CRUISE CHRISTMAS DESTINATIONS
LEFT: Rotterdam
RIGHT: Cesky Krumlov
BELOW: Bruges
festive than bratwurst and gluhwein? – than for the gifts they sell, which cover everything from tree decorations to scented candles and woolly jumpers. But the main reason for a river cruise over Christmas is that you can see and do so much, making the most of your holiday time. As an added bonus, there
are other people to take care of all the cooking, cleaning and washing up, so all you have to do is enjoy the history, culture and festive moments. We had carol singing with the crew and gifts of chocolates and gingerbread from AmaWaterways. From Budapest we sailed to
Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, then to Vienna, for an overnight stay. AmaWaterways offers a
With lots of beer, oompah music and thigh-slapping, it was a brilliant way to spend Christmas
variety of included excursions each day; in Vienna the choice included a Mozart and Strauss concert, which was a great way to spend Christmas Eve. From Linz, there were tours to either Salzburg, famous as the birthplace of Mozart and the city where The Sound of Music was filmed, or Cesky Krumlov, a pretty
old town in the Czech Republic with a large castle and medieval streets where the 2006 movie The Illusionist was filmed. Last stop was Vilshofen, where the locals had organised a beer festival for us – lots of beer, oompah music, thigh-slapping and even a whip-cracking demonstration. All told, what a brilliant way to spend Christmas.
w MERRY CHRISTMAS Whether on the oceans or rivers, Christmas cruises can be popular among parents with young or grown-up children, and couples with no family commitments. They are also ideal for single people who don’t want to spend the festive season alone. Christmas river cruises tend to
sell out early – AmaWaterways had almost sold out for this year by the end of the summer – but a few companies have a little capacity left for this year. Amadeus River Cruises has
six-night Christmas on the Rhine and Christmas on the Danube voyages departing December 22, from £1,469 and £1,649 respectively, excluding fights. The River Cruise Line has a one-week voyage through Holland and Belgium from Rotterdam departing December 20, from £799 including coach and ferry travel from the UK and a complimentary tour from Ghent to Bruges on Christmas Day. There is more capacity on ocean cruises over Christmas
19 October 2017
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