Is the Avalon Waterways Romantic Rhine Cruise Worth it?

This is a guest post by Sarah Arnstein, a Europe travel writer.

One thing about me: I don’t usually like cruises. Ocean cruises, that is. There’s something about being on a big ship in the middle of the ocean with kids running around everywhere, mediocre food, and adhering to someone else’s schedule while we’re stopped.

Maybe I just haven’t taken enough luxury cruises to get a great experience, but after sailing with Avalon Waterways, I can confidently say that I may have been converted. I really enjoyed their river cruise! The boat was obviously much smaller than an ocean cruise liner, the attention to detail was outstanding, and the overall experience felt very luxurious.

A few friends and I boarded the Northbound Romantic Rhine cruise with Avalon Waterways with no expectations. Keep reading to immerse yourself in our adventure along the Rhine River and hopefully, it’ll help you determine if this cruise is right for you:

The Ultimate Christmas Market Cruise

Of course, this cruise can be taken any time of year, but our trip was during the European Christmas Market season! Since the cruise follows the Rhine River that flows between Germany and France, which also happen to be two of the best countries for Christmas Markets, we got to see several amazing Christmas Markets along the way.

After taking a river cruise this time of year, I’m confident in saying that this is one of the best ways to see multiple Christmas Markets if that’s the intention of your trip. Instead of packing and repacking your luggage, and then traveling to a new location for a new market, you simply get back on your ship and wake up in a new destination to explore! 

While we got to see some of the most iconic places to celebrate Christmas in Europe, it also allowed us to visit some of the smaller Christmas Markets that we may not have thought to add to the itinerary if we had planned it all ourselves.

Avalon Waterways Romantic Rhine Itinerary

The Avalon Waterways Romantic Rhine cruise can be done Northbound or Southbound. We were on the Northbound route, so that’s the itinerary I’ll outline, but they offer the same itinerary in reverse (Southbound) as well. 

The full cruise is 8 days, starting in Basel, Switzerland, and ending in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I decided to fly into Zurich, Switzerland a few days early to adjust to the time zone and explore Zurich before the cruise departed. There were other people I met on board that decided to spend a few extra days in Amsterdam at the end.

Here are all the places the Romantic Rhine cruise stopped between Basel and Amsterdam:

Breisach, Germany

Our first stop was in Breisach, Germany, a small, charming village along the Rhine River. We had the choice between two excursions this day: a walk through the Black Forrest with a tour of a few traditional craftsman buildings, or a ride to Colmar, France to explore the Christmas Market there. 

I chose to explore Colmar as I’ve heard great things about their Christmas Market and it was such a fun start to this cruise. This gorgeous town is the perfect place to celebrate Christmas with the stunning architecture and festive stalls, it should be on anyone’s Christmas Market trip itinerary!

Strasbourg, France

The next stop is an iconic place for Christmas Markets. Strasbourg looks like a fairytale village plucked right out of Beauty and the Beast.

Our day started with a walking tour included with the cruise. We got to see the famous astronomical clock in the Strasbourg Cathedral and get advice about what to see and do throughout the town.

After the tour, we had the afternoon to explore the Christmas Markets and we didn’t waste any time! We immediately started strolling through the stalls, trying all of the tasty food, and soaking in all the Christmas cheer. 

We were having so much fun on this stop that we lost track of time and had to run for the bus at the end of the day. Luckily, we made it back to the boat in time and they didn’t leave without us!

Mainz, Germany (Heidelberg)

The third stop on the cruise was in Mainz, Germany, but we opted to take an excursion to Heidelberg as I had heard so many wonderful things about this medieval city. We took a bus from the ship to Heidelberg and I still remember my awe as we were driving through the mountains, made one final turn, and the city came into view in front of us. Heidelberg is situated in a valley between mountains, so the surrounding scenery is stunning.

When we arrived, we embarked on a walking tour of the city that started at Heidelberg Castle. We learned about the history of the castle and had time to take pictures of the sprawling city below. Afterword, we walked down into Old Town where the guide gave us a overview of what to see here and advice on where to explore.

Then, we got to roam the city on our own. Of course, we took to the Heidelberg Christmas Markets and walked down the main street lined with shops and restaurants. This is truly a phenomenal city to visit, so I’d highly recommend this excursion!

Rudesheim, Germany

Our fourth stop was a tiny town that I never knew existed, but I’m so glad we got to see it. Rudesheim is a very small village that takes Christmas very seriously. Almost every street and alleyway was beautifully decorated and I couldn’t stop taking pictures and videos down every one of them.

We started the day with a coffee demonstration and a chance to try a local coffee drink (with optional added alcohol!). Then, we spent the next few hours exploring. They did have a Christmas Market where we got food and wandered around a bit, but we were here in the morning, so it wasn’t in full swing quite yet.

We headed back to the boat around noon so we could sail on to our second stop of the day.

Koblenz, Germany

This day was unique as we had two stops in a single day. The morning was spent in Rudesheim and when we arrived in Koblenz, we had free time to wander the Christmas Markets in the evening.

