AmaWaterways wine cruises add a unique epicurean dimension to a variety of itineraries at no additional cost. Join one of these wine cruises with a special wine host and be treated to a menu of exclusive wine and culinary experiences designed to delve deeper into the wonderful flavors and tastes of Europe.
European cities transform into majestic winter wonderlands for the holiday season – and we invite you to experience all their splendor with us. In addition to our variety of daily excursions, you will also have the opportunity to visit festive Christmas Markets in select destinations and participate in nostalgic traditions.
Maximize your Christmas experience by embarking at the height of the holiday market season with daily or near-daily visits to Christmas Markets.
Get "just a taste" of the holidays in mid-November or late December with visits to one or two Christmas Markets during your river cruise.
We are pleased to offer guests the opportunity to experience Floriade in 2022 while sailing along the Rhine River and Dutch and Belgian Waterways between April 14 and October 9. Right outside Amsterdam, this rare experience calls for its visitors to “explore, touch and change” as part of their journey into Floriade – which is set to feature stunning gardens, innovative sustainable gardening exhibits, live entertainment, talk shows, souvenirs and food stalls.
We invite you to join our incredible cruise on the Rhône with a Latin Touch, featuring bilingual cruise managers, daily tours with Spanish-speaking guides, Latin-inspired music nights and other distinctive elements.
Explore the rich history of classical music along the Danube River where famous composers lived, worked and performed. Plus, be treated to a variety of live performances on this melodious journey.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive response received from the announcement of our first-ever “Soulful Experience” on the Rhône River in 2023, we are delighted to announce four new opportunities for guests to celebrate their heritage and discover Black history and culture along the rivers with us in 2024.
Join award-winning television host and travel expert, Samantha Brown, Godmother of AmaMagna, as we cruise through four countries along the Danube River. Special events and Travel Talks are included on this exclusive sailing.
Join Chef Joanne Weir, award-winning cookbook author, restaurant owner and host of PBS television series “Plates & Places” as she hosts a special 7-night Flavors of Burgundy river cruise.
We invite you to join our incredible cruise on the Danube with a Latin Touch, featuring bilingual cruise managers, daily tours with Spanish-speaking guides, Latin-inspired music nights and other distinctive elements.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive response received from the announcement of our first-ever “Soulful Experience” on the Rhône River in 2023, we are delighted to announce four new opportunities for guests to celebrate their heritage and discover Black history and culture along the rivers with us in 2025
Explore the rich history of classical and folkloric music along the Danube River where famous composers lived, worked and performed. Plus, be treated to a variety of live performances on this melodious journey.
Countries Visited: Austria, Hungary, Slovakia
Join award-winning television host and travel expert, Samantha Brown, Godmother of AmaMagna, as we cruise through five countries along the Danube River. Special events and Travel Talks are included on this exclusive sailing.
We invite our loyal past guests to join us once again on these special Loyalty Cruises, offering unique experiences in multiple ports, commemorative gifts, and many more surprises and delights.
Imagine if there was a way to combine luxury river cruising on the iconic Danube with the opportunity to indulge your passion and play golf. We have created the perfect package to enable you to do just that with our Exclusive Concierge Golf Program. Discover Europe, complete with award winning cuisine, incredible service and a choice of excursions in every port, as well as up to 5 rounds of golf at some of the leading championship courses on the continent.
AmaWaterways’ Exclusive Concierge Golf Program is available on select Magna on the Danube cruises sailing aboard the AmaMagna.
Hello! "I'm Kristin Karst, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of AmaWaterways and I'm passionate about river cruising. Each month, I love to share with you my thoughts, personal stories, travel tips and latest news on the people and places that help turn every mile of our guests' river cruise experience into one of their most cherished memories!"
Magnificently overgrown trees hug and grasp the walls at Ta Prohm. Real-life monkeys (gibbons and langurs among them) sometimes wander by all the temples in the majestic Angkor park – including the grandest of all them all: Angkor Wat.
To walk through the majestic Angkor Wat temple is to begin your journey into the heart of Cambodia. Built between 1113 and 1150, on lands populated at least since the 8th century AD, it is the largest religious monument in the world and once held the largest empire in the world (in the 12th century when it was the capital of the Khmer Empire and ruled a large part of Southeast Asia.) It is also, in essence, a trip back in time – holding the secrets of Cambodia’s history in its temple walls.
Bas-reliefs and stone inscriptions in the walls tell the story of life in both the palace and the marketplace – along with great naval battles and images of favorite leaders and warriors. No written records have survived, other than stone inscriptions so most of what we know comes from these images, along with archaeological excavations. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, the modern name for Angkor Wat loosely means ‘Temple City’ or ‘City of Temples’ in the Khmer language. Wat is the Khmer word for temple grounds (and the Sanskrit word for ‘enclosure’) while Angkor means ‘city’ or ‘capital city.’
The symbol of Angkor Wat is powerful here in Cambodia, and it’s remained front and center at the fabric of this country – from their money to their flags (starting with their first national flag in 1863, when Cambodia was colonialized by the French up through their independence and beyond).
According to 13th century legend, the temple was supposedly constructed in a single night by a divine architect, or according to French explorer Henri Mouhot many years later, ‘an ancient Michelangelo.’ Of course, the construction of Angkor Wat and its surrounds actually began centuries earlier. Scientists and archaeologists are still making new discoveries and findings. In June 2016, 1,000 year old cities were found via lasers, deeply buried in the jungle surrounding the temple complex.
Angkor Wat was originally a Hindu temple, built by Khmer King Suryavarman II in the 12th century to honor the god Vishnu (breaking with Shaiva tradition of depicting the god Shiva). It was converted into a Buddhist temple in the 14th century, and statues of Buddha were added.
Roughly 700 feet high, the architectural profile of Angkor Wat is imitative of a lotus bud, with rows of graduated tiers in its many towers (a total of five, although they are only all visible for certain angles). It is surrounded by a 650 foot wide moat, encompassing a perimeter of more than 3 miles. The moat is 3 feet deep and stabilized the temple’s foundation, preventing groundwater from rising both too high or too low. Guardian lions (don’t worry, they’re made of stone!) grace the entrance of the main western entrance (a direction associated with Vishnu). A more modest entrance faces eastward.
There are nearly 13,000 square feet worth of exquisite sandstone bas-reliefs. American author Helen Churchill Candee once wrote that “by their beauty they first attract, by their strangeness they hold attention.” So, too, for the palace of Angkor Wat.
Discover Angkor Wat when you add our Siem Reap land package for Riches of the Mekong and Charms of the Mekong itineraries:
What's Included in the Siem Reap Portion of Your Land Package
Contact your preferred travel advisor to reserve your comprehensive Mekong River journey today!