Category Archives: European Barging & River Cruises

The Historical Elbe River Cruise Will Give You A Life Changing Experience

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Elbe River Cruise Visit The Historical Elbe River Cruise

One of the major waterways of Central Europe, the Elbe River rises in the Krkonose Mountains of the north-western Czech Republic. It is located in the former Eastern Europe region of Germany after crossing Bohemia and finally flows into the North Sea at Cuxhaven which is 110 km northwest of Hamburg.

The Elbe River acts as a gateway to Eastern Europe. There is an exciting mix of medieval cities and towns from the Bohemian capital Prague, to Hamburg and through the sensational hovering sandstone mountains of Saxon Switzerland as you cruise along the Elbe to indulge in a breathtaking scenic journey.

Aboard your Elbe River Cruise, you can find many treasures on the banks of Elbe such as Dresden, the “Florence of the Elbe”, the pottery of Meissen, the gardens and palaces of Worlitz, the cradle of the Reformation, 18th century Pillnitz Castle, Luther’s Wittenberg which is a UNECSO World Heritage Site and Magdeberg and its Gothic Cathedral.

The embarking and disembarking cities range from Prague, Decin, Hamburg or Magdeburg – all have much to offer as pre or post cruise stays. Elbe is a great way to explore Prague and ideal for discovering the unspoiled beauty of former East Germany’s fascinating landscape.

What Has More To Offer Than The Historical Elbe River Cruise

Elbe has so much to offer in addition to the contrasting array of sights, ranging from splendid palaces and modern architecture to mountains and beautifully landscaped gardens, with medieval cities and contemporary culture all in between! No other river in Europe can come close to Elbe in offering such a diverse order of sights and places.

As the Elbe River often has low and high water levels, the cruising period is short. Contact us for more details on this lovely scenic cruise!

Explore Holland on the Holland Tulip Cruise

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tulipHolland Tulip Cruise Port of Edam

Holland is famous for its tulips and other bulb flowers. Spring is the best time to visit if you love flowers. You will fall in love with the pastoral beauty of nature when tulips make a breathtaking blanket on the countryside and canals and streets are full of activity. Working windmills give you a peep into Dutch culture and the great paintings by wonderful artisans transport you to a totally different world. The Keukenhof Gardens take you to a world of ultimate beauty where endless blooms cover the landscape.

While on a Holland Tulip Cruise, one of your stops will be at Volendam, with usually an excursion to Edam, a picturesque town with a rich historic past. The name Edam stuck to the place due to a dam on the little river E. Edam is renowned as the original source of cheese with the same name.

Holland Tulip River Cruise- Explore Edam’s Features

The old town center of Edam exists within the boundaries of old city walls and is, presently, protected by the government. Main structures and architectural details-both are being well taken care of by the government due to which many prominent buildings can be found in good condition.

During your excursion to Edam, you will often go on a walking tour of the Old Quarters featuring beautiful houses, canals, bridges and churches. Grote Kerk or St. Nicholaaskerk, of cathedral dimensions, is one of the largest 3-ridged churches in Europe. It was probably built at the beginning of the 15th century but rebuilt in 1701 as it had suffered major damages due to huge fires caused by lightning strikes to the tower. During reconstruction, certain changes were made to the original design.

Holland Tulip River Cruise- Visit Edam Museum

The Town Hall built in 1737 is still being used actively for marriage ceremonies. It stands on a higher level than the rest of the Edam. The entrance to the town hall has heavy double doors which along with a wooden tower and sandstone surrounds give a historical touch to the place and make it worth deserving a visit.

Edam Museum is another attraction in Edam. It is present on the opposite side of Town Hall, across the dam. This museum is Edam’s oldest brick house. Built around 1530 as a private house, it was transformed into a museum in 1895. The museum has been constructed in typical Dutch style of the period and the interior is absolutely original.

Edam has many attractions associated with it and you will love the place when you visit it. So, if you want to make a trip to this charming place, please contact us for the availability of our 2014 Holland Tulip cruise!

The Danube Music Festival August 16 – 23, 2013

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The Danube Music Festival is an annual, open-air, free music festival happening on Vienna, Austria’s Donauinsel Islands. This is an awesome affair where there is a plenty of entertainment, enjoyment, knowledge, food and craft. The festival offers a variety of music ranging from pop to rock and jazz and hip hop and there are many local bands playing alongside world-famous international acts. The famous groups such as The Backstreet Boys and Simple Minds have been amongst past headline acts here.

A Variety Of Both Music And Food Awaits At The Danube Music Festival

The food offered at the Danube Music Festival is as varied as the music. The food kiosks are scattered all around the festival site and they offer Austrian, Greek, Italian, Indian, Thai and Turkish foods. The ubiquitous burger bars are always there but vegetarians are also always taken care of and are well catered to. There are also a number of useful Information kiosks in addition to stalls selling souvenirs and craft objects.

The Donauinsel Islands were actually man-made between 1972 and 1988 with the foremost purpose of improving Vienna’s anti-flooding measures. The whole area, however, has transformed into a recreational wonderland. Throughout the year, the Donauinsel is a green haven for the people of Vienna, with its bars, restaurants, and skating tracks and there is even a water ski lift.

