Taking in all the sights at leisure

The beauty of a river cruise, even a three-day one, is that you get to see everything various cities have to offer and, as Hilary Fennell discovered, you only need to unpack once

I’VE always had a secret aversion towards cruises as they conjured up images of cheesy entertainment, rogue waves, and possible mechanical problems, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I set off on a “river cruise” down the Rhine with river-cruiseline AMA Waterways.

First things first: If you don’t like meeting new people and enjoying random conversations, a river cruise is probably not for you. Secondly: Club 18-30 raves they ain’t. River-cruise travellers are mostly more mature people who have seen life and know what they want from a holiday.

My trip began with a short flight from Dublin to Zurich where we boarded the luxurious MS AmaCello at 10.30pm. Gathered in the empty bar, my group presumed we were the only guests on board but were quickly told that the ship was in fact full to capacity — the other 140 passengers were already tucked up in bed.

I understood why when I read the following day’s packed itinerary, a print-out of which was thoughtfully left for me in my comfortable cabin each night: Kick off was at 9.30am sharp. No wonder guests wanted to be up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to make the most of the guided sight-seeing tours.

My cabin was much roomier than I expected, with floor to ceiling windows and a French balcony to allow me to watch the world, or in this case the ducks, go by; flat-screen TV with internet access, a full range of channels and on-demand movies; Egyptian cotton bed linen; and a super en suite, equipped with Terry robes and slippers. The attention to detail on board was very impressive. There was even a chocolate on the pillow every night.

First thing next morning I did a tour of our small hotel on water. I was pleased to discover a gym and sauna, a hair and beauty salon, as well as a walking track and whirlpool on the sun deck. There was a very cosy bar with panoramic views and a lovely dining room where we ate the most delicious meals and which provided us with a constant supply of tea, coffee, and snacks throughout the day, all included in the cost of the cruise.

Breakfast is served buffet-style. We rolled in around 8.30am each morning but there was also an early-risers’ breakfast of pastries and coffee from 6.30am.

We were joining the cruise for just three days out of a week-long trip, starting in Germany’s Breisach, meandering up to Strasbourg in France, and ending back on German soil in Speyer.

After breakfast, the tannoy system summonsed us for the first tour of the day, and there was a mad scramble for hats, coats, and ‘vox boxes’, ingenious devices that allow you to hear the guide even if you are dawdling behind the group.

River cruises are perfect for the time-poor as you get to pack in a lot of sightseeing in only a few days and the tours take the sting out of travel as all of the planning is done for you. The local guides are very enthusiastic, really know their stuff — and they take great care to ensure that the less agile guests in the group are taken care of.

Our first trip was a leisurely walking tour of Breisach, a small town whose Celtic name means ‘breakwater’ because when it came into existence, it sat in the middle of the Rhine. All that changed 300 years ago when the river was straightened to break its surge. These days, most of the buildings are perched on a hill, overlooked by an impressive cathedral. All the more impressive when we learned that it was destroyed by Allied artillery in the Second World War, but rebuilt, mainly by the local women, brick by painstaking brick. We were left alone to marvel at the Romanesque and Gothic towers, built from the 12th to the 15th century.

We headed back on board just in time for lunch, which was served each day either as a light buffet in the lounge or as a more formal affair in the restaurant. Then it was onto the tour buses for a trip to the magical Black Forest, which was the highlight of the cruise.

As snowflakes fell silently around us, our coach wound its way through one of Germany’s most scenic areas, past pines and firs covered in a blanket of white, fairly-tale castles shrouded in mist and romantic Hansel-and-Gretel-style houses.

This is the spiritual home of the cuckoo clock and we stopped at Hofgut Sternen to see one of the largest in the world, just as its hands struck three and carved figures emerged to dance to its plaintive cry.

Wood-carving is the local cottage industry and we were given plenty of time to browse the ornaments on sale before driving on to lake Titisee. There, as I marvelled at the breathtaking beauty of the snow-capped mountains, we sampled Black Forest Gateau such as I have never tasted before. A perfect blend of chocolate cake, cream, sour cherries and kirsch.

Organised tours are a great way to meet people, especially the coach journeys. The majority of people were over 60, but there were quite a few younger couples on a romantic getaway. Most of the people I spoke to had been on sea cruises and felt that the river cruise was more interesting as less time on the high seas meant more time for exploring.

Back on board, everything was still running like clockwork: We were greeted with hot towels and a glass of warming Glühwein before being called to dinner.

The food was always fantastic. Besides the full-buffet breakfast, the lunch, and the afternoon cakes, we had a delicious four-course dinner with various wine pairings each evening.

Afterwards, we relaxed in lounge chairs with sweeping views of the water from the stern of the ship, listening to the piano entertainment, before the dancing started.

Although it was the dead of winter, I coaxed some of my fellow travellers up on deck to join me in the hot tub. There is nothing quite like being submerged toastily, having your muscles massaged by jets of hot water, surrounded by clouds of steam and freezing air, as you watch the snow-capped landscape drift by.

I rejoined the group in the bar to say goodnight, which is probably just as well, as the dancing continued until 3am.

Next morning the good-natured crew welcomed us to breakfast, even though some of them had been serving the revellers ’til the wee small hours. As we glided toward the medieval city of Strasbourg, a place that I probably would never have had the opportunity of seeing otherwise, I treated myself to a relaxing full-body massage.

The afternoon was taken up with a canal ride through picturesque Strasbourg, with its covered bridges and medieval watch towers, sailing past the European Parliament and the black and white timber-framed buildings of the charming Petite France district.

After dinner, we decided to hit the town. That’s the beauty of a river cruise: If you get cabin fever, you can move on shore.

Strasbourg isn’t the hottest of hot spots, but we found a lively bar and returned to the ship just in time for its sailing.

Next day, we docked in Speyer, one of Germany’s oldest towns, and enjoyed a walking tour of the atmospheric Jewish quarter, imposing cathedral, and bustling street markets.

I made it up the 20 flights of stairs to the top of the magnificent 13th century gate tower which looms over the town before my vertigo kicked in. I cowered inside and peeked out at the panoramic views as my companions nonchalantly sauntered around the ramparts, taking photos.

I had just enough time to return to my cabin for a quick repack — I loved the fact that I only had to unpack once even though there were so many ports of call.

After the leisurely three days, we were brought back to reality when our minibus transfer got caught in traffic. A 007-style dash up the autobahn, where, as the driver kept reminding us, there are no speed limits, got us to Frankfurt Airport just in time for our flight.

HOW TO GET THERE

Sunway Holidays provide total cruising packages, including flights from your choice of destination. A seven-night all-inclusive luxury cruise including flights, transfers, cruise, a daily escorted sightseeing programme, all meals and wine at dinner starts from €1,929 per person. Shorter cruises will be available later in 2013.

River cruises operate year round on the waterways of Europe and are themed to different times of the year such as Tulip Time, the Romantic Danube and Christmas on the Rhine.

Hilary Fennell travelled on an AMA Waterways river cruise, courtesy of Sunway Holidays. Please contact www.sunway.ie or 01-2886828 for more information.