Our Viking Rhine Getaway: Amsterdam to Basel, Then the Italian Lakes

Our October journey aboard Viking Einar began in Amsterdam and carried us south to Basel on Viking’s Rhine Getaway. Along the way, the setting kept changing: canals and windmills in the Netherlands, Cologne’s cathedral, castles above the Rhine Gorge, and the streets and food of Alsace. After leaving the ship, we continued by coach into Italy for a guided extension on the lakes.

For Shannon and me, the trip brought together several kinds of travel. There were walking tours and time in towns, stretches spent watching the river, meals back aboard Einar, and then boat excursions from our Italian base. Amsterdam to Basel was the river journey; Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta gave the trip a separate final chapter.

Amsterdam: canals, history and a food tour

Before boarding Einar, we spent time exploring Amsterdam. Our visits included the Anne Frank House and the Houseboat Museum, along with a food tour. Together, they offered very different ways to experience the city: a place of remembrance, a look at life on the water, and a chance to discover Amsterdam through its food.

The canal photograph from that day captures the autumn setting: trees beginning to turn yellow, boats along the banks, and tall buildings reflected in the water. On foot, the city’s narrow facades and waterways were part of the experience between our stops. By the afternoon, we were boarding the ship and beginning the river portion of the trip.

Kinderdijk: windmills, then an afternoon on the river

At Kinderdijk, the windmills brought a change from Amsterdam’s streets and canals. Our excursion focused on these striking structures and the ingenuity behind them. The photograph shows one standing beside a path, its sails reaching into a cloudy sky, with flat countryside stretching beyond it.

Back aboard Einar, the afternoon shifted to sailing and tea. The tiered stand in my photograph held small sandwiches, cake and colorful macarons—a very different scene from the windmill visit that morning. That alternation between time ashore and time aboard became a thread running through the journey.

A look at our Viking Daily from October 17

Cologne: the cathedral and the bridge

After a morning of Rhine sailing, Cologne brought us back into a city setting. Our itinerary there centered on the Hohenzollern Bridge—the “love lock” bridge—and Cologne Cathedral. Viewed from the river, the steel arches and cathedral towers share the skyline, with river ships moored beneath them.

My photograph puts those landmarks together in one view. The bridge fills the foreground while the cathedral rises beyond it, showing how closely the waterfront and the city’s best-known sights connect. It was a different perspective from Amsterdam’s narrower canals and the open landscape at Kinderdijk.

Braubach, the Rhine Gorge and Rüdesheim

The next part of the trip gave the river scenery more of the day. I began with a leisurely walk through Braubach, followed by an afternoon sailing through the Romantic Rhine Gorge. Commentary identified historic castles as we passed, giving the views a story to follow from the ship.

This was a day when the sailing itself was part of the sightseeing. Rather than traveling between destinations without much to see, we watched the landscape and listened for the next castle. A demonstration of traditional Rüdesheim coffee added another regional detail aboard Einar, and a walk through Rüdesheim rounded out the day.

Heidelberg: a castle visit and lunch in town

In Heidelberg, our visit took us to the castle and the Heidelberg Tun, the enormous wine barrel housed there. After the castle, we ate at a brauhaus among university students and walked along Hauptstrasse.

The day combined a major historic sight with time in the town below. The castle and wine barrel supplied the grand scale; lunch and the walk along the shopping street brought us into a more everyday setting. That combination gave Heidelberg a different feel from our previous afternoon watching castles from the river.

Strasbourg: cathedral streets, cheese and flammkuchen

Strasbourg was a day of exploring streets, visiting the cathedral, sampling cheese and pastries, and stopping for lunch at a local eatery. Food was woven into the sightseeing rather than saved entirely for meals aboard the ship.

Back aboard Einar, Shannon took a turn as the chef’s assistant during a flammkuchen demonstration. Alongside the cathedral visit and walks through the city, that cooking moment gave us another way to take part in the regional food experience. It also added something to the day beyond simply choosing a dish from a menu.

Colmar—and a visitor beside our room

Our final full day before Basel included exploring Colmar’s old town. After the larger city setting of Strasbourg, the visit continued the Alsace portion of our journey with more time walking and looking around ashore.

There was also an unexpected small moment back at the ship: a swan swam up beside our room. A river cruise is full of scheduled stops, but details like that arrive without an excursion ticket. It was a reminder of how close our temporary home was to the water.

A taste of life aboard Viking Einar

Between the places ashore, my photographs show another side of the trip: tea, dinner menus and dishes served aboard Einar. One regional tasting menu listed bitterballen with spicy mustard, steamed halibut with fennel Pernod foam and Dutch vegetable stamppot, followed by tompoes—a vanilla Napoleon with red berry coulis.

The same dinner menu offered alternatives including a pecorino market salad, white bean soup, smoky beef brisket, spiced chickpeas and New York cheesecake. A separate “classics” page listed familiar choices such as steak, salmon and roast chicken, along with crème brûlée, a cheese selection, fruit, and ice cream or sorbet.

The wine list distinguished the included selections from the sommelier’s recommendations, which had separate bottle prices. That is a useful detail to notice when comparing what a fare includes: the full menu and the included selection are not necessarily the same thing.

I also photographed a bowl of soup and a chocolate dessert topped with ice cream. Along with the afternoon tea, these pictures add the smaller onboard moments to a trip that might otherwise be remembered only by its ports. The dishes and menus here are examples from our sailing, rather than a promise of what will be served on a future cruise.

More moments aboard and ashore

Basel to the Italian Lakes: a new chapter

On October 23, we disembarked in Basel, Switzerland, and continued by chartered coach toward Lake Maggiore for our guided post-cruise extension. Our route took us over the Gotthard Pass, changing the setting from river towns to the journey through the mountains and onward into Italy.

The move into Italy also brought a change at the table, with an Italian meal becoming part of our arrival. This was a continuation of the trip, but it had its own pace: a hotel base and days exploring the lakes replaced Einar and the sequence of Rhine ports.

Isola Bella and lunch on Isola Superiore

Our first lake excursion took us by boat to Isola Bella. We toured Palazzo Borromeo and its gardens, moving through the palace interiors before exploring outside. The setting brought together the lake journey, the rooms of the palace and the gardens in one outing.

We also visited Isola Superiore, where we stopped for lunch. After the coach transfer from Basel, being on boats again gave the extension a connection to the water without simply repeating the river-cruise experience. The islands became destinations to explore in their own right.

Lake Orta and Isola San Giulio

On October 25, we explored Lake Orta with a boat excursion to Isola San Giulio and a visit to the Basilica di San Giulio. Its frescoes were a focus of the visit. Photography was not permitted inside, so this part of the day stayed with us as an experience rather than a set of interior pictures.

Another boat ride took us to Orta town, followed by lunch. Lake Orta provided the final lake setting in these trip memories: an island church, time on the water and a town to explore before sitting down to eat. It made the extension more than an extra hotel stay after the cruise.

What this journey brings together

Looking across the whole route, the variety stands out. Amsterdam brought canals and museums; Kinderdijk brought windmills; Cologne, Heidelberg and Strasbourg each added major historic sights. Braubach, the Rhine Gorge and Rüdesheim gave the river landscape its turn, while Colmar and the Italian lakes supplied still more time exploring on foot and by boat.

For travelers considering a similar trip, I would start by comparing the actual itinerary and the time available in each place. Then look separately at the extension: its transfers, hotel base, included visits and overall pace. Our guided Italian Lakes extension added a distinct experience after Basel, and it deserves attention as part of the whole journey.

Related reading: European River Cruise Planning Guide · A closer look at Viking Longships · Our Viking Christmas journey