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Dutch & Belgian Waterways
EXPLORE EUROPE’S WATERWAYS
IMMERSIVE EXCURSIONS We give you £120 excursion credit per person, per 7 days to spend how you want – whether it’s on our walking tours or wine tastings. Plus, you can also head out on a paid excursion, or explore on your own.
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EASY EXPLORING Uncovering Europe’s must-see destinations, without having to unpack more than once – that’s the beauty of river cruising. Lots of our cruises sail during the night, too.
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ONBOARD AND ASHORE ACTION Because the ships are smaller than ocean liners, you can expect a more relaxed pace, with plenty of time to take in a new destination. On board, meanwhile, you can practise Pilates and listen to live music.
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INTIMATE FEEL There’ll be a maximum of 155 guests on board at any time, with one crew member to every four guests. Plus, all our ships are adults only.
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SOPHISTICATED SHIPS Think of our ships as floating, boutique hotels that’ll transport you from world-famous cities to tiny towns. On board, you can look forward to multiple restaurants and lounges for wining and dining.
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TUI RIVER CRUISES
When it comes to seeing Europe’s tucked-away towns and bustling cities, river cruising’s the way to do it. Here’s why you should make TUI River Cruises your pick…
HASSLE-FREE TRAVEL We take care of all your travel – from direct flights to transfers – so you’ve got more time to soak up the scenery.
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RHINE
MAIN
MOSELLE
DANUBE
CRUISE INTO CHRISTMAS
RHODES You’ll get a taste for Rhodes – literally – during a traditional Greek meze lunch and wine tasting. It’s a feast for the eyes, as well as the tastebuds, as the setting’s up a mountain. While in Rhodes, you’ll also visit a peaceful, butterfly-filled nature reserve, take a tour of Rhodes Town after dark, and learn about ancient Greek history in Lindos. CHALKI SYMI
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HOTELS
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CHALKI Cars and shops are few and far between on Chalki, while bars, nightclubs and watersports are unheard of. What’s left is a pocket-sized haven of peace and quiet. During your afternoon here, you can wander around the quaint harbour, where colourful boats bob on clingfilm-clear waters. And stop for coffee and calamari at a traditional, waterfront taverna.
RHODES You’ll get a taste for Rhodes – literally – during a traditional Greek meze lunch and wine tasting. It’s a feast for the eyes, as well as the tastebuds, as the setting’s up a mountain. While in Rhodes, you’ll also visit a peaceful, butterfly-filled nature reserve, take a tour of Rhodes Town after dark, and learn about ancient Greek history in Lindos.
TOP TIP If you want to see Holland’s multi-coloured tulips in full bloom, plan your cruise to Amsterdam from April to mid-May.
Cube Houses, Rotterdam Modern, quirky architecture is Rotterdam’s speciality. Designed by Dutch architect Piet Blom, these canary-coloured cube houses turn heads. One of them is open to visitors, too.
Anne Frank House, Amsterdam Visit the apartment where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis during World War II. It’s filled with diary extracts, photographs and original items like the bookcase to the Secret Annex.
ITINERARY PICK Beautiful Benelux whisks you from capitals to cosy towns in the Netherlands and Belgium. Expect historic architecture, quality beer and world-class museums.
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PERFECT PICTURE Gravensteen, Ghent With a moat and stone turrets, Ghent’s castle is the stuff of fairytales. Head to the roof for 360° panoramas of the city. For a snap of the castle itself, position yourself on St Widostraat.
FOODIE FIND The Chocolate Line, Antwerp The master chocolatier here’s often dubbed a shock-o-latier. He’ll give your taste buds the run around, with chocs filled with chilli, bacon, saffron, gin, and everything in between.
HIDDEN GEM Sonsbeek Park, Arnhem Arnhem might be one of the Netherlands’ biggest cities, but it’s got green lungs. In the centre, you’ve got Sonsbeek Park, where you can wander past a huge lake, a watermill and deer grazing.
These canals and rivers wind their way through the Netherlands and Belgium, passing oh-so-cool cities, cobblestoned towns and fields full of tulips and windmills.
DUTCH & BELGIAN WATERWAYS
BIG-HITTING SIGHTS
TOP TIP No matter when you visit, it’s always Christmas at Johann Wanner’s shop, in Basel. His handmade baubles are a favourite of everyone from the Pope to the Queen.
Beethoven House, Bonn This was the birthplace of famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven. These days, the house is packed-full of artefacts and rare recordings. Next door, a chamber music hall puts on concerts.
Kolner Dom, Cologne Once the tallest building in Europe, this jaw-dropping cathedral is Germany’s largest. Its huge spires pierce Cologne’s skyline at 515 feet tall.
PERFECT PICTURE Niederwald Monument, Rudesheim Take the cable car or chair lift up to this hilltop monument, which marks the founding of the German Empire in 1871. At the top, you’ll get sweeping panoramas over the Rhine Valley.
Expert guides on all tours
FOODIE FIND Flammekueche, Strasbourg It’s not just wine the Alsatians do well. This part of France is also known for its flammekueche – a thin pizza covered with crème fraiche, lardons and onions.
HIDDEN GEM Boppard, Germany As well as textbook-German half-timbered houses, this little town has a spectacular setting on one of the Rhine’s horseshoe bends. You can hike up one of the hillsides for a better look.
The Romantics waxed lyrical about the Rhine’s natural beauty. And it’s no wonder. A huge 65-kilometre stretch of it has even been given the nod from UNESCO.
ITINERARY PICK Our Rhine: Chateaux & Gateaux itinerary journeys from Germany’s wine country and idyllic Black Forest to the French city of Strasbourg and Basel, in Switzerland.
TOP TIP Order a locally brewed Faust beer at the historic Zum Riesen hotel, in Miltenberg. Everyone from Napoleon to Elvis Presley has signed in over the years.
