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Cruising the Rhine

Ali Lucas-Chee
Mar 28, 2018
16 min read

Updated: Oct 1, 2022

Being in my early 30's, river cruising wasn't my idea of an ideal holiday. However, as I work as a marketing manager at an over 50's travel agency, and they wanted me to take photos and video footage, as well as help with some tour hosting. The appeal of an all paid for, 15 day, all-inclusive European river cruise on a 5 star ship became very enticing!

I mean seriously, who would turn down the offer? So, next thing I know, I am packing my bags for a European adventure with a group of eighty over 50's. My Mum and Aunty decided they wanted to go and booked on the cruise as well.

Day 1 - Meeting William Shakespeare, The Netherlands

Upon arrival into Amsterdam, we (all 80 passengers) were put on two buses and driven out to the dock where our 5 star luxury home, for the next 14 days, awaited us. The ship's name is the ms William Shakespeare.

As we boarded, the captain and co-captain greeted every guest and we made our way to the lounge area. As we were treated to a welcome drink, the crew unpacked our luggage and delivered them to our rooms. We were then addressed by the captain and our cruise facilitator. They went through health and safety as well as the plans for the evening and the following day.

Once they were done, we all left and found our rooms. I was really impressed as my room was on the top deck, had lovely decor and even a sliding door balcony. With only half an hour to spare, I quickly unpacked, because hey, we would be in the same room for 14 days, why not unpack. Then I jumped in the shower. I always find, the best way to keep awake after a long flight is to have a nice shower to freshen up.

Meeting back in the lounge area, we all chatted for a while before we headed down to our first 3 course dinner in the dining area. It was incredible, the food they served us was delectable and the staff were a delight.

Straight after dinner, we headed out for our Amsterdam evening canal cruise. Even though I had done it before, it was still great to see this city, often called ‘Venice of the North’, all lit up at night.

It wasn't a late night, but after 24 hours of travel, once we were back at the ship, we all headed straight to bed.

Day 2 - Clogs, Cheese and Windmills, The Netherlands

After enjoying the sensational buffet breakfast, complete with eggs made to order, we set out for today's included morning tour to Zaanse Schans. This is a small residential town that reflects what villages were like in The Netherlands in the 18th/19th centuries. You'll definitely be taken back by the beauty of this area, from the little green roofed houses to the number of windmills that sit along the lush grass.

We were treated to a cheese making demonstration that ended is a lot of taste testing and (for quite a few) a lot of buying. As the cheese is packed in wax, it makes it easy to transport and bring home as a souvenir (check your country's rules on this one) without having to refrigerate. My Mum went a bit crazy, but I am sure my Dad will appreciate it when she gets home. It was then off to explore the insides of a functioning windmill, followed by a clog making demonstration. Don't forget some time in the souvenir shop, before getting back on the bus and returning to our ship.

This afternoon there was an optional tour to Keukenhof Gardens, home to an incredible 800 varieties of tulips. However, as I had heard that the whole garden wasn't in bloom due to a cold snap, I had booked a free walking tour around Amsterdam with my Mum and Aunty instead.

Tip: Free walking tours are a fantastic way to see a new city. They are usually run by locals, so you get an insider's view on the city which makes the whole experience more personable. Please note that although it is free, you are encouraged to tip at the end of the tour.

As we were running slightly late, we were a little puffed as we meet the rest of our group at Dam Square. Our tour guide, easily distinguishable by the white umbrella he was holding, gave us a warm welcome and we began our tour.

For the next two hours we entertained as we walked around Amsterdam's historical buildings, iconic coffee shops, the red light district and much more. Our guide was fantastic at explaining everything and teaching us some great historic facts.

While we were out, our ship had set sail and was now in Utrecht. So, in order to meet up with it we had to catch the train from Amsterdam to Utrecht. When we had told the receptionist on the ship, he was worried that we would get lost, however, the Dutch train system is very easy to navigate, and it also helped that I can speak the language.

We enjoyed another 3 course dinner tonight and then went to the lounge area for a drink and to listen to the on board piano player. Tonight, our ship will set sail while we are sleeping.

Day 3 - Delightful Dusseldorf, Germany

Waking up this morning, we say a big Guten Morgen as we cross the border into Germany. I was up quite early, so I rugged up, sat on the sun deck and watched the sunrise and the landscape cruise by.

Just after breakfast, our ship docked into Dusseldorf and we disembarked for our included guided walking tour. Following our guide, we listened to historic facts and interesting stories as we wandered around this beautiful riverside city. It was around 9/10am and the streets were super quiet. When I asked why, we were told that people don't start their day until later in Europe. The quiet streets made for a nice relaxing walking tour.

