What’s In My Suitcase: Amsterdam & Rhine River Cruise Packing Ideas

Our Amsterdam & Rhine River Cruise Travel Itinerary

We fly to Amsterdam and meet my parents and brother and sister-in-law where we’ll spend a few days prior to our cruise departure. My maiden name is Dutch, and there is a windmill in Amsterdam with our family name so we plan to see that. We also plan to go to the Anne Frank house and Van Gogh museum based on a lot of Instagram feedback and then we visit Keukenhof Gardens as part of our cruise. I’d love to hear any other recommendations if you have them!

I’ll be sure to share all the details on our cruise once we return. But following is a quick look at our stops on the cruise itinerary:

• Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• Cologne, Germany
• Koblenz, Germany
• Schwetzingen, Germany
• Kehl-Strasbourg, Germany/France
• Breisach, Germany/Neuf-Brisach, France
• Basel/Zurich, Switzerland

For reference, as it relates to packing, we’ll be gone for a total of ten days.

What I’m Packing For Our Trip to Amsterdam and A Rhine River Cruise

The weather in Amsterdam and down the Rhine this time of year is a bit tricky, with lows still in the 40s and days in the high 50s and low 60s for most of our stops. With that, I plan to dress in a lot of layers so it’s easy to remove throughout the day as it warms up. I’ve found in much of Europe this time of year the day starts cold but can quickly turn.

For extended trips such as this, I think it’s also very important to nail down a base color palette for your clothes. This makes it so much easier to mix and match on the go once you really get a feel for the day’s activities! Since we’ll be on the water and port towns for much of the trip, I went with a bit of a nautical vibe with all of my pieces, as well. I chose a lot of neutrals and added in a cobalt blue and brown. I don’t claim to be an expert packer nor do I ever aim to fit everything in a carryon for this length of trip. I have really started utilizing packing cubes the past several years, and have found that to make a huge difference in my organizing (and less overpacking)!

With that, here’s most of what I plan to pack for our time in Europe. All sources are listed further down in the post when I elaborate on each section. I use Canva to make this graphic and just pull in stock photos of each thing I own and/or purchased.

Tops

In addition to a basic white, navy blue, and black t-shirt, I’ll plan to bring the following tops. Some will be for day activities (less active days) and others will be for dinners.

• Striped Linen Button-Up Shirt
• Chambray & White Embroidery Top
• White & Royal Blue Puff Sleeve Blouse
• Embroidery Short Sleeve Top
• Scalloped Eyelet Shirt
• Floral Popover Top

Sweaters & Jackets

Looking at the forecast, it’s likely we’ll need sweaters and jackets for part or most of the day every day. So being able to mix and match the top layers with various tops and tees is key! Tap any of the images below for more information on each item.

• $50 Cashmere Sweaters
• Organic Cotton Fisherman Sweater
• Cable Knit Hoodie
• Striped Rollneck Sweater (runs big – size down if between sizes)
• Wax Jacket with Removable Hood (runs big – I ordered my smaller size and there’s still plenty of room for thicker items underneath)

Bottoms

Hoping some of the day pants can be re-used for evenings, but I’ll have to play that by ear! Otherwise, keeping it fairly simple with linen, denim, and knit basics I can rewear with multiple tops!

• High-Rise Shorts (I take an XL in these in all of their lengths offered)
• Wide-Leg Jeans (true to size, but slightly big with the stretch)
• Linen Pants
• Textured Satin Pants (look dressy but are super comfy)
• European Linen High-Waisted Shorts

Two-Piece Sets

I’ve really gotten into matching sets this past year. Although most are super comfortable and casual, the tone-on-tone helps elevate the look so it’s more chic.

• Belted Jacket
• Wide Leg Pant
• Striped Top
• Striped Shorts
• Zip-Through Knit Sweater
• High-Rise Shorts
• Sweater Knit Top (worn with the same wide leg pant above)

Dresses

From what we’ve found in our research, the river cruise is fairly casual dress code-wise. Unlike sea and ocean cruises we’ve done in the past, there is no black tie night and they said there’s really only two nights that are semi-dressy. Meaning, if you want to wear a dress those would be the two nights to do it. But otherwise, I’ll likely wear these linen pants or these textured satin pants with one of the tops or sweaters.

• Floral Dress
• Navy & Cream Cotton Dress
• Brown Gingham Seersucker Dress

Accessories & Shoes

Each time I’ve gone to Europe and not brought a scarf, I’ve immediately regretted it. They help with warmth, but if you’re dressing in layers, they can really dress up a basic tee and jeans/pants once you take off a sweater or jacket.

I never fly without one of these oversized cashmere wraps, regardless of season. I now own two colors and I find I almost use them more in summer months (why is the AC so crazy on planes?!). They work as a blanket, a shawl, and a scarf (if you scroll through all the colors they give lots of ideas on how to style and wear them). I also love that they fold fairly compactly, so I always just leave one in my carryon tote/purse. My mom loved mine so much, we gifted her one for Christmas last year.

I saw the other day that Walmart brought back my all-time favorite memory foam slip-on sneakers and immediately ordered two pairs. I had some 5 or 6 years ago and wore them so much I had to finally part ways with them. When one of my godmothers was here in February, she said they were her favorite items she’d ever purchased from one of my links. To say I was excited to see their return was an understatement! The bad news is they went from $7 when I first shared them all those years ago to $9.98 now 😉 Trust me – you won’t be disappointed!

I also plan to bring a pair or two of sandals (one with a heel), as well, to wear with dresses in the evenings or on warmer days. I haven’t nailed those down 100% yet.

• Gold Bezel Strand Necklace
• Braided Italian Leather Belt
• Cotton Chino Ball Cap
• Air Force One Sneakers
• Memory Foam Slip-On Sneakers
• Pesce Medium Silk Scarf
• Sunglasses
• Silk/Cashmere Large Floral Scarf

Travel Gear

We’ve quickly realized over the past year how helpful AirTags can be in luggage. I keep one in my checked suitcase and one in my card holder in my purse at all times. Kurtis keeps one in his luggage and one in his carryon backpack.

• Ray-Ban Meta Sunglasses (These will be so fun to use on bike rides and walking around. They’re real sunglasses but also take video, and have AI built-in if you want to ask them what you’re looking at).
• Portable Charger (I rarely leave home without this. Works for all phone charging ports and many devices).
• Double Sided Suction Phone Gripper (I prefer this double sided version, rather than one that affixes to your phone full-time. Great for taking group photos since it sticks to so many solid surfaces)!
• AirTags (Highly recommended for all travel, but especially overseas).
• Passport Case & Luggage Tag
• Packing Cubes (Kurtis uses this more budget-friendly version)
• Travel Adapter Kit
• Luggage (we own multiple pieces from this affordable Walmart brand and have used them for years)!
• Carry-On Suitcase (this is how I transport my laptop because I hate carrying it. I also include my makeup case and this time around, a change of clothes and deodorant).

I also plan to pack a swimsuit and a few other “just-in-case” items that didn’t make the graphic. But it helps me to visually see it all laid out so I don’t overpack!

While we’re away, I’ll plan to share my outfits in real-time in my LTK shop and ShopMy storefront and will try and share on Instagram Stories too! I also have blog posts pre-written that I’ll share while we’re away, as well. Once we return, I’ll plan to share a bunch more about our trip as I’ve had many others express interest in a similar river cruise!

If you’ve done this particular itinerary or similar before, I’d love to know your favorite spots or things we can’t miss!