: some of us continued exploring and taking photos while others returned to the ship to relax.
In this Viking Rhine Getaway itinerary, I’ll share what we did each day, what we saw in each port, and how we used our free time. If you’re considering this cruise, I hope our experience gives you a better idea of what a typical day on the Viking Rhine Getaway is actually like.
If you’re interested in my overall thoughts on the cruise, see my Viking Rhine Getaway review. I also wrote separately about our Viking ship swap due to low water levels, which affected part of this sailing.
Viking Rhine Getaway Itinerary at a Glance
Explore the Itinerary
Click a destination to jump to that day’s adventure.
Day | Destination | Included Excursion | What We Did on Our Own |
| 1 | Amsterdam | Embarkation | |
| 2 | Kinderdijk | Walking tour | Walked and photographed windmills |
| 3 | Cologne | Walking tour | Cologne Cathedral, Hohenzollern Bridge, KölnTriangle |
| 4 | Koblenz | Walking tour | Photography |
| Middle Rhine | *Boat tour | ||
| 5 | Speyer | Walking tour | Cathedral, Beer garden lunch |
| 6 | Strasbourg | Walking tour | Petite France, Place Kléber, Vauban Dam |
| 7 | Breisach & Black Forest | Black Forest excursion | Explored Breisach before excursion |
| 8 | Basel | Disembarkation | Continued to Switzerland |
*Note: Our July 2026 sailing was affected by low water levels on the Rhine, which resulted in a Viking ship swap and several itinerary changes. I’ve noted those changes throughout the article.
Day 1 — Amsterdam and Cruise Embarkation
My husband and I spent several days in Amsterdam before the cruise so we met the rest of our family members on the ship on embarkation day. There are no included tours in Amsterdam, although Viking does offer shore excursions, including an evening canal cruise.
Around midday, we had the option to drop off our luggage and eat on the ship. We left our luggage at the base of the gangway with the luggage tags Viking mailed to us before we left home. Although our cabins weren’t available until the afternoon, our luggage was already inside our cabin when we arrived.
Our family was content to meet up, have a meal, and enjoy the Amsterdam sunset from the bow of the ship. We could have explored Amsterdam on our own that afternoon, but since my husband and I had already spent several days in the city, we were happy to settle in and enjoy the ship.
Day 2 — Kinderdijk: Windmills and Time to Explore
📍Destination: Kinderdijk, Netherlands
🎟️Included Excursion: Walking tour of windmills
🧭Exploring on Our Own: Photography of windmills
Viking’s Included Kinderdijk Walking Tour
When I woke up the next morning and saw that we were in port, I rushed up to the sundeck to get my first glimpse of the windmills from the ship. With the canals reflecting the windmills, the scene was so picture-perfect that I couldn’t wait to get off the ship and start exploring!
Viking provides each passenger with a QuietVox listening device, which allows you to hear your guide during the walking tour. After our group found our guide, we set off on our approximately two-hour walking tour.
Kinderdijk is home to 19 historic windmills, and our tour included a visit to Museummolen Nederwaard. We were able to tour the inside of the windmill and watch the miller and his wife put the sails out on the windmill’s arms.
Exploring Kinderdijk on Our Own
After the tour, I walked and took photos while the rest of our group headed back to the visitor center.
I wasn’t particularly interested in spending our limited time in the gift shop, so while the others browsed, I took advantage of the opportunity to explore a little farther and take more photos. It was so peaceful walking along this UNESCO World Heritage Site, with several locals out jogging or pushing strollers.
Day 3 — Cologne: Cathedral, the Hohenzollern Bridge and KölnTriangle
📍Destination: Cologne, Germany
🎟️Included Excursion: Cologne walking tour
🧭Exploring on Our Own: Cologne Cathedral, Hohenzollern Bridge, KölnTriangle
Viking’s Included Cologne Walking Tour
The included Viking tour in Cologne was a walking tour that took us through the historic part of the city and past the famous Cologne Cathedral. Along the way, we learned about Stolpersteine, or “stumbling stones,” placed throughout the city.
These small, brass-covered plates are set into the cobblestones and commemorate individual victims of Nazi persecution. Each one is inscribed with the name of a person who was killed or persecuted by the Nazis. Seeing them throughout the city was a sobering reminder of Germany’s past.
