Cities of Light Cruise with Viking River Cruises

The Moselle has long been known as a wonderful cruise destination. The river winds its way through the steep sided, forested valley passing villages full of half-timbered houses whilst vineyards laden with grapes tumble down to its banks. Imagine then combining this with the wonders of Paris, Heidleberg and Prague, perhaps to make the ultimate cruise?

I had never experienced a German river cruise so it was with a tingling sense of anticipation that I joined the 12 day “Cities of Light” cruise that takes in both the Moselle and Rhine finishing with a stay in Prague. Paris did not disappoint with a panoramic tour of the city in the morning and various options on offer during the afternoon. Whilst some guests went to see Monet’s Garden and other sites, we chose to visit Versailles with its stunning gardens and decorated rooms.

Next morning saw us journeying by coach to Tirier to board Viking Idi, stopping enroute at Rheims to savour the cathedral and take a leisurely lunch in a market square café then visiting the intensely moving American World War II cemetery in Luxembourg. Viking Idi lived up to expectations immediately with a warm welcome from the crew and our comfortable Stateroom was a delight.

The next day at Barnkastel we took the evening wine tasting tour, a short walk from the boat, and then strolled into the town’s picturesque Market Place with its Hansel and Gretel houses that seemed to have been the model for so many chocolate box lids. I can only imagine how romantic it must be when it is full of Christmas Market stalls and crisp snow lays on the ground.

One could wax lyrical about the Moselle all day as its wines and scenery were a delight, but I was not expecting the grandeur of the Rhine. In fact in many ways it’s the variety of the scenery on both rivers that makes this cruise so memorable. As we travelled down the Gorge eating our breakfast on the bow it seemed that a castle would come into view literally every five minutes or so as we rounded another bend. Some seemed to cling on to the cliffside by their fingernails whilst others rose out from the small towns and villages to welcome us.  So much so that we visited the castle at Marksburg both of which provided us with superb panoramic views of the river valley.

You are going to have to get used to superlatives on this cruise, especially the way that as you progress things just keep getting better and better. I found the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles to be amazing but was simply blown away by the opulence of the Mirror Kabinet in the Prince Bishops’ Palace at Wurzburg. That in a nutshell is the biggest problem you have with this cruise as Viking have arranged a series of fascinating and interesting excursions that suit all palates and interests so do take your time and plan carefully before you go.