Is the Rhine (Amsterdam to Basel) a good cruise for River Cruise First Timers?

We are a group of three couples, all ocean cruisers who are ready to bite the bullet and try a river cruise. We all keep hemming and hawing and other ocean cruisrs jump to the front of the line, but we have collectively said we are ready for a river cruise!

That being said, we are thinking about the Rhine, Amsterdam to Basel eight day route. We think the two week cruises may be a tad long for our first river cruise, and the pre and post touring options are good in these visits.

Is this route good for seeing lovely sights and for touring during the day? Are there some ports I should be looking to have included? If other routes would be better for first timers, please advise. After we decide the route I will follow the advice I have seen on these boards about which line includes what to compare apples to apples.

Thanks!

My wife and I took our first river cruise down the Rhine with Uniworld on the SS Antoinette. We went from Amsterdam to Basel. It was the perfect amount of time. The towns and villages along the Rhine are fairy tale picture perfect. The stretch sailing on The Rhine of about 40 miles with castles draped on each side of the river is something special. In our opinion and many that we sailed with we were glad that we went from Amsterdam to Basel as we felt each day was better then the day before. We don't think we would have felt that way sailing the other direction. Many of the river cruise lines share the same stops along the way but there are variations. I would encourage you to get brochures from several of the companies to see where each stops and the excursions they provide. In my opinion some of the don't miss excursions are Marksburg Castle, Heidleberg, and the Alsatian wine villages. We did a pre cruise package in Amsterdam with Uniworld and felt it was worth the cost with the assigned guide, extra tours, and ease of travel. We did the Anne Frank House on our own and I ordered the tickets on line months in advance as the lines were several hours if you buy your tickest there. Decide what level of "luxury" you want and your budget then start looking at lines. Uniworld was truly all inclusive including tips, alcohol at all times, etc... I looked at both them and Viking when planning my trip and when I added up all of the inclusions, paid in advance early enough for the early booking discount I found the prices quite close. We loved everything about the experience and encourage you to take the plunge

The itinerary IMO is a nice variety of larger cities and smaller towns and offers pretty scenery. I like that you get a small taste of 4 countries on this route without a ton of cruising time.

I totally agree that 7 nights is a good way to sample river cruising for the 1st time.

No one can tell you which ports you would enjoy the most or should not miss as this is a personal decision based on your interests.

Do your research to compare the offerings of the various lines you are considering.

We did Dresden to Basle with Viking a few years ago and enjoyed the trip which offered a good mix of cities/ towns to explore and, particularly on the later parts of the voyage, plenty of photo opportunities while on the ship. Various excursions were included and the one to Heidleberg was not to be missed.

Amsterdam is somewhere we have explored on our own on foot and by bicycle.

I did the Rhine for my first river cruise and I loved it. I did from Basel to Amsterdam - with the current. Pay attention to time in the ports depending on the direction you are travelling. For Rudesheim - we had a full day here - overnighted, and then cruised the Rhine Gorge the next morning. For cruises coming from Amsterdam to Basel, they cruise the Rhine gorge in the morning, then only have an afternoon in Rudesheim. There are other ports were the timing is different as well depending on direction of travel.

For all history buffs, the Rhine is the perfect introduction to river cruising. The section between Cologne and Mainz is dotted with castles left and right. You also get to see some of the cities that were power houses in the past: Basel, Strasbourg, Cologne and Amsterdam. And then, there is the wine!

I like historical novels set in the places I visit. Unfortunately, not many have been translated into English, but one of them is Death and The Devil by Frank Schaetzing. It is a mystery set in Cologne. Honore de Balzac's novella The Red Inn is also set on the river, in a town called Andernach. NOT the movie!

Rhine was our very first river cruise and it remains my favorite! I'm up to 6 now with 2 more booked. Be prepared, after all that ocean cruising (which I also love) you are going to be hooked on river cruising. Of course, the posters on this site are probably not the most unbiased to ask! :D

Eboracum_d, curious about your cruise Dresden-Basel with Viking. Looks like an interesting trip. Care to share more info?

We did Dresden to Basle with Viking a few years ago and enjoyed the trip which offered a good mix of cities/ towns to explore and, particularly on the later parts of the voyage, plenty of photo opportunities while on the ship. Various excursions were included and the one to Heidleberg was not to be missed.

 

Amsterdam is somewhere we have explored on our own on foot and by bicycle.

What was the itinerary? How much was by bus?

We are a group of three couples, all ocean cruisers who are ready to bite the bullet and try a river cruise. We all keep hemming and hawing and other ocean cruisrs jump to the front of the line, but we have collectively said we are ready for a river cruise!

 

That being said, we are thinking about the Rhine, Amsterdam to Basel eight day route. We think the two week cruises may be a tad long for our first river cruise, and the pre and post touring options are good in these visits.

 

Is this route good for seeing lovely sights and for touring during the day? Are there some ports I should be looking to have included? If other routes would be better for first timers, please advise. After we decide the route I will follow the advice I have seen on these boards about which line includes what to compare apples to apples.

 

Thanks!

That's a great route for a first time river cruise. It's the stretch likely to have good water levels and have the boat get you through the entire itinerary.

Odds are you will wish you had booked a longer tour . . . but then again a few people did not enjoy their river cruise. Hopefully you will not be in the later group.

