Emerald Cruises launches 2025 Europe River Cruises brochure

best river cruise lines in europe

Started as a New England motor coach tour company, Tauck is a family-owned global travel firm offering tours and cruises to a wide range of destinations around the world. Their award-winning European river cruises are praised for their personalized service, exclusive destination experiences, luxurious cabins and suites, fine dining, and professional, caring staff. Here you’ll find storybook-setting riverbanks lined with medieval castles and sloping vineyards, historic cities and agreeable villages. And on any given weeklong sailing, it’s not unusual to drift through three or more European countries en route, affording the perfect sampler itinerary for any eager explorer of Europe. With balmy summertime temperatures, Portugal's sublime Douro is an idyllic river cruise destination for couples.

best river cruise lines in europe

More destinations for river cruising

A romantic cruise in the Seine River is great for those who wish to lose themselves in the romance of Paris and Normandy. The Seine, which begins just north of Dijon and ends in the English Channel, is a magnificent river that spans 483 miles, with 60% of its length available for recreational boating. If you want to see a lot of central Europe without having to deal with the hassles of trains and cars, cruising the River Danube is for you. This magnificent river flows through the heart of Prague for a whopping 19 miles and is crossed by no less than 18 bridges.

Douro

The line's all-inclusive river itineraries provides a high-end experience with a more relaxed atmosphere than others on this list. For instance, while butler service is provided for every cabin on a Scenic cruise, the attendants don't wear formal butler uniforms. The Danube is a year-round destination with the exception of January and February, when few cruise lines operate here.

Disneyland Hotel Paris

Should you travel Europe via river cruise? - USA TODAY

Should you travel Europe via river cruise?.

Posted: Tue, 06 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

AmaWaterways' holistic wellness program encompasses a variety of fitness classes and wellness-themed excursions, making it the leading European river cruise line for active travelers. Each ship has an onboard wellness director who hosts daily fitness classes as well as meditation and yoga. AmaWaterways was also the first river cruise operator to carry a fleet of complimentary bicycles.

Take in the sights of France’s Provence region, too, with its wine country, groves of olives and citrus, and fragrant fields of lavender (landscapes that inspired Vincent van Gogh and other artists). It’s a downright delicious option for epicures, with itineraries that are anchored in Lyon, considered France’s gastronomical epicenter. Those with a taste for antiquity will appreciate a journey here, too, thanks to regional Roman landmarks like the Pont du Gard aqueduct or Arles amphitheater. France’s Rhône River is a haven for epicures and history buffs, with riverboats, from companies like Avalon Waterways, that bring guests through Provence (and, sometimes, Burgundy). Sail the Rhine in style aboard one of Crystal Cruises’s plush riverboats, with offerings like personal butlers, an indoor pool, and in-room iPads. In Spain, you can visit Salamanca, a city-sized UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with history and culture.

Popular Avalon River Cruises

The intimate 96-passenger Scenic Azure winds through the port-producing (and UNESCO-listed) Douro Valley, with its terraced vineyards, olive groves and tranquil towns and villages. The itinerary sees Scenic whisk passengers to historic vineyards and cellars in Regua, Vinhateiro and the Côa Valley to sip on local wines and Port. An unmissable outing for couples is a private classical concert at the beguiling Sao Francisco Church in Porto, offered as one of the cruise line’s “Scenic Enrich” experiences. The doyen of Europe's waterways is the adults-only Viking Cruises, a multifaceted cruise line that also boasts a fleet of ocean and expedition vessels.

Uniworld’s unwavering dedication to curating an unparalleled river cruise experience, plus all the highlights below solidifies its position as one of the best river cruises along Europe’s picturesque waterways. Tauck’s all-inclusive European river cruises are a boon for travelers with a thirst for history. The cruise line sails all of Europe’s major rivers, offering thoughtfully crafted shore experiences that dig deep into each destination’s past. Between off-hours tours at world-renowned museums and guided walks through medieval cities, guests are also invited to join enriching lectures aboard the ships. Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more.

Here are 15 popular river voyages in Europe, whether you’re planning your first cruise or are already a river cruising connoisseur. They stop in places such as resurgent Dresden, heavily bombed during World War II but expertly rebuilt; the Saxon Switzerland region of Germany with its striking sandstone rock formations; and the spa town of Bad Schandau. Bordeaux serves up the opportunity to sip Medoc, Margaux, Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and Sauternes wines as you expand your wine education. If you plan your cruise for September or October, you'll be able to admire the grape harvest. Your visit there and to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, as well as other memorials and monuments to the fallen, is a poignant experience (one that requires a two-hour bus ride from your ship, however). Avalon Waterways brings a World War II expert on board to add insight on select sailings.

Europe Travel Guide

In Hamburg, there's a city tour and harbor cruise before the cruise continues to the Baltic resort, Laboe, and ends in Kiel. Uniworld's one-of-a-kind vessels are inspired by the locales they visit, making their luxurious ships a destination in themselves. Billed as "the world's only authentic boutique cruise line," Uniworld offers in-suite butler service, world-class cuisine, and all-inclusive rates that cover premium spirits and wines as well as gratuities. A jaunty kids' club with a climbing wall and secret nooks is positioned next to 12 family cabins, each sleeping up to five, featuring nautical-themed bunk beds. The 280-passenger ship—the largest on the Rhine—has a kids’ splash pool next to a larger pool, with some sailings offering kids swimming lessons for an extra fee.

best river cruise lines in europe

This article will provide you with a list of the top river cruises available in Europe, as well as some places you may see along the way and how much you can anticipate spending. La Venizia, completely decked out with a sense of place, from Fortuny fabrics and Murano glass to its gilded accents. The "Charming Castles & Vineyards of the Rhine & Moselle" begins with arrival in Frankfurt and transfer to Mainz for boarding.

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Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, Travel + Leisure asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Nearly 165,000 T+L readers completed the 2023 survey, an increase of nearly 25 percent over pre-pandemic voting levels. A total of more than 685,000 votes were cast across over 8,500 unique properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.). Best for longer sailings The narrow Moselle river flows into the Rhine at Koblenz and is often featured as part of a longer European river cruise. The Moselle valley is especially scenic, with terraced vineyards clinging to almost sheer slopes guarded by craggy castles, and the banks dotted with water meadows and quiet villages.

Survey rules have always allowed readers to reflect on their travel experiences over a three-year period. We hope that this year's honorees will inspire your own travels as you get back out into the world. For that, you need to know the best places to stay, which are Hotel Carris Porto Ribeira and Porto Palácio Hotel by The Editory. But if you’d want to spend more days in tranquil surroundings, you can opt for a 5 day river cruise through Porto and the Douro River Valley.

There are plenty of options for how much time and money you will spend on the Danube River cruise, whether through barge cruises, yacht cruise lines, or smaller river vessels. Some cruises last for an hour, with some cruises lasting all evening with dinner and champagne. Best for hunting for the Loch Ness MonsterThe Caledonian Canal follows the natural fault line of the Great Glen, which slices through northern Scotland.

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