European River Travel in Winter - Take Advantage of that Christmas Season

If you like to get away during the winter months, but you've perhaps grown weary of the Caribbean or Mexico, there is a new cruise option on the horizon for you to consider. European river travel during the non-traditional December - April season isn't on most traveler's radar, however this time - at an atypical period for cruises year - has been slowly gaining in popularity.

 Some of the advantages of winter river travel are that airfares to and in Europe are much lower during the winter time. For cross-Atlantic trips, it isn't uncommon to see consolidators promoting roundtrip airfares starting at four hundred US dollars.

River travel itself is less in demand in winter, so its prices will also be lower. Plus, should you be interested in traveling further in Europe after the cruise, hotels and restaurants will be in off-season and therefore cheaper (if you are from the States, that will allow you to partly offset the current strength of the Euro versus the US Dollar.)

Traveling at this time of year, you will avoid the mass tourism which is an integral part of European travel during the summer. While you may occasionally miss out on a rare seasonal attraction, in most cases you will avoid the crowds and also the queues for museums, sights and other tourist destinations.

As life gets back to normal once the main season is over, you will have a more authentic perspective on the people and places that you visit. Christmas and New Year deserve a special mention as these periods will be slightly more costly and crowded, but also very interesting due to the local Christmas markets, especially in Germany and Central Europe. Christmas season in Europe is an enchanting experience

The main drawback of winter European river travel is the weather - on one hand it can become quite cold and windy, especially in the north, and on the other hand the days will be shorter. It may snow, and in the early spring cloudy skies rain are common. As your ship will surely be heated and you will spend the evenings and nights traveling between towns that shouldn't be a problem, but don't forget to bring warm clothes and shoes as well as waterproofs, and possibly an extra book for the evening.

Most European river travel operators offer one or two week winter cruises along the major waterways, such as the Danube, Rhine, Elbe and Rhone. These are great shopping trips, as well as a most comforting way to visit some of the more friendly and magnificent small towns throughout the continent.

 And as already stated, you can also extend your trip with a land tour to see areas not accessible by river, or to spend more time the cities visited.

European river travel in winter is an experience unlike any other cruise or tour you can take. See the continent up close, from a small ship, on your next vacation!