Even though there was the option to have lunch back at the ship, we decided to go for a traditional wurst in town instead. Topped with sauerkraut and sauce, it was a very delicious German treat. After lunch, the city then starting to come alive and the streets were full of people. I went for a bit more of a wander by myself and had a look at some of the shops before returning to the ship.

With a lot of ground to cover to get to our next destination, we set sail today at 4pm. As we departed, I sat in my room with my balcony door open and watched the landscape go by and the sun go down. It was just beautiful.

Day 4 - Marksburg Castle & Rudesheim, Germany

Having sailed through the night, we woke up this morning in Koblenz. Our morning tour was on the other side of the river, up to Marksburg Castle, an impressive medieval fortress. As you can imagine, being the only hilltop castle along the Rhine that was never destroyed, it is quite impressive.

The castle can only be visited with a guided tour and the this goes for just under an hour. The tour takes you to many rooms within the castle and the guide is very entertaining and informative. If we had been left to walk around ourselves, I am sure we would have missed something, as well as not hearing about the amazing stories this castle holds within its walls.

Tip: If you are driving up to Marksburg castle, the entrance is quite steep and one way, so make sure you take your time and be careful of cars coming down. Also, the walk from the car park to the castle is quite steep, so pace yourself.

Returning to our ship, we sat down for a delicious lunch as we set sail for Rudesheim. The afternoon was spent relaxing on board, some opting to take a nap, others reading in the lounge area and others enjoying time to chat with fellow passengers.

We arrived in Rudesheim just after dinner and heading straight out to our evening tour. Hopping aboard mini trains, we made our way around this little town with some great commentary on the different landmarks and buildings. We then got out at the Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet Museum.

This museum has an impressive collection of automated musical instruments and we were very entertained as we walked around, and the guide demonstrated how some of them worked. We then walked back down through the town to the ship and had a quite rest of the night.

Day 5 - Heidelburg, Germany

Today we were straight on a bus and taken on a short drive to Heidelberg Palace. Epic in size and beauty, this palace's ruins are absolutely stunning. We had a lovely guided tour around the grounds and even went inside some of the rebuilt sections.

The World's largest wine barrel is also housed here in the cellars of the palace. This wooden barrel, built in 1751, is quite impressive and has the capacity to hold 221,726 litres. It even has a dance floor built on top of it! Heidelburg palace really is a must do if you are in this region. Make sure you visit the back of the palace also, there is a stunning view of the town below from here and it is incredible.

After a winding ride back down the hill, we had some free time in Heidelberg. While others checked out souvenir shops, I headed straight to a street vendor who was making Nutella crepes! Something that I can't help but get at least once on any trip to Europe.

We were then back on the bus to where our ship was docked, Mannheim. With the afternoon at leisure, I took advantage of the free bike hire through our ship, as well as the amazing sunny weather, and went for a ride around Mannheim. As it was a Sunday, most things were closed, so the streets were quiet, and it was a really lovely way to end the day.

Day 6 - Stunning Strasbourg, France

Today we say Bonjour to France as we arrive in stunning Strasbourg. The centre of this beautiful city is surrounded by a canal, and what better way to see it then by a boat with a glass roof.

With fantastic commentary, an experience going through a lock and the added bonus of an absolutely stunning day, this tour of Strasbourg was a very memorable one. Definitely one of mine, and many of the other passenger's, highlights of the tour.

After the boat tour, we had some free time to wonder around the centre. What stood out for me the most was the amazing Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg. Walking around the streets of Strasbourg, you will stumble out to the square that this cathedral is on and, you will be in awe at the magnificent piece of sandstone Romanesque and Gothic architecture that lies before you.

We then took a bus out to the small city of Obernai, where we had free time to explore on our own. This area of France is known for its large population of storks and we were lucky enough to see one on the roof of a building. After an hour of checking out this cute little city, we then made our way to Domaine Seilly for some French wine tasting.

I didn't have any as I am not a wine fan, but the other passengers really got stuck into it and said it was delicious. As you can imagine, the bus ride back to the ship was a noisy, but joyful one.

Day 7 - Beautiful Basel, Switzerland

Up early this morning, I caught sunrise as we made our way through a lock. This was a bit of a novelty as it was significantly larger than the one in Strasbourg and, even though we had gone through many so far, this was the first we went through while we were awake.

Then, after feeding our faces at the breakfast buffet, we docked in Basel, Switzerland.

We split off into groups and went on a guided walking tour of this vibrant city.

The standout for me on this tour was the amazing architecture throughout the city. Whether it's the gorgeous Cathedral (Basel Minster), the 500 year old Town Hall painted red, or just the array of buildings that can be seen from the bustling Barfuesserplatz. There is something great around every corner.

