The top 10 reasons to river cruise in Europe!

07.10.2012

The top 10 reasons to river cruise in Europe!

These are listed in no particular order.

1). Valuable time spent on land. River cruising in Europe will always offer plenty of time ashore, either to enjoy well hosted excursions and tours or leaving you entirely free to explore on your own, either on foot or on a bicycle often supplied by the river cruise lines.

2). Unpack only once.  The incredible benefits of river cruising in Europe are plentiful, however, imagine the ability to go on a break where you need unpack only once yet still have the opportunity to explore some of the most historic Cities, beautiful landscapes and extraordinary landmarks of Europe in a single holiday. On a Danube river cruise for example, you could in theory visit four great capital cities on a single cruise, those being Belgrade, Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava.

3). Satisfy your quest for learning. River cruising can be luxurious, relaxing and exhilarating, yet it can also be an educational experience. Many river cruise lines also provide experts to accompany the cruises, lecturing on and escorting the places visited and the subjects covered. From the Roman Empire that borders to Moselle & Rhine to the history of the World wars and beyond. You can come back with far more knowledge than you embarked with as the great rivers of Europe are flowing with history, quite literally!

4). A next generation experience onboard. The new generation of river cruisers, operated by cruise lines such as Viking and Tauck are now modern, luxuriously appointed and in some cases, eco-friendly too. From Gym’s, Spa’s and contemporary cuisine to WI-FI and even swimming pools, the modern river boat has it all and on facilities as well as other elements, they easily hold their own against their sisters on the oceans.

5). The Golden age of travel. It’s a phrase we hear time and time again. Those holiday makers of sentimental values and curious of a bygone era (Stimulated by TV favourites such as Poirot, especially with many boats having a classical Art Deco style like the Royal Crown) and keen to sit back and relax with interesting people while the gracious rivers of Europe pass gently by. This is a time where you really could be starring in your very own TV show to the envy of its audience back at home who will most likely watch again on the +1 channel it’s just that good!

6). An 'appetite' for the good life? Gastronomy and fine wine are also synonymous with many a river cruise nowadays and the reasons for this don’t just focus on the onboard dining options (often superb and inclusive as they now are). You may choose to have a local tipple while cruising the Rhone and experiencing the wine towns of Burgundy with its famous vineyards, the choice will always be yours.  Many of the organised and sometimes inclusive shore excursions will also offer special wine tastings and gastro experiences too of course.

7). Don’t like to fly? There are options to join river boats that are often available in your package that will not involve flying. You can get direct rail links from St Pancras on Eurostar and TGV and even make your own arrangements for drive to your embarkation point. So you are free to pack more and worry less and you can’t ask for more than that!

8). Get the T-Shirt! We don’t mean the ‘I went on a River Cruise and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt’ version, this is a more metaphorical garment of course. The World has got so much smaller, international travel is so much more accessible to budget and schedules but so many of us have yet to explore the historic countries and cities on our doorstep. It’s time to get the T-Shirt and tick them off and a river boat will take you there.

9). Bucket & Spades. You are almost guaranteed not to run into a group feverishly looking to catch some sun with a rum cocktail in one hand and a bucket and spade in the other. No sunburn allowed on our rivers thank you very much!

10). All the usual trimmings thrown in. let’s not forget to round this off with the fact that you will still be getting all the usual benefits that cruising has to offer. The food, available entertainment, often 24/7 service

So, what are you waiting for?

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