Friday, March 22, 2024

Viking River Cruises In Europe

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Grand European & Viking Fjords

Viking European River Cruises – 6 Key Must-Knows Before You Go

Span the continent on an epic journey from the cultural riches of Budapest to the pristine shores of Norway. Sail the legendary Danube into Austrias vineyard-laden Wachau Valley. Traverse the remarkable MainDanube Canal, pausing to sample Germanys finest vintages and explore elegant palaces and impressive castles along the Rhine. In Kinderdijk and Amsterdam, explore Hollands famous windmills and waterworks. Then, sail the North Sea to the seaside village of Skagen, Denmark. Set off for Norways dramatic fjord landscapes, journeying from vibrant Oslo and history-rich Kristiansand to cosmopolitan Stavanger and spectacularly scenic Flåm. Disembark in historic Bergen, a city with deep Viking roots.

Ocean & River Voyages

Join Viking where the river meets the sea

Viking introduces the definitive way to explore the world in comfort. We call them Ocean & River Voyages, an innovative marriage of our award-winning river and ocean cruises. Designed for those who want to get the most from our rivers and oceans itineraries, these enriching journeys highlight the historic treasures, colorful cultures and seldom-seen sights of both inland and coastal destinations, so you will enjoy the full Viking experience on one seamless itinerary. These are epic voyages that only Viking can provide.

  • More discoveries, from a rivers village-dotted banks to historic and charming coastal ports.
  • The best of both worlds: Cruise Vikings award-winning fleet of river and ocean ships.
  • A seamless experience: Take in the cultural enrichment and onboard understated elegance for which Viking is knownby river and oceans.
  • A greater value: Fly overseas just once, yet enjoy two voyages.

Exploring The World In Comfort

Early booking is essential for the best choice of cabins and also the best savings! Don’t miss out on a truly fantastic deal. Find the river cruise of your choice below and either send us an enquiry online or give our River Cruising team a call today!

Did you know? Viking have 6 luxury ocean cruise ships! You may have seen them featured on Channel 5’s Cruising with Jane McDonald. You can view and book any Viking Ocean Cruise with our sister brand The Cruise Village – .

Viking River Cruises offers exclusive experiences with class-leading, premium service. Sailing the world’s most beautiful rivers on a Viking ship means travelling in style, enjoying each destination in as much depth as you choose.

Not only are all excursions to World Heritage sites included with every Viking river cruise, but you’ll also have the chance to learn from the Culture Curriculum on board, where exclusive talks on local history, art, food and drink equip you with all the expert knowledge you need to make your river cruise a life-enriching experience.

The luxury experience isnt limited to the service. The attention to detail is what sets a luxury river cruise apart from the rest, and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises exceed expectations down to the smallest detail. Suites are elegantly designed to be welcoming, warm and unbelievably comfortable. Handcrafted beds, complete with Egyptian cotton sheets, are just the start you even get to choose your pillow preference from the pillow menu.

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Adventures By Disney River Cruise

Typical starting price: $4,599 for 7 days

Where they sail: Danube, Rhine, Seine

Duration: 8 days

Specialty cruises: Danube Christmas markets, Oktoberfest, Rhine food and wine, Seine National Geographic photography

Amenities : High-speed Wi-Fi, gym, sun-deck, walking track, bikes for shore use, pool or whirlpool, fitness classes, salon, massage

Inclusions: All meals, unlimited beverages , daily excursions, all gratuities onboard and at restaurants, daily cocktail hour, select meals off the ship during excursions, onboard entertainment

Pros: Adventures by Disney guides add a wonderful touch to each journey with storytelling, educational information, and goes above and beyond to ensure every guest has a great time.

Cons: The ships arent Imagineered. In other words, if you are used to the added magic that occurs on a Disney Cruise Line, you wont find that here.

Adventures by Disney, the guided, family vacation arm of the Walt Disney Company, offers unique journeys sprinkled with signature Disney magic. Each day, youll receive an enamel pin reflecting the days adventure such as Mickey dressed as Mozart or Donald cooking goulash.

