Riverbanks with their assorted birdlife, locals cycling along towpaths, charming medieval villages as well as brutalist modern edifices slowly come into view.

But it is the silence which is most striking – just a gentle hum of the ship’s engine and the faint ripple of water against the hull. It is a deeply relaxing experience.

This is river cruising, and this was my first experience onboard VIVA Enjoy. 189 travel agents, and I, were on our way over 4 nights to the annual CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) Rivercruise Conference, sailing up the Rhine from Dusseldorf to Amsterdam, where the Conference organisers and 9 other European river cruise ships were gathering to greet us.

One of the greatest luxuries of river cruising is a lack of fuss. There are no long airport transfers between cities, no endless packing and unpacking, no navigating unfamiliar roads. Your elegant, floating hotel moves with you. Each time you return to your cabin, everything is exactly where you left it, yet outside your window a whole new scene awaits. You can dress for dinner, linger over a glass of wine, or simply curl up and watch the lights of a riverside town appear in the distance.

En route, we enjoyed guided excursions into Rotterdam – think architecture, food, and Delft for Vermeer & its famous blue and white ceramics - and Antwerp – for beer, nightlife & Rubens. There were bicycles available for anyone who wanted to zip straight off independently into the heart of some of Europe’s most fascinating port cities, and wellness spaces onboard for those looking for a more chilled afternoon.

VIVA Cruises is a Premium 5* cruise line, with a happy mix of passengers from Europe, North America and Australia. The service is friendly, the cabins are extremely comfortable, and their USP is a very fairly priced All Inclusive package, with unlimited beverages, multiple a la carte dining options on board, and in-cabin perks such as Nespresso machines and Rituals bath products.

There is a lot of choice in the European river cruise market – not to mention outside Europe on the Mekong in Vietnam & Cambodia, the Nile in Egypt, the Amazon in Brazil and the Magdalena in Columbia. Choosing the right destination, the best line and understanding the differences between the individual ships is crucial to getting the most out of your holiday. I’ve stepped on board ships by Riviera, AmaWaterways, Amadeus, Avalon, Riverside and Uniworld, amongst others, all offering individual levels of service, design & comfort. The devil, as they say, is in the detail.

By the time we sailed into the Port of Amsterdam the skies had turned to lead, rain fell and a brisk northern wind blew. Such are the joys of Europe in early March. But on the Eurostar for my final leg straight back to London, I was already planning my next river cruise – a girls’ trip down the Douro from Porto would be ideal, perhaps, in June. Any takers?