I recently returned from an amazing trip visiting Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, France, Netherlands, and Belgium!
After my trip, I did some thinking about what I did to prepare for this dream vacation and I wanted to share with you what I do to schedule my pre- and post-arrangements before a river or ocean cruise.
Step 1, of course, is to select your particular cruise or tour since that will determine your fixed dates to work around. Then you’ll want to factor in how much time you may have to extend the trip, either before your cruise or tour, or after.
For example, on our trip we decided to arrive in Zurich, Switzerland 5 days prior to our river cruise. In Zurich, we picked up our prepaid rental car with EuropCar and drove to our accommodations at the Swiss Chalet Baeren Sigrisvil Hotel near Lake Thun. This was only about a 2 hour drive away from the airport, and well worth the trip.
Staying two nights near Interlaken allowed us to explore this area and visit Jungfraujoch which was high on our list. Going through visitor center and taking in the views took about 4 hours, and so we now had time to take the train to Grindelwald and have a fantastic lunch and wander a bit more.
The next day we headed back to Interlaken train station and this time took a train to Wengen, a charming Swiss Alpine Village. We chose Wengen because there are some fun hiking options down to Lauterbrunnen which has been on my bucket list for years.
We reached Lauterbrunnen and Trummelbach Falls which was absolutely everything I dreamed it would be.
We then headed back by train to Interlaken and drove to Lucerne for our one night stay at Hotel Restaurant Felmis. A bit out of the way from the main area, but still a nice property.
For our day in Lucerne I booked for us a day tour to Mt. Pilatus which is the “Maker of Weather, dragon’s Lair, home to giants and grave of rulers.” In other words, a very majestic mountain and the tour also included Lake Lucerne Cruise at the end.
The next day was a road trip and chill out day for us. We decided to head to Liechtenstein to just be there and see it. The road trip itself was a nature wonder. Lots of tunnels in the mountains and the mountains on both sides were so beautiful, with waterfalls everywhere and so many hang gliders off of every peak it seemed like. Liechtenstein was very tiny. We stopped to see Vaduz Castle and then made our way back to Zurich for the night.
We explored Old Town of Zurich. I had always heard and thought it was just a big metropolitan city for business. Which yes, it is a big city, but Zurich was beautiful! We walked around Old Town and up and down the river. The rivers in Switzerland, even in the big cities, are so clean that residents go swimming and play in the waters all summer long. We ended the day with a lovely dinner.
Last day on our own was a train ride to Basel, dropping our luggage off to Viking after checking in and then walking around before our ship set sail.
The next 7 days was a glorious trip with Viking, which that travel blog would be pages long and is for a different time.
After our cruise ended in Amsterdam, we started our post-cruise adventure by dropping off our big bags off at the hotel and taking our overnight bag with us to the train station to head to Bruges, Belgium.
We stayed in the Dukes Palace Residences in Bruges. Highly recommend! Within walking distance of everything. Of course, Bruges is pretty much walking distance for anything. We explored Brugges on our own, went on a canal boat ride, did an impromptu museum tour, and had dinner in the main square. Such a fun day and worth the effort.
We ended our trip back in Amsterdam for one more night and then explored Amsterdam again. We had been here before, but didn’t have a lot of time. So by adding in another bit of time for an afternoon and evening we got to experience even more.
Travel Tip #1: Definitely have all you’re your logistics booked and set. Have your accommodations set up, rental cars, have at least the schedules for trains with you and review before you travel. And have a basic outline plan of each day. You can wing it a bit on your own which is fun, but an idea of what you are doing each day will maximize your time. Include some guided tours as well, especially for cultural significant ones, or if you want to see and do a lot in one day, a guide can make all the difference!
Travel Tip #2: If you are going to take Intercity or Regional trains and there is an option to upgrade to Comfort Class or 1st Class. Definitely upgrade!! The standing room only, sardine packed trains with your bags is not it.
I always look for pre- and post- night options on all my travel trips that are cruises or tours. It’s a fun way to explore on your own and enjoy destinations in a less structured way. Pretty much all my trips are a mix of on my own and structured. It’s a great way to have a well-rounded experience and I would be happy to help you plan out your extended adventure with exciting pre- and/or post- options.
I started in the travel business in 2000 and have never looked back. I’ve been to 27 countries and 42 states. I definitely have much more to see! I have a beautifully blended family with my son and daughter and my partner and his son. We all love to explore the world. My specialties are international travel, especially customized trips that fit my clients’ idea of the most amazing vacation.
I recently returned from an amazing trip visiting Switzerland, Liechtenstein,...
