What to Pack for a Winter River Cruise in Europe

As soon as I was invited on a Viking River Christmas cruise, I started thinking about what I should bring. Packing for a winter river cruise takes a lot more planning than I am used to. When I travel, I tend to visit a lot of locations. This allows me to pack a few outfits that I can wear over and over. A river cruise is a different story, because you are with the same small group (under 200) for a week or more. The winter Christmas cruise also requires cold weather clothing, which is bulkier to pack. I wish I had known what to pack for a winter river cruise in Europe, so I decided to make a list to share what was most needed.

Whether you start packing for a winter river cruise three weeks before the embarkation date, or you’re the type who throws together a bag a few hours before heading to the airport, I thought I’d share my packing tips for a European winter river cruise.

What to pack for a Winter River Cruise in Europe

My cruise was in early December. I cruised on the Viking Eir from Basel to Amsterdam with a different stop on the Rhine river each day. We spent most of our time in Germany and it was cold. I wore two layers on the bottom and three on top, and I was still chilly on a few days when the wind added an additional nip to the air.

I utilized my favorite PRO Packing Cubes and packed the following for my Viking Rhine River cruise:

Clothing

• • 1 pair of stretchy jeans
  • 1 pair of black dress pants
  • 1 pair travel yoga pants (I brought my Betabrand yoga pants because they have great hidden waistband security pockets for cash, credit cards or a passport).
  • 6 tops
  • 2 long-sleeved sweaters
  • 1 layering shirt
  • 1 layering leggings or long underwear (I brought footless fleece lined tights which are my new favorite thing for cold weather).
  • 2 dresses (I suggest one black and one neutral color. This way you can dress them up with scarfs. If you’re looking for dresses that are both cute and practical for cold weather traveling, my favorites are the BetaBrand travel collection and IceBreaker.
  • 1 maxi skirt
  • 1 set of pajamas
  • 4 pairs of socks
  • 10 underwear (including my favorite Clever Travel Companion undies with hidden pockets).
  • 2 bras (one black and one nude).
  • 4 decorative scarves
  • 1 warm Scarf
  • Gloves
  • Gloves for a photographer (If you take lots of photos and want to be able to keep you gloves on, the Freehands Gloves that allow you easily access the tips of your fingers are great). 
  • Hat
  • Jacket

Betabrand travel pants with hidden pockets

Shoes

Whatever you decide to pack, just be sure you have at least one pair of shoes that you’ll be comfortable walking in. River cruises offer a lot of free walking tours, and you don’t want to have to skip them because you didn’t bring the right shoes!

• 1 pair of sneakers
• 1 pair of flats or low heels for the boat
• A comfortable and warm pair of boots like these these Omni-Heat boots by Columbia for excursions.

Non-Clothing

• Packing Cubes (I love my PRO Packing Cubes. I use them to organize outfits, one for shoes, one for underwear and bras. Basically, making it really easy to find what I am looking for when I arrive. Once I arrive at my destination, I turn one cube into a dirty laundry bag.)
• Camera (I recently switched to the Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera and love it. It has made a huge difference in the quality of my photos and it’s super easy to use. It’s like using a point and shoot that also has some great bells and whistles if you want more advanced options.)
• Camera jacket (In case it rains and you still want to take photos and protect your camera.)
• Sunglasses (The weather can vary and I did have some bright sunny days. Sunglasses also come in handy on the windy days and help protect your eyes from watering).
• Cross body purse (You want to keep your valuables in front of you at the busy Christmas markets).
• Travel umbrella

What you don’t need

• Viking rooms come with hair dryers and the rooms are supplied with shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion.
• Viking Cruises are casual, so you do not need formal attire for the evenings or dinner.

Packing Tip: If you are traveling with someone from the same location, pack half and half. This means putting half of your clothes and other items in each suitcase. Just in case a bag gets lost or delayed, you still have half of what you packed for the trip.

For more information on Viking Cruises and the Rhine River Christmas:  www.vikingrivercruises.com

For more information on some of my favorite clothing brands:
www.betabrand.com
Icebreaker

Alexa

Alexa Meisler is the editorial director of 52 Perfect Days. Born in Paris, France she has since lived in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon. She currently resides in San Diego with her husband and son where they enjoy exploring California and Mexico.

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Travel has always been a part of her life; traveling to such places as Morocco, Tangiers and Spain as a young child as well as taking many road trips to Mexico with her grandparents as a young girl. Since then, she has traveled abroad to locations such as Russia, Taiwan and throughout Europe.

Prior to working at 52 Perfect Days she was a freelance travel writer; focusing on family and women’s adventure experiences.