The Travel Plan
Fly to Budapest and board the Viking Tir longship for a 15-day Grand European River Cruise to Amsterdam.
Itinerary At a Glance – June / July 2023
| DAY 0 | Fly from Durango, Colorado to Budapest, Hungary (overnight) |
| DAY 1 | Board the Viking Tir |
| DAY 2 | Explore Budapest on the included Castle Hill City Hike excursion |
| DAY 3 | Cruise to Vienna, Austria with an evening stroll at port |
| DAY 4 | Join the included excursion “Vienna’s Sights Panoramic” and visit Schönbrunn Palace |
| DAY 5 | Sail through the Wachau Valley before arriving at Melk for a tour of the Abbey |
| DAY 6 | Tour the beautiful town of Passau, Germany |
| DAY 7 | Explore the untouched medieval city of Regensburg |
| DAY 8 | Experience the historical significance of Nuremberg, Germany |
| DAY 9 | Visit the old-world Franconian city of Bamberg, Germany |
| DAY 10 | From Wurzberg, travel to Rothenburg, one of the last walled medieval towns in Bavaria |
| DAY 11 | At Wertheim, tour two historic estates owned by modern aristocracy |
| DAY 12 | In Braubach, visit Marksburg Castle, the only castle in the Rhine Valley to have never been destroyed |
| DAY 13 | Take a walking tour of Cologne, Germany and visit the largest cathedral in North Europe |
| DAY 14 | Explore historic windmills and learn about Dutch cheese making in Kinderdijk, The Netherlands |
| DAY 15 | Fly from Amsterdam back to Colorado |
Part 2 picks up with DAY 8 of our trip.
Day 8 – Courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Trials
Saying good-by to the Viking Tir and shuttling to Nuremberg: Low water levels on the Danube necessitated a ship change midway through our cruise. Fortunately, the Viking Tir’s sister ship, the Viking Vali (pronounced “volley) was making its way along the same route in reverse. Today, we would be shuttled from Passau to the Nuremberg port in time to board the Vali for lunch. The Vali’s passengers would be heading to the Tir.
We said good-bye to the crew of the Tir at 8:30a and began our 90-minute bus ride to Nuremberg. Our Program Director switched with us, but the crew stayed with the ship.
The Vali crew welcomed us aboard just before noon, in time for lunch. It was miraculous how they reset the ship so quickly. After lunch, our room was ready with luggage promised to arrive by mid-afternoon.
Most memorable excursion: All excursions had been rescheduled for the afternoon, so at 2:00p we joined the “Nuremberg World War II Tour.” We visited Hitler’s unfinished Congress Hall and the Document Center museum on the massive Nazi Party Rally Grounds, then we went inside Courtroom 600 in the Palace of Justice, where Nazi war trials were held. The tour was both fascinating and sobering.
Day 9 – Brief stop at Bamberg
Bamberg is a charming medieval town situated on seven hills, each topped with a church. Our brief walking tour skirted the Regnitz River and took us over a quaint bridge to gaze at colorful buildings along crooked, cobble-stoned streets. Our tour ended at the Dom cathedral in Domplatz.
With everything close at hand and plenty of time before we had to grab the bus back to the port, we decided to relax with a beer at a cafe. We opted for Heifenvizen but Bamberg is known for its special smoked beer, which you either like or hate. (Most of our fellow passengers were not on the like side.)
Back on the ship by 1p, we had a quick lunch and then settled in for river cruising the rest of they day. There were large groups of swans and a few herons.
Day 10 – From Wurzberg, travel to Rothenburg
The Romantic Road to Rothenburg: Our excursion didn’t start until 9:30a so we slept in and had a relaxing breakfast before getting on, yes, another bus. Passengers exploring Wurzberg could walk on and off, but we had selected the Rothenburg excursion when we booked the cruise.
The drive through beautiful countryside took a little over an hour. Considered to be the best-preserved medieval town in Germany, Rothenberg’s Gothic, Renaissance and baroque houses and fountains are encircled by a 1.5-mile wall. After our morning walking tour and group lunch, we made our way up to the old walkway tucked in the wall.
