And if rivers float your boat...
RIVER cruising enjoyed brief renaissances between the first and second lockdowns — but now they are fully resuming across Europe.
To join them, you can either fly, take the ferry or travel on Eurostar. Meanwhile, long-haul is taking off with deals including free business flights and balcony upgrades.
River cruises have introduced similar protocols to ocean cruising, even through they deal with smaller numbers of around 150 guests.
One of the joys of river cruising has always been to hop on and off the ship to walk into cities such as Cologne, Avignon and Amsterdam.
So in the short term, the current requirement to join escorted tours — rather than roam cities at will — restricts the freedom to explore.
MAGNIFICENT MEKONG
PEDAL around Phnom Penh on a cycle-rickshaw and see the temple city of Angkor Wat in Cambodia on a 15-day river cruise on Viking Saigon. Its Magnificent Mekong itinerary includes an eight-day cruise and hotel stays in Hanoi, Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City. This fly-cruise departs on December 6.
DETAILS: From £6,895pp (vikingcruises.co.uk, 0800 458 6900).
PORTS AND PORT
GUESTS on MS Douro Elegance’s Douro, Porto and Salamanca River Cruise enjoy eight free tours including lunch and a flamenco show on the September 17 sailing from Porto, Portugal.
Castelo Rodrigo and Mateus Palace gardens are also on the itinerary. Plenty of chances to sample a drop of local port along the way on the eightday trip. DETAILS: From £2,439 pp (riviera travel.co.uk, 01283 523 431).
CRUISE AND RAIL
COMBINE the glamour of train travel with a cruise on the new river ship SS Venezia. This 12day holiday through the Swiss Alps from Zurich to Venice starts with four nights on the Golden Eagle Danube Express followed by a seven-night sailing with visits to a gondolabuilding shipyard, a private after-hours visit to St Mark’s Basilica and an overnight mooring on the island of Burano. Sailings are in 2022. DETAILS: From £9,999pp (uniworld.com, 0808 168 9110).
MEET A MONK
SCENIC’S 15-day Jewels of Europe river cruises start on September 20. Sail from Amsterdam to Budapest along the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. Highlights include a medieval feast at Marksburg castle and meeting a monk at a Miltenberg monastic brewery. In Vienna, you can listen to a classical concert in Palais Liechtenstein.
DETAILS: From £4,395 pp (scenic. co.uk, 0808 3017599).
DANUBE DELIGHTS
SAVE £1,117pp on Emerald Destiny’s Danube Delights seven-night cruise on August 27, 2022 with calls to Regensburg, Passau, Durnstein, Vienna and Bratislava. The fly-cruise offer also includes an upgrade to a French balcony cabin, free drinks and no tips. DETAILS: From £2,594 pp (panache cruises.com, 0161 513 8200).
FLOWER POWER
FLORIADE, the Netherlands’ International Horticultural Expo, is held once every ten years and passengers on MS Serenade’s Dutch Waterways’ sailing can see the garden festival during the cruise starting on April 13, 2022. The sailings last eight days and only require a £49 deposit, with a choice of travel from regional airports, by Eurostar or Channel ferry. DETAILS: From £1,499pp (titan travel.co.uk, 0808 239 1194).