We cannot have enough of Europe! From its landscapes to its culture to its people – everything seems to be so attractive that one is always willing to explore it. And although there are several ways of doing so, taking a European river cruise is easily one of the best and the most rewarding. If you are wondering why that is so, read the reasons below!
The Intimate Experience
Of the several reasons you would want to embark on a European river cruise, this is a major one of them. River cruises allow you a unique and intimate exploratory experience, where you, along with some two-hundred people and very friendly staff, set out to witness the breathtaking beauty of Europe. It is important to know that river cruises are far more personal than sea cruises, for they do not accommodate thousands of people at once.
This means that you get a fantastic opportunity to interact with everyone on-board, develop bonds and lifelong friendships, interact with the extremely welcoming and kind staff, and not have to queue for anything! Since you are not a part of a herd on river cruises, the staff may go out of its way and remember your preferences, like dining spots in the restaurants and your favorite meals, etc., just to make you feel comfortable. There are no call-ins and waiting, so you are practically free to roam about as you will while having a sense of community.
An Excellent Way to Explore Europe
One of the best things about choosing river cruises over ocean ones is that the shore is almost always in sight. This means that you always have access to breathtaking views of Europe’s stunning topology and scenery. Imagine waking up in the morning and walking to your room’s balcony (every room has one or a very large window!) and taking in the serenity of the river and the views of the land. Does that not sound mesmerizing? Plus, river cruising lets you enjoy the excellent chance of exploring many European destinations in one go. For instance, you could be in one city one day and in a different country the next morning! And that too without having to care about the logistics, running to airports or train stations, or fretting about luggage at all.
Plus, being in a relatively smaller-sized boat means that you have access to all those seemingly remote areas of Europe that you may not have heard about but which offer insight into authentic European culture. You can get off the ship and venture out in the cities on your excursions, exploring local culture, history, monuments, culinary experiences, etc. You can also sign up for intimate group activities, which are another excellent way to bond with your crewmates and the locals. A favorite among many is biking along the well-paved European coastlines for miles, something regarded as an immensely fulfilling experience.
Comfort and Convenience
If you feel that river cruises may restrict you in some form, adhering you to schedules and activities, you could not be more mistaken. River cruises in Europe are liberating and allow you all the comfort and freedom you want. As mentioned above, the first thing that is taken care of is your luggage. You only have to unpack and put your belongings in their place once. This is not something you can enjoy while traveling via rail or air, for you would have to check into multiple hotels during your itinerary, which in itself is a hassle.
Freedom
When the cruise stops at destinations, you may choose to join group tours or even half-day tours and use the remaining time to venture out on your own. Or you could totally ditch the group activities and plan something for yourself, based entirely on your preferences. And one of the best things is that you can entrust the ship’s concierge to take care of all the logistics of your independent excursions so that all you must do is to get to the place and enjoy! This way, not only do you get to have fun, but you also do not have to fret over arrangements. Comfort, convenience, and freedom at your disposal!
All-in and Budget Friendliness
River cruises in Europe have the stigma associated with them that they are only for the wealthy. While it was true a couple of decades ago, it no longer holds thanks to the market’s extreme demand and competition. There are various cruise options that you can choose from based on your budget, duration of the journey, type of itinerary, etc. And each cruise strives to provide you with the best possible value for your money. For instance, they are all generally all-inclusive. There are no hidden costs or extra costs, and you get everything from free WiFi to wines to food to bicycles to shore experiences, etc., in the fare. You also have the option to upgrade your experience by registering for more stuff, but that generally is not needed.
