Avalon Waterways' Black Sea Discovery 11-day riverboat cruise takes an Eastern European route. Depart in a motor coach from Bucharest, Romania, and arrive in Oltenita to board the Avalon Tranquility and begin your European riverboat cruise. Ports of call include Silistra, Svistov, and Veliko Tarnovo.
While in Veliko Tarnovo, enjoy shore excursions to Varna, a resort town on the Black Sea, visit the Church of the Nativity in Arbanassi and visit the Patriarch's Church. Continuing on, the riverboat cruises through the Iron Gates gorge with its towering rock cliffs before arriving in Belgrade. View the capital of Serbia, Kalemegdan Fortress and a medieval town; see Novi Sad, a city in Northern Serbia with a stunning view of the Danube River, and finally arrive in Budapest, the last port of call.
Avalon Tranquility riverboat amenities include an Internet center, a hair salon and a fitness room with state-of-the-art cardio equipment and large porthole windows. Staterooms have floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, flat-screen TVs and individual temperature controls. Staterooms are appointed with luxury bedding and European duvets.
Avalon Waterways
5301 South Federal Circle
Littleton, CO 80123
877-797-8791
avalonwaterways.com/Product.aspx?trip=0WOB&source=AW_Cruises_Danube
French Country Waterways' six-night Burgundy riverboat cruise Europeon route goes to the heart of the wine growing region, Cote d'Or. Burgundy, in central France, offers history, art and culture and is known especially for its wines. While cruising aboard the 128-foot long Nenuphar, you can enjoy France's varied landscape, its charming villages, fertile farmlands, mountain peaks and vineyard slopes. Excursions include walking tours of Beaune, surrounded by vineyards, and Dijon, the historic capital of Burgundy. Additional highlights include dinner at the Lameloise Restaurant and a wine tasting in Santenay, a picturesque town of only 1,000 people.
Nenuphar, 12 passengers maximum, gives the feeling of a country inn with its luxury provincial furnishings, warm wood finishes and plush carpets. It is air-conditioned with individual stateroom controls. You can select from a king or queen suite.
French Country Waterways
P.O. Box 2195
Duxbury, MA 02331
781-934-2454
fcwl.com/Burgundy.html
Viking River Cruises' Tulips & Windmills highlights Holland's tulips and windmills and Belgium's medieval cities in its European 10-day riverboat cruises. Ports of call take passengers to museums, historic Antwerp, Brugge and Ghent. You will learn about the Delta Works project and taste local food such as Dutch cheeses and Belgian chocolates. As you traverse the Volga-Baltic Waterway, the ship will go through a series of seven locks.
The Viking Legend joined the fleet in 2009 and is considered a green ship. Powered by hybrid diesel-electric engines producing less noise and emissions, it carries 189 passengers and has two suites and 95 staterooms. The Viking Legend has a sun deck, library and an observation bar and lounge. All staterooms have river views; some have balconies and windows that open, and all have hypoallergenic duvet covers.
Viking River Cruises
Suite 200
5700 Canoga Avenue
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
877-668-4546
vikingrivercruises.com/rivercruises/europe-holland-belgium-amsterdam-2010/vee/itinerary.aspx
