Category Archives: European Barging & River Cruises

The Old Town of Salzburg

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The Old Town of Salzburg is a Sight to See

Salzburg, Austria’s fourth largest city, is famous for being the birthplace of Mozart and the film – Sound of Music as well as the annual Salzburg Festival.

the old town of salzburgFrom the river you have a view of the Hohensalzburg Fortress across the skyline behind the old town. Another spectacular site is the gardens and fountains at Schloss Hellbrunn, once the summer palace of the Archbishops. A visit to the Schloss Mirabell offers a chance to view one of the world’s most beautiful wedding halls – The Marble Hall as well as beautiful gardens.

If you want to explore on your own, there is a great bus system in Salzburg and a 24 hour ticket will run about 5 euro. If you want a little more active touring, then bicycles are available to rent around the city

There is Something for Everyone to do in Salzburg

Salzburg’s “Old Town” (Altstadt) has internationally renowned baroque architecture and one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps. In 1997 this old town was added to the list of UNESCO World heritage sites. There is great little shops and small cafes that have a special Austrian flavor. There are many boutiques with really stylish clothing and gifts. You can also enjoy another taste of Sacher Torte at the Sacher Cafe.

The old town is full of cobbled streets and tunnels connecting one street to another. Stores are closed on Sundays.

Christmas Market

At Christmastime there is a big Christmas Market offering a magical feeling. There are lots of stalls, offering local crafted items as well as Christmas decor and such tempting cookies, cakes and mulled wines and apple juice.

Several Danube River cruises offer a full day excursion to Salzburg from Vienna or Linz or Passau. The Danube river is a beauty in itself, cruising towards the next destination is a treat on its own.

For more information contact: Europeanbarging, 888-869-7907, jan@europeanbarging.com

The Charming Towns on a Italian Cruise

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Po RiverCharming Towns on an Italian Cruise

The romantic city of Venice serves as the beginning and ending point for many Italian cruise – be it a luxury barge cruise, a river cruise or a casual bike and barge cruise. Your Italian cruise will take you on an exciting journey through some of the Po River in the heart of Northern Italy, as well as the Venice Lagoon and its islands.

Your Italian cruise will provide you a great opportunity to stop at some wonderful ports and visit the amazing cities, such as Padua, Bologna, Verona and Mantua.

Padua is located centrally in the Veneto region. It is famous for being the place where Galileo and Dante studied. There are many beautiful churches, such as Saint Anthony’s Cathedral, St. George’s Oratory, Scrovegni’s Chapel, and so on.

The city boasts of the first Botanic Garden in the World, operated by the University of Padova and listed as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage Site since 1997. Padua has some wonderful museums, such as the Belzoni Museo-Laboratorio di Antichi Strumenti Scientifici and I Musei Civici degli Eremitani.

The picturesque city of Bologna is the seventh most populated city in Italy, located in the heart of a metropolitan area. It is home to one of the oldest universities in Europe. Bologna has thousands of students who enrich the social and cultural life of the city. The city is renowned for its towers and lengthy porticoes and has a well-preserved historical center. It is also a cultural and artistic center with a balanced mix of monuments and architectural examples, such as medieval towers, antique buildings, churches, the layout of its historical center, as well as works of art shaped by a first class architectural and artistic history.

The romantic city of Verona is one of the major tourist destinations in northern Italy. The city has been awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO, because of its urban structure and architecture. The city is famous for its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient amphitheatre built by the Romans.

The beautiful city of Mantua is surrounded on three sides by artificial lakes, created during the 12th century. It takes pride in being one of the main artistic, cultural and particularly musical hubs of northern Italy. Mantua is renowned for its significant role in the history of opera. The city has an amazing array of architectural treasures and artifacts, elegant palaces, and medieval and Renaissance cityscape. The city is the proud home for one of the largest castles in Europe – Palazzo Ducale, the setting for the opera Rigoletto.

Charming City and Italian Cruise

All of the above mentioned Italian cities are so marvelous you must visit them. We can assist with an Italian cruise, as well as pre and post travel arrangements around Italy. Call us for more information! Europeanbarging 888-869-7907

Wine Cruise- Southern France City of Toulouse

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Wine CruiseCity of Toulouse in the South of France- Wine Cruise

The city of Toulouse is located at the heart of the Midi Pyrenees region in southwestern France. It lies on the banks of the River Garonne. With its beautiful historic center, Toulouse is one of the most lively and metropolitan provincial cities in France.

Toulouse is France’s fourth largest city and has a very vibrant and spirited atmosphere with a strong student presence. It’s a wonderful experience to stroll around the historic center, walk alongside the Garonne and the Canal du Midi, and visit one of the many pavement cafés for a delicious cup of coffee!

As you move around the city of Toulouse, you notice the 2,000 years of history evident in architecture of brick and tiles very typical of the cities, villages and farms of this region. The reflections of the sun on the brick of Toulouse have deserving earned it the name of the ‘Ville Rose’, imparting an atmosphere to the city that is both gentle and warm at the same time.

