Minibreaks with a difference – they’re on water!

We all love a minibreak but how about making a change from a few nights in a hotel and taking a short cruise? Here are ideas for all year round...

By Sue Bryant

There’s a certain pleasure in taking a minibreak; the sense that it’s an extra holiday, or perhaps a special way of celebrating a birthday or anniversary. We all know and probably dream about city breaks in places like Amsterdam and Vienna. But did you know that you can have a minibreak afloat, too?

Saga offers European mini-cruises for every season on rivers including the Rhine, the Danube and the Dutch and Belgian waterways. What’s wonderful about these short breaks is that in just a few days, you’ll see multiple places, without any of the hassle of getting from one to the other. Quite the opposite, in fact – the travelling time is a joy, as you can relax on deck of your luxurious ship and watch the scenery drift by.

Or how about a short getaway on one of Saga’s ocean-going ships, exploring the coast of the British Isles or venturing across the Channel to Belgium and France? If you’re new to cruising, a short voyage can be the ideal way to test the water, as it were, and you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll see over just a few days.

Any mini-cruise comes with many more luxuries than a standard city break. Fine dining and all-inclusive drinks are a matter of course as well as crew gratuities, WiFi and flights for European river cruises. There’s an included tour in most ports of call. You’ll even have a private chauffeured car from your home to the port, or the airport if you’re flying to the Continent.

So whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply fancy a short break, here’s what to expect over the different seasons.

Summer

Explore buzzing cities and sunny shorelines

Falmouth Harbour

Cities across Europe fizz with energy in summer as everybody enjoys parks, gardens and outdoor living. So why not visit three fine capitals over the course of five days? A cruise on Saga’s sleek river ship Spirit of the Danube takes in Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, with overnights in each city.

This stretch of the Danube is simply magical in summer. In Vienna, enjoy the famous coffee houses, the stately architecture around the Ringstrasse and the wine taverns, or heurige, in leafy Grinzing. Bratislava’s cobbled centre is easily explored on foot, all the more pleasurable if you cool off in a beer garden after your walk. A full day in Budapest is the perfect time to wander round the historic Castle District and if it’s hot, visit one of the city’s traditional spas, which have indoor and outdoor pools.

Closer to home, why not join an ocean cruise that explores Guernsey, Falmouth and the Isles of Scilly? On Guernsey, you’ll have a day to browse the shops in St Peter Port and tour the fascinating La Vallette Underground Military Museum to learn about the German occupation of the island during Second World War. From Falmouth, take a tour along the rugged Cornish coastline to Land’s End. And even further west, you’ll visit the Isles of Scilly, with beaches of bone-white sand and sea that’s an astonishing shade of aquamarine.

Autumn

Gaze at dazzling colours along the Danube

The Danube Bend

Autumn is a glorious time to enjoy a short river cruise on the Danube. The city crowds of summer have dispersed and the trees are glowing with scarlet, ochre and burnt orange. On a cruise from Budapest to Vienna, you’ll want to add a couple of layers and be on deck for the day spent sailing between the Hungarian capital and Bratislava, as the ship rounds what’s known as the Danube Bend. This looping curve in the river is especially scenic, with castles on the hillsides and summer homes lining the riverbank. The hills here are covered in dense forest, so nature’s display is dazzling.

Vienna, too, is arguably at its loveliest in autumn. This is a time for long strolls and bratwurst in the Prater, or for something different, a walk in the Central Cemetery. While this may sound unusual, the vast and beautiful site is the final resting place for many celebrities, from Beethoven to Schubert and various members of the Strauss family. It’s also rich in nature; it’s not unusual to spot deer between the ancient gravestones. Reward your walking efforts with a slice of apfelstrudel and coffee piled high with whipped cream. And if you happen to get a rainy day, head to the Museum Quarter, an art lover’s dream. Don’t miss the Klimts at the Leopold Museum here.

Winter

Be swept away by the romance of Europe’s Christmas markets

The Christmas Market in Cologne, Germany

With the aroma of sizzling sausages and spicy mulled wine in the air, the crunch of snow underfoot and dozens of pretty stalls strung with fairy lights, who could fail to be enchanted by an authentic Christmas market?

Saga offers multiple Christmas markets river cruises, the perfect chance to absorb the romantic atmosphere and shop for ornaments, gingerbread, scented candles and handicrafts. You could do a five-day river cruise between Vienna and Budapest to see how three different countries – Austria, Slovakia and Hungary – celebrate the festive season.

Alternatively, explore some of the historic cities along the river Main on a five-night cruise from Nuremberg to Würzburg; medieval Bamberg, one of the stops, is especially pretty at this time of year, while in Würzburg, there’s a chance to visit the spectacular Residence Palace, one of Europe’s most impressive Baroque castles.

Some of the biggest Christmas markets are on the Rhine, Cologne in particular, where the towering cathedral offers a spectacular backdrop to the festivities. Cologne is included on a five-night river cruise from Mainz to Düsseldorf, which also stops in pretty Rüdesheim, one of the most delightful towns along the Rhine Gorge, all half-timbered houses and cosy wine taverns.

You could plan ahead for Christmas, too. How about the tempting combination of an Advent river cruise on the Dutch waterways with a concert by the Johann Strauss Orchestra in Maastricht conducted by the legendary André Rieu?

Spring

Admire blooms in the Dutch bulb fields

Spring flowers in the Keukenhof Gardens

In spring, millions of tulips burst into bloom, forming immaculate strips of brilliant colour across the flat Dutch countryside. A river cruise through the waterways of the Netherlands and Belgium is a wonderful way to take in this spectacle – and when your ship is docked in Zaandam, you’ll have the chance to visit Keukenhof: 79 acres of the most spectacular flower gardens imaginable. Every year, seven million bulbs are planted here, creating sweeping displays of tulips, irises, hyacinths and lilies.

Spring mini-river-cruises through the Dutch and Belgian waterways visit historic Arnhem, where you can admire an impressive collection of work by Vincent Van Gogh in the Kröller-Müller Museum; 180 drawings and 90 paintings. In Amsterdam, take a canal cruise to gaze up at the patrician gabled houses that line the banks and get your fix of yet more dazzling blooms at the flower market on the Singel canal.

There’s another way to see Keukenhof on a mini-cruise, this time from the port of IJmuiden on the ocean-going Spirit of Discovery as part of a five-night Easter cruise from Portsmouth. You’ll also have a day in gorgeous Bruges, all half-timbered houses and flower-lined canals. This is the place to indulge in decadent, cream-filled chocolate truffles, or garlicky moules-frites: mussels, mayonnaise and crispy chips. There’s a day in Honfleur, too, an impossibly pretty port town under Normandy’s vast skies. It’s easy to appreciate here the quality of the light that so inspired artists including Monet, Boudin, Dufy, Duborg and Friesz, whose work you can admire in the Eugène-Boudin Museum.

Find out more about our river and ocean cruises.