Great video. You have inspired me to take the same journey. Was the portion covered in this video arranged through Viking? I've been thinking of taking the Viking cruise from Basel to Paris but would like to do the Swiss Alps first as you did. How strenuous is the trip? I have balance issues and have trouble walking long distances.
Hello Phyllis! Thank you the kind words! Yes, the Geneva/Zermat adventure was a Viking pre-cruise extension. To me it was the best part of the trip (although the rest of the trip was great as well!)! The Geneva/ Zermat extension had some considerable walking involved on the supplied tours, but most was level ground and almost all transport was via bus or train. There was never any climbing or strenuous activity involved, unless of course, you went seeking it. We had several folks with limited mobility and they handled everything well for the most part (with only few exceptions). The last bit on our way to the boat was a paid-for excursion with Viking called “The Highlights of the Alps,” and for the most part, it was all flat and level ground. The exception to that was when we climbed the path you saw us on. There were no stairs involved, just a wide upward incline, ramp-like path. The only bummer on this excursion was the low clouds and no views of the Eiger and other mountains in the area 🙂! However, the at the bottom more than made up for it! I think would enjoy it! Beautiful people and stunning vistas! Let us know if you go, what you liked, or didn’t like! Best Regards, Tom
My wife and I can't wait to do this for our anniversary. Can't wait for the highlights of the alps excursion to see kleine scheidegg. Did you feel it was worth it? Any advice you might have for the trip overall?
Hello Steve, Thank you for watching. The excursion that took us to Klein Scheidegg and the Eiger on the way to the river cruise portion of the trip was somewhat variable. The cog-wheel train up to Klein Scheidegg was the highlight of the 7.5 hour tour. Better weather would had been nice but no one has control over that. The lunch at Klein Scheidegg was terrible but the place itself was wonderful, even with the clouds hanging over the Eiger and the Jungfrau The long bus ride to get there was a bit of a drag as we never stayed in any of the stops long enough to fully explore. Perhaps the trip down from Klein Scheidegg on the cable tram directly into the Lindt factory chocolate store was the real highlight! The only advice I can give is research the excursions as carefully as you can before booking. You can’t go too wrong in Switzerland! Cheers and Happy Travels, T
Coral, sorry I missed this! We added the pre-cruise Geneva-Zermatt extension on the front end and thought is was great! On the way to the boat we added the Best of the Alps that included the trip up to Klein’s Scheidegg which was good. Otherwise the standard fare while on the boat 😎 We did not do the Paris extension on the back end. Best Regards, T
Hi! Thanks for watching! I’d have to say a warm jacket or layering was only necessary for a couple of days on the pre-cruise extension in Switzerland when we went into the Alps. The rest of the time in Germany and France was quite nice. It may vary for you but that was our experience. Let us know how your trip goes! T
I couldn't agree more about the ugly graffiti all over the cities of Europe. I hate it but I find the locals and many of the European tour guides claim that it is "art". Not sure how names and nonsense phrases qualify as art, but I guess if it doesn't upset the people that live there, my opinion isn't about to rectify things. Maybe they should ban spray paint sales?
Hello Doug, Thank you for the comment. I agree that most of it is garbage, while some of it borders on artistic, and very little is (what I consider) art! My biggest gripe is there is no rhyme or reason to where it seems to proliferate. I think it must ease of access and lack of security in the worst afflicted areas, and a lack of social conscience by the “artists.” But having said that… it is certainly a world wide phenomenon and we are going to see it wherever we go! My philosophy at this point is “enjoy it when I can, ignore it when I can’t!” Happy and Safe Travels! Tom
Two weeks from today we fly to Paris to start our cruise/tour on the Herja. Thanks for posting!
Enjoy it is a great trip!
Great video. You have inspired me to take the same journey. Was the portion covered in this video arranged through Viking? I've been thinking of taking the Viking cruise from Basel to Paris but would like to do the Swiss Alps first as you did. How strenuous is the trip? I have balance issues and have trouble walking long distances.
Hello Phyllis!
Thank you the kind words!
Yes, the Geneva/Zermat adventure was a Viking pre-cruise extension. To me it was the best part of the trip (although the rest of the trip was great as well!)! The Geneva/ Zermat extension had some considerable walking involved on the supplied tours, but most was level ground and almost all transport was via bus or train. There was never any climbing or strenuous activity involved, unless of course, you went seeking it. We had several folks with limited mobility and they handled everything well for the most part (with only few exceptions).
The last bit on our way to the boat was a paid-for excursion with Viking called “The Highlights of the Alps,” and for the most part, it was all flat and level ground. The exception to that was when we climbed the path you saw us on. There were no stairs involved, just a wide upward incline, ramp-like path. The only bummer on this excursion was the low clouds and no views of the Eiger and other mountains in the area 🙂! However, the at the bottom more than made up for it!
I think would enjoy it! Beautiful people and stunning vistas!
Let us know if you go, what you liked, or didn’t like!
Best Regards,
Tom
@@tscruiseandtravelmuse Thank you so much for responding and giving me such valuable information. Your videos are the best I've encountered.
My wife and I can't wait to do this for our anniversary. Can't wait for the highlights of the alps excursion to see kleine scheidegg. Did you feel it was worth it? Any advice you might have for the trip overall?
Hello Steve,
Thank you for watching. The excursion that took us to Klein Scheidegg and the Eiger on the way to the river cruise portion of the trip was somewhat variable. The cog-wheel train up to Klein Scheidegg was the highlight of the 7.5 hour tour. Better weather would had been nice but no one has control over that. The lunch at Klein Scheidegg was terrible but the place itself was wonderful, even with the clouds hanging over the Eiger and the Jungfrau The long bus ride to get there was a bit of a drag as we never stayed in any of the stops long enough to fully explore. Perhaps the trip down from Klein Scheidegg on the cable tram directly into the Lindt factory chocolate store was the real highlight! The only advice I can give is research the excursions as carefully as you can before booking. You can’t go too wrong in Switzerland!
Cheers and Happy Travels,
T
Beautiful, what month did you do this tour?
We started in September and ended in October 🤗
which excursions did you add on to this trip?
Coral, sorry I missed this! We added the pre-cruise Geneva-Zermatt extension on the front end and thought is was great! On the way to the boat we added the Best of the Alps that included the trip up to Klein’s Scheidegg which was good. Otherwise the standard fare while on the boat 😎 We did not do the Paris extension on the back end.
Best Regards,
T
the river has enough water?
It did at the time😎
Leaving on June 19, 2023 for this trip. How many days did you need your warm
Jacket??
Hi! Thanks for watching! I’d have to say a warm jacket or layering was only necessary for a couple of days on the pre-cruise extension in Switzerland when we went into the Alps. The rest of the time in Germany and France was quite nice. It may vary for you but that was our experience. Let us know how your trip goes! T
I couldn't agree more about the ugly graffiti all over the cities of Europe. I hate it but I find the locals and many of the European tour guides claim that it is "art". Not sure how names and nonsense phrases qualify as art, but I guess if it doesn't upset the people that live there, my opinion isn't about to rectify things. Maybe they should ban spray paint sales?
Hello Doug,
Thank you for the comment.
I agree that most of it is garbage, while some of it borders on artistic, and very little is (what I consider) art! My biggest gripe is there is no rhyme or reason to where it seems to proliferate. I think it must ease of access and lack of security in the worst afflicted areas, and a lack of social conscience by the “artists.” But having said that… it is certainly a world wide phenomenon and we are going to see it wherever we go! My philosophy at this point is “enjoy it when I can, ignore it when I can’t!”
Happy and Safe Travels!
Tom