Amsterdam-Basel or Basel-Amsterdam?

[hiccups]

We are considering our first river cruise, and based on some posts here, thought the Amsterdam-Basel route might be a good place to start. I read one post that preferred the Basel-Amsterdam route to Amsterdam-Basel, and I wondered if others might have some input. Thank you!

[papa B me]

My wife and I took Amsterdam to Basel this past July. We are glad we chose that direction. We felt that each stop along the way was better then the last going that direction. I believe that those who prefer coming from Basel feel that because the river is faster from that direction then they spend a little more time in some ports. But I vote for Amsterdam to Basel.

[rothbury]

Not sure if you were doing a pre-cruise or post-cruise but I'd base my decision somewhat on that. If you are not doing a pre or post cruise it depends on whether you want to see Basel or Amsterdam. Most international flights fly overnight getting you into your destination early. This past December we arrived in Amsterdam at 7AM. By the time we got to the ship and dropped luggage it was probably 9AM. That gave us pretty much the entire day to explore Amsterdam. When we arrived in Basel we left the boat early. Around 9AM. Some people actually left as early as about 4AM or 5AM. The only thing we saw of Basel was from the window of the bus on the way to the airport which at most was 30 minutes.

 

As far as more or less time in ports I can't really judge that. From Amsterdam to Basel you are going against the flow of the river. The only thing I can see that doing is using more fuel to fight the current. We had plenty of time in each port to do and see what we wanted to. The only drawback we experienced is where the mooring pontoons are sometimes. I guess they are on a first come, first serve basis and we were moored too far from some town centers. I doubt that has anything to do with which direction the boat is traveling in though.

[Bet & Peg]

I think on this board you'll find some strong thoughts about your question! We did a Viking cruise on the Rhine River - Rhine Getaway - in early December, 2012. We went from Basel to Amsterdam and just loved it! And, while we both completely enjoyed the CMS, I'd recommend this cruise any time of year!

 

We had a reason for going BtoA. Because of the timing - cruise left Dec 7th - we weren't going to spend extended time pre/post in Europe but did want a day to over-come travel-lag. We'd been to Amsterdam 3x and love it but decided we wanted to see Basel CMS so we spent 2 nights there pre-trip and then flew home the day the cruise ended. In the end, I was very happy we decided on BtoA. While we loved the Basel CMS, once on the River, I felt the markets got better as we went north - Cologne (Koln) was just fabulous! I think it would have been a let-down if we had been there first.

 

My advice would be to really read very carefully the itinerary of the cruise in each direction. The "highlight" of the Rhine River cruise is sailing through the area with the castles so either direction is calculated to afford passengers the best daytime viewing. We sailed this area in the morning, I think AtoB might be after lunch. Because of this each direction has a slightly altered itinerary.

 

So ask advice here on the boards about the cruise and maybe even specific cities - but in the end only YOU can choose what you really want to see/do and therefore which direction would be better for you!!

 

Have a GREAT cruise!!!

[YoungDubFan]

I did Basel to Amsterdam. I had read that if you have bad weather, you will be going opposite the weather, so you may only have 1 day of bad weather. If you are going AtoB, you could have bad weather for several days. We went in 1 day early and flew into Zurich. We had 1 1/2 days to explore Zurich before boarding the ship. The last day of the cruise is actually spent in AMS so we had an entire day of touring / exploring. I thought this was the best of both worlds. Going BtoA - you have a full day in Rudesheim, going AtoB, you only have 1/2 day. As others have mentioned, look at port times in each city for each direction. It may help make your decision.

[hiccups]

Where can I find information on port departures? On the various cruise line websites I only see day itineraries.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Where can I find information on port departures? On the various cruise line websites I only see day itineraries.

 

You won't find departure times listed by the hour, but e.g. on AMA's website there is a tab "Detailed Itinerary" that lists departures as "afternoon," "late tonight," etc. BTW on our AMA Amsterdam to Basel cruise we did the Rhine Gorge in the morning, same as FotoPeg's experience going the other way.

[caviargal]

We did Rhine Gorge in the afternoon Basel to Amsterdam. It was clear and sunny in December and perfect!

