Exploring Ashore with U by Uniworld

You’re reading Part 2: Exploring Ashore
Check out Part 1: All About U - Onboard Life
Check out Part 3: Show Me the Euros

So, what’s it like traveling through Europe on a U by Uniworld cruise? Each of U by Uniworld’s itineraries is different, but here’s a look at the kinds of experiences you can expect.

We sailed the Rolling on the Rhine itinerary from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Frankfurt, Germany. The Rhine is known for castles and you will definitely see lots of Castles on the Hill (Ed Sheeran, anyone?) as you sail along.

U by Uniworld Rolling on the Rhine Castle

What are some of the excursion highlights from Rolling on the Rhine?

Keukenhof Gardens: One of the world’s largest gardens, where millions of tulips are blooming in every direction, is only open a few weeks a year, so if you’re sailing in the spring, don’t miss this. (According to Sara, it was the happiest day of her life)
Amsterdam Canal Cruise: For the included Amsterdam tour, we cruised around the canals on small boats – nothing like the big touristy boats you usually see – while sipping espressos we picked up from a coffee shop that had a boat dock.
Cheese Making: Is there anything better than cheese? How about making your own while sampling an array of different freshly made cheeses and local wines. This was definitely Montana’s favorite.
Biking: Whether you join an organized bike trip along the river or just take the U bikes out for a cruise of your own, this is a great way to get a feel for the destination just as locals would experience it.
Night at the Castle: If you’ve ever wanted to feel like old-school royalty while also appreciating your modern-day comforts, visiting a castle is a great way to do that. We had the castle to ourselves as we sipped champagne, toured the rooms and posed for lots of photos.

U by Uniworld Night at the Castle Rolling on the Rhine

How much time do you get in port on a U by Uniworld cruise?

Though the amount of time varies by stop, we found that we had just the right amount of time everywhere we went. In Amsterdam, we stayed two nights and almost three full days, so we had a great taste of the city both during the day and at night and we even literally tasted the local flavors of the city on our Six Senses walking tour through the Jordaan district. In the small town of Rudesheim, we only spent five hours, but that was the perfect amount of time needed to climb to the highest vantage point, shop for local souvenirs, sample LOTS of Riesling and indulge in a gigantic warm donut-like treat.

Rudesheim U by Uniworld Hike

How active is a U by Uniworld cruise?

We got in our daily steps on the U by Uniworld trip – an average of 12,270 per day – but don’t let this scare you, we’re more of the “I do marathons…on Neflix” type people, but we explored with the best of them! One of the most memorable days was biking 14 miles along the Rhine as the ship cruised to the next stop to meet us. Not only was this an entirely different perspective than being on the ship, but we got to see all the locals out enjoying the sunny day and we even stopped for beer and pretzels at a campground by the water’s edge. Don’t forget to pack a pair (or two) of walking shoes and some athleisure outfits for days like this!

Bike Ride Rolling on the Rhine U by Uniworld

This all sounds awesome, right? Well, now that we’ve convinced you to go, what are U waiting for…locate a U by Uniworld travel agent near you and get to booking! Don’t worry, we have more information about the money side of things in Part 3: Show Me the Euros.