I agree that this itinerary is a great introduction to river cruising, and that going from Amsterdam to Basel lets the scenery and the sightseeing get better each day. Ending at Basel lets you tack on a few days in Switzerland -- Lucerne was a real highlight for us and Zurich is interesting too -- so that dreaded evening when you have to pack on the boat is tempered by the thought that the trip isn't over!

What was the itinerary? How much was by bus?

We did it several years ago as an add on to a holiday in Switzerland. The only use of a coach was for the trip to Heidleburg and an evening trip to a vineyard.

Like the majority of people replying, my first river cruise was last year (September) on Scenic Tours Amsterdam to Basel; with four day post cruise tour in Switzerland. Loved every minute of it!

Wow, another reason to love Cruise Critic, what great inputs! Thanks!

Now for the fun part, researching and finding the one that suits us best. :D

Sunsetbeachgal, I am just up the road from you in the Supply area :D. This itinerary is a good one. Also the Rhine and Mosel combined is very scenic.

We did it several years ago as an add on to a holiday in Switzerland. The only use of a coach was for the trip to Heidleburg and an evening trip to a vineyard.

How did they get from the Elbe to the Rhein?

Sunsetbeachgal, I am just up the road from you in the Supply area :D. This itinerary is a good one. Also the Rhine and Mosel combined is very scenic.

Hi neighbor! I have enjoyed reading many of your posts on other threads...very helpful!

See that you have done a variety of river cruise lines...do you have any recommendations or preferences?

There is a great little book called Castles along the Rhine that has pictures and the history of the castles. I think you can find it on Amazon or eBay.

If you go to our website, we have a story and pictures of our cruise up the Rhine. We are always happy to answer any questions.

Everyone has their favorite cruise line, as in ocean cruises. Our preference is Vantage, but others like Viking, Uniworld, AMA, and Tauck. It is a function of your personal preferences and your budget.

As an example, if you do not drink wine, all inclusive packages would not interest you.

There is a great little book called Castles along the Rhine that has pictures and the history of the castles. I think you can find it on Amazon or eBay.

If you go to our website, we have a story and pictures of our cruise up the Rhine. We are always happy to answer any questions.

Everyone has their favorite cruise line, as in ocean cruises. Our preference is Vantage, but others like Viking, Uniworld, AMA, and Tauck. It is a function of your personal preferences and your budget.

As an example, if you do not drink wine, all inclusive packages would not interest you.

Actually, most river cruise lines include wine and beer at lunch and dinner. If you don't drink much outside of meal times, that's when the all-inclusive lines are charging for something you won't use.

Like many other cruise critic members, I am a passionate travel planner. In preparation for our Viking Rhine Getaway cruise next year I have been compiling planning notes from info gleaned from guidebooks, websites, travel forums including cc. My notes continue to develop until the trip is over. I have shared segments of those planning notes on our 2015 Roll Call. If it would be of use and you are interested in having a look at the notes or links to info I have found useful for the Rhine planning, you are welcome to view on my share site. https://sharemytraveladventures.shutterfly.com/rhinerivercruise2015

I also second the recommendation to get the small Castles of the Rhine booklet as it is a beautiful photo book of all the castles with short descriptions. There are also a couple of fantastic recent photo reviews of the Rhine itinerary on this river cruise forum by JPalbany, cruiseinskier, and mimmy that should convince you of the Rhine itinerary if you are not already sold on it.

Hi neighbor! I have enjoyed reading many of your posts on other threads...very helpful!

 

See that you have done a variety of river cruise lines...do you have any recommendations or preferences?

Thanks 😊. If you have any specific questions that are not answered here, send a PM to me at h2otstr at a o l dot com.

Our first river cruise was the Rhine cruise with Uniworld. I have to agree with youngDubFan. Even the ships captain said the cruise from Basel to Amsterdam is better because you get more time in port. You have to decide which is more important to you, more time to see the ports or the order you see them in. If you are experienced ocean cruisers, I can't imagine that you won't love a river cruise. I would recommend that you book both the pre and post extentions (if time and finances permit). We did the post in Amsterdam, which was wonderful, but didn't do the pre extention and still regret not doing it. Do your homework and decide what will work best for you.

Our first river cruise was the Rhine cruise with Uniworld. I have to agree with youngDubFan. Even the ships captain said the cruise from Basel to Amsterdam is better because you get more time in port. You have to decide which is more important to you, more time to see the ports or the order you see them in. If you are experienced ocean cruisers, I can't imagine that you won't love a river cruise. I would recommend that you book both the pre and post extentions (if time and finances permit). We did the post in Amsterdam, which was wonderful, but didn't do the pre extention and still regret not doing it. Do your homework and decide what will work best for you.

We are doing Basel to Amsterdam for this reason and also because flights home from AMS are much easier for us than from Basel.

You might also consider the Paris to Basel itinerary offered by a couple of cruise lines. Viking will begin it next year (2015) as the Rhine Rhapsody. Assuming that you start in Paris, you'll either bus or train to Luxembourg, and from there you'll cruise down the Moselle and then do the Rhine to Basel.

We think that the Moselle valley is the most beautiful stretch of river in Europe, followed by the middle Rhine where you see all the castles. Trier has great Roman ruins, and the little towns on the Moselle are very charming.

FuelScience

We did our first river cruise earlier this year and we did choose the Rhine. if interested we have a photo review which can be accessed in my signature below. Happy planning!