[peterdkiwi]

Hiccups

Our first River Cruise was with Avalon, Basel to Amsterdam, this was picked for many reasons including hours of research on CC, this included items already mentions on this thread

 

Timing of port visits

Time in ports

Towns visited

Weather patterns

Pre cruise time at Lake Lucerne

Avalon free transfer to Basel from Movenpick at Zurich

Easy of transfer to Airport at end of Cruise as we were not doing any post cruise touring.

 

If you would like daily newsletters with gives all port times etc for Avalon (these vary greatly with other cruise lines and can't be used as a guide) please email me at

pad62@xtra.co.nz

We thoroughly enjoyed Avalon and every aspect of this cruise, have cruised again with Avalon as they provide a faultless relaxing 8 days

Enjoy

Peter

[SteveU]

My wife and I will be doing this itinerary on the AmaCerto this coming September. After deciding on the Rhine and AMA, we decided to travel Basel-to-Amsterdam. We will be spending three nights pre-cruise in Lucerne/Basel on our own, then one night post in Amsterdam. We thought Amsterdam might be a good place to wind down a bit before heading home.

 

After looking at AMA's detailed itineraries posted on their web site, it looks like they spend more overnights in port going this direction as compared to starting in Amsterdam. We are thinking this may give us a few more opportunities for port town dinners, evening trips into town, etc. Not sure if this is true of all cruise lines since not all provide as much info on sailing times.

 

I'm sure either direction is great - just our thoughts.......

[caviargal]

My wife and I will be doing this itinerary on the AmaCerto this coming September. After deciding on the Rhine and AMA, we decided to travel Basel-to-Amsterdam. We will be spending three nights pre-cruise in Lucerne/Basel on our own, then one night post in Amsterdam. We thought Amsterdam might be a good place to wind down a bit before heading home.

 

After looking at AMA's detailed itineraries posted on their web site, it looks like they spend more overnights in port going this direction as compared to starting in Amsterdam. We are thinking this may give us a few more opportunities for port town dinners, evening trips into town, etc. Not sure if this is true of all cruise lines since not all provide as much info on sailing times.

 

 

I'm sure either direction is great - just our thoughts.......

 

We noted this as well and prefer overnights in port so we can get out and about.

 

You will love AmaCerto! It was the best of 9 river cruises we have taken so far. She is a beauty.

[coolerchick]

My wife and I will be doing this itinerary on the AmaCerto this coming September. After deciding on the Rhine and AMA, we decided to travel Basel-to-Amsterdam. We will be spending three nights pre-cruise in Lucerne/Basel on our own, then one night post in Amsterdam. We thought Amsterdam might be a good place to wind down a bit before heading home.

 

After looking at AMA's detailed itineraries posted on their web site, it looks like they spend more overnights in port going this direction as compared to starting in Amsterdam. We are thinking this may give us a few more opportunities for port town dinners, evening trips into town, etc. Not sure if this is true of all cruise lines since not all provide as much info on sailing times.

 

I'm sure either direction is great - just our thoughts.......

 

 

We did the exact same cruise, cept boat was Amacello.

 

Stayed 3 days in Lucerne then 3 in Amsterdam.

 

I believe you will enjoy either way.

 

The boat docked in Amsterdam at noon and moored overnight and then we disembarked the boat the next morning - thus the 3rd night.

 

I am not a fan of Amsterdam but I have found that the majority of people loved it (Americans and Canadians loved it - my European paisans hated it)

 

So I think your itinerary is ideal. Don't forgot to pre book tickets for Ann Frank house if you are going.

[SteveU]

Caviargal & Coolerchick -- thanks for you comments and tips. This will be our first river cruise and we're really looking forward to it, but its a long eight months to wait.....

 

A quick question about the first port, Breisach. The tours are to either Riquewihr or Breisach/Freiburg. Both sound like interesting little towns, but neither stands out as the obvious choice. Which did you do?

 

Any other "must sees" or "don't bother'? I know everyone enjoys different things, but I'm always interested the others' experiences.

 

Did you do any of the optional or extra cost excursions? We're still waiting or our passport renewals so we haven't been able to complete our registration and see what's available.

[coolerchick]

Caviargal & Coolerchick -- thanks for you comments and tips. This will be our first river cruise and we're really looking forward to it, but its a long eight months to wait.....

 

A quick question about the first port, Breisach. The tours are to either Riquewihr or Breisach/Freiburg. Both sound like interesting little towns, but neither stands out as the obvious choice. Which did you do?