Prince Bishop Palace: We left Rothenberg around 2:30p and travelled to the stunning Prince-Bishop Palace, considered to be a small version of Versailles. Although the palace was bombed by the Allies in WWII, the center portion with its stunning frescos is intact. We learned that one of the Monument Men had the foresight to protect the fresco by covering it with wood. (We were inspired to watch Monument Men in our room that night!)
The days temps were in the high 90s, so we were glad to get back to the ship by 5:00p and cool down with showers and icy cocktails. We didn’t have any problems with water temps in our shower, on either ship. We overheard someone saying they needed to grab a shower before the hot water ran out, but we wondered if it was a location issue or possibly operator error. It took me a minute or two to figure out the shower controls at the start of the cruise.
Day 11 – Two historic estates in Wertheim
Visit a castle with a moat! Our first stop on this optional excursion was at castle Schloss Mespelbrunn, owned by descendants of a Prince-Bishop of Wurzberg. The family still resides in the southern wing.
The morning was sunny and peaceful for our walk around the grounds. We enjoyed seeing swans and Koi fish in the moat, rosebushes and giant old trees, and interesting statues.
Going inside to the guards room, there were ancient armor displays and a window with coats of arm in stained glass reflecting the family tree.
We were treated to a glass of sparkling wine from the family’s winery along with a sample of smoked trout from the area.
Best lunch at Gasthaus zum Riesen: After poking our heads in to see the family chapel, we headed to our next stop, Miltenberg, where we had lunch at the Gasthaus zum Riesen Restaurant. The restaurant is famous for being the oldest, continuously working restaurant in Germany. The service was excellent and we thought it was one of the best meals of our trip – spicy bratwurst and perfectly fried potatoes served with beer from their brewery.
After lunch, we had a bit of free time to stroll around. It was another super hot day, so we stayed close to shade and shared a strawberry cone.
A castle and a winery! Our next stop was Schloss Löwenstein, the estate of the Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. This tour was all about the winery. Our group was seated around two trestle tables in the cool warehouse. With trays of sausage, liverwurst, crackers and chocolate, we sampled glasses of Silvana, Riesling and Pinot Noir. We all had a great time and several from our group purchased bottles from the gift shop before we left for the ship.
Taste of Germany for dinner: The crew, costumed in lederhosen and dirndls, presented a fun, filling dinner of traditional German foods – sausages, potatoes, noodles, pretzels, etc. German schnapps was flowing, but we passed!
Day 12 – Marksburg Castle
Cruising the Rhine: On the way to Koblenz, we sailed through the Middle Rhine. We enjoyed listening to the Program Director’s commentary first up on the Sun Deck and then during lunch outside on the Aquavit Terrace.
Marksburg Castle: Our shore excursion to Braubach’s medieval castle started at 2:30p. Never besieged by enemies, the structure is perched at 300-foot. Our tour included kitchens in the Gothic Hall and the Gimbel Collection, which is a room of life-size figurines dressed in armor and weaponry throughout the ages.
Another hiccup or two… We were told earlier in the day that our ship was running behind schedule due to traffic at several locks the night before. At the evening’s Port Talk we learned that the Vali needed repairs after low water damage during the morning’s sail up the Rhine. The good news was that the Captain was confident that the ship could be repaired at the next stop in Cologne. It was unfortunate but at least we could finish the trip as planned and not via bus.
Day 13 – Walking tour of Cologne and largest cathedral in North Europe
Repairs in the harbor: We woke up to find the ship tucked in a shipyard harbor ready for repairs. Our scheduled walking tour of Cologne would proceed as planned, but we had to hop on a bus to get to the start of the tour.
On the walk we learned about the city’s Roman heritage and listened to stories about local folklore, the Jewish community and the Shrine of the Magi, the largest reliquary in the Western world, placed behind the main alter of Cologne Cathedral, the largest cathedral in Northern Europe. We had plenty of free time inside the church to try and take in its massive scale.
