Why River Cruises are Popular
Why are River Cruises popular? That is an easy question to answer. The real question is, why haven’t you taken a River Cruise yet? Imagine a vacation where you can visit several beautiful and historic towns and cities in Europe and all of the logistics are taken care of for you. Now imagine that you only have to pack and unpack once during your trip. That is part of why River Cruises are so popular. Add to that the near all-inclusive luxury experience and you have the perfect luxury European River Cruise. These cruises allow you to escape and indulge yourself while traveling taking the worry and the stress out of travel. With pre-dinner cocktails and numerous excursions included in your cruise fare, what more could you ask for in a distinguished and indulgent vacation with AmaWaterways? Here is our experience sailing with AmaWaterways on the beautiful and romantic Rhine River. For more information about River Cruises click here.
Amsterdam, Netherlands: Our journey began with an overnight stay in Amsterdam. The river cruise departed from Amsterdam but stayed a night to give us more time to explore and discover the many beautiful sights of Amsterdam. We had the fabulous experience of taking a canal tour in Amsterdam as well as the opportunity to travel into the countryside to see the still used Windmills for which the Netherlands are so well known. For more information about our time in Amsterdam read our blog.
Cologne, Germany: Cologne was very badly damaged during WWII; however, it’s beautiful cathedral withstood the bombardments from the simple ingenuity of the townspeople. In an effort to preserve the stain glass windows in the Cologne Cathedral, the townspeople removed the windows and stored 
them in a nearby cave. When the bombs fell the wide-open design of the Cathedral minus the windows allowed the building to withstand the concussive impacts of the bombs. The Cathedral is very light and airy and this stunning design saved the building during WWII. To read more about our time in Cologne, read our blog.
Rhine River Gorge: This section of the Rhine River has a great history and a stunning beauty that makes the day of scenic cruises the most delightful day on board ship. We lovingly called this day “Castle Day” and even though the morning was misty and brisk it was well worth it to see all 
the beautiful castles some in ruins and some rebuilt. It seems like one hardly had the time to recover from the spectacle of one castle before looking downriver to start taking in the next. We had a delightful morning listening to the stories behind some of these castles and drinking hot beverages to stay warm. We visited in early fall and it was just spectacular with the mist, grapes being harvested for wines, and the leaves starting to change color. For more on our day cruising the Rhine River Gorge, read our blog.
Rudesheim, German: After a full day of cruising the Rhine River Gorge, we had the delight of stopping in Rudesheim in the late afternoon. Here we had the opportunity to take a hike to the Ehrenfels Ruins, a castle ruin that still
stands over the vineyards of the area. If you didn’t want to hike, there were opportunities to go wine tasting, biking, or take a gondola ride. The old town was beautiful and we enjoyed a tour of the Siegried’s Music Cabinet. This was surprisingly interesting. For more information about our time in Rudesheim, read our blog.
Speyer, Germany: Speyer is where we docked for a day in Heidelberg. AmaWaterways also offered a tour of Speyer but we chose to go into Heidelberg and enjoy the beautiful old town of this distinguished university city. The Heidelberg Castle, though in ruins, still watches over the old town and the old university buildings. Some of these buildings are still being used by 
Heidelberg University. The tour of the castle and the old town was remarkable and learned a few interesting details that I had not known before. If you don’t already know about the “Stumbling Stones”, I encourage you to learn about them. It was a beautiful reminder of a very dark chapter because it was thoughtful and thought-provoking. For more information about our time in Heidelberg, read our blog.
Strasbourg, France: Strasbourg’s history is storied and very interesting. The old town is simply stunning. Walking through what used to be the tanner’s section with the canals and beautiful old buildings was quite enjoyable but the real highlight was the twisty turny side streets around the Cathedral. I enjoyed getting lost in the side streets where I had a lot of streets to my self. 
The streets are pedestrian-only and are so enjoyable to stroll down. I didn’t need to shop for anything but enjoyed every minute of being in these wonderful alleyways and side streets. For more information about our time in Strasbourg read our blog.
Breisach, Germany: Breisach was where we docked for our visit to stunning Riquewihr or Freiburg. I chose to visit Riquewihr and I am not sad that I did. Riquewihr is a beautiful little town that was the model for the town in the new “Beauty and the Beast” movie. You can see the similarities and I found myself humming the songs from the movie while I strolled down the alleyways and side streets of this beautiful town. Completely surrounded by vineyards 
this town’s old town is pedestrian-only and full of charm. AmaWaterways also had the option for a bike tour of Breisach as well. Even now I start to hum the songs from the movie as I write this. The charm and beauty of this little village are just remarkable.
For more information about River Cruises in general, read our blog “Why River Cruises are Popular”. When you are ready to plan your European River Cruise, contact us, your premiere Boise Travel Agency, River Cruise Specialists and Rhine River experts. We can help you plan your perfect River Cruise.
Phone: 208-996-3269 or Email: cal.lindsay@cruiseplanners.com
