River cruise: sailing inland

Holidays on the water

To discover Europe from another angle, think of the river cruise. Indeed, the Old Continent is crossed by multiple rivers and canals. From a “romantic” week on the Danube or the Volga to a nice weekend with friends on the Canal du Midi, here is a selection for immediate boarding.

Head east!

Let us first take the direction of Imperial Central Europe. The Beautiful Blue Danube, a majestic river, allows you to discover countries such as Austria, Hungary and Slovakia in less than a week. We go from the foothills of the Alps to the Carpathians, crossing dense vegetation and an impressive heritage.

The Danube also means the possibility of reaching the heart of three capitals in a few hours: Vienna and its waltzes, Budapest and its two faces (Buda and Pest, cities united) and Bratislava and its baroque palaces.

In the same romantic and heritage spirit, further east, the Volga, the Neva and the Moskva allow you to discover Russia from the inside. The distances are greater: it takes eleven days to complete the route Moscow - St-Petersburg.

In general, the boats are suitable for this long cruise, they are spacious, comfortable and there is entertainment on board. Navigation is punctuated by stopovers and lock passages. Due to the climate, these cruises are only scheduled from May to September.

Latin cruises

We can also choose rivers less known but which cross magnificent regions such as the Tagus & agravagrave; Lisbon, the Guadalquivir in Andalusia or the Po from Venice. In France, cruises on the Seine, the Rhône and the Saône allow you to discover these territories in a different way.

Finally, you can also decide to pilot your boat yourself. This will be possible on the canals even without a navigation license (you should know that the river license is different from the “sea” license): some rental companies have obtained the approval of the authorities to grant temporary licenses for the duration of the cruise.

Brittany, Alsace and Lorraine are full of canals but the French must-see is the Canal du Midi: from Lot-et-Garonne to Sète, it allows you to cross the South-West of France at 5 km / hour with many locks and incredible bucolic stops. To practice with friends.