RIVERBANK TALES
More leisurely than car, more intimate than ocean liner, could a waterway cruise be for you?
River cruising, which is enjoying a huge boom in popularity, has more in common with a touring holiday by coach or car than conventional cruising, but with one great exception. Instead of spending hours cooped up in your vehicle in between highlights, you while away the time on the sun deck or slumped in an armchair in the lounge, gazing at the gorgeous banks of the snaking waterway.
Such problems as finding somewhere to park in city centres, always a hassle when touring by land, is never an issue. Nor are traffic jams. And with barely a ripple, let alone a wave, there’s more chance of feeling nauseous watching water swill down the sink than from the motion of the boat.
Ships that cruise rivers are very different from those that cruise oceans. If you’re looking for salsa nights, kids’ clubs and casinos, you picked the wrong holiday. With little else to do on board, the main consideration is less about which boat you’re on but which river you want to explore.
Aside from the Rhone and the Rhine (see our feature over the page), several other European waterways offer cruise holidays.
The Danube
Amawaterways (amawaterways. com) offers a wide choice of itineraries on one of Europe’s greatest rivers, whether it’s two weekers from Amsterdam to Bucharest, or short breaks to see Christmas markets. Once a principal artery of commerce, the Danube’s banks are lined with historic capitals, including Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava, making a cruise more like a string of city breaks. Typical ports of call on the most popular one-week cruises include the massive Benedictine monastery of Melk, the immense neoclassical cathedral at Esztergom, the pretty, arty town of Szentendre, and the walled wine village of Dürnstein. You’ll also see a passing pageant of vineyards, apricot orchards, and villages with pink and peach pastel houses, wonky skylines and onion-dome church roofs.
The Duoro
Cruise with Cosmos (cosmos. co.uk) along one of the Iberian Peninsula’s major rivers from the port capital Porto – Portugal’s second city and a Unesco World Heritage destination – taking in the port vineyards. As well as tipples ashore in vineyards, and a visit to the 18th-century Casa de Mateus, whose picture appears on the famous rosé wine label, you can expect to find attractive hill scenery, a tranquil mood and a full-day trip to another World Heritage city, Salamanca.
The Elbe
A perfect way to explore the ‘new’ Europe – all the more appealing since so few hotels in the former Soviet Bloc can yet measure up to the shipboard comforts offered by, say, Noble Caledonia (noble-caledonia. co.uk). The meticulously
restored cities of Dresden, Potsdam and Prague are the major pulls, but you also get Martin Luther’s Wittenberg, the porcelain town of Meissen, and Berlin (a 90-minute drive from the start/finish point in Magdeburg).
The Seine
Avalon’s (avalonwaterways.com) Paris to Normandy itinerary is a popular choice. Sailing from Paris, your route will encompass the sights of picturesque Normandy, the poignant Second World War landing beaches (full-day excursion), the artist village of Auvers-sur-oise, Monet’s gardens at Giverny and historic Rouen.
Neva-volga
Russia’s waterways link Moscow with St Petersburg via canals and inland lakes as well as rivers. Shore time is a mix of cities, small towns and villages, many of which would be hard to access by other means. On Scenic’s (scenic.co.uk) Jewels of Russia cruise, you’ll tap a rich seam of culture, including art collections, churches, monasteries and exhibitions of priceless treasures.