Bespoke travel company Audley Travel has launched new itineraries incorporating cruises along Europe’s most iconic waterways coupled with Audley’s land-based tours before and after the cruise. The itineraries cover nine countries and are available to book now for 2024 and beyond, giving guests a chance to take in varied sights and landscapes of the likes of the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain and Portugal.
Audley has selected over 20 routes offered by AmaWaterways for the cruise element of the itineraries. Clients can expect spacious staterooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies on most cabins, plus gourmet dining, spa facilities and a wine cellar. While the cruise elements are set itineraries, the land-based part for each client’s trip is curated with their personal tastes, budget and wish list in mind. Audley’s specialists help clients to make the most of their visit to Europe, adding in sites not accessible via the cruise.
Itineraries pairing AmaWaterway’s cruises and Audley’s land activities include:
"Cruising the Rhine" (Switzerland,Switzerlands, Germany and France): Clients start their trip with two nights in Amsterdam, with excursions including a food tour of the Jordaan district to taste some of Amsterdam’s traditional delicacies and a full day visiting its art museums and taking a Jewish heritage tour.
The cruise then takes clients through the Dutch countryside and into Germany, where optional excursions include a guided tour through the Old Town of Cologne, visiting the UNESCO-designated cathedral or take a cycling tour along the Rhine. In Rüdesheim am Rhein, Audley recommends a gondola ride to the Niederwalddenkmal, a monument built in 1871 to commemorate the unification of Germany or a bicycle tour through the surrounding wine region. The final days of the cruise are spent in France (Strasbourg) and Switzerland (Basel).
Audley suggests spending time in Switzerland before flying home, with two nights in Geneva. Highlights here include a guided walking tour and exploring the waters of Lake Geneva aboard a Belle Epoque paddle steamer.
"Port and Palaces on the Douro" (Portugal and Spain): Audley recommends staying in Lisbon for two nights before joining the ship, experiencing a traditional Fado dinner and exploring the city’s maze of hills and alleyways with a local guide.
The cruise then sails from Porto, a three-hour journey from Lisbon by train, and birthplace of fortified wine, port. Cruising along the Douro, clients have several chances to visit local quintas (country houses), which offer the chance to try traditional cuisine. Food and wine lovers will enjoy exploring Mateus Palace and Gardens, an 18th-century grand Italianate house and home of Mateus rosé wine as well as sampling Bolas de Lamego (a local stuffed bread) and Espumante, the Portuguese sparkling wine.
After the cruise, Audley’s specialists recommend a night in Salamanca, a Spanish UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s home to one of the oldest universities in Europe, and two nights in Madrid. Favorite excursions for Audley’s experts include an evening wine and tapas tour in the Chueca and Malasaña areas of the capital.
To learn more, visit www.audleytravel.com/us
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