November 22nd, 2007
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO RIVER CRUISING
River cruising may not have the glamorous image of travelling by ocean liner, but it does have several advantages. First, of course, there is always something to look at - not the case on many seafaring ships. Second, river boats are, by necessity, more intimate: they rarely carry more than 300 passengers, whereas ocean- going ships can hold up to 4,000. And thirdly, river cruises tend to be more informal than the traditional cruise.
Yesterday, in Amsterdam, a boat named easy Cruise Tivo set off on her maiden voyage. Following on from the success of his easy Cruise One, serving the French and Italian Riviera and the Caribbean, Stelios HajiIoannou is now running river cruises in Holland and Belgium.
Sort of. In the hope of living up to its motto, “luxe for less”, easyCruise is dropping the neon orange for what it hopes is a more sophisticated livery. On its refurbished riverboat, the company has replaced its trademark orange hull and large-lettered website address with a grey hull, orange beading and a new logo. On board, the furnishings, and even the menus, also mark a shift upmarket from those of the original easyCruise ship.
As for the itinerary, easyCruise Two follows a weekly route through Holland and Belgium, from Amsterdam to Antwerp via Rotterdam and Brussels. Dropping anchor by lunchtime each day, passengers should be able to spend plenty of time ashore. And, as with easyCruise One, they will also be able to hop on and off the cruise whenever they like, subject to a minimum two-night stay.
As with easyJet, prices vary dramatically according to demand’ in August you could pay as much as pounds 352 per person for a week (www.easy-Cruise.com’ or 0906 292 9000 at 25p per minute)’ for the lowest rates, aim for later in the season, which runs until November, when a two-night trip could cost under pounds 14 per person.
WHERE NEXT?
Europe’s most popular rivers for cruising are its two biggest rivers: the Rhine and the Danube. Both provide the opportunity for sailing past historic cities, medieval towns, pretty European villages, romantic castles and forests. Bear in mind that most cruises operate only between March and October.
Classic trips on the Danube include a 13-day holiday with Great Rail Journeys (01904 521980′ www.greatrail.co.uk) which features a week on the river. You travel to Germany by rail and visit Cologne and Nuremberg before boarding the vessel in the German town of Passau. The cruise visits Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. Prices start at pounds 1,990 per person, including rail travel, a full- board seven-night cruise, five nights’ half-board hotel accommodation, and excursions.
On the Rhine, a four-day taster cruise with Moswin (08700 625040′ www.moswin.com) sails from Basle to Cologne, calling at Strasbourg, Speyer and Konigswinter en route. Prices start at pounds 575, including return BA flights from Heathrow, transfers and all meals.
Other popular river-cruising destinations in Europe include the Elbe in the Czech Republic, the Seine and Rhone in France, the Douro in Portugal and the Po in Italy. The luxurious one-week Elbe trips run by Peter Deilmann (020-7436 2931′ wwwpeter-deilmann-river- cruises.co.uk), for instance, run between Potsdam and Prague via Magdenberg, Wittenberg, Meissen, Dresden and Melnick. Prices start at pounds 1,099 for departures from 14 October, including flights from Heathrow to Berlin, and back from Prague to Heathrow on British Airways, transfers and all meals.
For other European river cruises, try Travelscope (0870 380 3333′ www.travelscope.co.uk)’ Noble Caledonia (020-7752 0000′ wwwnoble- caledonia.co.uk)’ or a specialist agent such as Cruise Direct (0871226 0964′ www.cruisedirect.co.uk)’ Cruise Finders (0870 041 1000′ www.cruise finders.co.uk)’ or The Leading Cruise Agents (www.thelca.com).
WILL I GET CABIN FEVER?
You shouldn’t, since most cruise operators schedule in plenty of time for messing about off the river. Destination Portugal (01993 773269′ vww.destinationportugal. com), for example, runs eight- night round-trip cruises along the Douro, and there are opportunities to visit Porto’ Peso da Regua, centre of the port- producing region’ an 11th-century monastery’ and the wine estates of Vila Real and Pinhao. There’s also an excursion across the Spanish border to visit the historic city of Salamanca. Prices start at pounds 789 per person, including accommodation, most meals and transport, but not international travel.
In Italy, Archers Direct (0870 460 3894′ www.archersdirect.co.uk) offers five-night trips to Venice and the Po that include excursions to the basilica of St Anthony in Padua, the medieval towns of Mantua and Verona, the fishing port of Chioggia, and Venice itself, with plenty of free time for exploring. Prices start at pounds 585, including flights from Heathrow to Venice on BMI, all meals and transfers but not all excursions.