Almost every season is a good time of year for a European river cruise. Photo / Viking Cruises
Almost every season is a good time of year for a European river cruise. Photo / Viking Cruises
Joanna Booth recommends the best time of year to cruise Europe’s many rivers, from spring on the Seine to Christmas on the Danube.
Spring flowers, autumn colour or a white Christmas? You can experience all of them on a cruise on Europe’s diverse network of rivers – and with the Northern Hemisphere’s topsy-turvy seasons, the weather will be a change from what’s on offer at home.
A river cruise is a great way to maximise your European adventure for minimal effort. Borne along waterways running through the heartland of the continent, you’ll have ringside seats for the varied landscapes that pass by your cabin window. And with small, intimate river vessels that can moor up in central locations, you’ll be perfectly placed for sightseeing in the cities and towns along the way. What’s more, as each stylish ship acts as a floating boutique hotel, you’ll only need to unpack once.
You’ll find sailings departing from around the end of March until early in the new year, but avoid scheduling a trip for January and February if you’re keen to tick off a river cruise on your next trip to Europe.
As winter comes to an end both nature and the river cruising market show green shoots of life. There’s no better time to cruise the waterways of the Netherlands – a dense network of inland channels passing through a pastoral, low-lying landscape dotted with sleepy towns and quintessentially Dutch windmills. The highlight of any sailing here at this time of year is a visit to the Keukenhof Gardens – a 32ha estate where 40 gardeners cultivate seven million bulbs per year, all scheduled to bloom across the eight-week spring opening season. An eight-day Tulip Serenade voyage with Amadeus cruises roundtrip from Amsterdam, visiting Keukenhof, the Kinderdijk windmills, pretty Middelburg and historic Arnhem, and pops over the border into Belgium to stop at cultural Ghent, trendy Antwerp and picturesque Bruges. amadeus-rivercruises.com.au
Price: Starting from NZ$2860, including accommodation, meals with drinks, gratuities and Wi-Fi.
Watch the world roll past your window aboard an Amadeus River Cruise.
Photo / Amadeus
Scenic
There’s a reason that Ella Fitzgerald sang about loving Paris in the springtime – it’s a glorious time to visit the City of Love. The weather is warm but not yet sweltering for visiting classic sights from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe, and cherry and magnolia blossoms fill the streets with colour and perfume. Scenic’s 8-day Highlights of Normandy and the Seine sails from the heart of Paris all the way north to Honfleur, the gateway to the English Channel. Along the way you’ll visit Rouen’s mighty cathedral, the art-filled Chateau de Chantilly, the D-Day landing beaches and Monet’s garden at Giverny, which is particularly beguiling in spring. scenicnz.com
Price: Starting from $6195, including suite accommodation with a butler, dining, drinks, excursions, Wi-Fi and gratuities.
Paris in spring fills the streets with the colour and sweet smell of cherry and magnolia blossoms. Photo / Getty Images
European Waterways
For something completely different, choose a springtime cruise along the River Po, when the delta is still home to overwintering flamingos. Flowing into the Venetian lagoon, the Po is little navigated, and only the small, 20-passenger ship La Bella Vita can sail upriver as far as the medieval city of Mantua, calling at the coastal town of Chioggia and Renaissance Ferrara. The vessel can even moor up on the Guidecca Canal in the heart of Venice itself – perfect for easy-access sightseeing. europeanwaterways.com
Price: European Waterways offers a seven-day trip from $7650, including meals, drinks and excursions.
SUMMER: JUNE TO AUGUST
Avalon Waterways
Dreaming of sun-soaked, rural France? You’re probably thinking of Provence, the region in the far southeast, through which the Rhone flows south to the Mediterranean. Cruise at the start of summer for fragrant fields of lavender, or later in the season for the serried ranks of sunflowers that inspired Vincent Van Gogh. Book Avalon Waterways’ eight-day Active & Discovery on the Rhone cruise and the wide range of included activities – from a painting workshop in Van Gogh’s home of Arles and a lavender farm visit outside Avignon to kayaking in the Ardeche Gorge and a cooking class in Lyon – will get you under the skin of this iconic destination. Avalon waterways.co.nz
Price: Starting from $4672, including meals, drinks, excursions and Wi-Fi.
An Avalon Waterways river cruise sailing on The Rhone river. Photo / Supplied; Globus
Tui
Less well-known is the Moselle, which runs through steeply-terraced, vine-clad valleys along the Germany-Luxembourg border. Viticulture here dates back to Roman times, and during the summer the many wine villages host their own festivals featuring wine tastings, food and folkloric entertainment. The region is full of pastel-tinged, half-timbered houses and crumbling castles, perfect for exploration if you need a break from the vino. tui.co.uk
Price: Tui’s seven-night The Moselle Valley – Vines & Views starts from $3155 including meals with drinks and gratuities.