There is an amazing beach revered by the locals named CopaKagrana. Kagrana is actually the name of the district of Vienna in which it is to be found. For nature lovers, there is a section where nude sunbathing is permissible. However, at the end of the third week in June each year, it is covered by the festival, which becomes just one huge, three-day, party.

Given the crowds of people flocking to Vienna for the Danube Music Festival, it is imperative for visitors to reserve accommodations well in advance, as hotels around the city get booked up quickly. If you’re interested in camping near the festival site, please note that only official camping is permitted and there are three camp-sites at Vienna West, South and Neue Donau.

It is easy to travel to the Danube Music Festival on the underground system; just head for the Donauinsel station. The full information about events is usually available on the official Danube River Festival website beginning around the middle of May. Book your holiday on our Danube River Cruise and be a part of the amazing Danube Music Festival!

Cruising on the Moselle between Metz and Cochem

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A Luxury Barge Cruise or A Casual Bike and Barge Cruise – What is your Preference?

The Moselle Valley has a splendid countryside. The cool and delicious wines, the picturesque little towns with rich histories and the excellent conditions for cycling are a few of the high points of this area. Here you can enjoy your vacation whether you want it to be on board a luxury barge cruise or a combination of bike and barge cruise.

Your cruise takes you on a tour of this wonderful region where you come across several interesting places. Metz is designated a ‘town of art and history’ because of its rich historical and cultural background. This is a designation bestowed by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication to specific towns and cities with a purpose to preserve and promote France’s heritage. In Metz, you will discover much art and history! The city is home to some world-class venues such as the Arsenal Concert Hall, the Centre Pompidou-Metz Museum, and the National Opera of Lorraine (along with the Nancy Opera.) Metz has the pride of having 20 miles of landscaped walks along the rivers, canals and ramparts making it a lovely and lushly green city.

Remich is another interesting place. This is one of the quaintest towns in Germany. Remich is surrounded by vineyards that produce the majority of wines in Luxembourg. It is actually known as “la perle de la Moselle”, and is renowned not just for its wines but its riverside esplanade as well.

Trier is the oldest city of Germany founded before the 16th century.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site noted for its Roman monuments, particularly the Imperial Baths and the imposing fortified gate, the Porta Nigra. Trier lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills. This is an important Mosel wine-growing region.

Cochem will be your last stop. Situated deep in the most romantic part of the Moselle River Valley, Cochem is famous for its wine taverns, half-timbered houses, riverside promenades and the magnificent Reichsburg Castle above the town.

A wonderful experience is yours as you cruise through the Moselle Valley while you view and visit charming villages and ravishing towns. You will taste the region’s excellent wines in the welcoming taverns here.  Light whites are a specialty, and Riesling is the best-known variety produced here.

You have a lot of choices when it comes to cruising the Moselle. You can take a casual bike and barge cruise on the 26 passenger “Sailing Home”, the 8 passenger ultra-deluxe La Nouvelle Etoile or numerous other river cruises.

The Gardens at the Dutch Summer Palace of Het Loo

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Palace Het Loo – A Holland and Belgium River Cruise Destination

Palace Het Loo, built over three hundred years ago near the town of Apeldoorn, is the most stunning palace in Holland. The decorations inside the palace are as amazing as the gardens outside the palace. In fact, the Het Loo palace gardens are a great highlight of the palace and add a lot to its beauty and charm.

Strict symmetry of the layout is the characteristic feature of the formal 17th-century Het Loo garden. The idea behind designing the garden is as unique as the experience the visitors have on seeing the gardens every time. William and Mary have their private gardens on each side of the palace which have been rightly named the King’s garden and the Queen’s garden. There is a serious collection of centuries-old citrus trees in Mary’s garden which are on display in tubs between May and October. The fruit and blossoms borne on these citrus trees, collectively, represent a symbol of the House of Orange.

Fountains are a big attraction in Het Loo Gardens. Though these gardens were of modest proportions in comparison to those of Versailles, the waterworks were greatly famous for permanently spouting fresh groundwater diverted from the surrounding higher-lying hills. In addition to this, the King’s Fountain at the rear of the Upper Garden which rose to 13 meters was the highest spouting fountain in Europe. The fountains run from April to October.

Garden statues are yet another integral and distinctive part of the Het Loo garden. These statues, from Greek mythology, of Greek gods and goddesses play an important role in the growth and flourishing of the garden. They are fully devoted to reveling in the achievement of creating such a spectacular view in what was actually an arid heathland. Venus, the goddess of love, has the central role as a driving force behind the statue phenomenon.

Het Loo is a garden for all seasons. Some of the plants in the garden change every year, in the summer and spring, with a purpose to attain the most accurate possible reconstruction of the original garden. One pleasing delight to the eye is the splendid color of the flowers in the spring and summer and often in the autumn as well. In the winter, the snow contrasting with the decorative patterns of the box-lined parterres has a marvelous effect.  If you want to have the best view of the garden, you should look at it from the small surrounding banks and, of course, from the palace roof; a view that can only be enjoyed on Wednesdays in June, July, and August.

The Het Loo Palace gardens can be booked as a day tour from Amsterdam, while on a Holland cruise or a Holland and Belgium river cruise a special and unforgettable experience as you breathe in the atmosphere of their seventeenth-century origin with their fountains, statues, and elegantly box-lined parterres!

For more information contact Europeanbarging by email:  jan@europeanbarging.com  or 713-240-6753  / 888-869-7907