River cruises: Relax, the Vikings and headhunters will look after you...
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Let the sights come to you on a river cruise there's so much to see as you sail along at a leisurely pace and every morning brings a new destination to explore.
Riverboats, however roomy and opulent, have an intimacy of scale, and many cruises include wine with meals, creating the perfect atmosphere to make friends at dinner as you talk over the day's events.
And in 2012 there are new ships and itineraries to choose from. Here is our pick of some of the best river cruises in Europe and farther afield...
Golden land: The sun sets on the peaceful Sarawak river at Kuching
- If the idea of taking a holiday on a Viking longship conjures up a journey on high seas in an open boat manned by ferocious bearded men in hats with horns, think again. Viking River Cruises is launching four 443ft 'Longships' next year. One feature is the Aquavit Terrace, an all-weather indoor/outdoor observation lounge with retractable floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Each ship has two very spacious Explorer Suites with a separate bedroom and sitting room, and a veranda giving 270-degree views. Two of these, Viking Idun and Viking Njord, will be sailing on Grand European Tours on the Rhine, Main and Danube from Amsterdam to Budapest (and Budapest to Amsterdam). Among the many highlights of the 14-night itinerary are the chance to take a Second World War excursion in Nuremberg, city tours of Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, and cruising the beautiful Wachau Valley. Departures are from April to November 2012. The cost in an Explorer Suite is from 9,945pp and from 3,695pp in a cabin with French balcony (saving 500 on brochure prices if booked before November 30). Price! s includ e flights from a choice of UK airports, wine and beer with lunch and dinner, and 12 guided tours (020 8780 7995, www.vikingrivercruises.co.uk).
Grand European tour: Sail along the Rhine, Main and Danube on board the Viking Njord 'longship'
- The River Saigon is an elegant new boat launching in January on the Mekong. With French colonial style decorations, 60 guests are accommodated in 30 deluxe cabins with French doors opening on to wide promenade decks. You'll spend a fascinating week on board as part of a 17-day Timeless Wonders Of Vietnam, Cambodia And The Mekong tour. Starting in Ho Chi Minh City for two nights in a hotel, there will be sightseeing in the Vietnamese capital and a visit to the Cu Chi War Tunnels, before joining the boat to cruise to Cambodia. Highlights along the Mekong include a city tour of Phnom Penh and the notorious Killing Fields, and walking tours to traditional villages. You will also stay in Siem Reap to see the temples of Angkor Wat before flying to Hanoi, the former capital of North Vietnam for the final night. Departures are from September 2012 to March 2013 and the cost is from 4,399pp (if booked by November 30). The cost includes VIP Home Departure Service, flights, full board on the cruise with drinks, some other meals and guided sightseeing with Titan Elegant River Cruises (0800 988 5867,www.titantravel.co.uk/UMK).
- There is a once-in-a-decade opportunity on a new cruise from Uniworld. A one-week cruise, Gems Of Germany, Belgium And The Netherlands With Floriade, between Brussels and Cologne. It calls at Venlo in the Netherlands, where Floriade 2012, the huge horticultural, botanical and cultural exhibition, is held. The decennial event runs from April to October. The cruise also takes in Belgium's diamond capital Antwerp, gastronomic Maastricht (far more interesting than that treaty makes it sound) and the rural Rhine countryside. Departures are from April to September. The cost is from 1,850pp including drinks with meals, and excursions but not travel to and from the boat, which can be arranged. (www.uniworldrivercruises.co.uk, 0845 678 8306).
Wild side: Feel like a true adventurer going deep into the heart of Borneo
- Enjoy a relaxing holiday to the South of France without having to catch a flight or get behind the wheel. An 11-day package starts with pick up from your front door in a chauffeur-driven car to take you to St Pancras for Eurostar to Paris (or to your local airport if you prefer to fly there). After two nights in Paris enjoying a sightseeing tour and time to explore, you'll travel by coach to Beaune to taste Burgundy wines en route to Chalon-sur-Soane for the start of a seven-night cruise on Avalon Scenery. Over the next week, you'll visit Lyon and the Beaujolais region, the delightful medieval towns of Tournon, Tain Hermitage and Viviers on the Rhone and the beautiful cities of Avignon and Arles in Provence. The final night is spent ! at the F airmont Hotel in Monte Carlo, before taking the train (or a flight) home from Nice. Departures are from March to October, costing from 2,055pp, including door-to-door pick-up service, travel via Eurostar or by air, wine with lunch and dinner on board, excursions and B&B hotel accommodation (www. avaloncruises.co.uk, 0800 668 1801).
- It is nicknamed 'the main street of Russia' but you'll be right off the beaten track sailing for 12 days on the Volga, snaking through the heart of Russia from Moscow to the Caspian Sea. You'll sail through cities and villages in changing landscapes to see cathedrals, mosques, industrial sites, kremlins (citadels) and simple wooden houses. Yaroslavl, dating back to the 11th Century, is the oldest city on the Volga. In Nizhny Novgorod (formerly known as Gorki), closed to foreigners until 1990, a local children's folk group will perform. In Samara you can see Stalin's bunker, preserved as it was left in 1945. At the final stop in Astra-khan there will be a lecture on caviar and a tasting session. Departures are on September 22 and October 4 next year. The cost, from 3,995pp, includes flights, drinks with meals and excursions (020 7752 0000,www.noble-caledonia.co.uk).
Take a tour of Fengdu in China - a 'ghost city' constructed 1,800 years ago and filled with temples to demons of the spirit world
- A cruise on the Yangtze is one exciting part of a new Essential China itinerary from escorted tours specialists APT. For four nights your base will be the luxurious Sanctuary MS Yangzi Explorer, boasting the biggest cabins on the river, each with its own balcony. You'll be cruising through the spectacular Three Gorges and take a tour of the world's largest power station at! the Thr ee Gorges Dam. One day you'll go out on a traditional sampan, on another there is Tai Chi on deck and a tour of Fengdu, a 'ghost city' constructed 1,800 years ago and filled with temples to demons of the spirit world. On board you can learn how to make dim sum and watch a calligraphy demonstration. The tour also includes four days in Beijing and a trip to the Great Wall, a visit to the giant pandas in Chongqing Zoo and premium seats at a dazzling acrobatics show in Shanghai. The cost for the 11-day tour is from 3,095pp including flights, sightseeing, excursions, most meals, drinks on board and tips. Departures are from March to October 2012. (0845 304 5221, www.aptouring.co.uk/cruising).
- Feel like a true adventurer going deep into the heart of Borneo. Sailing on the Rajang river and its tributaries from the old Chinese city of Sibu, you will encounter Iban tribesmen who keep up many aspects of traditional life, though thankfully they no longer practice headhunting. During eight nights on board the Orient Pandaw, a Scottish-built paddle steamer decorated in colonial style, you will see hornbills, kingfishers, parrots and other brightly coloured birds, monkeys and crocodiles. You'll go exploring in longboats and trek through the rainforest to a waterfall. There will be a welcome ceremony in a village longhouse with singing and dancing, the chance to taste local palm wine and demonstrations of weaving and basket making. The journey starts and ends with a night in Kuching, the seat of the White Rajahs who ruled Sarawak for 100 years until 1941, and from there you will visit Semonggok Rehabilitation Centre for orangutans. The cost for the 12-day holiday, including flights on Malaysia Airlines from Heathrow, full-board on the boat, and excursions, is from 2,495pp. Departures are from November to March. (0845 166 7035, www.vjv.com).
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