This was ideal because the Koblenz Christmas Market was so fun! It was packed with people, but most of them seemed like locals as this isn’t a very common place to visit just for the Christmas Markets. It felt like a very authentic German Christmas Market experience. 

We ate dinner at the market and then headed back to the ship to sleep, waking up in Cologne the next morning.

Cologne, Germany

Like a lot of these stops, our time in Cologne started off with a walking tour of the Old Town area. We learned about Jewish history in Cologne and got to see several of the memorial cobblestones throughout the streets. Personally, I’ve always been very interested in World War II history, so I really loved that this tour was included.

Cologne has several Christmas Markets throughout the city and it’s a very popular place to visit this time of year, so we used the rest of our time to explore as much as we could. We started at the market right in front of the Cologne Cathedral. This is the biggest one in the city and it’s beautiful!

Then, we ventured over to Heinzels Old Town Christmas Market which is split into two sections: Alter Markt and Heumarkt. Heumarkt has a large ice skating rink with a bridge where you can watch all of the ice skaters gliding around. Alter Markt has all of the gorgeous, themed stalls to buy food, gifts, souvenirs, and more.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Our last stop on the Romantic Rhine River Cruise was Amsterdam. We arrived in the morning and made our way to one of the many canals throughout the city for a canal boat tour of Amsterdam. Since there are so many waterways here, we got to see a lot of the city from the boat, and learn a lot of history along the way.

After this, we had free time for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Amsterdam doesn’t really have a big Christmas Market, so we just wandered around. Some people toured Anne Frank’s house, and the rest of us explored the city on foot.

We were still sleeping on the ship that night, so we had plenty of time to go to a few bars at night and celebrate the end of an incredible trip! 

Onboard Experience with Avalon Waterways

The Accommodation

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the accommodation on board. I’m not usually a fan of big ocean cruises because, unless you’re on a luxury cruise, the food and the rooms are never great. However, the ship we were on felt luxurious without being over the top.

Avalon had two room options available: the regular stateroom with a small window, or a suite with floor-to-ceiling windows and/or a balcony. We stayed in the regular stateroom as it was quite a bit cheaper in price. Of course, it was a bit small, but I didn’t feel too overcrowded, even with two of us in the room. Since I was traveling with a friend, we had two separate beds which took up most of the room, a small closet, and a private bathroom for us. 

We could tell that a lot of thought went into the layout and design of the ship, overall. It was a much smaller boat than a typical ocean cruise, so there were only about 100 staterooms with a dining room and two lounges. I appreciated that there wasn’t as much to do on board because I was there to see Europe, not stay on the boat!

That said, whenever we were sailing for part of a day, there were lectures and presentations on the history of the area we were in, so there was always something interesting to do. They also held a couple of karaoke nights in the lounge after dinner!

The Food

I can’t say enough good things about the food on board. Each day, the food reflected the region of France or Germany that we were in. For example, when we were near the Black Forrest, they served Black Forrest cake, so even if we didn’t choose that excursion, we could still try it! 

All meals on board were served at specific times each day and you’re given the option of eating in the formal dining room, or a quicker, buffet-style meal in the lounge area. Personally, I really enjoyed eating in the formal dining room, so that’s what I’d recommend. We did that for most meals unless we were trying to rush off the ship to explore.

Like most cruises, all of the food was included with your ticket, and you could order as much or as little as you wanted. Each night for dinner, we received a menu with different appetizers, main entrees, and desserts. Technically, you could order one of everything if you wanted! 

It’s worth noting that wine and beer is included during dinner, but if you’d like to have a during any other time, you’ll have to pay separately for it. There was a happy hour most nights right before dinner when drinks were discounted. Any kind of cocktail or hard alcohol was always extra, including during meals.

Is the Romantic Rhine Cruise Worth It?

The Romantic Rhine Cruise is perfect for couples or groups that want to see different parts of France and Germany without the hassle of packing and unpacking in new destinations every few days. 

Keep in mind that the nature of a cruise means that you’ll be on their time and must adhere to a schedule. You might be really interested and want to stay and explore certain cities longer, but you’ll always have a time that you need to be back to the bus or boat. That said, this is a great way to get a taste of several different areas, and you can decide which ones you want to come back to in the future. 

I especially recommend this cruise for Christmas Market hopping. Since that was the main purpose of our trip, we were happy to get walking tours of the towns, but we didn’t feel like we were missing out on anything because we got to see the Christmas Market and then move on to the next one!

Overall, I thought the Romantic Rhine cruise had an excellent itinerary, accommodating staff, delicious food, and was the perfect luxurious, moving home for a week.

About the author: Sarah is the writer and content creator behind the Sarah Seeks Adventures, where she shares useful travel tips, bucket list experiences, and the behind the scenes of working remotely while traveling Europe. When she’s not abroad, she’s exploring near her pacific northwest home in the US with her partner, Austin, and Siberian husky pup, Misha.