Viking River Cruises, Rhine Getaway from Basel, December 1, 2023

Cruising from: Basel, Switzerland;

Departure Date: 1 December, 2023;

Cruise Line: Viking River Cruises;

Cruise Ship: Viking Longship Mani;

Duration: 8 days;

Ports of Call: Basel, Breisach, Strasbourg, Speyer, Koblenz, Cologne, Kinderdijk, Amsterdam;

Day 0 Basel, Switzerland

Basel, nestled on the Rhine river, is Switzerland's third-largest town and, partly because of its proximity to France and Germany, has a strong sense of its own identity. Historic landmarks of the city include the large market square with its richly decorated red sandstone town hall and the late Romanesque-Gothic cathedral. The city of culture, for connoisseurs, has the highest concentration of museums in the country. Basel also has a beautiful Old Town, modern architecture, and famous traditional Basel honey cake.

Day 1 Breisach, Germany

Breisach upon Rhine, a town with a long-standing history is where the Black Forest spills into Alsace. Cobbled streets lined with pastel-painted houses are the main characteristic of the town. The museum for municipal history has an impressive collection dating from the Stone Age to the present. The Romanesque St. Stephansmunster,the cathedral in Breisach, has a late Gothic altar by an unknown craftsman and paintings by Martin Schongauer, who is also the eponym of the Gymnasium in the city.

Day 2 Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg is the capital and largest city of the Grand Est region of France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Strasbourg is the second most popular tourist city in France, after Paris. There are three main attractions: the cathedral, historic quarter of Petite France, with its half-timbered medieval houses and its quays overlooking branches of the river Ill and the Strasbourg Christmas market, the oldest and biggest historic Christmas market in Europe. The old town is a maze of narrow streets and alleys and the reflections of half-timbered houses with sloping roofs, reminiscent of those seen in fairytales

Day 3 Speyer, Germany

Speyer is a port on the left bank of the Rhine River at the mouth of the Speyer River, south of Ludwigshafen. Its centre is home to some outstanding museums and the remains of a medieval synagogue, and is easily explored on foot. Speyer has a lot to offer: Imperial Cathedral and Memorial Church, a technology museum and a sea-life centre.

Day 4 Koblenz, Germany

Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine where it is joined by the Moselle. The main sights are the old castle of Ehrenbreitstein, which dominates the right bank of the wide Rhine, and Fort Konstantin, strategically located in the heart of the old city, with views over both rivers. One of the newer tourist attractions in the city, the Koblenz Cable Car takes visitors on a thrilling aerial journey to Ehrenbreitstein castle

Day 5 Cologne, Germany

Cologne is fourth largest city in Germany and largest city of the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia. One of the key inland ports of Europe, it is the historic, cultural, and economic capital of the Rhineland. Cologne is famous for its 12 great Romanesque churches - especially the magnificent Cologne Cathedral - all an easy walk from the historic Old Town. Its university is one of the oldest and largest in Europe. Among its attractions are Roman remains, medieval churches, Baroque palaces, and museums that reflect such diverse subjects and the various products for which it is known: fragrances, mustard, and chocolate.

Day 6 Kinderdijk, Netherlands

Kinderdijk is a village in the municipality of Molenlanden, in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located about 15 km east of Rotterdam. Kinderdijk is a beautiful landscape of empty marshes and waterways above which 19 historic windmills rise like sentinels. The mills are kept in operating condition and some still function as residences. They have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997.

Day 7 Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands. Amsterdam has a rich history and famous Amsterdam residents include the diarist Anne Frank, artists Rembrandt and Van Gogh, and philosopher Baruch Spinoza. Beside many parks, open spaces, and squares throughout the city, Amsterdam is famous for De Wallen, the red-light district. It is an unusual city to explore.