Gota Canal Steamship Company
Even more off the beaten track is Sweden’s Gota Canal, which cuts from Gothenburg on the west coast right through the country to the Baltic Sea. Sail on a small, historic ship dating back to 1874 and traverse the network of cut canals, lakes and rivers at a slow, sleepy pace during the long days of a Scandinavian summer. Highlights include 66 sets of lock gates, the medieval town of Soderkoping, the ancient Viking site at Birka and Stockholm, the stylish Swedish capital. fiftydegreesnorth.com/au
Price: A six-day package sailing with the Gota Canal Steamship Company via Fifty Degrees North starts from $4968.
Sweden’s Gota Canal offers a sleepy pace during the long days of a Scandinavian summer. Photo / Getty Images
AUTUMN: SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER
Emerald Cruises
After the long sun-baked days of summer ripen the grapes, autumn comes and it is time for the harvest, making these months a wonderful option for cruising in Europe’s wine regions. This is particularly true of Portugal’s Douro Valley. Sheltered from sea breezes by a mountain range, it’s punishingly hot here in summer, but September and beyond bask in a warm glow, with the vine-laced slopes slowly igniting into orange and red tones. The Douro is relatively short, so week-long cruises here have a relaxed pace, giving you plenty of time to experience all the region has to offer. Book Emerald Cruises’ eight-day Secrets of the Douro cruise and plenty of action will be included, from vineyard visits, kayaking trips, walks and a tour of the historic city of Salamanca to on-board activities such as cookery and port cocktail mixing classes. emeraldcruises.co.nz
Price: Starting from $4850 for an October departure, including meals, drinks, excursions and gratuities.
APT Luxury Travel
The Douro is famed for hefty red wines and port, but the wines grown on the banks of the mighty Rhine, which flows for more than 1200km through the heart of Central Europe, are predominantly white. An autumn cruise through the Rhine Gorge – the most picturesque section of the river, a 96km stretch of waterway where castles cling to the deep-sided gorge – is made even more beautiful by the vines and trees turning shades of yellow and orange. APT’s eight-day Highlights of the Rhine and Main sailing between Amsterdam and Munich not only showcases the prettiest scenery, but gives you the freedom to focus on which of the region’s myriad sights you prefer. There’s a choice of included excursions in most ports – for example in Wurzburg you can tour the Baroque palace, head off to the quaint medieval town of Rothenburg or visit a local, family-owned farm. aptouring.co.nz
Price: Starting from $8590 for an October departure, including meals, drinks, excursions and gratuities.
Autumn in the Rhine Gorge is most picturesque. Photo / Getty Images
Croisi Europe
A leftfield choice that would surprise even more local visitors is a cruise on the Guadalquivir, Spain’s only major navigable river. Croisi-Europe offers voyages sailing roundtrip from Seville through the heart of Andalucia, and autumn temperatures in the balmy region are perfect for sightseeing. You’ll sip sherry in the port city of Cadiz, visit a stud farm raising the famous Andalusian horses and wander Moorish Cordoba and Granada, home of the exquisite Alhambra palace. croisieurope.com
Price: Starting from $2856 including meals, drinks and some excursions.
WINTER – NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER
Arosa Cruises
Festive cruises are the name of the game as the year comes to an end, with themed voyages on a range of different rivers. Dotted along the Danube, Austria’s Christmas markets are a delicious visit with cinnamon-dusted gingerbread and warm, spicy mulled wine. A-Rosa is a superb choice if you’d like a quick-hit cruise that’ll fit into a wider European trip. A five-day Danube Christmas Markets itinerary calls at the markets of Vienna, Linz and the Slovakian capital Bratislava, where you can sample local specialities including pastries filled with poppy seeds and walnuts, and hriato, an unusual hot cocktail made from brandy, honey and bacon. arosa-cruises.com/au
Price: Starting from $1092 (when booked by March 31, then $1179), including meals, drinks and Wi-Fi.
Enjoy the picturesque views aboard an Arosa river cruise. Photo / Arosa Cruises
Viking
To combine Christmas markets with a heftier slice of sightseeing, choose Viking’s 10-day Christmas along the Elbe voyage. Alongside German and Czech Yuletide fun – including the world’s oldest Christmas market in Dresden – you’ll get the chance to explore the significant cultural sights of Berlin and Prague, plus Potsdam’s magnificent Sanssouci Palace. viking.com
Price: Starting from $6254, including meals, drinks, some excursions, Wi-Fi and gratuities.
Viking Longship on the Elbe River. Photo / Viking Cruises
Uniworld
Head to Belgium, home of chocolate and waffles for a December cruise to suit the sweetest of teeth. New for this year, Uniworld has an eight-day Belgian Holiday Markets sailing, giving access to markets in Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Hasselt, Aachen, Maastrict and Antwerp, with plenty of time to soak up all the festive feels with ice skating, ferris wheels and Christmas lights. uniworld.com/nz
Price: Starting from $4099, including dining, drinks, excursions, Wi-Fi and gratuities.
Soak up all the festive feels with a December river cruise in Belgium. Photo / Getty Images
