Butterfield & Robinson, the world’s premier active travel company, has announced two new trips with Uniworld Boutiq
“Given the popularity of our European river cruise trips to date, we were pleased to be able to expand the Uniworld offering to an additional destination with Seine River Cruise Biking, and to another category of active travellers with Danube River Cruise Walking,” says Chris Mark, Region Director, Central Europe, Butterfield & Robinson. “While we’re seeing great interest in walking trips all over Europe, we’re thrilled to slow down with our guests along the Danube, and show cyclists Paris to Honfleur and back in true B&R fashion.”
After strong bookings for 2018 departures on Uniworld ships, B&R has also announced new dates for its 2019 river cruise bike trips. Beginning in May 2019, travellers can now book biking trips on the Rhine, Rhône and Danube rivers for 2019
The new B&R Uniworld River Cruise itineraries for 2019 include:
Seine River Cruise Biking (8 days / 7 nights)
Beginning and ending in the bustling capital of Paris, coasting down the Seine River and biking through idyllic villages en route to Honfleur and the Crique de Rouen, this weeklong cycling excursion is equal parts rewarding, relaxing and enriching. Each day, the aptly named S.S. Joie de Vivre will arrive before dawn in a region along the Seine River, allowing B&R travellers to explore dynamically different parts of the French countryside. With long, languid routes along the river banks and deeper routes inland, travellers will experience some of the strongest hallmarks of France, from superb biking to unbeatable hospitality and fine cuisine.
Departures in January, February and March 2019 from AUD$10,891; single supplements at AUD$ 4,494.
Seine River Cruise Biking Highlights:
- Ride through the pastoral countryside of Giverny en route to the final home of Claude Monet, where a tour of the lush gardens, lily pond and country house precedes lunch at the historical Ancien Hôtel Baudy
- A day of quiet cycling and long stretches near the Seine starts at Château Gaillard and delivers views from the steep cliffs to Le Thuit. A visit to the natural reserve of Lery-Poses comes before travellers arrive at the green village of Andé for a mid-day coffee
- The soaring, roofless Jumièges Abbey outside of Rouen will serve as abackdrop as cyclists depart for a day of riding through Le Mesnil, Anneville and other postcard-worthy villages before crossing the Seine by local ferry for lunch at Le Saint Pierre
- A fantastic, gentle downhill ride along the recently built bike path of the Vallée de l’Epte, taking travellers along an evolving landscape of renaissance castles, green farmlands and fields and commanding aerial views on the Seine’s loop
Activity Level: Recreational
Most of the riding on the trip is flat with gentle inclines on quiet country roads, interspersed with the occasional dedicated bicycle path. There are a few hills to be biked and some long options for eager riders. Road surfaces are always paved.
Accommodation
The 64-stateroom S.S. Joie de Vivre was launched in 2017, and earned the “Best New River Ship” award by Cruise Critic editors in the same year. The vessel has been designed as a floating representation of all things Parisian: a glitzy supper club, an open-kitchen haute cuisine experience, a sidewalk-café-style Bistrot, and an extensive spa and wellness center.
Danube River Cruise Walking (8 days / 7 nights)
An active river cruise for B&R’s fastest-growing segment of traveller, hikers will plant their feet in four countries and three world capitals along the Bavarian Danube. Overlook valleys peppered with medieval fortresses, tour art museums and walk an ancient route known as The Way of Princes. From privately-guided city tours and breathtaking views to relaxing aboard the S.S. Maria Theresa, wake up in a new locale along the Danube each day for a different adventure.
Departures in late September 2019 from AUD$11,571 single supplements at AUD$4,221.
Danube River Cruise Walking Highlights:
- Venture in to the hills overlooking Passau and peer across medieval chapels, walking routes and fruity orchards towards the Inn and Ilz rivers, before a private walking tour of the Old City including St. Stephen’s Cathedral and other Gothic and Baroque mainstays
- Awaken to the sight of the bright, beautiful Stift Melk, the Benedictine abbey high above the Austrian town of Melk. B&R travellers will beat the crowds to tour the abbey’s cavernous rooms before setting out on the day’s walk along the stretch of Danube known as the Wachau, with stops among gorgeous hillside terraces
- In Vienna travellers will embark on a walk up into the forests and vineyards west of the city to enjoy lunch at a seasonal restaurant run by local, independent wine producers
- Visit the Little Carpathians mountain range in Slovakia, rising from the basin behind Bratislava. After a well-earned lunch in Bratislava’s Old Town and a stroll in the town centre, dinner will be served aboard the S.S. Maria Theresa en route to Budapest
Activity Level: Recreational
Most of the walking on trip is flat to gently rolling on riverside paths or marked forest routes. Surfaces are reliable: gravel, hard-packed dirt, and the occasional paved section.
Accommodation
The 75-stateroom S.S. Maria Theresa was built in 2015 and earned the “Best New River Ship” award by Cruise Critic editors in the same year. A baroque homage to the former Austrian empress from bow to stern, the S.S. Maria Theresa is among the newest and most lavish ships on the Danube. All B&R cabins boast French balconies affording wide views of the riverscapes, with the elegant dining quarters providing panoramic, alternating views throughout.
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