Telegraph online More on river cruises discover RIVER CRUISING telegraph.co.uk/travel A Scottish twist on a German river A Hebridean cruise company has ventured into European waters. Gabriella Le Breton is impressed

his was a Hebridean moor close to the city centre. which share it: Germany, Island Cruises trip After an informal dinner Holland, France and, by way – so why on earth aboard Royal Crown, I walked of the Moselle, Belgium. was I on the Rhine? along the attractive Rhine Arriving in Düsseldorf, The answer is that embankment and reached there was time for a stroll Tafter 24 years the company the city’s Gothic cathedral along the city’s esplanade that made its name offering in under 10 minutes. As luck as it basked in evening small-boat cruises around would have it, that evening sunshine before returning the Scottish isles on its own was the third Saturday of to the Royal Crown for the ship, the Hebridean Princess, the month, coinciding with type of lavish welcome has branched out with “Night Fever”, which sees drinks and dinner for which itineraries on the Rhine and the cathedral open until Hebridean is renowned. the Danube. But how would midnight, and where visitors Drinking champagne on the it fare in foreign waters, and receive a candle to light and top deck, sequins aglitter with a specially chartered and place in the sea of flames at in the sun as they swapped unfamiliar ship? the base of the main altar. yarns, my fellow passengers Not well, initially at least – The following morning I looked entirely at home, our coach driver got lost en took a guided walking tour already radiating the spirit route to the Rhine and of the city before returning treasured by old Hebridean glacially slow service at lunch to the ship for lunch, served Princess hands. in Brussels wasted four hours while sailing towards Our second day brought that could have been better Düsseldorf. The afternoon the first of several exclusive spent. But things looked up was spent listening to the shore excursions – a visit from the moment we were first of several lectures given to the 18th-century Rococo welcomed aboard the Royal by historian Professor Ian maison de plaisance Schloss Crown in Cologne. Hebridean Beckett and witnessing the Benrath. As the Royal chose this boat to offer as industrious, multinational Crown is chartered by close an experience as nature of “Father Rhine” various companies, each one possible to its Scottish – the river here was endeavours to differentiate cruises. It carries just 90 scattered with barges flying its offering from the others. passengers (against the flags from the countries Thus, Hebridean Island Princess’s 50), making it one Cruises arranges unique of Europe’s smallest river shore excursions, such as cruisers, and in its glamorous this one, as well as importing look – think Thirties yacht some of its own food – in

with teak decks, arched our case vast quantities of ALAMY picture windows and Art whisky, Pimm’s, champagne Deco rosewood and and haggis. It also extends from the Latin confluentes, for later, sailing the following Essen celebrated for its (accidental) Moselle, reaching the mahogany furniture – it has exceptional care to more reflecting the city’s strategic morning for the wine- creation of spätlese wine, idyllic town of Cochem something of the cosy, mature guests, requests that location at the confluence of growing town of Rüdesheim. which it still produces today, in midafternoon. For me, out-of-the-ordinary style of more meals are served in the the Rhine, Moselle and Lahn. Despite heavy rain, the Düsseldorf along with other late- this was the highlight of the Hebridean Princess. ship’s restaurant and has an I fell under the spell of the dramatic beauty of the Rhine Rhine harvest wines and world- the voyage: the Moselle The ship having passed all-inclusive pricing strategy. lofty Drachenfels mountains, Gorge was mesmerising Cologne class rieslings. Sampling – narrower and slower- muster, I turned to Cologne, Despite the rain, And, of course, supplies which rise abruptly above the – tree-tufted river islands, the wines in the vineyard’s flowing than the Rhine – and which, like many great one of Hebridean Princess’s meandering river, blanketed row upon manicured row Bonn 200-year-old cellars, it was its lush banks are exquisite, European cities, owes its the dramatic infamous pursers – the jovial in vineyards and topped by of terraced vineyards, and easy to understand how and Cochem is a picturesque foundation to the irrigation, Charles on this voyage. crumbling castles. clusters of traditional GERMANYR ANANY Goethe, who did the same, medley of crooked, half- transport, trade and defensive beauty of the Sailing upstream from While we spent the half-timbered houses, wrote so passionately about timbered medieval houses, lure of the river on whose Düsseldorf, we spent our night at Koblenz, in the festooned with geraniums. Koblenz the Rhineland. a lively market square and banks it lies. Today, this third morning exploring shadow of the imposing The afternoon brought That night, the Royal a tree-lined esplanade Rhine Gorge was Cochem translates into effortless river Bonn before sailing to Ehrenbreitstein fort, we an exclusive tour of Schloss 20 miles Crown sailed back through peppered with cafés and cruising, with ships able to mesmerising Koblenz, a name derived saved exploration of the city Johannisberg, a vineyard Koblenz to travel up the taverns. Above it all towers Telegraph online Cruise news, ideas and ship reviews telegraph.co.uk/cruises RIVER CRUISING discover

essentials

Happy valley: Reichsburg Castle towers over the pretty town of Cochem, left; Benrath Castle, above; a garden restaurant in Rüdesheim, below; and Cologne, bottom

