Planning a Smooth Italian River Cruise
By Caitlina Fuller

A smooth Italian vacation involves a lot of planning before packing your bags and buying your tickets. You may want to consider going for a European river cruise where you can go on a very romantic get away. The cruise can be on a small yacht with all its simplicity or you can ride a big cruise line and enjoy the view with the entire hotel like comforts. If you want to explore the islands and inlands, you can choose from Italy tours that offer a combination of sea and land travel. Photographs of the sceneries of Italy will definitely convince any one that going there will mean memories to treasure for a lifetime.

The season for a European river cruise is usually between May to August when the weather is ideal to see the soul of Italia. You and your loved one will be in awe of the heavenly islands, wonderful cities, and astonishing villages. You can surf the internet to find a perfect package to suit your desires and budget. A week or two week- tour package may range from less than $2000 to around $3000 per person depending on the hotel, mode of travel, and of course the length of the vacation. You can opt to go for a guided tour in groups or you may want to explore some sites by yourselves. Everything can be arranged for a perfect Italian vacation.

Italy tours are not considered without dropping by Rome. It is a must to see St. Peters Basilica, the Colosseum, and the Trevi Fountain in their pure elegance and grandeur. A European river cruise can help those who fear the waters, and discover the calm travel going to the pretty island of Sicily. You can walk the rustic roads of Palermo and enjoy the excellent food Italy offers. Catch a cruise going to Cafalu to enjoy the waters and the sandy shores. Off the coast of the island will be a perfect and romantic destination for couples-Italy’s Aeolian Islands. Enjoy the cafes of the biggest island of Lipari. Panarea is the smallest of the islands present to you heavenly flora. Stromboli will lead you to black sand beaches attributed to its famous 100,00 year-old volcano.

An Italian vacation will not be complete without seeing Venice. People fall in love while exploring the romanticism of its winding canals. Venice enchants tourists with the secrets of there world renowned glass-works and other local crafts. Italian get-away spices up ones love for life. Italy tours are a highly recommended vacation for tourists the world over.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. The season for a European river cruise is usually between May to August when the weather is ideal to see the soul of Italia. You and your loved one will be in awe of the heavenly islands, wonderful cities, and astonishing villages. Everything can be arranged for a perfect Italian vacation

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European river cruise ships differ significantly so keep in mind that some of the content below may not always apply.
River cruise ships are very different to large ocean going cruise ships.

Firstly, river cruise ships are a lot smaller in size . They don’t have the large multiple bars, clubs, discotheques, casinos, ballrooms, cinemas etc. So if all night partying is your thing maybe European river cruising is not for you.

I would with respect suggest that if you want to enjoy the delights of the river and the various stop over destination all night partying is not to be recommended.

The day time on a European river cruise can be busier than on an ocean cruise ship. The distances between stop over’s on the river are relatively short so you may find yourself docking at a minimum of one new destination every day. Along with your stop over, you will be disembarking and partaking in an excursion of some sort. So to enjoy these daily excursions to their fullest a pain free head and healthy body is recommended.

The river cruise ship bars and restauraunts tend to be more intimate and casual than the large ocean cruise ships.
Having said that there is plenty of opportunity to meet others in the bar and have fun on a European river cruise.

One advantage of the smaller vessel is that you tend to get to know the cruise ship staff better. You will probably be on a first name basis with the bar personnel before your cruise is over and enjoy a chat with them each evening.

There is usually an on board pianist or keyboard player that will provide music in the bar after dinner. Most of the lounge bars have a small dance area so you can burn off any last remaining energy before heading for bed.

Sometimes, the cruise companies will have local talent organised to come on board to provide some interesting cultural acts. Possibly local music and dance acts etc.

If the bar does not tempt you after dinner you can always take a night cap up on deck and sip it slowly as you drift along the river. (My personal favourite is an Irish Black Bush whiskey on the rocks watching the river drift in to darkness. So peaceful, so quiet!)

Of course there will be evenings when your boat will be moored for the evening so you can disembark and explore some of the local on shore hostelries.

So thats it, after dinner on your European river cruise. Relaxation and some soft music with a little drop of your favourite beverage. What more could you want?