riverside
Try our pick of the best riverside destinations
Cambridge
Eve Hammond spent an idyllic morning punting
on the River Cam
Watching the Oxford and Cambridge university rowing teams battle it out in their annual boat race got me thinking how much fun it would be to go boating. I'd always wanted to visit Cambridge and a friend had told me that punting was the perfect way to see the city. And she was right. Whether you rent your own punt (a flat-bottomed boat pushed along with a pole) or choose, as we did, the option of a guided trip, gliding along the River Cam is a brilliant way to admire the beautiful architecture and leafy surrounds of the city.
After taking in The Backs, the parkland that runs from behind the university colleges down to the river, we wandered around a couple of the colleges themselves, including Trinity College, which was founded by Henry VIII in 1546. Later in the afternoon we visited King's College Chapel, one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in the world, and stayed to hear its famous choristers sing evensong. That left us with plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely evening at our hotel, the Hotel du Vin, appropriately housed in a lovely old building in the heart of the city.
Find out more
For general information about Cambridge, see www.visitcambridge.org or call 0871 226 8006. The boutique Hotel du Vin, complete with its own bistro, has rooms from £75 per person per night based on two people sharing. For details see www.hotelduvin.com or call 01223 227330.
Prague
Sarah Heritage, her mum Lesley and nan Glenys enjoyed a magical trip on the Vltava River in the Czech capital
We were thrilled to be heading off to the historic city of Prague for a weekend of culture and sightseeing.And even more delighted to find that our hotel was just five minutes walk from Prague's magnificent castle, in the neighbourhood of Hradcany. The castle complex is one of the biggest in the world and includes St Vitus Cathedral, four palaces, extensive gardens and quite a few museums.
After an amazing morning at the castle we wandered over to the ancient Strahov Monastery, and rewarded ourselves with a traditional lunch of potato pancakes and smoked meat, washed down with excellent Czech beer made in the monastery's own brewery. From there we crossed one of Prague's most recognisable landmarks, the statue-lined Charles Bridge, and spent some time exploring Stare Mesto, Prague's Old Town, arriving in the main square just in time to hear the famous Astronomical Clock chime the hour and see the 12 apostles march past the clock's window.
But we saved the highlight of our trip for the following day – a leisurely sightseeing trip on the River Vltava. The majestic river snakes through the very heart of the city, offering a truly wonderful way to take in the the city's architecture. Highly recommended.
Find out more
Czech Airlines (www.czechairlines.co.uk; 0871 663 3747) flies from London Heathrow and Manchester to Prague from £107 return. Rooms at the Crowne Plaza Prague Castle (www.cpcastle.com; +420 226 080000) start from £86, based on two people sharing.
Canada
Emma O'Reilly took the legendary Maid of the Mist to the foot of Niagara Falls
When I visited southern Ontario, Canada, the awesome Niagara Falls topped my 'to do' list. But I hadn't heard of Niagara-on-the-Lake, the historic little town nearby. A couple of hours drive from Toronto round the coast of Lake Ontario, Niagara was once the capital of Upper Canada 200 years ago and the entire town is today a heritage site. It has the sweetest period-style high street with a clock tower that appeared in the movie classic It's a Wonderful Life, with attractions ranging from clothes stores to doggie delicatessens to an old apothecary (chemist) that's now a free museum. Due to its unique 'lake effect' microclimate, and because it's on the same latitude as Bordeaux in France, the surrounding region is full of thriving wineries to visit (it's also the world centre of ice wine, made by leaving the grapes freezing on the vine in winter to become super sweet). One of of these, Strewn Winery, has a cookery school where you make your lunch with the abundant local produce – peppers, peaches, cheeses – to drink with their excellent vino.
And just down the road, the Maid of the Mist ferry boats await to get you up close and personal with Niagara Falls. This is rather like sailing through a heavy raincloud in a hot air balloon, but luckily everyone gets a mac to prevent complete saturation. You can also choose to walk behind the falls, dine beside them, or even fly past in a helicopter if the weather's OK. You can't go wrong with a little slice of history plus one of the world's great wonders.
Find out more
Find out more For details, visit www.ontariotravel.net/uk; www.niagaraonthelake.com or call 01622 832 288. Air Transat flies to Toronto from London, Dublin or Edinburgh from £300 per person. See www.frontier-canada.co.uk or call Frontier Canada on 020 8776 8709
Egypt
Deputy editor Helen Maher (in green) sailed down the Nile
Even today, a cruise along the River Nile in Egypt still sounds really quite exotic and daring, an adventure of almost biblical proportions especially for anyone more used to holidaying in Spain or Greece.
The sights on offer are endless: temple stops, Tutankhamen's tomb, the Valley of the Kings, mummies and even the pyramids of Cairo. And in between all that, there's sunbathing against a moving backdrop of palm trees and desert – it's a Raiders Of The Lost Ark fan's fantasy trip.
My trip took the classic route: after a flight to Luxor, we started about halfway down the Nile, sailing south. First stop was the temple of Horus in Edfu, then Kom Ombo, the temple dedicated to the crocodile god, followed by the Aswan Dam and the ruins of Philae Island. One morning we were taken by air to the amazing Ramses temples in Abu Simbel, somehow lifted to higher ground and reassembled after the building of the modern dam. Back in Luxor, we visited the huge Luxor and Karnak temples, originally joined by an avenue of sphinxes. And most importantly, the ancient tombs of the Valley of the Kings (and Queens).
One of the highlights was getting up around 5am to see the Valley of the Kings from a hot air balloon manned on the ground by around 50 Egyptians. But the onboard fancy dress parties, daily towel sculpting by staff (it takes skill to make one resemble a scorpion), and visiting dancers provided many others.
Finally we flew to Cairo where the pyramid of Giza awaited, a short camel ride away from the Sphinx, which luckily had a bar in front of it, as we were parched by the time we dismounted from our desert steeds. And it was a relief to find the treasure taken from the empty tombs in the valley, including Tutankhamen's gold mask, in the
Cairo museum.
Find out more
Seven-day Nile cruises with major tour operators Cosmos and Thomson (www.discoveregypt.co.uk; 0844 880 0462) start from around £700. Late deals can be had for around £600-650 so it pays to shop around.