Viking River Cruises, the world’s leading river cruise line, has announced the release of new Early Booking Discounts and is now offering even more competitive travel deals and vacation packages on the iconic waterways in Europe.
Grand European Tour, 15-days Amsterdam to Budapest, is now on offer at an amazing AU$2,500 per person off the brochure price. Price starting as low as A$2,699* per person including 15-day cruise itinerary, daily shore excursions, all meals, talks & lectures, port charges and shipboard gratuities.
Romantic Danube, Nuremberg to Budapest, 8-day Danube cruise, is offered at an Early Booking Discount of AU$2,000 per person and starting at A$1,699* per person.
Rhine Getaway, 8-day itinerary from Amsterdam to Basel, drawing an AU$2,000 per person Early Booking Discount and starting at un-beatable AU$999* per person.
Cities of Lights, this 12-day journey includes two nights each in two of Europe’s most glorious cities, Paris and Prague, plus a scenic river cruise along the Moselle, Rhine and Main Rivers. Offered at a discount of AU$2,500 per person. Prices start at A$2,499 per person.
All itineraries mentioned above include cruise, daily shore excursions, all meals, talks & lectures port charges and shipboard gratuities. Early Booking Discount expire 31 October 2010 and requires full payment on the 31st of October 2010.
Itinerary details, dates and pricing are available in the 2011 River Cruise Atlas and on the company’s website www.vikingrivercruises.com.au
We're here to help you find the best travel deals and vacation packages from around the world - if you want cruise deals, hotel deals, flight deals, last minute deals, food and wine travel, spa retreat deals, romantic getaways or family holidays from Australia, Asia, Europe, USA, the Pacific, Africa or the Middle East, then we can take a lot of the legwork out of finding the best deals. We source these travel deals through our own industry contacts and by trawling the web ourselves to find the best deals. Keep checking back for our regular travel reviews for first-hand accounts and photography from some great destinations, hotels, cruises and airlines, along with our reviews on must-have travel accessories.
Check out our Facebook page.
Check out our Travel Review on European River Cruising
Many of the great cities of Europe owe their existence to the historic waterways that link them together. Ben and Joanna Hall give the lowdown on cruising the popular rivers of the region.
For centuries, they were the continent’s main highways and instrumental in the development of its culture and architecture, and these days Europe’s rivers provide passage for one of the fastest growing sectors in the travel industry.
In fact, the latest figures show that 11,761 Australians took a European river cruise in 2007 which represents four percent of the total cruise market and the rise in group travel on the waterways has helped these numbers to rapidly increase each year.
The reason is simple. In a single day of cruising Europe’s rivers, it’s possible to take in medieval villages with citadels, monasteries, castles and cathedrals, separated by a landscape of stunning mountains and farmers at work herding sheep or picking grapes.
Travelling through Europe as a group often involves a bus tour, with early starts, checking in and out of hotels daily, and long hours sitting in a coach seat. And as fascinating as this style of touring can be, it can also be hard work.
As ocean cruisers know, however, sailing from one destination to another is a far more leisurely way to travel. You drop your luggage in your cabin for the duration, wake up in a new port of call each morning, and at the end of the day, you can meet with new friends at the bar on-board to swap stories as the boat glides to the next destination.
Cruising in Europe is a fantastic experience which captures some of the world’s great coastal cities, but river cruising provides access to a heartland which is more serene and rustic. That’s not to say there’s a shortage of classic cityscapes on the waterways with the likes of Amsterdam, Vienna and Budapest on many itineraries, but this type of tourism is really more about smaller towns and villages off the beaten track, and which are less likely to be overrun with tourists.
Flowing through the heart of Europe are the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers, spanning 3,500 kilometres from Amsterdam on the North Sea, to Romania on the Black Sea. Although it is possible to cruise from one side of Europe to the other, a river voyage which takes some 24 days, most first-timers venture out on week-long Danube cruises which take in Germany, Austria and Hungary.
A typical cruise starts in Vienna, one of the most romantic cities in Europe which inspired Mozart and Strauss to compose many of their best works, and many itineraries allow two days in the Austrian capital to allow a proper exploration. Further down the Danube, and the small medieval town of Melk features an array of architecture from the past 1000 years, and the town’s Abbey, called Stift Melk, towers over the countryside as one of the world’s most famous monastic sites.
Austria’s third largest city, Linz, straddles both sides of the Danube and is an interesting blend of a modern cityscape with medieval architecture, while the Old Town of Passau in Bavaria, and the ancient city of Regensburg are two of the most popular ports in this region. Many cruises also include Nuremberg which allows for a transit though the engineering marvel of the Main-Danube Canal and its amazing system of locks.
Other popular European rivers for cruising include the Seine in France, Portugal’s Douro River, the Po River in Italy, the Elbe from the Czech Republic to Germany, the Volga in Russia, and the Rhône and Saône with excursions to Provence and its wine country.
Although the onboard experience of river cruising and ocean cruising share some similarities, the size of the vessels, and what they offer, is a major point of difference. While ocean-going ships can carry anything between 500 and 3,500 passengers, river boats rarely take more than 200 and can be as small as only 20 or 30.
They’re also built low to the water to pass under ancient and medieval bridges, and can dock in the heart of small towns that the bigger vessels can’t access. Staterooms and cabins are usually a lot smaller on river boats, and have functional bathrooms and few private balconies.
Facilities and entertainment are also limited in comparison to mega-liners. Don’t expect grand cabaret shows or a choice of restaurants; there’s usually one dining room with assigned seating, which suits groups, and if you’re lucky there may be a solo pianist or harpist playing out the evenings. Swimming pools are also a rarity, although demand from passengers is prompting some companies upgrade vessels.
A major bonus of river cruising is there is no tendering (ship to shore transfers on small boats), as the boats dock right in the heart of the towns and villages and make it possible for passengers to walk on and off at leisure to go exploring.
In larger groups this can be a godsend; if some people don’t feel like charging around, or want to do something different, they can do their own thing with ease. As for seasickness, this isn’t really a issue on a river cruise, even for a first-timer who isn’t familiar with the state of his sea-legs.
The European river cruising season is in full swing in the northern hemisphere summer, although spring and fall are becoming more popular as the change of seasons creates an alluring landscape. Increasingly, Christmas cruises are also appearing on some the itineraries of some companies, as they offer the chance of experiencing the fairy tale image of Europe covered in snow, with the added bonus of special Yuletide markets in the quaint villages.
Cruising the high seas on an ocean liner may capture the romance of a bygone era of travel, but as many travellers discover, river cruising has many benefits. It’s also a leisurely and time-efficient way to experience the heart of Europe, and get up-close-and personal with its famous history and architecture.
