Mrs D Price, Hampshire
RIVER SNAPSHOT
Steeples and towers. Baroque palaces and churches. Inn signs and spiritual
statues on every street corner. Massive cathedrals and stunning castles.
Tranquil dawns with the reflection of willows shimmering in the boat’s wake.
Colossal locks with towering walls delivering you to a new and lovely level.
Amazing buildings both old and rebuilt, but seamlessly done.
Wonderful at Easter when the cities are bedecked with thousands of real
multicoloured eggs and decorations. No leaves on the trees in April, so you
can see the wonderful sights gliding by and enjoy the emerging spring as you
travel south, but wrap up warmly.
Bridget Dean, Cumbria
CHRISTMAS MARKETS
Rhine sailings in November and December are a wonderful way of visiting
several Christmas markets in one trip and, as I discovered, you can go for
just a few nights.
My trip started and ended in Cologne, which was ideal as it has four big
Christmas markets which, with pretty twinkling lights draped everywhere and
stalls packed with traditional handicrafts, get everyone in the festive mood.
Sue Scott, East Sussex
COFFEE STOP
At the pretty town of Rüdesheim you have to try a Rüdesheimer coffee, served
in red-and-white cups decorated with scenes from the Rhine.
Making the coffee is a performance in itself and involves sugar, coffee and
the local Asbach brandy, topped with whipped cream. Apparently, the shape of
the cup, which tapers from a large brim to a smaller base, makes it easier
to warm your hands; the coffee does the rest.
Vivien Hunter, Cumbria
STILL STANDING
Of all the castles you pass, the Marksburg Castle (0049 262 7206; www.marksburg.de),
near Koblenz, is the most impressive. It is the only hill castle on the
river never to have been destroyed.
Work started on the castle in the 1100s, and it grew over the centuries to
become a defensive stronghold. It’s now open to the public and contains
fascinating displays about its history and a huge array of artefacts from
the Middle Ages.
Tony Williams, Berkshire
STOP IN STRASBOURG
Don’t miss out on Strasbourg. It isn’t directly on the Rhine, but is a short
coach ride from Kehl where our boat moored. A must-see is the cathedral,
which is a master piece of Gothic art. Strasbourg itself is a very
attractive city, with its picturesque half-timbered houses dating from the
16th and 17th centuries.
We would recommend strolling along the banks of the River Ill, through the
pretty old town and Petite France quarter. It’s an ideal opportunity to
sample a glass of the local Alsace beer and the region’s famed white wine.
They make exquisite pastries, too.
Janet Winter, Yorkshire
BUY A RINGTRIP TICKET
One of the highlights of our Rhine trip was the cable-car ride over the
vineyards at Rüdesheim (6722 2402; www.seilbahn-ruedesheim.de).
We bought a “ringtrip” ticket for €11 (£9), which included the two
person cable-car ride, a lovely walk back down through the vineyards and a
short boat ride back to Rudesheim.
You can also buy a standard round-trip ticket for €6.50 (£5.50), which takes
you up and down by cable car. The views are a real treat and the Niederwald
monument honouring the German nation at the top, is impressive. If you have
the energy the “ringtrip” ticket is a must.
Gillian Streeter, Dorset
START WITH A CANAL
We enjoyed having a full day to explore Amsterdam on our cruise with Avalon
Waterways (0800 668 1802; www.avaloncruises.co.uk),
as the boat stayed overnight in the city. The next morning, we opted for the
complimentary two-hour trip along the canals and had the rest of the day to
explore on our own before the boat left at teatime.
Alison Macdonald, Glasgow
GO DUTCH
If you start your Rhine cruise in Amsterdam, make sure you take the windmill
excursion at the village of Kinderdijk. It was our first stop after leaving
Amsterdam on our cruise with Viking River Cruises (0800 319 6660; www.vikingrivercruises.co.uk).
The village has the largest collection of historical windmills in the
Netherlands, with 19 of them dating from the 1800s. They are listed as a
Unesco World Heritage site and it’s easy to see why. It was fascinating to
learn why the windmills of Holland were built and how they work.
Ian Turner, Hampshire
A SWEET DAY OUT
Most visitors to Cologne head straight for the city’s famous cathedral, but
it’s also worth considering the Lindt chocolate museum (221 931 8880; www.chocolatemuseum-cologne.com)
on the riverfront. Dr Hans Imhoff, who spent almost his whole life around
chocolate, fulfilled a lifelong dream by opening the museum in 1993. It
tells the 3,000-year-old story of the history of chocolate, and the smell is
wonderful. The entry price of €7.50 (£6.40) was well spent!
Matthew Grainger, Warwickshire
MECHANICAL MUSEUM
Don’t miss Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet (020 7317 0908; www.germany-tourism.de)
in Rüdesheim. It was a tour on our Viking river cruise and it offered a
fascinating insight into the world of music as played by mechanical musical
instruments. As well as hearing about the history, we were treated to
demonstrations of this antique collection of music-players that still
sounded impressive, even by today’s standards.
