Rhine cruise Amsterdam to Basel or Frankfurt to Basel?

[Salbags58]

Hi 

 

Looking at Rhine cruise for next year and would have liked to include Moselle as know that is most scenic but only want a 7 day cruise so options are:

Emerald      Frankfurt to Basel

Scenic        Amsterdam to Basel

 

The Emerald one looks better as I think it will be more scenic focusing on that part of the Rhine.

AMA have some good Moselle options but a bit too expensive.

 

We have travelled with Scenic before and like their product.

 

Any info on best itinerary would be most appreciated .

[notamermaid]

To explain my info I would like to start with a map:

 

It is interesting that the itinerary with Emerald is seven days, as much as the Scenic one. As you can see the first is much shorter than the latter in kilometres. So I am wondering what the stronger focus on the Upper Rhine valley will contain? May the itinerary nevertheless include a short trip into the Rhine Gorge? This would mean that Emerald starts in Frankfurt, turns North on the Rhine, goes as far as Koblenz, turns South and then sails towards Basel. I suggest looking at this closely as the Rhine Gorge on the map roughly between Mainz and Koblenz is considered to be the most scenic part of the Rhine.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Salbags58]

These are the stops on Emerald

Mainz – Frankfurt
Rüdesheim (B,L,D)

Koblenz 

Ludwigshafen - Heidelberg 

Rastatt – Baden-Baden 

Kehl - Strasbourg 

Breisach - Colmar

Basel

 

So more intense stops in that area which I’m hoping would be more interesting and picturesque than theAmsterdam to Koblenz stretch?

[Roz]

I would choose the Amsterdam to Basel route, only because Amsterdam makes for a better pre-cruise stay than Frankfurt, IMO.

[Host Jazzbeau]

The best itinerary I have seen for the Moselle is on Tui, but I can't recommend that cruise line (I have never sailed it, there is little info about it, and there was a recent troubling review):

https://www.tui.co.uk/river-cruises/packages?from[]=&to[]=L53328%3ACRUISEAREA&when=01-06-2025&flexibility=true&flexibleDays=1&duration=&addAStay=0&until=&choiceSearch=true&noOfAdults=2&noOfChildren=0&childrenAge=&searchRequestType=ins&searchType=search&sp=true&room= 

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, Salbags58 said:

So more intense stops in that area which I’m hoping would be more interesting and picturesque than theAmsterdam to Koblenz stretch?

So the Rhine Gorge is in, which makes this an attractive itinerary I find. Is it more picturesque than Amsterdam to Basel? Not sure, others have commented on the Lower Rhine being a bit boring (the landscape is flat past Duisburg and partly industrial from Bonn to Duisburg).

 

Host Jazzbeau has made me think. If Amawaterways is cost prohibitive, could Avalon Waterways be a company for you try on the Moselle? Or perhaps a European company?

 

notamermaid

 

[RobInMN]

In 2019, we did Ama's Rivers and Castles, from Nuremburg to Luxemburg. Unfortunately, some barge hit a sandbar somewhere which delayed river traffic until it was cleared. So we entered the Rhine Gorge a few hours late and it got too dark to see after not too long and we missed a lot of it. I highly recommend this one, the ports were great (Cathedrals, Castles, Forts, and Ruins 🙂 ). Hits Main Danube Canal, Main, Rhine, and Moselle.

We have Basel to Amsterdam booked next spring (also Ama) with our daughter and her fiancé. This will take us down the Rhine Gorge again. For us, this will complete the entire Amsterdam to the Black Sea! We are doing the 2 night Zurich, 2 night Lake Lucerne before, and will spend a couple days on our own in Amsterdam after. We are only doing the 7 night. There are longer ones that go up the Moselle and back before continuing, but my daughter is limited on vacation time. With the pre & post, we are already at 2 weeks.

[JordanF]

Since it looks like you get the Rhine Gorge either way, the main reason for choosing one over the other is gone.  I like the comment above about Amsterdam, so that might be my tie breaker.  But, if you really want the Moselle, perhaps that should be your tie breaker?

[texasstar]

I wouldn't miss the Moselle.   We did Basel to Amsterdam on  AmaWaterways and it was delightful.  

[Canal archive]

On Scenic we had a superb Moselle experience but missed the opportunity of photographing the confluence. Our Captain invited us photography nuts to the experience early in the morning for a river cruise so four of us up and bushy tailed dahhh but were out and away. Basically the best laid plans the Captain had received notice to exit the Moselle asap as the waters were rising - fast. So no confluence photographs, I do keep reminding DH but he says it could happen again and I say - could.  The Moselle is beautiful not to be missed if you can help it.

[pontac]

We went on Viking's Rhine & Moselle Discovery. That is 8 days and started in Basel, went through the most scenic part of the Rhine, and turned at Koblenz to sail up the Mosel to Trier. 

 

The Mosel is very attractive, the towns along it are too and there isn't anything like the river traffic there is on the Rhine.

 

You say you want a 7 day cruise, but the Emerald cruise you detail is said to be an 8 day cruise, and it doesn't go along the Mosel. Note however that cruise companies include the start day and the end day as part of the cruise  days, thus an 8 day cruise usually only has 6 days actual cruising and flight schedules can mean leaving the boat before breakfast on the last day - thus you don't even get the 8th day on the boat!

 

My trip report  of my  Rhine - Mosel trip is at