Exploring Cologne on Our Own
After the walking tour, our entire family group bought tickets to see the interior of Cologne Cathedral. The cathedral is enormous, with beautiful stained-glass windows and the famous Shrine of the Three Kings, which is traditionally believed to contain the remains of the three Magi who brought gifts to Jesus after his birth.
The Gothic cathedral has a grimy, blackened exterior from centuries of pollution. The soft sandstone is difficult to clean, so much of the exterior remains darkened.
At this point, some of our family members were ready to take the Viking shuttle back to the ship, so our group split up. My husband and I decided to keep exploring Cologne on our own.
Our Viking ship was staying in Cologne overnight, but the last shuttle back to the ship ran around dinner time. If you wanted to stay in the city later, you would need to make your own way back to the ship.
We walked across the iconic Hohenzollern Bridge, which connects the area around Cologne Cathedral with the other side of the Rhine River. The bridge carries trains and pedestrians but no cars, and its pedestrian walkway is covered with thousands of love locks.
On the other side of the bridge is KölnTriangle, a high-rise building with an observation deck offering fantastic views across Cologne and the Rhine. After spending so much time at street level, it was fun to see the city from above.
A Change of Plans: Our Viking Ship Swap
While we were exploring Cologne, we learned that we would be doing a ship swap the following day because of low water levels on the Rhine. That meant we needed to get packed up and place our luggage outside our cabin doors the next morning.
The ship swap ended up being one of the most unexpected parts of our Viking Rhine River Cruise. I explain exactly what happened and what the process was like in my Viking Rhine River Cruise ship swap experience article.
Day 4 — Koblenz and the Middle Rhine
📍Destination: Koblenz, Germany/Middle Rhine cruising
🎟️Included Excursion: Historic Koblenz walking tour
🧭Exploring on Our Own: Photography, beer tasting, pastries
Viking’s Included Koblenz Walking Tour
Our included walking tour of Koblenz focused on the historic Old Town (Altstadt), where we wandered through narrow streets and admired the historic architecture. We visited Jesuit Square and saw a cheeky spitting fountain nearby.
Koblenz sits where the Rhine and Moselle Rivers meet, making it an important location along the Rhine. The city is also overlooked by Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, which sits high on the hill across the river.
Exploring Koblenz on Our Own
The itinerary for this day had been changed because of our Viking ship swap, so we had only about half an hour to explore Koblenz after the walking tour.
I decided to use my limited time to walk around and take photographs, while the rest of our group found a café where they could relax and sample a local pilsner and pastries.
It wasn’t nearly enough time to see much of Koblenz, but I was happy to have a little time to wander on my own and take pictures.
Cruising the Middle Rhine by Shallow-Draft Boat
Because of the low water levels on the Rhine, our larger Viking ship couldn’t cruise this section of the river. Instead, we traveled by bus for about an hour before transferring to a shallow-draft boat for a cruise along the Middle Rhine between Oberwesel and Bingen.
I really enjoyed this part of the cruise. The Middle Rhine is known for its dramatic scenery, vineyards, hilltop castles, and historic villages, and seeing the castles from the river was a beautiful way to experience this stretch of the Rhine.
One of the most interesting castles we passed was Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, which sits on a small island in the middle of the Rhine. Its unusual location allowed it to function as a toll castle, with a chain that could be raised across the river to collect tolls from passing boats.
We also passed Rheinstein Castle, perched dramatically above the river. Our tour director shared some of the castle’s darker history, including its use of an iron cage for public punishment during the medieval period.
Although this wasn’t how we’d expected to experience the Middle Rhine, I didn’t mind seeing this stretch from a smaller boat. The scenery was beautiful, although the boat was more crowded than our Viking ship, which made finding a good spot for photos a little more challenging.
Day 5 — Speyer: Cathedral and a Beer Garden Lunch
📍Destination: Speyer, Germany
🎟️Included Excursion: Speyer walking tour
🧭Exploring on Our Own: Speyer Cathedral, beer garden lunch
Viking’s Included Speyer Walking Tour
Because of the low water levels and our Viking ship swap, we could no longer reach Speyer directly by ship, so Viking arranged buses to take us there for the included walking tour. My husband and I decided to go, while the rest of our family enjoyed a slower-paced day on the ship.
