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Travel InformationShore experiences with TUI River Cruises
Whether you want to book your shore experiences through us or explore our ports of call at your own pace, a TUI River Cruises sailing has the best of both worlds.
How to book a shore experience
Once your shore experiences are ready to book, we’ll let you know, so you can browse and book at rivercruises.gotui.com/uk. Or, call 0203 451 2688 to speak to one of our TUI River Cruises experts.
Shore experience inspiration
Best for city explorers: Vienna city tour
Vienna’s known around the world for its extravagant architecture, sprawling palaces and bustling boulevards. This outing shines a light on all of them, and includes a photo stop at the postcard-worthy Belvedere Museum and a visit to the sky-high St Stephen’s Cathedral.
Best for wine fans: Walking tour of Breisach & wine-tasting
You’ll delve deep into Breisach on this walking tour, starting with its showpiece landmark, the Gothic St Stephen’s Cathedral. Then, head underground to the famous Geldermann wine cellar for a guided tour and a tasting session.
Best for culture vultures: Belgrade city tour
This guided bus and walking tour ticks off all the Serbian capital’s biggest attractions. Kalemegdan Park, Belgrade Fortress and the Church of Saint Sava are just some of the sights you’ll see – the latter’s one of the biggest churches in the world.
For even more inspiration, check out our best river cruise shore experiences.
Sightsee at leisure
If exploring at your own pace sounds more your cup of tea, our tickets and attractions experiences are perfect. You can set off on your own and join in with things like food tasting tours, or see the destination on hop-on-and-off buses. If you’d rather just bag yourself a spot in a local café and watch the world go by, that’s great, too – our cruises allow for as much sightseeing as you like.
If you want to find out everything you need to know about the ports we visit, don’t miss our Cruise Experience Manager’s daily port talks. They’ll also tell you about some of the shore experiences available. Also, use the onboard app, Navigate. It’s got port maps on it – perfect for if you want to go off and explore alone.
Try out some of our favourite ports for size...
Budapest
Sliced in half by the Danube, Budapest is like two cities in one. Hilly Buda sits to the west of the river, crowned by a vast 18th-century castle and the turreted Fisherman’s Bastion. And to the east, you’ve got Pest, which is home to one of the grandest parliament buildings in the world.
Amsterdam
Criss-crossed by bridges and canals, Amsterdam is known as the Venice of the north. But its waterways are not all it’s famous for. Clogs, cheese and windmills top the list, followed closely by World War history, cutting-edge art and coffee shops.
Vienna
Classical music, palatial architecture and priceless works of art are just a flavour of Vienna’s social standing. In the city centre, pretty parks fill in the gaps between the libraries, churches and opera houses. If you take a stroll to the southern reaches, you’ll find Baroque palaces and grand concert halls.
Cologne
Cologne’s an iconic German city for so many reasons – like its beer halls, Christmas markets and a cathedral that’s graced many a holiday brochure cover. It’s also a city of contrasts where ancient Roman walls and Medieval churches rub shoulders with a postmodern quarter chock-full of chic shops.
Egypt shore experiences
On our Nile cruises, you’ll have two shore experiences included as part of your package – Edfu Temple and Kom Ombo Temple. There are plenty of other optional shore experiences, as well, including visits to the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Karnak and Luxor Temples, and Aswan High Dam. You can also opt for some more bespoke experiences, like a tour of the Abu Simpel temples, or a sound and light show at Karnak Temple. An English-speaking guide will be with you on every excursion, too.
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Rhine cruises
Our cruises along the Rhine show off storybook castles, cosmopolitan cities and centuries-old wineries. It starts its 765-mile-long journey in the Swiss Alps, before winding its way through Germany, France and the Netherlands – where it splits and heads towards the North Sea.
Danube cruises
If you want a river cruise with lots of variety, you can’t do much better than the Danube. It slices through the very heart of Europe, flowing from the Black Forest in the west to the Black Sea in the east. In fact, the Danube passes through 10 countries – including Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia.
Short river cruises
Get a taste for river cruising by picking one of our shorter sailings, which are three or four nights long. Highlight itineraries include German Gems, which shows off five big-league cities, and Three Grand Capitals, which ticks off Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest.
Solo cruises
Each of our three ships, TUI Isla, TUI Skyla and TUI Maya, are fitted with a handful of cabins tailored to single travellers. Plus, when it comes to mealtimes, you can opt for some me time and dine alone, or sit with other like-minded travellers who are also sailing solo.
Check out our solo cruise deals.
You can also have a look at all our TUI River Cruises deals.
What to expect and essential information
All our experiences include an estimated duration time and a description of what to expect, plus you can view a star rating. There are no booking fees. And you’ll receive a 100% refund if you cancel up to two days before the activity begins.
Every experience also has an activity level rating – easy, moderate or challenging. We’ll always provide information on the amount of walking, inclines, stairs and uneven surfaces.
Difficulty level: EASY
This activity involves a small amount of walking and standing – usually less than an hour-and-a-half in total. You might come across a few stairs, slight inclines, or uneven surfaces.
Difficulty level: MODERATE
This activity involves a moderate amount of walking and standing – usually between an hour-and-a-half and three hours in total. You’re likely to come across some stairs, inclines or uneven surfaces.
Difficulty level: CHALLENGING
This activity is physically demanding – you might be walking and standing for more than three hours in total. If you’re on foot, you can expect some uneven surfaces, steep inclines or multiple stairs.
Christmas river cruise sailings
Along with our summer sailings, we also have winter itineraries to choose from. You can visit some of Europe’s biggest markets in Strasbourg, Dusseldorf and Cologne, as well as off-the-radar options like Rudesheim and Boppard. We’ve also got a range of shore experiences in each port for you to choose from – like walking tours, wine tastings and visits to castles.
FAQs
How do I book a river cruise shore experience?
Once your shore experiences are ready to book, we’ll let you know, so you can browse and book at rivercruises.gotui.com/uk. Alternatively, you can call our team on 0203 451 2688.
Can I book shore experiences onboard?
Yes, you'll be able to book and pay for these onboard. Just so you know, you'll need to pay via card – you can’t pay using cash, or charge them to your onboard account.
What information is required to book a river cruise shore experience?
You'll need your holiday booking reference, your cruise start date, and the lead passenger’s surname to browse the shore experiences available on your itinerary.
How do I amend or cancel my shore experience?
To amend or cancel before you travel, call the dedicated TUI River Cruises team on 0203 451 2688. If you need to amend or cancel while onboard, please talk to your cruise experience manager.
