You’re booked on the famous Viking Rhine River Cruise and want to maximize your experience by doing something a little different than the crowds. I’ve got a secret side trip for you!
Travel tip… pick up a planning map of Germany before your trip!
The Viking Rhine River Cruise Secret Side Trip @ Rüdesheim am Rhein
We took the Romantic Rhine River Cruise with Viking almost four years ago now and we are still talking about this little side trip that we took directly from one of the ports: Rüdesheim am Rhein.
The optional excursion on Day 4 is the night of the big German party, for additional cost. Many of our fellow passengers on our cruise raved about the great food and cultural experience while others felt it was too touristy.
Instead, we slipped away that evening for some quiet time with each other which added to the romantic charm of the cruise.
Slip Away for a Romantic Evening
Imagine this scene…
A gondola ride over sweeping vineyards takes you to a romantic forested park with a wide view of the Rhine River and the magnificent statue of Germania, the symbol of a unified Germany. You’d think it would be overrun by tourists, but it’s not. Sounds too good to be true, but it is.
The Port of Rudesheim on the Rhine River
The port of Rüdesheim is a tiny, touristy village with cute narrow streets of cobblestones, shops, vineyards, wonderful restaurants, catering to the river cruise ships and European tourists. While everyone is exploring the streets or on a pricey excursion, check out this adventure hiding in plain sight—the Niederwald Monument.
The windswept statue of Germania upon the hill greets visitors to the Rhine since 1883. The village of Rudesheim was built to serve the many tourists and guests who came to the monument!
More of the fascinating history of this landscape park from private hunting lodge to regional treasure is found can be read here: https://www.niederwalddenkmal.de/
Getting to the Niederwald Monument
Guests in the 19th century arrived by railway. The fastest modern method is by private car. Since your on a river cruise, you could call a taxi. Or, get your steps in by walking the 2 kilometers up the hill.
But we recommend the enjoyable ride by cable car!
Going by Cable Car
From the cruise ship’s port at Rüdesheim, follow the signs to the village and begin to look for the icon of the cable car, just follow the signs through the village. It will lead you through the village! Hidden among the tight alleys and the welcoming lights of the restaurants, is the ticket entrance. It’s right next to the Christmas shop! You can’t miss the Christmas shop, but the cable car ticket booth and entry is pretty easy to overlook.
The cable car route is usually open between March and November. The round trip journey cost 7.50 euro.
The website warned that those afraid of heights might not feel comfortable in the cable car. Neither my husband nor I are fond of heights nor tight spaces so we took a look at the cable cars before plunking down our money and decided to go for it.
Each cable car is just built for two, couples travel knee to knee over the vineyards. But we found it felt very safe. The enclosed space of the cable car is about car door height to the chest, perfect for resting your arm on the ledge so it’s high enough to provides a sense of safety.
The journey takes about 10 minutes each way. Below hikers, dog walkers, and harvesters move through the field. And above, the Lady of Niederwald awaits.
Things to see and do in Niederwald Monument
You might be in time to enjoy the cafe and beer garden before they close for the evening. Certainly take in the view of the Rhine valley below from the panorama vista–see if you can spot the river cruise boats below!
Enjoy the “temple” pavilion and rose garden. And take a walk on the beautiful forest paths. Make sure to catch your ride back down otherwise, you will be walking through the vineyards downhill to get back to the village.
Dinner Recommendation at Rudeshiem
Once back in Rudesheim, enjoy dinner at one of the many local restaurants. We ate at the Winzerkeller Gasthaus restaurant along the Drosselgasse and loved it.
We cruised from Basil to Amsterdam on Viking’s Romantic Rhine River Cruise Getaway on the Viking Sigrun back in September 2022 and we are still in love with our memories from this experience and recommend the river cruise highly. Read our full review of our Romantic Rhine River cruise here.
They don’t call it the Romantic Viking Rhine River Cruise for nothing!
Taking the journey to Niederwald by cable car seems almost too shy to stand out in the crowd. But this secret, romantic side trip, side by side with your honey, is worth it!
Read our travel love story here!
See more of our Viking Rhine River Cruise videos and blog posts…
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