Flavours for Foodies: A Culinary Guide to European River Cruises
byDenise Caiazzo/
Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, savory. Guests will find all of the culinary flavours, expertly curated and prepared, on European river cruises. Food, wine, spirits - and the influence of the local culture upon those delectable regional tastes - are all integral parts of the experience while plying Europe’s famous rivers.
At ASTA’s 2022 Global River Cruise Expo in Budapest in March, most of the river cruise brands had ships lined up along the banks of the Danube, open for inspections by travel advisors and to sample lunches and dinners onboard. Overall, participants we spoke to at the event were delighted with the cuisine and the service.
All of the major river cruise lines tout meals prepared with local ingredients that reflect the authentic tastes of the regions through which they sail. Beyond that commonality, there are some notable differences. Here is an overview of the culinary offerings on European river cruises, both onboard and during excursions.
Amadeus河巡游
一位发言人说,Amadeus上的烹饪亮点之一是该系列的新鲜面包。“每天早晨,在黎明打破地平线之前,整个欧洲的面包师都会开始准备面包面团,并尊重古老的传统,这些传统与该地区的遗产有明显的联系。Bauernbrot。Kaiser卷。Pumpernickel。羊角面包。鞋垫。这些食谱已经世代相传,多年来,几乎没有改变。在每艘Amadeus River Cruise船上,我们的面包师都在努力工作完全一样……代表我们的European heritage, customs, and culture.”
Onboard meals are mainly taken in the elegant Panorama-Restaurant, including an impressive breakfast, a lunchtime buffet, and a fine-dining, 5-course evening menu. An alternative light lunch is also offered in the Amadeus Salon. Of note is Café Vienna, daily turning out scrumptious homemade cakes, tarts, and imaginative desserts in a traditional Austrian style. Would you expect anything less from a river cruise line with a patisserie onboard?
During optional shore excursions, Amadeus offers tastings of regional cheeses, wines, chocolates, and beers; as well as seasonal samplings such as gingerbread, gluhwein, or almond cookies during Advent/Christmas.
Chef-guided market adventures are also recommended adventures. “We believe to understand a destination is to experience how their cuisine is shopped for, how it is prepared and eaten, and how it inspires,” said the line’s representative. “Join an Amadeus chef on a unique visit to the local farmer’s market while in some select ports. Get new insight on the importance of choosing the right products and produce, and enjoy sample tastings for some specialties.” These chef-guided experiences are currently offered: Amsterdam Dappermarkt, Vienna Maschmarkt, Nurnberg Hauptmarkt, Budapest Markthalle, Cologne Senf (Mustard) Museum, Cochem Senf (Mustard) Museum, Bernkastel Sausage Walk, and Regensburg Sausage Walk.
AmaWaterways
A standout feature of the dining experience on AmaWaterways is The Chef’s Table specialty restaurant featuring a multi-course tasting menu. During this intimate, gastronomic experience, guests have the opportunity to join together with fellow epicurean travelers to observe the chef cooking in an exhibition kitchen. Private and secluded from the rest of the ship, dining at The Chef’s Table requires no additional cost, only a reservation.
A multi-course, fine-dining menu is also served every night in the main dining room, while lighter meals are available from the Bistro and Tapas menus offered in the lounge. Exclusive to the revolutionary AmaMagna are two additional dining venues: Al Fresco Restaurant, featuring vegetable-forward dishes enjoyed along with spectacular views of the Danube; and Jimmy’s, a relaxed, family-style restaurant.
Amawaterways的联合创始人兼总裁Rudi Schreiner说:“我们为提供真实和个性化的烹饪经验而感到自豪,这使客人沉浸在我们航行的目的地的风味和文化中。”beplay银行卡“我的妻子克里斯汀岩溶- AmaWaterway的创立者之一s with me in 2002 – and I both originate from Europe and collaborate personally with our dynamic Culinary Director Robert Kellerhals to evolve our exceptional dining experiences incorporating healthy choices and visually stunning presentations. Our award-winning culinary team ensures each onboard meal is prepared with passion and love, taking advantage of the freshest seasonal ingredients sourced from the surrounding local communities.”