Penelope Steele, Cornwall
BLACK FOREST CLOCKS
One of the most novel onshore outings on our recent Rhine cruise was in the
town of Breisach, when we were taken to discover how cuckoo clocks are made.
Seeing the intricate work that goes into producing Germany’s famous handmade
time pieces was a real highlight.
Annabel Hooper, Kent
LISTEN FOR LORELEY
Make sure your camera is at the ready for the Rhine Gorge between Cologne and
Rüdesheim, one of the most picturesque spots on the river, with its dramatic
castle ruins dotting precipitous hillsides. You’ll also pass the notorious
Loreley Rock (passengers on our cruise started singing the famous Song of
the Loreley), though, disappointingly, the statue of the infamous siren
who lured sailors to their deaths is rather small and insignificant.
Harry Clark, Herefordshire
MIND THE STEPS
Less mobile passengers should be aware that some of the stops involve using
short flights of steps. Also, the pace of the Black Forest tour on the
cruise we took was a little fast for my elderly husband who found it hard to
keep up on steep ground. In Heidelberg, the walking tour was also too
arduous for him.
Joan Samson, Middlesex
AVOID THE CROWDS
If you’re doing a Christmas market cruise, try to go midweek as the markets
will be less crowded with locals and day-trippers. Even in November, the
better-known, and hence more popular, markets can be packed with people at
weekends.
Peter Hooper, Bedfordshire
LOCKED UP
Be prepared to be juddered awake by the locks. Most boats tend to moor up at
night so passengers can get uninterrupted rest, but they often set off very
early in the morning and the clanking lock gates can be a nuisance for light
sleepers.
Sally Armstrong Peters, Lancashire
WHEN TO GO
Bad weather can ruin a Rhine cruise. In our experience it’s best to go in
spring and autumn. Summer can be rather too hot, and winter is often
extremely cold and damp. The perfect months for cruising are May and
September.
Ian Thomas, Manchester
CRUISING THROUGH HISTORY
If you want a holiday full of historical interest, stop off in Amsterdam
before joining your cruise. Visit Anne Frank’s house (www.annefrank.org)
and take a trip to the Airborne Museum (www.airbornemuseum.nl)
and cemetery in Oosterbeek, 20 minutes by bus from Arnhem and the scene of a
daring parachute drop of more than 11,000 men in 1945. Then, as the boat
travels along the Rhine Gorge, view the castles, picturesque houses and churches.
Continue past the remains of the bridge at Remagen, captured in 1945 by the
American 9th Armoured Division, only to collapse 10 days later. Finally,
visit the canals of Strasbourg, taking in all the ancient buildings,
including the Rohan Palace, left, where Marie Antoinette once stayed.
G Gunnell, East Sussex
Do you have tips, advice or observations on any of the destinations below to
share with other readers? If so, we would like to hear from you. A selection
of your submissions will be published in Discover and on our website.
The sender of the best entry on each destination will win a two-night stay for
two, with breakfast, at Brenner’s Park Hotel, Baden-Baden, and British
Midland International (bmi) flights from Heathrow or Manchester.
THE DESTINATIONS
Nice
Madrid
Cambridge
Phuket
Caribbean
cruise
THE PRIZE
The prize will be awarded to the sender of the best submission on each
destination. It is offered strictly according to availability and must be
taken before November 30 2011. Transfers to and from the hotel are included.
Other terms and conditions apply (see below).
Brenner’s Park (0049 7221 9000; www.brenners.com)
is one of northern Europe’s most iconic hotels, set in the historical spa
town of Baden-Baden on the edge of the Black Forest. The hotel is famed for
its medical and beauty spa, as well as its elegant guestrooms, with antique
furniture, Italian marble bathrooms and private balconies overlooking the
grounds. Its restaurant was recently awarded a second Michelin star and the
hotel also features a stylish bar, cigar lounge and a classical Roman-style
swimming pool. Further afield, activities include riding and hiking in the
Black Forest.
One of Britain’s leading airlines and Heathrow’s second-largest airline, bmi
(0844 848 4888; www.flybmi.com),
is committed to offering the best service at the best price, and offering
flights to destinations across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
It has recently announced new flights from Heathrow and Manchester to Basel
from March 27, three times a day from Heathrow on weekdays, with two daily
at the weekend. From Manchester, flights are daily on weekdays.
SUBMISSIONS
Email your tips and recommendations (no longer than 150 words, please) on any
of the five destinations with your name, address and phone number, by March
18 2011, to yoursay@telegraph.co.uk,
or post them on our website at telegraph.
co.uk/yourtravels.
- Terms
and conditions apply.