Viking Amsterdam to Basel

Would love comments and/or reviews of the optional Koblenz Walking Tour. Thinking of doing this early October, water allowing.

I’m sure it’s great, all the Viking excursions are!

If you are thinking of skipping the included Marksburg castle tour because Viking describes it as “ strenuous”, you might want to view their video or Google some reviews. It does have some uphill walking and some stairs, and is slightly more aerobic than the other included tours on this cruise. However, Viking’s description greatly overplays the difficulty, in my opinion (and the opinion of several posters on this forum). On our cruise, a nonagenerian in the Slow Walkers group was able to do it.

By all means, do the Koblenz tour if you are more interested in it. But don’t be afraid of Marksburg if you would find it interesting. Unless you are in a wheelchair or use a walker, it should be doable.

Thanks for your reply Susan.

We have no fear, concern or problem with difficulty with respect to the Marksburg Castle tour. We have seen any number of similar castles during other European trips, especially recently in Croatia, so the Koblenz walking tour looks to be more appealing to us.

Right now the main concern is low water and the unhappy prospect of ship swaps and bus trips between ports on what will be our first river cruise though we have many ocean cruises under our belts.

When ocean cruising we usually go off and do independent touring either DIY or with a private guide but it seems given the nature of river cruising, and especially under the current low water circumstances, that will rarely, if ever, be an option on this cruise.

toseaornottosea,

I can understand that having seen many castles in Europe makes you wonder if you should see another one. A walking tour of an old city can sound more appealing then. From knowing the town as a land tourist I would still vote for Marksburg castle as it is an intact genuine castle (not a rebuilt one) and the view from the castle is great, even with low water and parched fields. Koblenz was much affected by WWII and the old town is rebuilt in many parts. Still, it has got some great history and and a nice air about it. You will find few Roman antiquities but many medieval buildings. And a nice beer garden (the beer is better than the food). As itinerary changes are not clear yet I am just tentatively suggesting you check with Viking if you can go to Ehrenbreitstein fortress as part of the town tour or even on your own. A couple of cruisers have mentioned the relatively high price for the tour and it sounds as if it could include more than just a 90 minute walk. The view is great over Deutsches Eck and the valley. Shopping in Koblenz is good and I suggest a walk onto the Balduin bridge to get a nice view of the fortress as the painter William Turner painted it, if you decide on the Koblenz tour.

notamermaid