One of the questions we get most frequently from new river cruisers concerns how they’re going to make the most of their time ashore. Should they participate in all of the included excursions, or should they mix and match? This comes up quite a bit for travelers who are new to river cruising, but who might have visited some of their ports of call before.
Even for travellers who are even new just to a particular city, simply selecting what you want to do can be a challenge. In ports of call like Vienna, Austria, for example, cruise lines routinely offer panoramic city tours of the famed Ringstrasse, coupled with walking tours of the historic city center. But there are also excursions to Schönbrunn Palace and evening optional evening concert performances.
So how do you make the most of your time ashore?
The answer depends on your personal interests and activity level. On my first visit to Vienna, I took in the city tour and ditched the visit to Schönbrunn and the optional concert. On my second visit, I elected to use the city tour as my transportation in to the city and enjoyed free time and coffee at one of Vienna’s many Cafés, coupled with a concert in the evening. I’m headed back to Vienna in a few weeks’ time, and I think I’ll finally try to visit Schönbrunn Palace.
In some ports, only walking tours are offered. These are a fabulous way to really get to know a particular place, from their history to their unique culture. But if you’ve been to, say, Regensburg before, you might get more joy out of wandering around, exploring, and doing some window-shopping.
For first-time river cruisers, we always recommend taking in these walking tours – or any other tours that pique your interest. Of all the cruises we’ve taken that have stopped in Linz, Austria, nearly the entire ship decamps and heads for Salzburg on a Sound of Music-themed tour. Except for myself. I’m not a fan of the movie, and the idea of being trapped on a motorcoach – where people might break into spontaneous strains of The Hills Are Alive – fills me with fear.
Therein lies the most important point: it’s your vacation. Do what you want. See what you want to see. You may only be in these places once, so follow your interests. The ship-sponsored excursions are of a very high quality, but we’ve met folks who just don’t enjoy touring around as a group. And, remember that if you do want to take a tour to see a particular monument that might be difficult or expensive to access otherwise (Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum comes to mind), you can always join the group for that and then peel off on your own afterward – so long as you’ve notified your tour director.
One thing we do caution against is overloading yourself. Make sure you schedule in some free time to just sit and enjoy a coffee or a glass of wine in a square. Take the time to people watch. Browse the local shops. Soak it all in.
River cruising can be active, exhausting business. Remember to stop and smell the roses along the way.
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