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As we all experience this unconventional “layover” together, Avalon Waterways is sharing news about its 2021 season, giving travellers more opportunities to dream about – and anticipate – their next getaway.

Whether travellers prefer to paddle, pedal, paint, puree or ponder their way through Europe, on Avalon’s Active & Discovery cruises, every day is an adventure and every adventure is up to them. Plus, in 2021, Avalon Waterways has announced that this exclusive series of customisable cruises is growing by 19 per cent with more departures and a new itinerary.

“Untethered and full of included options, our innovative Active & Discovery holidays feature extraordinary activities that give travellers the choice they crave,” said Pam Hoffee, managing director of Avalon Waterways. “On these one-of-a-kind cruises, each day, travellers can choose from a selection of included ‘Active,’ ‘Discovery’ and ‘Classic’ excursions – an average of 23 of them – giving our guests unparalleled opportunities to customise their holiday.”

In addition to offering these popular itineraries on the Danube, Rhine and Rhone Rivers, in 2021, Avalon is adding a new Active & Discovery in Holland & Belgium cruise (priced from $3,795*) to its robust offerings. On this eight-day holiday, some excursions travellers can look forward to include:

ACTIVE:

  • Guided mountain bike tour of the outskirts of Ghent
  • Hike through the Sonian Forest near Brussels
  • Architectural bike tour through historic buildings and hypermodern skyscrapers in Rotterdam
  • The Dutch countryside by bike, pedalling past polders, dykes, windmills and centuries-old villages, near Amsterdam

DISCOVERY:

  • Guided visit of a family-owned, Netherlands oyster farm that has been active since 1906. While there, enjoy a taste of oysters and lobster
  • Guided tour of Graffiti Street in Ghent and become a street artist yourself
  • Belgian chocolate-making workshop
  • Delft tile pottery workshop in a characteristic painter’s room in Rotterdam

CLASSIC: 

  • Guided walking tour through the winding cobblestones and canals of Middelburg
  • Central Grote Markt tour – a destination lined with 16th century guildhall houses in Antwerp
  • Guided canal cruise through Amsterdam

“Our Active & Discovery holidays include more excursions – at the same cost – as other river cruise itineraries,” said Ms Hoffee. “They are the perfect choice for travellers who have a diverse set of interests; those who want to customise their holiday; those returning to a river for a new experience and multi-generational travellers with different passions and pace levels. There’s nothing else like them on Europe’s rivers.”

All cruise itineraries sail on Avalon Waterways’ signature Suite Ships which provide guests two full decks of 200-square-foot, one-of-a-kind Panorama Suites featuring the industry’s only Open-Air Balconies and beds facing the incredible views for which river cruising is famous.