Rhine river tours are a great way to explore Switzerland and Germany? You can visit these countries in an easy, convenient, and utterly unforgettable way. For many German river cruises are the ultimate.

Rhine river tours are unique in that you don’t have to worry about booking hotels, transportation, or even a tourist itinerary. All of this is done for you, allowing you to relax and enjoy everything Rhine river tours have to offer. The most you have to decide at all is where you want to go and how long you wish to stay there.

German river cruises enable you indulge in international and local cuisine while enjoying high quality entertainment and fun themed activities. What Rhine river tours are best known for, however, are their magnificent views. As you float down the river, you can take in truly breathtaking scenery, such as gorgeous landscapes, mountains, villages, churches, and more.

As you enjoy your time on the ship, you can enjoy high quality service from the ship’s many guides. They will ensure that you have everything you need to enjoy yourself, and they are quite familiar with the area, which makes them more than able to answer any questions you may have about the culture or history of the places you’re visiting. Your guides are also fluent in a variety of languages, including English.

You can have fun off of the ship as well! Depending on what kind of Rhine river tours you choose, the ship will stop at a variety of interesting places for you to enjoy and explore. When planning German river cruises, you can even make a selection from a wide assortment of fascinating themed tours, such as European gardening, bicycling, golf, music, and more! You can learn more about your favorite passion than you ever imagined while visiting amazing buildings, memorials, churches, castles, and more!

If you’re planning German river cruises, you can check deals from cruise line companies like Viking, Deilmann, Uniworld. 2010 promises a plethora of new travel deals and themed tours to choose from. The length of your cruise is also completely up to you s little 3 days right up to 32 days..

With its excellent service, food, tourist attractions, and more, Rhine river tours are one of the most intriguing and remarkable ways to enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes of Germany and Switzerland.

Check out Rhine river tours.

J.

Some say the best way to see Russia is on a Russian river cruise. Several of the cruise companies provide river tours along the Volga. The typical cruise includes a visit to Moscow, Uglich, Kostroma, Yaroslavl & St. Petersburg. Usually, the river cruise ships stop over for two or three days in Moscow and St. Petersburg. This is because there is so much to see and do in each of these cities. A stop over in Moscow may include The City tour, Red Square and Metro, a visit to Tretiakov Gallery, a Moscow by night tour and night at the Bolshoy Theater. Of course there is the Kremlin and Armoury Museum tour. There are other possibilities like a visit yo the Pushkin Musuem and the Novodevichy Monastery.

A stop over in Uglich usually includes a City tour and visit to the Transfiguration Cathedral,
Church of Dimitry on the Blood. A day in Kostroma usually includes a city tour and a visit to the Ipatiev Monastery. In Yaroslavl you can take a city tour, visit the Transfiguration Monastery
Church of Elyjah the Prophet, visit Goritsy Monastery of St Cyril on the White Lake. In St Petersburg you will have the opportunity to do a city tour, take in an Evening Ballet performance show at the
Hermitage Theatre.

Of course along the river you will have many wonderful sights to enjoy, too many to include in this short article. Maybe the following video will give a taste of what to expect.

I hope you enjoyed that. If you are interested in a Russian river cruise check out the following cruise line companies. If you are wondering who to cruise with start by checling out Viking River Cruises, Peter Deilmann River Cruises and Uniworld.

Enjoy your Russian river cruise.

Jeff.

By Stefano Sandano

Since the end of the jubilee of Rome held in they year 2000, the majority of Rome, in cooperation with the Coast guard of Fiumicino, agreed that the river of Rome, the Tiber deserves more attention for its historical importance.

In fact since that year it has been inaugurated to the boat entrepeneurs the competition to apply for licenses and permissions to perform cruises on different parts of the tiber.

As many people do not know yet, not all the Tiber river is navigable, for the presence of marble steps, remains of old roman bridges and other hidden treasures like lead anchors.

It’s so weird to see how Rome is no more noisy when you go down the travertine steps to join a cruise tour. In fact the white marble walls to protect the city of Rome against the floods from the Tiber river were built during the period of the unification of Italy at the end of the 19th century. These shields are long 6 miles and provide in assuring the security of the city against bad weather and insisting rain.