Passing muster: the intimate MS Royal Crown evokes the glamour of the Thirties

GETTING THERE and restaurant (0049 Montague on the Gardens, Hebridean Island Cruises 221 272 7777; kleines- London £££ (01756 704704; hebridean. stapelhuschen.de; double An intimate hotel five minutes co.uk) offers different week- b & b from €83/£66). from St Pancras station, so long river-cruise itineraries ideal for those travelling by on the Rhine and Danube Hotel im Wasserturm, early Eurostar to join the Royal from June to October in Cologne ££ Crown. Rooms are comfortable 2013. Prices will start from One of Germany’s top luxury and quiet, overlooking pretty £2,750 per person, including hotels, housed in Europe’s gardens; superb restaurant transfers, full board and tallest water tower. The and atmospheric wine bar drinks, guest speaker lectures, 11-storey tower, transformed (020 7637 1001; montague daily shore excursions and into an avant-garde hotel in hotel.com; from £290). gratuities. Prices are subject 1990, boasts tremendous city to change. views from its contemporary THE BEST rooms and has a two RESTAURANTS THE INSIDE TRACK Michelin-starred rooftop Päffgen, Cologne £  Standard cabins aboard restaurant (221 20080; A family-owned brewery, bar Royal Crown, all located on the hotel-im-wasserturm.de; and restaurant, which has lower deck, are fairly compact doubles from €164/£131, brewed Kölsch beer since (145 sq ft); some also involve room only). 1884. Work up an appetite for stairs; ask about premium hearty sausages, schnitzels cabins on the same deck or six and goulash with a tour of the Royal Suites on the upper deck WHAT TO AVOID old brewery (Friesenstrasse for more room or fewer steps. 64-66; 221 135461).  Ride Cologne’s gondola –  Avoid the bother of 30 minutes’ walk along the carting luggage around Gerhards Rhine embankment – for by using The Baggage Genussgesellschaft, unbeatable views across the Man (0800 023 2094; Koblenz ££ city, cathedral and the Rhine. thebaggageman.com), This contemporary restaurant  Don’t stand too close to the a service which picks up is set in pretty gardens by Schengel statue in Koblenz – it your bags from your home Koblenz’s ancient city walls spits water every two minutes. and delivers them to your and Kaiser Wilhelm I statue in The diminutive for the statue, designated hotel/ship from the Deutsches Eck. Combines Scheng, is what Rhinelanders £58 per case one-way (the classic Rhine and Moselle called the occupying French return price is identical). cuisine to produce light, soldiers during the Napoleonic  Avoid the interior of seasonal dishes (Danziger the 11th-century Reichsburg before it joins the Rhine. rewarded us with sweeping to the local wines was too by proxy...journeying war; Schengel was what they Cologne cathedral during Freiheit 3; 261 9149 9133). castle, whose turbulent We obviously passed under views of the Rhine and particularly enthusiastic: in time from year to year, called the children born to local the day, when access is history we discovered the bridge without mishap, Moselle valleys. “… simply by sipping with draughts as cool as a women by the soldiers. Today usually restricted for Hanse Stube, Cologne £££ during a private tour with its for I woke the following Picking out the familiar them,” he wrote, “one could deep well, limpidly varying it has become an affectionate services, and visit in the Consistently rated among enthusiastic keeper, Klaus. morning in Koblenz on the shape of the Royal Crown explore the two great rivers from dark gold to pale silver term for Koblenz locals. evening instead. Cologne’s best restaurants for Our foray along the Moselle final day of the cruise. The below, I was saddened by our below and the Danube and and smelling of glades and  Don’t feel you have to its intimate, elegant was sweet but short – with attractive Old Town, elegant imminent parting of ways. all Swabia, and Franconia meadows and flowers.” THE BEST HOTELS disembark at every city: atmosphere and modern heavy rain forecast that night Baroque squares and But then I remembered If I bought some of the same Das Kleine Stapelhäuschen, do your research, and French cuisine. Signature (the storm was indeed imposing Kaiser Wilhelm I Patrick Leigh Fermor’s A Time wines, I reasoned, I would £ award yourself time off to dishes include quail stuffed Have you been Cologne spectacular), our captain bronze statue gleamed in the of Gifts, which chronicles on a river cruise? YOUR SAY have the perfect way to One of the few medieval enjoy the ship. with chanterelles on truffled made haste for Koblenz, post-storm sunshine and a his walk from the Hook of Send your remember my time on the houses to have survived the  Hebridean’s 2013 summer vegetables and fearing the rise in water level slick new gondola, which Holland to Constantinople comments to yoursay@ Rhine. Second World War; located itineraries will vary slightly, scallops on saffron jelly would prevent us passing whisks visitors from the heart in the Thirties, including his telegraph.co.uk or post them on  Next week is National Cruise on Cologne’s embankment, so check carefully. (Excelsior Hotel Ernst, under the low, Gothic bridge of town and across the Rhine time aboard a working barge at telegraph.co.uk/travel Week. Find out more at with a popular wine tavern Trankgasse 1-5; 221 2701). that spans the Moselle just to the Ehrenbreitstein fort, on the Rhine. His reaction discovercruises.co.uk