If you want to sightsee in Europe the easy way, take a river cruise
I'm in the middle of updating a book I wrote two years ago, the Insight Guide to Great River Cruises, which has got me daydreaming about life in the slow lane, drifting along Europe’s waterways, pottering around picturesque towns and villages, or lazing on deck watching the scenery drift by. My three hot tips for 2007 follow!
Short break cruising: Most river cruises last a week or more but for next year, Viking River Cruises is offering three night ‘Taste of the Rhine’ voyages from Basle to Cologne, stopping en route at Strasbourg, Speyer and Konigswinter and passing through the dramatic Rhine Gorge, where ruined castles perch on top of sheer-sided cliffs and mile after mile of vineyards cling to impossibly steep slopes. These cruises are on board Viking Helvetia II, Europe’s longest river vessel, launched in 2006. www.vikingrivercruises.com
Russia: A cruise from Moscow to St Petersburg is like two comprehensive city breaks with none of the hassle and a whole lot more in between. The luxurious Viking Kirov spends two nights in Moscow before wending its way north and west through Russia’s complex Volga-Baltic Waterway, past rustic villages and ancient cities like Uglich and Yaroslavl, visiting monasteries, kremlins and elaborate orthodox churches. The boat crosses Lake Onega to the beautiful wooden village-museum of Kizhi and arrives in St Petersburg with three days to see the palaces and the fabulous Hermitage art collection. Cruises operate from May to October; www.vikingrivercruises.com.
Barging: Cruise the Canal du Midi in the south of France on the beautiful wooden hotel-barge, Athos, with just six double cabins, new for barge specialist European Waterways. Gourmet meals are prepared on board by the resident chef, with food from local markets, and all drinks and excursions are included. Guests are picked up in Montpellier and the barge spends a week pottering along the canal at a wonderfully soporific pace, with visits to Carcassonne, Argeliers, the hilltop village of Minerve, Capestang, Narbonne market, Agde and the Etang de Thau, which contains Europe's largest mussel and oyster park. Various decadent side-trips include wine-tasting, olive-oil tasting and a visit to the Noillly Prat Vermouth distillery. www.gobarging.com.
