Our Enjoyable Tour Of Rhine River

By alantvuong on March 21, 2020

Since I got more time at home, I thought it would be a great chance for me to write blog posts of some of my first trips when I started travelling as a quadriplegic. Way back in June 2013, my buddy and I decided to visit Amsterdam and Frankfurt and these are the only 2 cities in Europe that I have ever visited (even to this day!). My buddy and I were really interested in doing the Rhine river tour and was told about issues with there being a few steps for the tour bus and for the boat. We thought that it sounded doable and were both up for the challenge and did not want to miss out on this awesome experience.

on the bus and ready to start the tour

The Bus

We couldn’t remember the tour company we booked with but our bus was a smaller type bus that had a few steps to get in. My buddy just lifted and carried me into the front seat which people thankfully left for us. We met at the bus pick up point sometime in the morning around 10 or 11 and were prepared for the hour or so drive from Frankfurt to Rudesheim which was where the boat tour started.

checking out the views from the bus

We both enjoyed the bus ride and really liked looking out at the scenery of Germany. The weather was a bit cloudy and but we were still able to see the lush trees and the countryside and everything in between. The houses all looked really neat and it was just a treat to see how people from other countries live like.

looking out from the window

Zum Anker

Once we got to Rudesheim, we were given the option to pay a small fee to ride the gondola from Rudesheim Niederwald Monument to Assmannhausen to check out the views. Since we were told that the gondola was not wheelchair accessible, we just got dropped off at Zum Anker for the included lunch.

ready for lunch at Zum Anker

The restaurant had no steps to get in but it was a little tight once inside. We sat with our tour group and had a choice of either a chicken or vegetarian lunch. Drinks were not included but were available for regular restaurant prices. We both chose the chicken meal which included fries and coleslaw. The food was not too bad but thought a traditional German meal would have been a better option.

sitting with our tour group for lunch

included chicken lunch

The Boat

After lunch, it was time to get on the boat for the Rhine River cruise. Getting from the dock to the boat required my buddy and a staff member to just carry me while I am in my manual wheelchair to the boat. Once I was on the boat, I just stayed on the main level as the top level had a bunch of steps to get to. I was fine not being able to go to the upper level as the views from where I was was great enough and my buddy did get to explore the boat on his own and offered to take pictures from different spots of the boat for me.

waiting for the boat to arrive

on the boat

The Tour

It was really awesome checking out all the castles as we cruise down the Rhine River. There was a tour guide who pointed out some of the castles we saw and gave us a brief description and history information on them. It was amazing to learn a little bit about German history and to see such spectacular views of the landscape and of the castles.

love the views from the boat

It was still a bit cloudy while we were on the boat and it was a little bit windy, but the whole tour turned out to be perfect. This whole experience down the Rhine river lasted about 90 minutes or so and there was an option to buy small snacks and drinks while on the boat. There was never really any bumps going down the river as it was a comfortable journey the whole time.

learning about the castles from our tour guide as we go by

Wine Tasting

After we got off the boat, it was back to Zum Anker for the wine tasting. This time, we were at another section of the restaurant and got to try some of the local wines of the country. It was really cool learning about the different wines and how it was made. Again, this room was a little tight in space for my wheelchair but it was still an enjoyable experience.

wine tasting at Zum Anker

Wine tasting did not last too long and we were given a short 30 minute or so of free time to just roam around and check out the surrounding area. We did not want to stray too far from our bus and just took a few photos of the city nearby. After that, it was time to get back on the bus and back to Frankfurt.

little bit of free time before it’s back on the bus

Overall, the Rhine River was amazing. It was definitely worth spending the whole day doing. I am thinking if I were to redo the tour now, wheelchair accessibility would be improved for the bus and the boat. I would like to see if the gondola ride would be now be more accessible. With amazing views of the different surroundings from the bus and the boat, I can’t wait to be back someday and relive this awesome experience.