Five top European river cruises
The Danube between Passau and Budapest
6-7 days one-way, 10-12 days round-trip
A voyage through the heart of Europe, cruising this stretch of the continent's
most fascinating river brings a perfect combination of scenery, culture,
history, urban and rural, past and present. Typically passengers will fly to
Munich or Salzburg and transfer by coach to Passau, an attractive small town
on the German-Austrian border where the rivers Inn and Ilz join forces with
the Danube. En route to Budapest (or on the way back), cruise vessels stop
at Melk Abbey and the idyllic small town of Dürnstein before spending a
night (sometimes two) at the capital of Mitteleuropa, Vienna. The river then
passes through the southernmost corner of Slovakia with a stop at
Bratislava.
Visible from miles away across the flatlands, the mighty basilica of Esztergom
marks the beginning of the scenic Danube Bend and the approach to the
Hungarian capital. Most cruises will spend a couple of days in Budapest,
made all the more enjoyable by the fact that vessels moor on the riverbank
right in the city centre. (This is the most popular section of the Danube
for cruises, but longer itineraries operate downstream from Budapest all the
way to the delta on the Black Sea. Some operators cruise from Regensburg in
Germany down to Budapest. There are also cruises which take around 24 days
to navigate all the way across Europe from Amsterdam to the Black Sea via
the Rhine, Main, Main-Danube Canal and Danube.)
The Rhine from Düsseldorf to Basel
3-4 days one-way, 5-7 days round-trip
The original European river cruise remains as popular as ever, and this
section encompasses all the best bits. First port of call is Cologne, with
its magnificent cathedral. A short distance further south, the most famous
stretch is the 100 kilometres between Koblenz and Mainz, a fantastical
landscape of steep vineyard-clad hillsides topped by crags and brooding
castles, through which the turbulent river has gouged its course.
Landmarks include Lorelei rock, the point where the gorge is at its deepest
and the Rhine at its most treacherous - the rock and attendant whirlpools
claimed the lives of many a sailor in days gone by - and the fairy-tale
castle of Mauseturm (Mice Castle). Heading south, cruises stop for
wine-tasting at Rüdesheim in the heart of the Rheingau region, and the
delightful French city of Strasbourg, before reaching Basel. This city is
unique in its position where three countries - Germany, France and
Switzerland meet. Above Basel the river executes a sharp turn (the "Rhine
Knee) and is no longer navigable.
The Moscow to St Petersburg cruise (Volga and various other
waterways)
10-15 days one-way, with at least 2 nights in both Moscow and St Petersburg
There's a certain thrill about cruising the network of rivers (including a
section of the Volga), lakes and canals that link Russia's capitals past and
present, compounded by the excitement that visiting these extraordinary
cities themselves, so long out of reach behind the iron curtain, inevitably
brings. Ancient babushkas greet the boat as it moors up in a village,
proffering bunches of lily of the valley, gaudy Russian dolls, lacquered
boxes and bright shawls.
Between towns, the rivers meander through fields of potatoes, beets and
free-ranging pigs tended by old women with headscarves and pitchforks, or
past deep, cool forests or hamlets of colourfully painted wooden houses.
Ports of call are rich with history, ornate onion-domed churches displaying
exquisite icons. What's more, there are several marvels of engineering along
the way, as the rivers and canals pass though huge locks into the vast
expanses of lakes and reservoirs, dotted with little wooded islands. And
Moscow and St Petersburg are fascinating, with world-class museums and an
array of amazing sights. All in all, it's a heady experience.
The Elbe from Melnik to Děčin
7-14 days one-way with at least 2 nights in Prague
The Elbe is not as well known as a cruising river as the Rhine and Danube, but
its appeal has grown, and it's not hard to see why. The sleepy countryside
and ancient towns and cities of the former East Germany, the craggy upland
scenery around the German-Czech border, and the superlative cities of
Prague, Dresden and Berlin are all on offer here. Most cruises take in the
German capital at one end (with the boat staying at Potsdam) and Prague at
the other, having either left the Elbe at Melnik and travelled a short
distance to the south along the Vltava, or moored at Děčin and transported
passengers overland to Prague. Typical ports of call include Postdam (for
Berlin), Magdeburg, Wittenberg, Meissen, Dresden, Königstein and Decin (for
Prague).
The Douro from Porto to the Spanish border
6-8 days Porto-Barca d-Alva (Spanish border)-Porto round-trip
There are also 2-day cruises between Porto and Peso de Régua. Many packages
fly you to Lisbon, spending a couple of days in the capital before
transferring to Porto and the cruise. The green north of Portugal is a
wonderfully picturesque corner of Europe, and a cruise on the Douro is a
perfect way to explore it, through the terraced hillsides of the country's
port-wine-growing district. Three thousand years of cultivation have tamed
the slopes, now covered by over 40,000 hectares (98,800 acres) of vineyards,
and given rise to hundreds of prosperous quintas, or wine-growing estates.
Porto itself is a very pleasant city to explore on foot, with an attractive
old quarter on the riverside. Stops along the cruise include Vila Real for
the Casa de Mateus, a vivid Baroque mansion set deep in the countryside.
Five lesser-known European river cruises
The Moselle (Mosel)
The main cruising section of this sinuous tributary of the Rhine cuts its way
through a deep valley lined with terraced vineyards, before merging with the
larger river at Koblenz. Other than the scenery, which with its castles is
reminiscent of the Rhine Gorge, one of the main attractions is the beautiful
walled town of Cochem, at the centre of the renowned local wine industry,
and the historic city of Trier with its Roman gate.
The Rhône
An important trade route for millennia, the Rhône - together with the Saône -
links northern Europe with the Mediterranean and is, with the Po and the
Ebro, one of only three large European rivers to flow into that warm
southern sea. Gastronomic pleasures are a major part of the appeal of a
Rhône/Saône cruise, with plenty of opportunities to taste and buy fine wine,
and sample haute cuisine at some of France's top restaurants in the city of
Lyon. Other highlights include the papal city of Avignon, the amazingly
well-preserved Roman amphitheatre at Vienne and, further north, the
Benedictine abbey at Cluny.
The Po
Italy's largest river doesn't offer a great deal in the way of scenery, but a
cruise on its muddy waters is an unusual - and very pleasant - way to visit
some of Lombardy and Venetia's fabulous old cities. Verona, Padua, Cremona,
Bologna, Mantua and Venice are all part of the package, although only
Cremona is actually on the river itself. The shallow water means that
capacity is limited to smaller vessels. Most cruises will include a couple
of days in Venice as part of the package.
The Vistula
A cruise on Poland's principal river visits areas in the north of the country.
There are few tourists around and a lot to see, from medieval castles to
ancient cities and coastal lagoons. The river is only navigable a relatively
short distance inland, and most cruises also sail along the Baltic coast,
and some continue through a complex of canals into the Russian enclave of
Kaliningrad and the Curonian Spit - a UNESCO natural heritage site and home
to some of Europe's largest sand dunes. The city of Gdansk, famous for its
shipyards and role in recent Polish history, has a handsome array of
Hanseatic merchant houses and other sights along its well-restored cobbled
streets.
The Dneiper
Dnieper cruises begin in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and head downstream
through fertile farmland (the breadbasket of the former Soviet Union) to
reach the Black Sea. As with the Russian river cruises further north, there
is a real sense of adventure coming here: Kiev and Odessa are fascinating,
while the Crimean resort of Yalta and its surroundings is a kind of eastern
version of the French Riviera, with a truly spectacular setting.
Tom Le Bas is the editor of Insight Guide: Great River Cruises (Europe
and the Nile), published in May 2006 (£16.99)