 

Any other "must sees" or "don't bother'? I know everyone enjoys different things, but I'm always interested the others' experiences.

 

Did you do any of the optional or extra cost excursions? We're still waiting or our passport renewals so we haven't been able to complete our registration and see what's available.

 

Caviargal will have more input since she has more experience - her posts are the main reason I choose AMA.

 

For me - I LOVED Switzerland. We stayed in Lucerne too. One day to walk around would be ideal. Lion Monument is a must. Mt Rigi for us was wonderful - we booked at the train station - boat, then cog wheel train, then gondola. They are very informative at the train station - look for information office, right next to the Burger King. The pastries - Oh, my! And of course my beloved chocolate heaven - Laderach stores.

 

Amsterdam - Ann Frank Museum. Book tickets ahead of time and you walk right in. That's about it with Amsterdam for me. There was a place called "9 streets" I think. Full of one of a kind shops and good places to eat (yes, I'm all about the eating).

 

The CD should be able to help you with the other stops and must sees.

 

Have a wonderful time!

[Host Jazzbeau]

We chose the Riquewihr option (it was combined with Colmar at the time) and loved the cute little town. There is one main street and it is lined with wine shops that offer free tastings. You could easily get plowed! [Good thing it's a small town!] The boat was docked in Breisach so we had a chance to walk around on our own after the excursion got back -- that was plenty of time. There are lots of German stops on this cruise but not too many French ones, so we thought this was a good day to go French and we were very happy with the choice.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Lucerne is a beautiful town and just the right size for touring. You can walk the entire old town in an hour (I know: thanks to stupidly letting my camera battery go dead, I had to do it three times!). The Lion monument is a don't-miss. Also go up on one of the mountains (Rigi or Pilatus) -- the railroad sells combination excursions for either.

 

Zurich is a big city and we liked it less. But there is a church in the old town with beautiful Chagall stained glass windows. Our tour didn't include it so we slipped out early and did it on our own. Outside Zurich, the Rhine Falls is a worthwhile excursion.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Amsterdam has a lot of worthwhile tourist sites, especially if you like art. The Rijksmuseum has recently been renovated and has a great collection of Dutch old masters [but no smoking -- sorry for the pun!]. The Van Gogh museum is fantastic -- a great collection of his paintings plus an entire floor devoted to restoration techniques. The Hermitage museum (of St. Petersburg Russia) has a branch in Amsterdam with changing exhibits from the museum's holdings [we didn't get to that, but it's at the top of my list for the next visit]. Check which tours will be included in your cruise, and make sure you do a Canal Boat cruise.

[caviargal]

Caviargal & Coolerchick -- thanks for you comments and tips. This will be our first river cruise and we're really looking forward to it, but its a long eight months to wait.....

 

A quick question about the first port, Breisach. The tours are to either Riquewihr or Breisach/Freiburg. Both sound like interesting little towns, but neither stands out as the obvious choice. Which did you do?

 

Any other "must sees" or "don't bother'? I know everyone enjoys different things, but I'm always interested the others' experiences.

 

Did you do any of the optional or extra cost excursions? We're still waiting or our passport renewals so we haven't been able to complete our registration and see what's available.

 

We had a special excursion to Colmar when we did this cruise over New Years as there was still a Christmas market still open there. It was one of the prettiest towns we have ever been to,, especially all decorated for the holidays. Like a post card.

 

We did not do any optionals.

 

Wish we would have had more time in Heidelberg and not done the castle as our guide was boring and it dragged on and on.

 

I agree about advance tickets to the Anne Frank house. We did this several years while staying in Amsterdam and found it moving.

 

We did the Limited Edition Joordan walking tour in Amsterdam as it not our first time there and enjoyed the small group, the guide, the pace and the neighborhood very much.

 

In Rudeshiem we went for a coffee instead of the museum and then walked around for a couple of hours.

 

My husband enjoyed the walking tour and potato pancake beer stop at the conclusion of the tour in Cologne.

 

In Strasbourg, we took the bus tour (had to in order to get to the center) and then walked around on our own. We had a delightful and eclectic lunch at a place in the center famous for carpaccio. Nothing fancy and the only bad wine we had in France, ever, but food was good.

 

Make your reservation for the Chef's Table early as it does fill up.

[jpalbny]

A quick question about the first port, Breisach. The tours are to either Riquewihr or Breisach/Freiburg. Both sound like interesting little towns, but neither stands out as the obvious choice. Which did you do?

