Wine and dine on the Rhine with Viking

At 1,231km long, the Rhine wends from the Swiss Alps through Germany, France and the Netherlands into the North Sea.

Trimmed with cities such as Basel, Strasbourg, Cologne and Amsterdam, it’s been a leading trade route since Roman times.

As soon as I board the Longship Viking Sigrun with my friend of 40 years, Fiona, hotel manager Daniel Crisan makes us feel at home.

Our twin-bed Scandi-style stateroom has plenty of storage space. French windows slide open and waves lap gently against the hull.

BEAUTIFUL BASEL

One of the country’s richest cities, Basel, in northern Switzerland, is first on our itinerary.

Piano notes of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ drift across a sleepy square near the cathedral and we marvel at Les Trois Rois, one of Basel’s oldest lodgings, which counts Charles Dickens, Queen Elizabeth II, Pablo Picasso and the Rolling Stones among its visitors.

The 500-year-old town hall meanwhile has the wow factor, as it’s painted scarlet and adorned with frescoes.

For a cultural fix, Kunstmuseum Basel houses work by artists from the 15th century onwards.

Our guide Aaron Goldsmith explains, “Two Picasso paintings on loan to the gallery were meant to be sold, but citizens pushed for funding to keep them. Picasso was so moved, he donated four of his paintings to the gallery”.

HIKING HEAVEN

Trekking in the Black Forest’s Ravenna Gorge is a real highlight. Crossing cascading waterfalls on narrow wooden bridges, and arriving at an old mill makes me feel like I have ambled into a Grimms’ fairytale.

GOTHIC SPLENDOUR

The seat of the European Parliament, Strasbourg, is a picturesque city with an astronomical clock atop a Gothic cathedral.

We climb its spire for views of rooftops fringed by Black Forest. We also see a colony of storks on huge nests before wandering cobbled streets scented with the aroma of tarte flambée. Our guide Gil Gosshen says, “It’s a thin dough base covered in melted Gruyère, Emmental and bacon”.

Church bells peal and swans pose by the river as we glide beneath an azure sky along the Middle Rhine – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the cruise’s jewel in the crown.

There are more than 60 fairytale castles, each a glimpse into bygone times when noblemen oversaw trade, collected tolls and defended their kingdoms. Romance is in the air as some are now hotels – the perfect wedding setting.

The Romans recognised that the soil and microclimate were favourable for grape cultivation, and today vineyards cling to steep slopes that plunge into the river. Riesling is the area’s most widespread grape variety, and an extensive wine list onboard is an oenophile’s dream.

Next, we see Loreley Rock – a 132m slate outcrop named after a beautiful woman who, according to an 1801 ballad, jumped to her death here. An eerie melody plays over the ship’s PA as we pass by en route to Koblenz.

Cologne boasts an intricately carved Gothic cathedral, which took 600 years to build. Miraculously, it survived the Second World War bombs that destroyed surrounding homes. We also visit a museum dedicated to Eau de Cologne perfume.

WINDMILL WONDERS

Then it’s onwards to Kinderdijk in the Netherlands. It’s a treat to cycle along pathways fringed with wildflowers to a 17th-century windmill museum and hear how the Dutch tackle water levels.

The museum’s traditional interior is charming, with Delft pottery, monochrome photographs and wooden clogs on a shoe rack.

AUF WIEDERSEHEN

Fiona and I have made great friends – Kent and Liz from Arizona; Erin and her husband Jamie from Ohio; and university student Daniel, with his grandma and parents from New York. After a port talk, dinner and a few gin gimlets, everyone is invited to the UK.