Recommend jetted over to Germany to take a first-hand look at two of Viking River Cruises’ latest Longships to join the fleet: Viking Hild and Viking Herja. After a celebratory start during the christening ceremony in Koblenz, Germany (which included Champagne-filled gondola rides to a fortress and fireworks over town), we set off on a 4-day mini cruise along the Rhine on board Viking Hild. This spring, the 190-passenger ship will set sail on Viking’s new 12-day Paris to the Swiss Alps itinerary along the Rhine and Moselle rivers, making stops in some of the same spots we experienced as the first passengers on board. Here’s a glimpse at a few of the photo-worthy sights you’ll find both on and off shore, from medieval castles overlooking the river in Germany to food tours around Strasbourg, France, where not only can you indulge in the scents of gingerbread and chocolate wafting in the air, you can also taste it.
Christening ceremony for Viking River Cruises’ two newest ships to join the fleet: Viking Hild and Viking Herja.
Lobster and prawns grilled on the indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace on board Viking Hild.
The 12th century Marksburg Castle is the only one of the 40 hill castles on the Rhine between Bingen am Rhein and Koblenz that was never destroyed.
While 80 percent of Mainz, Germany was destroyed by bombs during World War II, the thousand-year-old St. Martin’s Cathedral in the Old Town remained almost entirely intact.
Just across from the cathedral sits the Gutenberg Museum, one of the oldest museums in the world centered around printing.
Dubbed “Petite France,” this historic quarter is part of Strasbourg’s UNESCO World Heritage site of Grand Ile, home to the city’s tanners and fishermen during medieval times.
La Cloche a Fromage is one of Strasbourg’s oldest cheese shops, featuring over 200 different types of cheeses throughout the year.
On Viking’s Taste the Best of Alsace tour, guests can eat their way around the region’s specialties by sampling favorites like gingerbread.
Alsatian cuisine blends the best of French and German culture with regional must-tries like traditional kougelhopf, a brioche-style pastry made with dried fruit and nuts.
Christian, a second-generation patisserie and chocolate shop, is famous in the region for its carefully curated chocolate crafted from beans sourced around the globe.
The Strasbourg Cathedral de Notre-Dame is the sixth tallest in the world and known for its characteristic pink sandstone facade that took over three centuries to build.
Renaissance-style Cour du Corbeau in Strasbourg is one of Europe’s oldest hotels.