That Rome was indebted, if not for its origin, at any rate for its importance, to these commercial and strategical advantages of its position, there are accordingly numerous further indications, which are of very different weight from the statements of quasi-historical romances. Thence arose its very ancient relations with Caere, which was to Etruria what Rome was to Latium, and accordingly became Rome’s most intimate neighbour and commercial ally. Thence arose the unusual importance of the bridge over the Tiber, and of bridge-building generally in the Roman commonwealth. In this sense, then, certainly Rome may have been, as the legend assumes, a creation rather than a growth, and the youngest rather than the oldest among the Latin cities.

The tiber is also the third biggest river of Italy after the Po and the Adige that flows in the romantic city of Verona.

The river of Rome has also a very important island, the Tiber Island ( isola Tiberina ) that has the shape of a boat because it remembers the transportation by boat of the sacred animal ( a snake ) and of the worship of the god of the healing Aesculapius from Greece in the IV century BC. The scholars says that this animal jumped off the boat and settled in the Island as signal for the Romans of the place where they had to built the sanctuary dedicated to the god of the healing.

Today this famous Island is connected to Rome with two roman bridges of the II century BC which allow pedestrians to cross very easily the side of the jewish synagogue with Trastevere.

Cruising the tiver river today means to visit three parts of Rome:

1- from Ponte Marconi to Ancient Ostia, famous roman colony and strategic salt harbor for the roman ships arriving from the mediterranean sea;

2- From Ponte Risorgimento until the Tiberina Island with the possibility to see also the bridge wanted by the same pope who built the sistine chapel, sistus IV

3- From ponte Umberto cruising to the northern districts of Rome, with the possibility to admire a wonderful panorama of the dome of saint peter’s basilica designed by Michelangelo in the renaissance period.

About the Author: Cruising the Tiber river is a new deal in Rome for people who desire to visit the eternal city off the beaten paths. If you want to know more about the tiber river visit http://www.tiber-river.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=119888&ca=Travel

By Eugen Lisov

Danube Delta is probably the last truly wild place in Europe, a stretch of land and water that offers a comfortable place to live to an incredible diverse wildlife and an incredible spectacle of nature to visitors. With over three hundred and twenty species of birds and 1500 species of fish, it has one of the biggest biodiversities in the world.

Because not many people yet know about it, the Danube Delta offers a rare opportunity for a true nature passionate to spend a few days in the middle of what could easily be called Paradise.

Being chosen as the “Landscape of the year 2007-2009” by The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, there are plenty of nature-related activities you can choose to spend your time with.

Bird watching

Danube Delta is an El Dorado for the true birdwatchers. Nowhere in the world will you see so many species of birds crowded all together in a small place. You will find here over half of the world’s population of cormorants and the largest population of pelicans.

You will also have the pleasure to see the winter and summer swan, the white tailed eagle, wild ducks and geese, cranes, egrets, spoon bills, red neck geese, eastern flossy ibis, white, gray, yellow and red herons, bald coots, Dobrudjan hawks, storks, and many flamingo birds.

To go on a bird watching trip, you can either to book a trip with one of the many specialized agencies here, or you can simply choose to hire one of the locals to take you on a private boat ride. Usually, the second choice will be the most interesting because the locals know the best places to visit and they have many entertaining stories to complete the picture.

Fishing

Fishing is one of the most popular activities here. With over 1500 species of fish, this place is the favorite place for many recreational fishermen to spend their holydays. Among the fish you can catch here, you’ll have the surprise to see the great sturgeon, the catfish, carp, pike and a whole lot more.

Now, at the end of the day, to celebrate a great day of fishing, somebody should prepare the traditional fish soup, or ‘bors de peste’. Again, a local will do it best. Trust me; you won’t eat anything like this anywhere else! It is simply delicious!

Beaches

Ah, yes… The beaches… If you want to catch a tan and also have some privacy, the 30 km stretch of wild beach between Sulina and Sf. Gheorghe is just perfect. There are no people anywhere near and you will most like have the chance to see the only pack of wild horses in Europe roaming around.

And if you feel particularly romantic, take your partner for a pleasant night walk on the beach! Out here, in the wild, you’ll see the night sky better than ever. There are so many stars out there, that some will start falling al around you. Start making wishes

If you want a combination of wild and modern, then Gura Portitei is the place to go. It is a modern beach resort that has all the rustic and wild elements that make the Danube Delta the unique place it is.