Beyond the onboard experience, culinary-inspired guests can choose from a diverse selection of locale-immersive shore excursions that include such experiences as learning how to shape the perfect bretzel (German for pretzel) at a Germany bakery; visiting a local home for a demonstration of making traditional Bulgarian Banitsa pastries; and enjoying a Dutch beer tasting and Belgian chocolate and waffle tasting.
Wine-themed European sailings are also offered, which include special tours, tastings, wine pairing dinners and interactive discussions. More than 60 departures are planned in 2022 for the line’s “Celebration of Wine Cruises” hosted by North American and European wine experts. Guests will enjoy private cellar tours, visits to iconic vineyards, hidden hotspots for tastings, and authentic encounters with local vintners. These enhanced epicurean experiences are included in the price of the cruise.
Avalon Waterways
The Avalon Fresh menu is a distinctive feature on Avalon Waterways. “Turning the table on cruise dining,” it provides guests with heart-healthy artisanal dishes.卡尔(Karl)和狮子座(Leo Wrenkh)兄弟在奥地利的第一家高质量素食餐厅和维也纳烹饪学校的创始人中长大,创建了Avalon Fresh菜单,以便客人可以参加区域美食,同时保持真正的健康 - 携带者的状态家。
Restaurants onboard include: The Panorama Dining Room, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (dinner includes 4- and 5-course meals); The Panorama Bistro, open for dinner and offering a tapas-type tasting menu; and The Sky Grill, open at lunch when sailing and weather permits, offering grilled foods.
On-shore Discovery excursions include such culinary adventures as: Shaking it up at a cocktail workshop in Palais Benedictine where the world-famous liqueur is made; whipping up sweet Chantilly cream at the even sweeter Chantilly Castle; discovering the art of French cooking, sans Julia, in Lyon while learning how to make a Lyonnaise specialty; and enjoying an out-of-your-shell experience at an oyster farm in the Camargue National Park to taste the French delicacy and learn how it is farmed. Avalon also offers beer-, wine- and culinary-themed cruises for dedicated connoisseurs or those wishing to expand their food-and-drink horizons.
Croisieurope
Croisieuropehas one restaurant onboard, but it promises to delight its guests with sophisticated French fare.
“ Croisieurope的最大资产是在船上提供的优质法国美食。餐点是由公司的主厨Alain Bohn创建的,是法国尊敬的法国美食公司的成员,自2013年以来仅包括来自世界各地的250名厨师,其中包括250名厨师。”,Croisieurope北美。“与他的厨师团队一起,他在法国美食的纯粹传统中创造了每种菜单,同时散发出了当地地区和各国的味道和风味。船上提供的葡萄酒是专门选择的,以伴随每顿饭,并且菜单可以适合有过敏的人或具有特定饮食限制的人。”
During excursions on CroisiEurope's “All the Must-See Sites on the Rhone”巡游,客人在标志性的法国厨师保罗·博库塞(Paul Bocuse)的餐馆里吃了两顿饭:阿巴伊·德·柯隆斯(Abbaye de Collonges)和里昂·德里昂(Les Halles de Lyon)。除了这些美食的亮点之外,这款行程的客人还发现Valrhona巧克力和薰衣草蜂蜜。
The line also offers a number of culinary-themed cruises, such as: 1)“Grand Gastronomic Cruise on the Rhine” - Enthusiasts of fine dining and wine embark on a cruise with Marc Haeberlin, a 2-star awarded French chef in the Michelin guide (2021), and Serge Dubs, the Alsace-born best sommelier in Europe and the World from 1974 to 1989; 2) “Exceptional Wine Tasting Cruise in Burgundy” - For wine lovers, the Saône offers many wonders including the prestigious Burgundy city of Beaune, the impressive ruins of the Cluny Abbey, and the Beaujolais Route, with the highlight of this cruise being an exceptional evening in Beaujeu to greet the annual release of Beaujolais Nouveau; and 3) “阿尔萨斯:传统和美食之地” - Discover Alsace, the land of tradition and gastronomy, located in the heart of Europe, visiting the must-see places of this charming region while discovering its gastronomic specialties.