Our walking tour took us through the small city of Speyer, along the main street and around the impressive red sandstone cathedral. Speyer has a fascinating religious history, including its important role in the Protestant Reformation and the remains of a medieval Jewish synagogue.
Exploring Speyer on Our Own
After the walking tour, my husband and I went inside Speyer Cathedral. At the time of our visit, admission to the cathedral was free, although there was an additional fee to visit the crypt and climb the tower.
Compared with some of the more ornate cathedrals we’d visited on our trip, Speyer Cathedral has a simpler interior and less stained glass. What really stood out to me was the beautiful red sandstone construction and the sheer size of the Romanesque cathedral.
After exploring the cathedral, we stopped at the nearby Domhof Biergarten for lunch. We enjoyed a very German meal of sausage, pretzels, and Spätzle before walking along the main street and stopping for a scoop of ice cream.
A Local Gives Us a Special Look Inside the Cathedral
As we were heading back to meet our tour guide, a local man noticed us taking photographs outside the cathedral and asked if we’d like to see something inside.
He walked us back into the cathedral and pointed out a giant window located beneath the organ that overlooks the interior of the church. Had we had more time, we could have climbed the stairs to get a closer look and see the cathedral from above.
It was an unexpected little moment, but one that really stood out to me. I loved seeing how proud local people are of Speyer’s history and heritage — and how willing this man was to share a small piece of it with visitors.
Day 6 — Strasbourg: Cathedral, Petite France, and the Vauban Dam
📍Destination: Strasbourg, France
🎟️Included Excursion: Strasbourg Highlights walking tour
🧭Exploring on Our Own: Petite France, Vauban Dam
Viking’s Included Strasbourg Walking Tour
Our walking tour was aptly named “Strasbourg Highlights.” This picturesque city is a mix of French and German architecture, history, and culture. Cars aren’t allowed in much of the historic city center, so it was about a 15-minute walk from where our shuttle dropped us off to the area where the tour began.
Our guide took us through Petite France, a historic neighborhood known for its canals and half-timbered houses, and the former Tanners’ Quarter. We also passed through Place Kléber before arriving at the impressive Strasbourg Cathedral.
Our guide was able to accompany us inside the cathedral and point out some of its most interesting features, including the intricate astronomical clock. The cathedral was one of the highlights of the walking tour and I was grateful we had the opportunity to go inside.
Our entire family group headed back to the ship (a 20-minute shuttle ride) for lunch, then my husband and I headed back into Strasbourg to explore.
Exploring Strasbourg on Our Own
We wandered through some of the smaller streets and alleys before circling back around Strasbourg Cathedral. We took more time to appreciate the architectural details, including the cathedral’s impressive flying buttresses.
Of course, I also made my husband stop for more photos of the beautiful half-timbered houses along the canals in Petite France. The charming timber-framed buildings and colorful flower boxes made this one of my favorite areas in Strasbourg to photograph.
From Petite France, we walked to Vauban Dam (Barrage Vauban), a historic defensive structure dating to the late 1600s. Built as part of Strasbourg’s fortifications, the dam could be used to raise the level of the river and flood the area around the city during an attack.
Today, the top of the Vauban Dam is a panoramic terrace where you can walk across and enjoy excellent views of Petite France and the Ponts Couverts (the “covered bridges,” which ironically are no longer covered). From above, you get a great perspective of the canals, historic buildings, and beautiful flower boxes that make this part of Strasbourg so photogenic.
For me, the combination of historic architecture, canals, and colorful details made Strasbourg one of the most enjoyable stops on our Rhine River cruise for photography.
Day 7 — Breisach and the Black Forest
📍Destination: Breisach, Germany, and the Black Forest
🎟️Included Excursion: The Black Forest (scenic drive and demonstrations)
🧭Exploring on Our Own: Breisach Cathedral, explore town
Exploring Breisach Before Our Excursion
We woke up docked in the small town of Breisach, Germany, with time to explore before our afternoon excursion.
My husband and I climbed the steep, winding hill to St. Stephen’s Minster, Breisach’s cathedral. The church has two very different towers—one Gothic and the other Romanesque—as well as an enormous fresco depicting the Last Judgment.