The Adventures by Disney river cruises are designed for families, and their itineraries, both onboard and onshore, have something for every age group. Kids love the Junior Adventurer dinners or Disney movie nights, and there is also a Just Teens program with dinners and separate tour groups at various destinations.

Viking European River Cruises For Chinese Travelers

Winding through Europe on a River Cruise

In Fall 2016, Viking became the first European river cruise company offering itineraries on dedicated to Chinese tourists riverboats. The company dedicated two longships, on which the primary onboard language is Mandarin.

The first longship’s 2016 itineraries are on Rhine River, between homeports Amsterdam and Basel. The second longship’s 2017 itineraries are on Danube. On both riverboats, all the hotel staff is Mandarin-speaking, all the signage is in Mandarin . The onboard cuisine is traditional Chinese plus European dishes by Michelin-star chefs.

All excursion programs ashore are organized by Viking River Cruises. Each ship has all 8 Mandarin-speaking tour guides assigned to 25-passenger groups. The Rhine cruise program includes a shipboard overnight in Amsterdam and 3 days in Basel with Lake Lucerne tour. In Strasbourg, passengers take the high-speed TGV train to Paris. Optional deals include private jet travel for 1 day at the price of USD 30,000 pp. Cruise fares start from around USD 4,300 pp.

Cruise Lines International Association/CLIA’s projections for 2020 were that the number of Chinese cruisers to Europe will be the same in comparison to the Americans.

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Have You Heard About Vikings Ocean Ships

I am a big fan of the Viking Oceans product. The ships carry just under 1,000 guests and have lots of included extras: WiFi, one included excursion in each port of call, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, a good selection of restaurants. Check out the video above and the articles below. Did you know that you can even combine Vikings ocean cruises and river cruises?

Highlights Of The Main River

The scenic Main River seems to take its time on its circuitous route to the Rhine, twisting and arcing its way at a leisurely pace through Germanys scenic landscapes. Throughout its past, it has served as a geographic and cultural divide, separating languages, cuisines and religions. Today, this lazy waterway is a source of pride for all Germans, lined with picturesque preserved forestland, sprawling vineyards and some of the nations most beloved cultural and historic landmarks. Here is a sample of what you may experience during a Viking Main river cruise:

  • The wide, undulating loops of the scenic Main River
  • Charming half-timbered houses in Miltenberg
  • The glassblowing tradition of Spessart
  • The enormous and ornate Bishops Residenz of Würzbrug
  • Picturesque Bamberg and its Town Hall built on a rivers bridge
  • Distinctive rauchbier, the local smoke-flavored beer
  • Toy-making heritage of Nuremberg
  • Nurembergs scenic Old Town and Market Square

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Viking River Cruise Highlights

Unique Destinations Viking River Cruises offers deluxe river cruises throughout most of the European rivers as well as offering itineraries throughout Russia and the Ukraine, Asia and Egypt. This vast range of itineraries provide an in-depth opportunity to explore these destinations and to learn about the cultures, histories and insights that make these destinations so interesting.

Exceptional Service From the time a guest boards they are warmly welcomed by a friendly and professional English-speaking staff. The exceptional personal service offered by Viking River Cruises has earned them the award for the “Best Small Ships” in Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

Should You Book Airfare Through Viking

Explore Europe with Viking River Cruises

Viking also offers airfare.

We set a fare alert and browsed for flights on our own, and after comparing it to the Viking customer service rep, found that they were able to get us a better deal. I was pretty amazed actually!

So I recommend booking airfare through Viking . It seems the company has relationships with partner airlines and is able to typically find flights cheaper than you can do on your own.

Another advantage to booking airfare through Viking is they also include round trip transfers.

We found this really handy after long travel days. For the arrival, our bus picked us up at the airport in Basel and left straightaway, which we really appreciated!

On our departure, we had a very early flight so they arranged a cab direct to the airport everything is totally taken care of!