A stone’s throw from the Cathedral square is the Hohenzollern Bridge which has tens of thousands of “love padlocks.” We looked, but couldn’t see any keys in the river depths – I’m sure they’re down there!
Boat repairs completed! After we returned to the ship we received the good news that the repairs were successful and we would be underway for Amsterdam as planned. Viking was transparent with daily news, good and bad. We always looked forward to the “Viking Daily” placed on our bed every night during turndown service. They were “hot off the press” with up-to-date information.
Day 14 – Historic windmills and Dutch cheese making in Kinderdijk
Leisurely morning before arriving in The Netherlands: Knowing that we would be disembarking the next day, we made sure to enjoy our last full morning aboard the Vali. We took our time at breakfast and relaxed on our Veranda while we slowly began packing. At 11:00a we were briefed on the details of disembarkation day.
Historic Kinderdijk Windmills: Our final excursion left at 2:30p. We walked from the dock just a short distance to see Kinderdijk’s 18th-century windmills. We learned about their operation and roamed inside a working windmill, seeing its mechanics and unusual living quarters.
Dutch cheese farm: After an easy 25-minute bus ride, we arrived at a family farm to learn about their cheese-making process, and of course, sample the cheese! It was a small farm, but we were impressed by the size of their production, the quality of their cheese, and their care of the milk cows. The tour ended with a visit to the baby calves, who were only a couple of days old. Adorable!
Final farewell: Back on board, we went to the Lounge for our last cocktail. Everyone was there to celebrate the end of a memorable trip. Champagne was served for the Captain’s farewell toast.
Day 15 – Heading home from Amsterdam
Up early and on our way: The previous day’s Viking Daily included a schedule of when to place our luggage outside the door and time of departure from the trip. Viking lays it all out according to flight times. Luggage is color-coded and we’re shuttled to the airport in groups. Passengers with plans to stay on in Amsterdam or make their way to other locales could remain on the ship for lunch, but had to vacate their stateroom by 9:00am.
Our departure was 7:00a with luggage ready for pickup by 6:00am. Yes, we didn’t have to put our luggage out the night before! A definite pro to river cruising.
We appreciate that part of Viking’s departure process is confirming that your bags are in the loading area next to the bus. We had peace-of-mind that our luggage was going with us, at least as far as the airport.
Amsterdam to Denver: Our itinerary would take us from Amsterdam to London Heathrow and then Denver. Our flights were on-time, smooth and comfortable.
We had heard a few horror stories about Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Let me just say that you will need every bit of that 3 hours of time before boarding at Schiphol. Although we arrived at the airport earlier, we couldn’t check in until 3 hours before. From that point, we moved through one slow-moving line after another, from security to passport control. It was nerve-wracking but we made it, with 30 minutes to spare before boarding.
Recap of Week Two
- We never missed an excursion, even with the few hoops that Viking took us through to overcome low water and ship repairs. They did their best to make it as painless as possible and maintained their excellent service.
- In the second week, we noticed more people coughing and I think a few people were ill to the point that they stayed in their rooms a few days to get better. Viking took care of them with room service (which is not included unless you’re in the Penthouse Veranda Suite), but it’s important to bring healthcare supplies with you. There’s no medical facility on board. I brought a ziplock with ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antihistamine, cough drops, etc. which fortunately we didn’t need.
- Most places are “pay to pee” charging 50p in Euro for the bathroom. Viking doesn’t exchange currency, but they’ll give you change at the front desk. We relied on ATMs to have cash on hand to tip the guides, who are not included in Viking’s gratuity package, and to keep a few coins as needed.
- We packed clothing for comfort and a bit of style according to tips from online travel experts. My husband is more of a long pants guy and I chose dresses over shorts. Well…shorts were everywhere. Countless articles talk about how not to look like a tourist, but there are tourists everywhere and the locals know who we are. It’s not a mystery! My advice is wear what makes you happy, and take comfortable walking shoes.