Riviera River Cruises
里维埃拉河巡游(Riviera River Cruises)上的烹饪亮点是每天晚上在主要餐厅提供的壮丽的四道菜晚餐:Entrée,Soup,Main和Dessert,都在一流餐厅的优雅氛围中。每次巡游结束时,船长还举办了一场船长的晚餐,其中包括六门精心策划的课程,厨师准备了所见的国家和地区的招牌菜肴。
此外,厨房我更亲密的河景s located at the stern and seats no more than 28 guests. On cruises on the Seine and Rhône rivers in France, classic charcuterie, regional cheeses and traditional boulangerie are available; while classic European dishes are served on Rhine and Danube cruises, all accompanied by wonderful vistas.
“我们的船上的客人会发现各种各样的优质用餐体验等待着品尝。从我们巡游的国家和地区启发的国际特色菜和菜肴的四道菜晚餐到更亲密open kitchens, large panoramic windows and al fresco seating, to more lavish dinners hosted by the captain of the ship at the end of every cruise and over the Christmas and New Year's holidays," said Marilyn Conroy, Riviera River Cruises’ executive vice president sales and marketing North America.
As for culinary experiences during excursions, “The Douro, Porto & Salamanca” river cruise includes a port wine tasting in Porto, lunch with a traditional flamenco performance in Salamanca, and a dinner at Quinta da Pacheca (which dates to the 18th century). “The Burgundy, the River Rhône & Provence” itinerary includes a wine tasting in Beaune, Burgundy's wine capital. Also, optional "Personalize Your Vacation" excursions include a wine tasting in the Moselle Valley on the “Rhine & Moselle” itinerary; and a wine tasting and local delicacies at a Slovak chalet on “The Danube's Imperial Cities & Yuletide Markets” river cruise.
Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours
Tom Goetter, Iron Chef finalist and disciple of French Laundry, is Scenic's executive chef and oversees the fleet’s culinary efforts, which boasts a total of 2,500 recipes across all of its restaurants.
This river cruise line gives guests an impressive six choices for dining experiences.Portobello is a 25- to 30-seat fine dining venue, located at the bow of ship, offering 4-course, wine-paired meals, prepared in front of the guests. Table la Rive, a 10-seat chef’s table serving 7-course, wine-paired gastronomic treats, is reserved for X level guests and junior suites. The River Café provides lighter fare for guests wishing to have something quick and easy. Rounding out the offerings are the main dining room, an on-deck barbeque (weather permitting), and 24/7 room service.
Wine tastings are a strong draw for guests during excursions. And nearly every sailing has a shop-with-the-chef, on-shore experience. Plus, most of the ships have a Culinaire, a 6-10 person cooking lesson kitchen where the chefs offer lessons in an assortment of recipes.
Scenic has also partnered with Top Chef favorite Brian Voltaggio for a special, culinary-themed departure of their 11-day South of France river cruise in October 2022. “Spectacular South of France” sails with Voltaggio roundtrip out of Lyon, exploring many of France’s most food-focused regions along the Rhône River.
塔克
Every Tauck riverboat features the main Compass Rose restaurant offering fine dining, as well as a second and more casual dining venue called Arthur’s (named after Tauck Chairman Arthur Tauck, Jr.), and barbecue grills on the top Sun Deck for fun cookouts on select nights.
But the culinary突出Tauck河邮轮的客人ten a special dinner experience off the ship in a truly memorable venue, such as: the Palais Pallavicini (a private palace in Vienna), the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, the Akademia Club in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle in Poland; as well as numerous other chateaux, castles and palaces across Europe. Guests on one Tauck river cruise enjoy a dinner in a decommissioned subterranean salt mine in Poland. Many of these venues are exclusive to Tauck, and all are included in the brand’s cruise prices.
Some of Tauck’s shore excursions might be expected, from a demonstration and tasting of Belgian chocolate in Brussels to wine-tasting excursions in Burgundy, Alsace and Austria’s Wachau Valley. Other culinary experiences might be more unexpected, such as visiting an Absinthe museum in France; tasting apple cider and Calvados along the Seine; enjoying a banquet of Provencal specialties at a private ranch in the Camargue; and sitting down to a 3-course lunch at Munich’s annual Oktoberfest celebration.
