Viking Herja

[UmmGus]

I am looking for the usual docking times of the Viking Herja on its Swiss Alps to Paris cruise.

 

[Greg]

Exact docking/arrival/departure times are not fixed or publicly published in advance by Viking for their river cruises. They vary based on river water levels, lock schedules, traffic, and weather. Viking provides a projected schedule (via MyVikingJourney or your travel agent) and hands out the detailed Viking Daily newsletter each evening with the next day’s precise times, docking info, and excursions.

Typical Docking Pattern (Usual for This Itinerary)​

Viking river cruises like this one follow a standard rhythm:

• Arrival: Early morning (usually 7–9 AM) after sailing overnight or early.
• Time in port: Full day docked (or very close by) for morning included tours, lunch onboard, and afternoon free time/exploration.
• Departure: Late afternoon or evening (typically 4–8 PM or after dinner/Port Talk) to the next port or for scenic sailing. Some ports have overnight docking.

This applies to Viking Herja and all ships on this route.

Typical Ports & Docking Overview for Swiss Alps to Paris (Zurich → Paris Direction)​

Here’s the usual river-cruise portion (embark Basel, disembark Trier area, then transfer to Paris). Exact days/ports can shift slightly by sailing:

• Basel, Switzerland (Day 3 – embark): Transfer from Zurich hotel. Ship usually docks centrally or nearby; embark afternoon/evening.
• Strasbourg/Kehl (Day 4): Docks in Kehl (German side). Short shuttle bus into Strasbourg, France (center is not directly on the Rhine). Full day docked.
• Speyer, Germany (Day 5): Usually docks close to town; easy walk to historic center.
• Mainz, Germany (Day 6): Often near city center (one of two possible docks). Walkable or very short transfer.
• Scenic sailing Middle Rhine / Koblenz area (Day 7): May include a stop in Koblenz (own dock ~100m from town) + scenic cruising past castles/Lorelei Rock.
• Cochem, Germany (Moselle River) (Day 8): Docks close to town (short walk or very nearby).
• Bernkastel-Kues, Germany (Day 9): Small town; docking can be close but sometimes a bit of a walk or opposite bank.
• Trier, Germany (or Winningen/Remich area) (Day 10): Disembarkation port. Docks relatively close to town. Morning disembark, then motorcoach transfer to Reims/Paris for hotel stay.

Note: The reverse direction (Paris to Swiss Alps) simply flips the order (starts with bus to Trier, cruise upstream/south to Basel, then to Zurich hotel), but the ports and typical docking patterns are the same.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[UmmGus]

Thanks, it does help!