For most of the group, the afternoon was spent relaxing. I went for another walk around the city and looked in a few shops. Then also returned to the ship to soak up some sun on the sun deck, it was another stunning day.

Day 8 - Snow Surprise, Switzerland

'Enjoy a Tour de Suisse' (French for 'Tour of Switzerland'), was all that was written on the itinerary for today. So, getting on the bus, none of us really knew what we were in for, except for the fact that we were told to dress warm.

After just over 2 hours driving through the stunning Swiss countryside, we got out at a village called Grindelwald. It is a small village that sits at the base of Eiger Mountain. everyone was super excited as there was a thin blanket of snow covering the village, it was very pretty. After a short wander around, we met our guide and took the train up to Eiger Mountain. The journey up took about 25 minutes and it was absolutely stunning. All of our eyes were glued to the windows, watching the view pass us by.

We got out of the train at Kleine Scheidegg and went straight for a lovely lunch at the restaurant. We then had time to look around, watch people skiing, have a snowball fight, make snow angels and look in some of the shops up there.

We got back on the train and went down the other side of the mountain where we met our bus and then drove to Interlaken. Here, we took advantage of our free time to look around and go for a walk through the garden. Set with the snow-capped mountains as a background, this little town was very picturesque.

Our last stop for today was to Brienz, nestled on the shore of Lake Brienz, this small village is known for its woodcarving tradition. So, it was only fitting that we stopped in at the Huggler Wood Carving store and workshop. We had a small demonstration here and checked out all of the wonderful pieces they had created, they were really gorgeous. We then went to the local grocery store and raided its chocolate isles for our trip back to our ship.

This was a really magical day, especially for a lot of the people in our group who had very seen snow before. For me, the spectacular views and the surprise of the day were what made it so special.

Day 9 - Black Forest Cake in the Black Forest, Germany

This morning we departed our ship in Breisach and headed straight out for a full day tour in the Black Forest. At first, I thought that we would be walking around the forest most of the day, however I obviously wasn't thinking about the group I was with, as a full day walking would have been too much for them. This tour ended up being a coach tour, stopping at small villages along the way. It was still a great day, but I am looking forward to going back so I can properly explore the Black Forest.

Our first stop was to Roter Bur, a winery. And although it was only 10am, we were greeted in the courtyard with warm pretzels and glasses of wine. They then talked about the different wines they sold and there was ample tasting before we headed inside to look at the cellar. The wine must of been good as my fellow travelers bought a fair amount from the store afterwards.

The bus was a buzz with chatter from the slightly tipsy crowd as we drove to Sankt Peter. This picturesque village offered some great views of the Black Forest as we walked through the streets to St Peter's Abbey. This church, although still a lovely looking building, is quite humble from the outside with its brick facade. Then when you step inside, you are pleasantly surprised by the elaborate interior from floor to ceiling.

Last stop on our black forest tour was to Hofgut Sternen, a hub that offers accommodation, trails through the black forest, traditional cuisine and demonstrations of how the cuckoo clock is made. On arrival we had a lovely lunch at the restaurant there with a delicious black forest cake (schwarzwälder kirschtorte) for dessert. We then saw the cuckoo clock demonstration and even had a short walk to the edge of the Black Forest trail where we discovered a lovely waterfall.

It was a long journey back to our ship as we hit some traffic, although we were all exhausted from the big day and used the time for a nice nap. Our crew must have missed us because when we got back they were all waiting in the foyer for us with a welcome home banner. It was really sweet of them and everyone really appreciated it. It was announced at dinner that tomorrow night's dinner would have a pirate theme.

Day 10 - Speyer, Germany

What better way to start the day in Syeper, one of Germany's oldest cities, than with a guided walking tour. Heading straight to the Romanesque Cathedral (Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we were in awe of its sheer size and beauty. It was here, after spending half an hour outside of the cathedral and not actually going in, that we realised we had gotten a very boring and opinionated tour guide.

Unfortunately, a guide can make or break an experience and, not even half way through the tour, a few of our group went off to explore on their own as they were fed up with our guide. However, being one of the tour host, I had to stay with the majority of the group and endure the baffle until the end.

The tour finally finished in one of the main squares and we then had time to grab a yummy cake and tea before we took a leisurely stroll around town looking for something to wear for our pirate themed dinner tonight. It was during this time that we realised that Speyer is actually a very nice town, I especially liked the Old Gate which stood out predominately in the center of the town.

Eventually heading back to the ship, we set sail and as our lunch was served, we enjoyed the scenery floating by us. We were on the ship now until the morning, so the afternoon was spent as we liked. Some people reading or chatting in the lounge, others on the sun deck or some in their rooms taking naps.