 

We have visited all three of these towns - albeit briefly - within the past year. Riquewihr was on a Rhine cruise tour. Breisach was on our own, from the boat. We visited Freiburg on our own while doing a self-driving tour in Germany.

 

I would rank them Freiburg > Riquewihr > Breisach, if you forced me to choose. But none of them are uninteresting, and all are certainly worth visiting.

 

After dinner I will try to post a few pictures of each to help you decide. :)

[jpalbny]

OK, here goes:

 

We visited Riquewihr as part of the Alsatian Villages tour (which also visited Kayserberg). I thought Kayserberg was prettier but Riquewihr is nice too. As our host points out, there is one main drag with lots of wine tasting places... We brought a nice bottle of Reisling home with us. Here's the Main street, and the Post Office (as an example of the beautiful architecture everywhere you look):

 

 

We wandered Breisach on our own. Big cathedral (which we didn't go in), with an interesting statue of Europa in its courtyard. The streets have a few interesting sights but it's not as cute as some of the other towns we saw on this trip. The view from the church is nice, and there's a promenade along the Rhine with a "Rhine Palace" that's pretty. But we found less to do in this town.

 

 

Freiburg was enjoyable. We climbed the tower of the Munster, had a nice lunch in the Munsterplatz, and wandered the streets looking at the various towers, interesting houses, etc. The view form the church tower is beautiful as the Black Forest comes right up to the edge of town. There was a lively market in the Munsterplatz, and the second picture is one of the old city gates:

 

[SteveU]

Thanks again for everyone's comments and ideas. They will all be a great help as we finalize our plans. We've made all of our pre and post hotel reservations, so now its on to the fun stuff.

 

JP and Host Jazzbeau - I followed both of your Rhine trip reports when we were still just considering the cruise. Now I'll have to go back and reread them (and a number of others) since I have a much better idea of what we'll be seeing and doing.

[Tinkindling]

My wife and I did the Uniworld Castles of the Rhine tour, and I'd just like, first of all, to express appreciation to JP and Chris for their wonderful and informative posts on that trip.

 

We chose to go to Kayserberg and Riquwhir, (hope I got those spellings correct), and enjoyed them immensely. So much so, that I returned about 4 months later with my daughter, who's in the wine trade, and we stayed in Colmar for five nights, which gave us time for lots of wonderful little villages and towns, and much very enjoyable wine tasting.

 

I really don't think you can go wrong with this trip, no matter which direction you choose.

[jpalbny]

My wife and I did the Uniworld Castles of the Rhine tour, and I'd just like, first of all, to express appreciation to JP and Chris for their wonderful and informative posts on that trip.

 

We chose to go to Kayserberg and Riquwhir, (hope I got those spellings correct), and enjoyed them immensely. So much so, that I returned about 4 months later with my daughter, who's in the wine trade, and we stayed in Colmar for five nights, which gave us time for lots of wonderful little villages and towns, and much very enjoyable wine tasting.

 

I really don't think you can go wrong with this trip, no matter which direction you choose.

 

Thanks, Tinkindling. There are so many good reviews out there; glad you appreciated ours too.

 

Your follow-up trip sounds like it was marvelous! We will (hopefully) be back in Germany later this year, and maybe a side trip to Alsace will be in the cards. :) So many beautiful places, so little time.

 

I very much agree with your last sentence. AMS-BSL or BSL-AMS... Either is way better than staying home!

[sueajp]

I am about to pull the trigger for our Avalon Amsterdam to Basel. I have some questions about Zurich. We were thinking of staying 3 nights there. Is that too much time? We wont have any time to see Basel.But could we go to Lucerne on our own for a day? Is the train easy to negotiate or would you find a tour company? The cruise offers the Movenpick Hotel but that is closer to the airport than the city center. Other recommendations? Thanks everyone!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I am about to pull the trigger for our Avalon Amsterdam to Basel. I have some questions about Zurich. We were thinking of staying 3 nights there. Is that too much time? We wont have any time to see Basel.But could we go to Lucerne on our own for a day? Is the train easy to negotiate or would you find a tour company? The cruise offers the Movenpick Hotel but that is closer to the airport than the city center. Other recommendations? Thanks everyone!

 

If it was me, I would spend 1 day in Zurich and 2 days in Lucerne.