Our Veranda stateroom was spacious, bright and airy with minimalist Nordic furniture and a cozy balcony.

The ships are well designed to really maximize space and cabins feature a giant closet and tons of drawers to put away your clothes, should you wish to fully unpack.

Most river cruises are quite cozy and I typically keep my clothes in packing cubes this was the first time Ive fully unpacked!

Theres also a flat screen TV to listen to the daily on-boarding speech or to check the weather, watch TV, etc.

Our cabin had plenty of outlets, both European and American, so I could easily keep all my electronics charged.

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Which Is The Best European River Cruise

I wouldnt say theres a best European cruise per se, but there are a couple main rivers in Europe that offer river cruise experiences. The most popular are the Rhine River, the Elba and the Danube.

  • The Rhine River runs from the Swiss Alps through the Franco-German border and empties into the North Sea up in the Netherlands. This is the route we took.
  • The Elba River is a major Central European river and predominantly flows through Germany and the Czech Republic. A small bit flows through Austria and Poland.
  • The Danube River is quite long, flowing through 10 countries through Central and Eastern Europe. It starts in Germany and flows along the borders of Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine before emptying into the Black Sea. I did this route years ago with family and loved it because I felt like I saw so much of Eastern Europe in one go. Lots of quaint, small towns perfect for a quick afternoon visit!

Viking River Cruises Fleet

Vikings revolutionary Longships have won numerous awards and are setting a new standard in river cruises. The ships are engineered specifically for river cruises and boast streamlined design. This doesnt take away from the spacious feel of the ships interior as a whole and their cabins in particular. The Longships sail the beautiful waterways of Europe:

Viking River Cruises owns an enormous fleet where each and every ship is unique and built with consideration for the particular river it cruises. You will feel comfortable on board Viking ships, whichever route you go with.

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Day : Arrive In Basel Switzerland

We arrived in the small, quaint town of Baselafter our international flight.

This was the general arrival / travel date so we expected to just check in and relax but discovered that Viking organized a guided walking tour of the town. That was a nice surprise!

Theres also the option to arrive a couple days early and/or stay a couple days late. If you are thinking of this, heres a quick guide to the best hotels in Basel to help with accommodation.

Basel is an underrated tourist attraction and the third largest city in Switzerland. The town has a gorgeous Medieval center and plenty of world-class art museums.

Theres a reason Art Basel is held here!

We checked out the Romanesque cathedral, took endless pictures of the colorful medieval buildings and headed back to our ship to relax and meet everyone for cocktails and dinner. A great first day!

Which European River Cruise Is The Most Scenic

Danube River Cruise Group Trip September 26

6 of the best European luxury river cruise lines

  • Crystal River Cruises. Crystal took the world of river cruising by storm in 2016 when they blazed into the market, bringing their exacting ocean standards to European river cruising for the first time.
  • Tauck River Cruises.
  • Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection.
  • Scenic River Cruises.

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Viking River Cruises Review

Recently, I sailed on my first Viking River Cruise up the Rhine River to explore Switzerland, Germany, Franceand The Netherlands on their classic Rhine Getaway river cruise.

The entire trip was calm and relaxing and I felt like it struck the perfect balance of sightseeing and leisure!

Ive taken several European river cruises cruises with family before and immediately knew my mom would love the smaller atmosphere, quaint towns and relaxing vibe, so I brought her along for the trip!

I know river cruising is not for everyone so if youre curious about Viking specifically or more generally wondering what there is to see and do along the Rhine River, I thought Id recap our trip to show you the highlights.

I would recommend this trip if you enjoy small colorful towns, World War II history and good food.

