Rhine River Cruise - are towns walkable from dock?

[Marthasor]

We are doing an upcoming Rhine River Cruise ABD and I was just curious if any of the towns are walkable from where the ship docks? Will we have time to walk around on our own? Or do we, generally, need to stay with the tour group. We have opted to do Rudesheim on our own, but I'm wondering if we will be able to walk, on our own, in any of the other towns? Thank you for your help.

 

[Donalyn]

We went last summer. Based on normal docking (not flood or draught docking) - we could walk into Rudesheim and were docked in Cologne and Amsterdam. The first day, we were docked very close to a town (not one of the towns that you see as part of the planned excursions) and could have walked into it and looked around. The other days, we were in a town, but seemed pretty far away from anything.

 

[Marthasor]

We went last summer. Based on normal docking (not flood or draught docking) - we could walk into Rudesheim and were docked in Cologne and Amsterdam. The first day, we were docked very close to a town (not one of the towns that you see as part of the planned excursions) and could have walked into it and looked around. The other days, we were in a town, but seemed pretty far away from anything.

Thank you, so much, for this info!

 

[aggiedog]

The river cruise docks are variable and so it can be hard to plan. Sometimes the ship moves while you are out and you pick it up in another location. Sometimes it just moves so another ship can come or go, then returns to the same dock. There are often several berths along the river in various places in town. You may need to just play it by ear day to day.

It's a fair bit different from ocean cruising where you know exactly where and when your ship is all the time.

 

[Marthasor]

The river cruise docks are variable and so it can be hard to plan. Sometimes the ship moves while you are out and you pick it up in another location. Sometimes it just moves so another ship can come or go, then returns to the same dock. There are often several berths along the river in various places in town. You may need to just play it by ear day to day.

It's a fair bit different from ocean cruising where you know exactly where and when your ship is all the time.

This is great info - thank you so much!

 

[jimmymc]

You will normally be docked in a town, but it's not always the town where your excursion is. So you might park right in Amsterdam and do a walking tour that leaves from the ship, but on the Mannheim day, you'll take a bus from the ship over to Heidelberg for the excursion. You'll always have the option to skip the included tour and do your own thing, but in some cases, the town you park in isn't a big tourist area. There will usually be some free time after the excursion and before the ship leaves.

 

[Marthasor]

You will normally be docked in a town, but it's not always the town where your excursion is. So you might park right in Amsterdam and do a walking tour that leaves from the ship, but on the Mannheim day, you'll take a bus from the ship over to Heidelberg for the excursion. You'll always have the option to skip the included tour and do your own thing, but in some cases, the town you park in isn't a big tourist area. There will usually be some free time after the excursion and before the ship leaves.

Great to know! Thank you so much!