Viking Rhine Christmas market cruise

We did the regular Viking cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. We've done one river cruise and one ocean cruise. We didn't take any optional excursions on the river cruise. We liked the included ones, and other site seeing we did on our own. We do travel a lot independently so we are used to research, transportation, etc. Typically, the ports were close to the city centers so we just walked.

I have taken several Viking river cruises (never a Christmas market specific cruise) and the experiences are quality. If you want more opinions I suggest you look on FB at Viking groups.

No idea about the specifc question but I did see a video of another company's christmas market cruise and noted two issues, both of which involve dusk and need you to check the itinery, prefrably before you book!

Dusk comes early in northern europe at that time of year, which is not a completely bad thing because the markets had the best atmosphere when they were lit up after dark. The problem is that some of the market visits were made earlier, even in the morning when little was happening. And some of the excursions were still out when less could be seen.

PS - is this the correct forum for Viking cruises?

The GENERAL EUROPE forum would have made more sense, but I don't think it matters much in the end because most people probably access the forum through the All Topics link.

I agree that this forum is wonderful for answering all kinds of travel questions. That being said, as one who believes in using the right tool for the job, I recommend you check out Cruise Critic's website, where you will likely get a lot more information on your excursions question.

We take a Xmas market cruise every other year and have done all the lines. Personally, the markets along the Danube are MUCH better than the ones on the Rhine - there aren't even markets in Amsterdam. The Markets originated in Germany and are still best in Germany and Austria. Also - Viking has been our least favorite line - I'd look at Tauck, AMA, Avalon, Uniworld, etc over Viking. You are very late to be booking the better lines for this year. We book 18-24 mo in advance and have been going to them since 2011.

Try to see Vienna (don't miss Rathaus, MariaTheresa Platz, Schonbrunn, Karlsplatz, AmHof markets) - we always add 3-4 days here.
Salzburg, Regensburg Thurn & Taxis Market, Nuremberg (our fav and we add time here too), Passau - all these are on the Danube.

Those on the Rhine are mostly France & Switzerland and the markets aren't as good, even tho the towns are great.

FYI there is also a Viking Rhine River Cruise Facebook page that you might want to join. The Christmas markets trip is discussed on there frequently.

It is perfectly fine to ask cruise questions here. People on this forum travel in a variety of ways.

sorry Carol, what I meant was is the RS Tours sub forum the correct place.....

I took the Viking cruise from Basel to Amsterdam in 2015 (at that time it wasn't marketed as a specific "Christmas Market" cruise). I was part of a family group of 12; no one purchased any of the "extra" excursions. In a couple of ports we had a choice of included excursions, one being more tailored to those with mobility concerns. It was easy to explore Strasbourg, Colmar, Rudesheim, Koblenz, and Cologne on our own following the included excursions.

If you purchase air travel through Viking, be aware that you will have little or no time in Amsterdam and Basel. For $100 you can request an "air deviation", which allows you to arrive/depart a few days before/after the cruise. (If you do this you will have to provide your own transportation to/from the ship.) We found it easy to book our own hotels so we could make the most of our time along the Rhine.

A note regarding Cruise Critic-I am not a frequent cruiser, but on the occasions I:ve tried using that Forum it has been a pain! I guess I am spoiled (or a creature of habit!) by this Forum, so thanks fellow travelers!

IMO, people are just trying to be helpful in noting that a question about Viking River cruises may get more attention in a different category such as General Europe versus asking it in RS Tours. I haven’t taken a Viking River cruise but lots of RS tours so I popped in here but have nothing to offer for this.