The largest city in Danube Delta is Sulina. It’s got a great history and in the 19th and early 20th century it was the headquarter of the European Commission of the Danube, an early precursor of the European Union. It was one of the most cosmopolite cities in Europe at the time and the legacy of those days can still be seen today. If you happen to have a dink with an old local, make sure to ask him about the pirates that used to raid this place a century ago. The stories are great!

Cultural Activities

Being at the crossroads of many cultures, there is also an incredibly ethnic diversity in Danube Delta. Each of the nationalities living here, the Romanians, Ukrainians, Lipovans, Armenian, Greeks, Turks and many more, have their own unique traditions which they celebrate during various festivals.

Recently, the International Independent Film Festival has become the most important event in the region. It takes place every year in Sfatu Gheorghe and it brings together big names in the movie industry, from Romania and the whole Europe.

About the Author: Eugen Lisov has lived most of his life in Danube Delta and his website http://www.Wild-Danube-Delta.com is a modest attempt to make this place better known for its unique natural elements. Please feel free to visit his site to learn more about the magic of this place.

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=352138&ca=Travel

Some of the short Rhine cruise allow the visitor to see five countries in five days. A Rhine cruise is interspersed with several modern city tours.

Basel is the gateway to the Swiss Rhineland and is Switzerland’s second biggest city. Although it is an old city and retains many medieval and eighteen century landmarks it has a modern museum of fine arts reflecting modern works by Pablo Ruiz Picasso and Salvador Dali. Among landmarks in the old quarter are the Cathedral which has sections that were built in the 9th century, and the Town Hall which dates to the 16th century. Much of the cities steep streets are cobbled and the whole experience of Basel is rather quaint despite the fact that it is now a multi cultural modern city. The first night is then spent cruising to arrive at Breisach in the morning.

 Breisach is the gateway to the Black Forest and area is lush forests set on the areas mountainous landscape, deep meadows, and green fields. Like many German towns Breisach is dominated by the Cathedral of St. Stephanus. The height of this building means that it can be observed from any River Rhine cruise boat. There are many cuckoo clock manufacturers in the area and most Rhine cruise boats allow time to visit a factory within their schedule. Many of the Rhine cruise boats dock overnights and go to the French town of Strasbourg. Today Strasbourg is famous because the Place d’Austerlitz is the European parliament sits once a month. The surrounding countryside is full of vineyards.

Next day brings the Rhine cruise traveller back into Germany albeit by coach  to  Hiedelberg and Rüdesheim. Heidelberg is home to Germany’s oldest university founded in 1386. The dominant feature of Heidelberg is the red sandstone ruined castle which is perched on a hill overlooking the town and the old bridge over the Neckar River.  Even if the visitor does not visit the castle ruins there is plenty to see in Heidelberg. Many tourists stroll around the market place and the old town. Approximately 1,000,000 years ago, the “Heidelberg Man”, was found at Mauer and identified as the earliest evidence of human settlements in Europe.

The next port of call is usually Rüdesheim where many tourists stroll along the Drosselgasse, a pedestrianised street lined with restaurants, bars and shops. One of the attractions of the area is the mechanical music museum.
Cologne is famous for the invention of au de cologne the watered down version of perfume. Cologne’s old town offers a magnificent gothic cathedral to explore, but the modern town boasts a local brewery where it is possible to sample   local beer.

Arnhem in Eastern Netherlands is famous for the airborne museum. In World War II, during Operation Market Garden in September 1944, the British and the Polish Parachute Brigade were given the task of securing the bridge at Arnhem. However they failed and the attempt was dramatised in the 1977 film a Bridge Too Far. Amsterdam with its many canals offers a pretty city to explore, it has more cycle paths than any other city in Europe.

Gouda not surprisingly is home to the eponymous cheese, it is possible to visit a cheese factory and watch the cheese being made. Delft is famous for blue and white pottery and again there are possibilities to visit a working porcelain factory. Dordrecht is a charming Dutch town from which you can explore the windmills at Kinderdijk.
Bruges is an old medieval city famed for its gardens, the Gruuthuuze Palace and Simon Stevin Square. Antwerp boasts yet another Rhine Castle and an art gallery famous for its Reuben’s.

Bruges as a stop off  destination is particularly popular this year due to the movie “In Bruges”

I am sure you will now see why a Rhine cruise is fast growing in popularity in the world of cruise vacations.