Wurzburg Residence, Wurzburg This UNESCO-listed palace is the city’s pride and joy. As well as its grand Baroque exterior, there’s a jaw-dropping staircase inside, which zigzags underneath the world’s largest fresco.
Romerberg, Frankfurt This square – fringed with half-timbered houses – looks like it belongs to an off-the-grid village, not a big, bustling city. Its gabled buildings have been painstakingly restored after World War Two.
PERFECT PICTURE Wertheim Castle, Wertheim This red-stone castle might have been partly destroyed by a 17th-century explosion, but its ruins still make the perfect lookout point. You can see around the river bend and over houses and hillsides.
FOODIE FIND Schaufele, Wurzburg Wurzburg’s in the Franconian region, which is famous for its wines and beers. Even the signature schäufele – baked pork shoulders – is usually smothered in local lager.
HIDDEN GEM Bamberg, Germany The whole of Bamberg’s terracotta-topped old town’s protected by UNESCO. This covers Medieval churches, the timber-framed town hall, a showy palace and a cute fisherman’s quarter.
The Main introduces you to Bavaria at its best. This German tributary of the Rhine slices through vine-clad valleys and past chocolate-box towns with fairytale castles.
ITINERARY PICK You’ll go for an eight-day jaunt through Germany on our Marvels of the Main itinerary. There are stops in Nuremberg, Bamberg and Wurzburg.
TOP TIP Zum Riesen, Miltenberg Order a locally brewed Faust beer at this historic hotel. Everyone from Napoleon to Elvis Presley has signed in over the years.
TOP TIP Look out for Weinprobe or Weinverkauf signs in Traben-Trarbach. This place has been crushing grapes since Roman times, and was once the world’s second-largest wine-trading town.
Deutsches Eck, Koblenz See the point where the Rhine and Moselle rivers kiss at Deutsches Eck, AKA the German Corner. Once you’re done admiring the views, there’s also a tall monument to the first German Emperor.
Porta Nigra, Trier You’ll understand why Germany’s oldest city’s often called the Rome of the North when you clap eyes on this mighty city gate. It’s been standing since 180AD.
PERFECT PICTURE Cochem Castle, Cochem Time-frozen Cochem is watched over by a hilltop castle. From here, you can look down over the multi-coloured town – considered one of the valley’s prettiest – and the vineyard-filled slopes.
FOODIE FIND Piesport, Germany For such a pint-sized town, Piesport has its fair share of wineries. You can sample everything from Riesling to the light-bodied local white. Food-wise, there’s also two Michelin-starred Schanz.
HIDDEN GEM Bernkastel-Kues, Germany This town of two halves has a modern and mature side. Most stick to Bernkastel, on the eastern bank, with its beam-covered buildings, cute churches and snug wine cellars.
It’s all valleys and vineyards along the Moselle, so you can pay a toast to its pinch-yourself scenery with a glass of Riesling in hand.
ITINERARY PICK The Moselle Valley: Vines & Views lives up to its name, introducing you to Germany’s vineyard-filled landscapes and crumbling, hilltop castles.
TOP TIP Nuremberg’s sights aren’t just above ground. You can tour the city’s 14th-century dungeons, too. Even its castle has an underground bunker-turned-museum.
Szechenyi Thermal Baths, Budapest You can’t stop in the so-called City of Spas and not sink into a thermal bath. This bright-yellow bathhouse is one of Budapest’s best, with open-air pools and neo-Renaissance architecture.
Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna In a city praised for its architecture, this summer palace still stands out. You can see the apartments of the former Emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph, as well as wander perfectly preened gardens.
PERFECT PICTURE The Iron Gates Scenery-wise, this dramatic gorge is the Danube’s piece de resistance. The towering cliffs are embellished with caves, Roman plaques and a rock carving of a Dacian king.
FOODIE FIND Café Jindrak, Linz The Austrian city of Linz has a dessert named after it, the Linzer Torte – a jam-filled pastry. And this family-run café set a world record for the largest ever one.
HIDDEN GEM Durnstein, Austria Durnstein’s a serious contender for the Wachau Valley’s most adorable village. Despite its small size, it’s home to some big sights, like an ornate abbey and a Medieval castle.
No two days are the same on the Danube. That’s because Europe’s second- longest river cuts through Europe’s heart, flowing through dramatic gorges, grand capitals and 10 countries.
ITINERARY PICK Book our Magical Danube itinerary and you’ll visit four countries in a week, including Slovakia and Austria.
YULETIDE WONDERS
This itinerary takes you from mega-cities like Frankfurt, Cologne and Dusseldorf to quieter Koblenz and Rudesheim. Over the festive period, they look like they’ve been lifted from a Christmas card – think snow-capped trees, log cabins and illuminated timber houses. In Cologne, the market takes pride of place outside its UNESCO-rated cathedral. Meanwhile, Dusseldorf’s market square shows off a 100-year-old carousel and a life-sized manger from Bethlehem. Koblenz also puts on a show with an advent calendar in the 24 dormers of its town hall.
Piping-hot mulled wine, snow-dusted forests, sizzling bratwurst – there’s nothing like Christmas on the Continent. Our new Christmas market sailings will put you in the festive spirit…
MISTLETOE & RHINE
On this itinerary, you’ll discover that it’s not just the Germans who go all out for Christmas. You’ll head to the fairy tale French city of Strasbourg. In November and December, this place transforms itself into a real winter wonderland, with a huge fir tree decorated with over 400 baubles. You won’t be disappointed by the German markets en route, either. In Baden-Baden, the stalls are surrounded by the mountains of the Black Forest. Plus, over in Mainz, there’s a lot more than gluhwein on offer – we’re talking concerts, a musical clock and Christmas card-making.