Why Cruise The Rivers Of Europe

Viking takes you to the heart of Europe via its grand waterways, providing you with boundless insight into the continents cultural and historic treasures. Immerse yourself in the storybook villages, vibrant cultural centers and picturesque landscapes of The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, France, Hungary and Switzerland, and unlock a whole new world of discovery. Here is a sample of what you will see on one of our European river cruises:

  • Visits to Germanys charming wine-producing villages
  • Culinary delights in Lyon, France
  • Medieval Prague, City of a Thousand Spires
  • The elegant boulevards and grand monuments of Paris
  • Historic Wittenberg, home to Martin Luther
  • Fairytale windmills of The Netherlands
  • Wine tastings in the quintas of Portugals Douro Valley
  • Budapests regal Parliament building and Chain Bridge
  • Viennas inspirational legacy of classical music
  • Frances famed wineries in Beaujolais, Bordeaux and beyond

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Europe’s Drought: Will It End River Cruises

— Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the pandemic-snarled water, Europe is having another cataclysmic summer. This time, it’s not pandemic red tape, but what looks set to be the continent’s worst drought in history. Around 63 percent of the land across the EU and UK had either drought warnings or alerts, according to the EU’s European Drought Observatory last week — and that figure was issued before the UK declared a drought in eight out of 14 areas. New alerts are pouring in every day.

While the landscape is tinder-dry, water levels are plummeting. Rivers and lakes are drying up — and as well that having devastating effects on trade and industry, it’s also hitting a sector that was already on its knees thanks to the pandemic: tourism. Worse, experts say that this is a worrying sign of things to come.

Drama on the Rhine

The 766-mile Rhine is one of Europe’s most important trade routes, with container ships plying their way around its looping bends.

It’s also a classic cruise itinerary. But now some of those waterway dreams seem set to run aground.

On Saturday, the water level at the German town of Kaub — a critical juncture — slipped to just 36 centimeters, or 14 inches, according to official figures. That’s devastatingly low — at 40 centimeters, commercial shipping becomes unprofitable.

None of this is news, says Clare Weeden, principal lecturer in tourism and marketing at the University of Brighton.

A booming business — for now

No river unscathed

Adventures By Disney River Cruises

Viking: Now Sailing Europe’s Rivers

Partnering with AmaWaterways, Adventures by Disney offers cruises on the Seine, Rhine, and Danube Rivers, Disney style. Specially designed itineraries and Adventure Guides create experiences for parents, children, and teens, from active excursions to unique onboard activities. Adults-only dinners and wine tasting experiences along with teen programming, Disney movie nights, karaoke, trivia nights, and Junior Adventurer dinners provide entertainment for guests of all ages.

The eight-day Danube River Cruise starts in Budapest where excursions include a horse show at an equestrian park and a goulash-making competition for Adventurers. In Bratislava, Junior Adventurers can visit a petting zoo, and in the evening, there’s family karaoke. A tour of Vienna and Schönbrunn Palace, marionette show, concert, and strudel making are options the next day. A day in Salzburg ends onboard with “The Sound of Music” film and singalong. After an Oktoberfest celebration and captain’s farewell dinner, the cruise ends the next day.

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Explore France Germany And More On These European River Cruises

Much of the appeal of European river cruises, especially as we emerge from the pandemic with pent-up travel demand, is the small size of the ships, casual atmosphere, and accessibility. Unlike oceangoing ships that carry as many as 5,000 passengers, most river cruise ships accommodate around 150 guests, for a more intimate experience. Balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows, and open-air viewing are features of most river cruise ships, and some offer pools, spas, fitness areas, and jogging tracks.

Guests are kept busy with daily shore excursions, and most cruises offer several options depending on interests and activity levels. Bikes and walking tours are available in most ports, or guests can choose a leisurely day in a comfortable lounge enjoying the passing scenery.

“River cruises offer opportunities to step ashore in fairy-tale towns and fabled cities. You can immerse yourself in contemporary culture and learn something about the history of the towns along the continent’s greatest rivers,” according to Ralph Grizzle of River Cruise Advisor. “Sitting on the top deck of a ship under brilliant blue skies, you can gaze on fabled landscapes dotted with castles, villages, and vineyards. A flight of stairs down, and you have all the amenities of a modern hotelrestaurants, bars, fitness facilities, spas, internet access, and comfortable staterooms.”

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