Luxury, boutique river cruise line Uniworld knows exactly how to make guests feel special – especially when it comes to shore excursions.

When you step on board a Uniworld Boutique River Cruises ship, you will be in for a holiday of a lifetime. Not only is each cruise itinerary meticulously crafted to be an experience you won’t find elsewhere, filled with one breathtaking moment after another, but Uniworld has also gone the extra mile to ensure guests can fully immerse themselves in the authentic culture, sights and cuisine of each destination they visit.

In every port, Uniworld offers a carefully curated selection of shore excursions that are included in the cruise fare. Many of these excursions are exclusive to Uniworld, offering special access to the most sought after tourist attractions. It may be a private viewing of a popular monument, a special event like a private concert, or an after-hours tour of a historic site such as the Taj Mahal. How special is that?

Through its Make Travel Matter Experiences, Uniworld is a supporter of sustainable tourism, local communities and wildlife. Uniworld also offers a range of unusual experiences in its Masterpiece Collection, which can be booked at an extra cost. They include visiting the Spanish Riding School in Vienna or learning how to cook in a French chateau.

Uniworld strives for culinary excellence, where cooking is elevated to the next level as a delicious art form. Local wines and beers along with fresh ingredients are sourced from destinations the ship visits and the menu reflects the region where the ship sails. From Wiener schnitzel to Portuguese bacalhau or tandoori chicken tikka, guests will savour a smorgasbord of delectable cuisine.

Uniworld offers all-inclusive itineraries with unlimited premium spirits and wines, five-star farm-to-table cuisine and a choice of curated shore excursions. All onboard gratuities, internet and WiFi access, and airport transfers are included.

The following are some of the highlights of Uniworld’s shore excursions.

Included shore excursions

All Uniworld river cruises have excursions which are included in the cruise fare. These may include: visiting a village to get an in-depth look at how the locals live; active tours where guests can go walking, hiking, cycling, kayaking or golfing; or experiencing life like a local by taking a ride on the subway or stopping at a café for a local treat.

Nights Out Excursions

Uniworld also offers evening excursions which may include an after-hours visit to a museum or landmark where you can wander around and take in the joys of listening to a guide talk about its historical significance without the crowds. For instance, on a cruise itinerary to Milan and Venice, guests can join an after-hours tour of St Mark’s Basilica where they are allowed inside to watch the building’s gilded interiors during a special lighting ceremony.

To learn more about Vienna’s musical history, Uniworld arranges private concerts in the beautiful Albert Hall to listen to compositions by two of the city’s most famous musicians,

Mozart and Strauss. If you are sailing from Amsterdam to Basel, you can sample some of the best beers in all of Switzerland at the Feldschlösschen Brewery.

In Amsterdam, Uniworld has a private, evening canal cruise like no other. This excursion will appeal to sailing enthusiasts keen to experience a relaxing time learning about Holland’s waterways and flood barriers.

In Bordeaux’s Bassins des Lumieres, guests can enjoy an evening light show projected against the walls of a former World War ll submarine base, which is now an arts precinct.

Masterpiece Collection

Uniworld’s exclusive Masterpiece Collection offers unique experiences booked for an extra cost that go above and beyond the line’s included tours.

To take in the natural beauty of the Wachau Valley, you can go on an intimate sailing on a small boat to taste local wines. This excursion is available on Uniworld’s Danube & Prague, Grand Central Europe and Authentic Danube itineraries.

In Bordeaux, you can hop in the sidecar of a retro motorbike and ride through the streets of the city, taking in its charming sights as the sun sets. It features on the Brilliant Bordeaux, A Portrait of Majestic France and Ultimate France itineraries.

“AN AFTER-HOURS VISIT … WHERE YOU CAN TAKE IN THE JOYS OF LISTENING TO A GUIDE TALK ABOUT ITS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE WITHOUT THE CROWDS.”

For cooking fans, there’s nothing like signing up for a cooking class where you can learn the secrets of vinegar from a chef in his 300-year-old home – which sports a very modern kitchen – in a village near Doktorenhof. This excursion is available on the following itineraries: Castles Along the Rhine; Magnificent Moselle & Rhine; Remarkable Rhine & Historic Holland; and Rhine Holiday Markets.

Guests on the Splendors of Egypt & the Nile cruise can take the Masterpiece Collection experience of a short flight to visit the extraordinary Temples of Abu Simbel where an Egyptologist will guide you through the history of the site.

Make Travel Matter Experiences

One of the joys of cruising with Uniworld is that you know you are travelling with purpose and supporting sustainable tourism. When choosing to take one of Uniworld’s Make Travel Matter Experiences, guests can engage in projects that help local communities. These tours and experiences are endorsed by industry experts and advance the Global Goals of the United Nations.

Make Travel Matter Experiences include a visit to the Iraq Al-Amir Women’s Cooperative which helps Jordanian women become financially independent. They run a cooperative to make products to sell in the gift shop or online. This experience is available on Uniworld’s Splendors of Egypt & the Nile itinerary. On Uniworld’s India’s Golden Triangle & the Sacred Ganges itinerary, an excursion visits the NGO Calcutta Rescue, which helps underprivileged children in Kolkata and West Bengal.

For more information, visit uniworld.com/au