Prefer small villages over large cities - what itinerary?

[dcsam]

My husband and I have taken several ocean cruises. It's time we give this 'river cruising' a try. I did a 4 night American Queen with my mother many years ago, and I enjoyed that. But the costs of those now seem quite high.

If we were to do a European river cruise, which would you suggest? We prefer small villages over bustling cities. He doesn't drink alcohol, but I enjoy a glass or two of wine My husband has some difficulty with walking, so that's something to take into consideration. He can walk - just short walks, and holding my hand (lucky me;)

Which line and which itinerary would you suggest?

Thanks so much in advance.

[Ozjohnno]

This year we did a cruise in Southern France and visited many smaller towns and villages on the Rhone. The itineraries for the various companies may look similar but there are subtle differences. May I suggest you start in this area but I'm sure you'll receive good advice on a number of cruises in other areas that you may also find to your liking.

 

Rod

[caviargal]

If we were to do a European river cruise, which would you suggest? We prefer small villages over bustling cities. He doesn't drink alcohol, but I enjoy a glass or two of wine My husband has some difficulty with walking, so that's something to take into consideration. He can walk - just short walks, and holding my hand (lucky me;)

Which line and which itinerary would you suggest?

Thanks so much in advance.

 

We are departing in 12 days for a Rhone cruise. Our itinerary is focused on smaller towns and villages, and we are in port overnight most every evening. In most all, we are docked right in the town center.

 

We very much enjoy AMA and this will be our 4th cruise with them. They offer slow walker tours (my mom enjoys these) as well as active tours. Wine and beer are included at lunch and dinner only.

 

Our Vineyards of the Rhine and Moselle offered some smaller towns and very pretty scenery. All others we have taken (7 river cruises so far) have had a mix of small towns and larger cities.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Someone who has cruised the itinerary should chime in to confirm or correct me, but from reading reviews here it seems that the Douro River cruises might be suitable. After leaving Porto, none of the stops is a big city and IIRC you are bused from the ship for most of the tours (this would cut down on walking for your DH). The ship cruises during the day, so sitting on the top deck watching the scenery go by is a major activity for everyone. Most versions of this cruise are round trip from Porto, so you can even spread your city sightseeing over two days.

[alexandra cruiser]

but remind everyone that most cruises start in big cities.Such as Lisbon with this one.

Also, many small villages have cobblestone,lots of steps, etc. Can your DH manage therse,even in slower group?

Look under rivercruise stickies to see all the various companies to determine what s best for you.Budget means a lot,but you tend to get what you pay for.

We started when younger with the median range ones,but now prefer more luxury.Look at facebook,you tubes,etclll....lots of info.

Suggest a short(7 day)with 1 pre and post cruise stay,to see if you like it.Much different than ocean.See if its for you?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

And of course Porto is also a big city, albeit a charming one. With lots of hills, so walking can be difficult.

[FuelScience]

Although the cruises include Paris and Basel as endpoints, itineraries like Viking's Rhine Rhapsody (starts 2015) hit lots of small towns along the Mosel & Rhine. Other lines have similar itineraries.'

 

FuelScience

[caviargal]

While at first glance it may seem that smaller towns are a better fit, we have found this to not be the case. We often travel with my mom, who is 83. In smaller ports, the docking locations and access may not be as convenient in terms of ramps, etc. I have found them more consistently navigable in larger cities. Also, the ability to grab a taxi or take a bus can be much easier in a city that has an infrastructure to support all types of residents as well as travelers.

 

JMO.

[cruisecriticmember]

and check out the photos in the cruise line brochures. many times the rivers have steep hillsides on either side. Some lines are offering different levels (speeds) of their walking tours to accommodate guests with differing levels of mobility. On the cruises I've done passengers self select what they do: some stay on board the whole trip, others go on the included tours but stay on the bus, others do every tour with the guides, and others strike out to explore on their own. One young fellow even bicycled from one stop to the next on the riverside paths joining the ship for meals and overnights!

[Got2Cruise]

Although the cruises include Paris and Basel as endpoints, itineraries like Viking's Rhine Rhapsody (starts 2015) hit lots of small towns along the Mosel & Rhine. Other lines have similar itineraries.'

 

FuelScience

 

 

The Rhine going from Amsterdam and ending in Basel would meet the criteria. When you end in Basel you can take a post tour to Lucerne. In Amsterdam go on a canal tour and to see the windmills.

[rudeman]

We, too, love the smaller towns. Other than a few key sites within it, we don't find cities all that appealing. We took Avalon's 15-day Budapest to Amsterdam cruise. The book ends are obviously fairly large cities, as are Vienna and Cologne. Otherwise, all 12+ other stops are relatively small towns, some extremely quaint and lovely. We had several physically challenged folks who did all right though I admittedly did not make note of accessibility issues, if any.

 

Others have mentioned some nice itineraries, also.

 

 

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[deec]

On Viking's Budapest to Amsterdam there were only a few times that buses were necessary to get into the charming riverside towns...allowing for self-paced wanderings after the "tour". We found that this really met our expectations and enjoyed it so much.

 

Those of you who have done so may river cruises will we find the same thing on any of the French river itineraries? From my reading it appears that Budapest to Bucharest one involves more busing? I am disappointed to hear that the Douro is bus intensive too.... The brochures don't really tell the whole story...Thanks CC forums for filling in the blanks!!!

[sjde]

We too enjoy the small quaint towns, but I'm guessing you get a mix on most river cruises. On the Danube we liked Regensberg and Melk (though Vienna was nice to see as well). On the Rhine we actually liked the Mosel towns of Bernkastel and Cochem best.