Enjoy city breaks...take a river cruise

If you're someone who cruises in order to experience new places and try new cultures then river cruising is definitely something for you. Probably the fastest growing part of the travel industry, it is something that not a lot of people know about and that is not that easy to research or purchase. So I thought I'd tell you a little bit about it.


All of the major rivers of Europe and the eastern globe are great for river cruising - from local destinations such as the Seine and the Rhone to the Imperial Waterways of Russia and the Yangtze in China. These rivers are vast - in someplace a mile wide and are home to sumptuous floating hotels.

River Cruises generally accommodate around 200 passengers in all outside cabins and they glide along the waters calling in at the major towns and cities on route. Always stopping in town they are an easy and convenient way to visit many of the major cities. In Budapest you just hop of the boat (we're allowed to call them boats when they're on a river) and you're in the centre of town. You then experience a full day of sightseeing and taking in the local flavours. This is vastly different to ocean cruises, where you may be berthing up to 2 hours away from the place that you are visiting.

River cruising is similar to ocean cruising in that dinner time is a major focus of the day. There is little entertainment on board and the evening revolves around a leisurely evening meal, most cruises pride themselves on having chefs who shop in the local towns and produce meals that are specialities of the region. After dinner there may be some piano playing, or in some cases local dancers come on board and do a small show, but do not expect the west end style shows or comedians and entertainers associated with the large cruise lines.

In terms of price, the head line figures of River cruising can look expensive - however nearly everything is included - most companies provide wine, beer and soft drinks with your dinner, food is all included and excursions are all part of the package. The only spending money you really require is for trinkets and maybe a coffee whilst walking around town.

River cruising isn't for everyone, but if you do enjoy sightseeing and have enjoyed visiting cities and towns in the past, then why not give it a go?