Toulouse has long been an aviation center. St. Exupéry and Mermoz flew out from here on their pioneering airmail flights in the 1920s. The city is now home to Aerospastale, the national Space Center, the European shuttle program, the leading aeronautical schools, and a frontier-pushing electronics industry. All this is possible in Toulouse due to its 110,000 students, who make it second only to Paris as a university center. All inhabitants of the city love to go to the old Ville Rose for their entertainment – pink not only in its brickwork, but also in its politics.
Toulouse also is renowned as a great place for shopping. You can find all reputed and well known brands in fashion, design, leather goods, and jewelry here in first rate shops.

An Extraordinary Wine Cruise

The Midi-Pyrenees has a great reputation for being one of the southwest’s most important food and cultural regions, and Toulouse takes pride in its several open-air and covered markets, where you can find local products from the region. There also are some wonderful buys, such as delicious wines and cheeses, charcuterie, foie gras, and the famous speciality dish of the region, Cassoulet, which is made with white beans, duck or goose confit, meat and sausages.
Toulouse has many different faces ranging from its numerous churches, its museums and galleries to the Space Center. Once you visit and move around the city, you will discover the charms of the Ville Rose! You can visit Toulouse from the barge St. Louis! We offer Bordeaux barge cruises and wine cruise for visiting Toulouse! Europeanbarging 888-869-7907

Arcy-Sur-Cure- Burgundy Barge Cruise

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August 1 bigVisit The Caves at Arcy-sur-Cure On The Burgundy Barge Cruise

Arcy-sur-Cure is a commune in Burgundy, France. The caves are located just south of the commune and ranked as one of the leading prehistoric sites of France. The caves at Arcy-sur-Cure are a series of caverns dug into the rock by the Cure River. There are a total of 11 caves, including the Grande Grotte or Great Cave, the oldest embellished cave in the world after Chauvet cave in Ardèche.

The site offers much to mesmerize its visitors, such as the underground lakes, stalactites and stalagmites, as well as stunning concretions and other-worldly subterranean landscapes. Yet, it is the traces left behind by past inhabitants of these caves that make the greatest impact on visitors.

The caves at Arcy-sur-Cure were once occupied by human beings for thousands of years. They hold rock paintings of different animals inhabiting the area at the time, as well as hand imprints left by the occupants some 30,000 years ago. You can see wonderful paintings made with ochre and charcoal, often representing animals, such as the mammoth, the bear, the rhinoceros, or felines and birds. You also can find negative handprints and various symbols, such as points, sinuous lines and a trapezoid. These cave drawings are so mesmerizing and give an enthralling and unforgettable experience.

Every day between Easter and All Saints’ Day, the caves are open for public viewing. The guided tours last about an hour. Bookings are done in advance. The tours can be organized for groups of 15 people or more. It is also feasible to organize archaeological visits on Saturdays and Sundays, which also require advance booking.

People with reduced mobility also can access these caves. Films and photographs are strictly prohibited. Animals also are not allowed.

Take A Cruise Along the Burgundy Barge Cruise Six Passenger Barge Elizabeth

Our six-passenger barge Elizabeth is an excellent option for visiting the prehistoric caves at Arcy-sur-Cure. Call us to book your holiday on this Burgundy barge cruise and have a wonderful experience seeing the authentic and marvelous cave drawings! Europeanbarging 888-869-7907

Austrian Town of Gmunden

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Picture Perfect Town of GmundenThe Picture Perfect Town of Gmunden

The picturesque town of Gmunden is situated in the Salzkammergut region, the Austrian Lake District. It’s a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, located on the shores of Lake Traunsee and surrounded by mountains. Gmunden – the town of ceramics – is full of life and exudes southern charm.

Gmunden is not a big town. But it can’t be labeled as a passive and sleepy small village either. The town has so much to catch your attention. It is romantic, energetic, active and lively. It takes pride in its culture and offers a pleasant atmosphere. It captivates you with its charm and offers several interesting contrasts within it. It is a place which surprises you with a wonderful balance of excitement and calmness, noise and quietness. The town is a perfect place to move about – to shop or simply enjoy.

Gmunden was a significant settlement as early as Celtic times and grew in the 11th century to become an important center of the salt trade. Due to its pleasant climate and the beauty of the Salzkammergut landscape, the aristocracy and wealthy citizens spent their summers in the town at Lake Traunsee as early as the 19th century.

Emperor Franz Josef, for example, used to visit the Royal House of Hanover in Gmunden, where the nobility from all over Europe stayed, before he headed to his summer residence in Bad Ischl.

Gmunden offers a unique charm with its splendid town houses and facades dating from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Gmunden’s renaissance town hall has the only ceramic chimes in Austria and is quite famous as a popular tourist destination.

In Gmunden, you can find a great number of excursions and points of interest. The most important among them are the Traun Fall, 10 miles north of the town, a castle called Schloss Ort, and a ceramic factory producing Gmundner Keramic branded pottery. The “Schloss Ort” castle is situated on a small island and is the most authentic emblem of the town. It was purchased by Archduke Johann Salvator Toscana, who was related to the House of Habsburg-Lothringen. Today, the “Schloss Ort” has become even more famous, because of the TV series “Schlosshotel Orth”.

Austrian Town of Gmunden and Danube River Cruise

On a Danube River cruise, with a stop in Linz, you might have an excursion to the scenic town of Gmunden. Call us for more details! Europeanbarging 888-869-7907