All of the guest really got into the pirate theme night, some managing to come up with incredible costumes, even with the limited time they had to prepare. The kitchen and dining staff were all dressed up as well and they had even decorated the dining area. To match the theme, the crockery and cutlery were even messily placed on the tables instead of in their usual pristine positioning. It made for a fun and different atmosphere to enjoy our once again delicious three course meal.

Day 11 - Mainz, Germany

With a free day ahead of us, we armed ourselves with a map and my mum, aunty and I went on our own little walking tour. As it was Sunday, not much was open but, on the plus side the streets were nice and quiet.

We stumbled upon an open-air church in one of the back streets which was just fascinating. It was called the St. Christoph's Church, an example of Gothic architecture, built between 1240 and 1330. Bombed in WWII the chapel that stands today was built on top of the remaining ruins and stands as a memorial to the bombardment.

We then went for a walk up the highest hill in Mainz's old town to see the Stephanskirche. Not only was the church lovely to see, but there was a service on, so we were able to hear some of the hymns as the patrons sung along. We then found a set of stairs to follow on our way back down, but before we started our decent, we took a moment to take in the beautiful view of the town.

Once back in town we walked through the main shopping street and then out to the epic sandstone Mainz Cathedral. There was also a service on in there, so we weren't able to go in. We then strolled along the river to our ship. There was a miniature fair here along the river which was alive with people enjoying rides, food and games.

Tonight, after dinner, our crew treated us to a talent show where they surprised us with some of their hidden talents. Although, some should have stayed hidden, haha.

Day 12 - Boppard, Germany

This morning was spent on board sailing past the beautiful landscape and quaint villages that are dotted along the Rhine. We passed many beautiful castles and churches, as well as the legendary Lorelei. I, along with a few other (as it was very cold), sat on the sundeck to get photos of the stunning scenery. At 11am, the crew treated us to beer and a variety of wurst and pretzels.

In the afternoon we arrived in Boppard, a wine growing area and located on a horseshoe bend in the river. After lunch on-board we disembarked and walked down the road to the cable car entrance. Here we took the cable car up to Mittelrhein Klettersteig to check out the view. With a cafe right near the viewing area, we sat, sipping our hot chocolates as we took in the spectacular view. You could really see what they meant by the 'horseshoe' bend from up here.

There were some daring paragliders jumping from the top and sailing their way down to the village below. We stayed and watched them for a while before taking the cable car back down.

The rest of the afternoon was spent looking around the quaint little town before heading back to the ship for dinner. Tonight, we had a German band come on board for some musical entertainment. They were very good and also added a bit of humour to their act which went down well with my fellow travelers.

Day 13 - Reichsburg Castle in Cochem, Germany

Today we ventured off the Rhine and took the Mosel to Cochem. Once docked, we set out for a walk to the town center. It is a really lovely town filled with iconic half-timbered houses. We looked around the shops here and then walked back to our ship for lunch.

A bus then picked us up and took us up to Reichsburg Castle. Built in the 11th century and sitting 100 meters above the Mosel River, you can imagine, the castle offers impressive views. The castle has had many owners over the years but is now owned by the town of Cochem.

Once inside the grounds we were divided into groups and were taken through the castle by a guide. Thankfully our guide was brilliant this time and we really enjoyed the way she spoke about the castle's history and retold legends that had taken place there. The castle is full of Renaissance and Baroque furniture collected by the Ravené family, who owed the castle in the 19th century and used it as their summer residence.

Instead of taking the bus back down, we (my Mum, Aunty and I) opted to walk back down and through the town center again. It was a lovely walk and got us ready for another 3 course dinner on-board the ship.

Day 14 - Cloudy Cologne, Germany

It began to rain today, as if the sky was as upset as we were, that it was our last day touring. Rugged up in our wet weather gear, we set off on a guided walking tour of Cologne, the oldest German city.

Our tour began with a walk along the Rhine and then up into the town, it was a pretty miserable tour as it rained the whole time until we arrived at the Cologne Cathedral. Dominating the skyline, the cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996. You can tell why by the sheer size of it, the detailed architecture and interior design. It is truly a masterpiece.

Left to our own devices, we had a short walk around the city center before heading back to the ship for our final lunch. An optional tour was available this afternoon out to Augustusburg Palace, a UNESCO cultural World Heritage site. As there was a large group going, I decided to join this tour.

Although quite pretty from the outside, nothing prepared me for the magnificent interior. Unfortunately, you can' take photos, but all the more reason to go and visit yourself. One of the first places Mozart preformed as a child, it was incredible to walk through the halls and listened to its history.

Tonight, as our last dinner on-board, we were treated to a 4 course meal that was absolutely scrumptious and once dinner had finished the crew then used the time to bid us farewell.