In addition, although it is not technically marketed as a culinary cruise, the 10-day “Savoring France: Paris, Lyon & Provence” itinerary leans very heavily into French cuisine and local culinary traditions in Paris and along the Rhone.
Uniworld
Uniworld recently appointed a new Culinary Director, Robert van Rijsbergen, to manage culinary operations on all of its ships; and assist in the implementation of new food concepts, eco-friendly practices, and menu designs.
Starting this season on select cruises, the brand is enhancing its onboard restaurant offerings with a new one-of-a-kind, 4-course private dining experience in the Captain’s Lounge.
The highlight of the Uniworld culinary experience is the culinary team’s ability to reflect the dining specialties of the surrounding destinations in which they sail. When in Italy, for example, dinner may consist of Prosciutto di Parma pizza and Osso Buco Milanese, with meats and vegetables sourced from just miles away. Or, after a day immersed in Indian culture, Gajar Shorba and Tandoori Chicken Tikka could be offered as the perfect lunch to end the morning.
Guests looking to experience local culinary practices and dive deeper into local traditions can opt for a “Masterpiece Collection” optional excursion, available for an additional cost, offering experiences from tasting cheese with a cheese affineur in Rüdesheim to cruising through the streets of Bordeaux in a retro sidecar.
对于美食家和oen养者,Uniworld提供了特殊的烹饪主题巡游,以最好的法国美食和美酒为中心Connoisseur Collection. During these sailings, guests visit famous restaurants, vineyards, orchards, truffle farms, and other French culinary hot spots. In Bordeaux, they experience Libourne’s lively farmers’ market, where the heart and soul of the region is reflected through the freshest fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and breads. In Normandy, they enjoy le dejeuner at a beautiful baroque castle, Château de Champ de Bataille. The collection of themed cruises includes “A Portrait of Majestic France,” “Brilliant Bordeaux,” “Burgundy & Provence,” “Grand France,” and “Ultimate France.”
Viking
Onboard Viking’s river voyages, guests dine at The Restaurant (an upscale dining venue with floor-to-ceiling windows serving multi-course meals featuring regional cuisine) or The Aquavit Terrace (casual, al fresco dining located at the bow of the ship).
The line offers a variety of shore excursions centered around culinary exploration. A few examples include:Flavors of Alsace(Strasbourg, France) - Sample Alsatian and French flavours and pleasures as you meet food merchants, a French sommelier, and a local chef;Historic Farmers Market Visit With Local Chef(Vienna, Austria) - Immerse yourself in culture and cuisine as a leading local chef takes you on an interactive tasting experience;Microbreweries of Bavaria(Regensburg, Germany) - Sample five of Bavaria’s best-loved brews, accompanied by classic biergarten fare;Flavors of Paris(巴黎,法国) - 享受着一个充满烹饪传统的历史悠久的四分之一的引导步行;Graham’s Port Dinner(Lisbon, Portugal) - Visit one of Portugal’s prestigious winemakers for a port tasting and indulge in a traditional Portuguese meal;Heurigen Dinner(Vienna, Austria) - Participate in a high-spirited Heurigen Dinner and toast this year’s wine at a local vineyard, a cherished annual tradition throughout Austria that marks the bottling of the season’s vintage; andKinderdijk Windmills & Dutch Cheese Making(Kinderdijk, The Netherlands) - See the picturesque Dutch countryside as you explore The Netherlands’ world-famous cheeses and windmills.
While Viking does not offer any culinary-themed itineraries per se, the line recently announced a new post-trip extension entitled “Paris: A Culinary Experience”; available in 2023 for guests sailing on the 8-day “Paris & the Heart of Normandy行程,新的扩展使客人可以沉浸在巴黎的烹饪历史中,并品尝到城市所能提供的美食乐趣。此外,维京人提供的旅行后扩展名称为“大房子,花园和杜松子酒”,适用于在“British Isles Explorer”行程,在那里他们体验英国贵族的风味,并独家查看几个乡村庄园,这些庄园曾是著名的PBS和杰作制作的环境。