Our cruise director had joked that Breisach has eight ice cream shops within its two main historic streets, so I took that as a challenge to find myself a scoop (or two 😁).
Black Forest Excursion
After lunch we headed out for our Viking included excursion to the Black Forest. The scenic drive took us through small villages, rolling green hills, and dense forests before arriving at Hofgut Sternen, a historic hotel and tourist destination in the Black Forest.
We had several activities to choose from, including an easy forest hike, a cuckoo clock demonstration, a glass-blowing demonstration, and a lesson on making Black Forest cake.
At this point, our family group split up. My husband and I chose the forest hike, while the rest of our family watched the cuckoo clock demonstration and browsed the gift shop.
One thing I appreciated about traveling as a multigenerational family was that we didn’t have to do every activity together. We could see the main sites as a group, then split up when we had different interests. The Black Forest excursion was a perfect example of how this worked for us — and one of the things I enjoyed most about cruising with our family.
Day 8 — Basel
📍Destination: Basel, Switzerland
🧭Exploring on Our Own: Train to Lucerne
On our final morning, we arrived in Basel, Switzerland and disembarked from the ship. Viking offered to arrange transfers for passengers who needed them, but since we were continuing on to Lucerne for the next leg of our trip, we decided to arrange our own transportation to the train station.
In hindsight, we should have had Viking arrange our transfer. With six adults and eight suitcases, finding an Uber large enough for all of us was more difficult than expected.
What We Learned From Our Viking Rhine River Cruise
The Included Excursions Gave Us a Good Starting Point
I really liked the convenience and value of having the included excursions built into the price of our cruise. I also enjoy walking tours as a way to get acquainted with a new city, so the included tours were a great fit for my husband and me.
That said, some of the walking tours were more strenuous than some members of our family expected. If you’re traveling with people who have mobility concerns or simply don’t enjoy a lot of walking, I recommend reading the excursion descriptions carefully before your cruise. I talk more about this in my Viking Rhine River Cruise Review.
We Still Had Plenty of Time to Explore on Our Own
One of my favorite things about the itinerary was the balance between organized tours and free time. Having roughly half the day devoted to a guided excursion and the other half available to explore on our own worked really well for us.
We could take the included tour to learn about each destination, then wander off on our own to take photographs, visit another attraction, stop for a meal, or simply explore at our own pace.
Traveling as a Multigenerational Group Gave Us Flexibility
Traveling with our family didn’t mean that we had to stay together all day. In fact, I think the flexibility of a river cruise worked particularly well for our multigenerational group.
We could start the day together, split up when people had different interests or energy levels, and meet up again later. Some family members were happy to relax on the ship while my husband and I explored a little longer in port. Other times, we all chose to participate in the same excursion.
River Cruise Schedules Can Change With Water Levels
One thing we learned on this cruise is that river conditions can affect your itinerary. Our July 2026 sailing was affected by low water levels on the Rhine, which resulted in a ship swap and changes to how we reached some of the destinations.
Although the changes weren’t what we had expected when we booked the cruise, Viking arranged buses and a shallow-draft boat so we could still visit the destinations and cruise the scenic Middle Rhine.
It’s worth keeping in mind that river cruising comes with some variables that ocean cruising doesn’t. Water levels can affect where a ship can travel, so your itinerary may occasionally need to be adjusted. In our case, I thought Viking did a good job finding alternatives that allowed us to experience the places we had come to see.
Final Thoughts on Our Viking Rhine Getaway Itinerary
Looking back, one of the things I liked most about this Viking Rhine Getaway itinerary was the balance. We took advantage of Viking’s included excursions at every stop, but we also had plenty of opportunities to wander, take photographs, grab a meal, or visit something that wasn’t part of the organized tour.
This was our first river cruise, and we really enjoyed the pace and ease of traveling this way. Having our transportation, lodging, meals, and excursions largely taken care of made it easy to focus on enjoying each destination.
And for our multigenerational family, the combination of structured activities and free time gave everyone the flexibility to make the trip their own.
Overall, this was a wonderful way to experience the Rhine, and I’d happily take another river cruise in the future.
If you’re considering the Viking Rhine Getaway, you can also read my Viking Rhine Getaway review for my overall impressions of the cruise, or our ship swap experience to see how low water levels affected our sailing.