Uniworld River Cruises are one excellent example of European river cruises that really wow you and make you want to keep coming back. They have some great itineraries across Central Europe, Italy, France, Portugal and Spain, and even Russia. Here are some of our favorites:
Central Europe:
- Enchanting Danube 8 days from Budapest to Passau
- Rhine, Moselle & Blissful Baden-Baden (new) 12 days from Baden-Baden to Frankfurt
- Castles along the Rhine 8 days from Basel to Amsterdam
- Delightful Danube & Prague 10 days from Budapest to Prague
- Remarkable Rhine & Historic Holland 11 days from Basel to Amsterdam
- Authentic Danube & Prague 10 days from Vienna to Prague
- Tulips & Windmills 10 days from Amsterdam to Antwerp
- Classic Germany & Amsterdam (new) 8 days from Amsterdam to Nuremberg
- Authentic Danube 8 days from Vienna to Nuremberg
- Cruise & Rail: Enchanting Danube & the Castles of Transylvania (new for 2022) 12 days from Passau to Budapest
- Dutch Delight (new for 2022) 8 days from Amsterdam to Amsterdam
- Rhine & Moselle (new) 10 days from Strasbourg to Frankfurt
- Highlights of Eastern Europe 10 days from Budapest to Bucharest
- Delightful Danube 8 days from Budapest to Nuremberg
- European Jewels 16 days from Budapest to Amsterdam
- Portraits of Eastern Europe 19 days from Prague to Bucharest
- Ultimate European Journey 25 days from Amsterdam to Bucharest
- Holland & Belgium at Tulip Time 8 days from Brussels to Amsterdam
- Rhine, Main & Danube Discovery (new) 15 days from Amsterdam to Vienna
- Cruise & Rail: Castles of Transylvania & the Enchanting Danube (new for 2022) 13 days from Budapest to Passau
Italy
- Cruise & Rail: Milan, Venice & the Swiss Alps 14 days from Milan to Zurich
- Cruise & Rail: Venice & the Swiss Alps 12 days from Zurich to Venice
- Milan, Venice & the Gems of Northern Italy 10 days from Milan to Venice
- Venice & the Gems of Northern Italy 8 days from Venice to Venice
- Cruise & Rail: Milan, Venice & Istanbul (new for 2022) 18 days from Milan to Istanbul
- Cruise & Rail: Venice & Istanbul (new for 2022) 16 days from Venice to Istanbul
France:
- Burgundy & Provence 8 days from Avignon to Lyon
- Brilliant Bordeaux 8 days from Bordeaux to Bordeaux
- Paris & Normandy 8 days from Paris to Paris
- A Portrait of Majestic France 15 days from Bordeaux to Paris
- Grand France 15 days from Paris to Avignon
- Ultimate France 22 days from Bordeaux to Avignon
Portugal & Spain:
- Portugal, Spain & the Douro River Valley 11 days from Porto to Lisbon
- Douro River Valley 8 days from Porto to Porto
Russia:
- Imperial Waterways of Russia 12 days from Moscow to St. Petersburg
- Rail Only: The Trans-Siberian Express (new for 2022) 15 days from Moscow to Vladivostok
The Best Time to Go on a European River Cruise
The best time to embark on a European river cruise is spring through summer. Starting in March, this is the time when the sun returns to the skies, and life takes a bloom along the shores, making cruising exceptionally aesthetic. As the spring months go by, the sun’s intensity increases, and relaxing on your cruise’s deck becomes a very luring idea. People cannot have enough of the clear skies and sunbathing! The days are bright and fresh, while the nights are cool with gentle breezes, creating the perfect atmosphere for you to relax and enjoy. Overall, the best months are April-May and then September-October, which feature the best weather and crowd conditions.
Travel Resources for Your Trip to Europe
To make planning your European river cruise trip easier, in addition to the river cruise company and cruising options mentioned on our travel guide, we included some of our recommended travel resources below. You can search and find the best flights, transportation options, hotels to stay in, tours/activities, and things you can do pre-cruise and post-cruise here.
River Cruise:
Uniworld River Cruises: The world’s best and most awarded luxury river cruise line—offers itineraries in spectacular destinations throughout Europe, Russia, Egypt, Asia and Peru. The company’s European fleet features luxurious ships with an average capacity of 120 guests, the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry, enticing shore excursions, world-class gourmet cuisine, impeccable hospitality and numerous other all-inclusive benefits.
Pre- and Post-cruise/Tour Extensions: Uniworld curated pre-and post-cruise/tour extensions make it easy to add a few days to the front or back end of your trip while leaving the planning to them
The packages include a variety of hotel options, transfers, and a dedicated destination expert to escort you along the way.
Flights:
CheapOAir: You can find airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, and vacation packages all on one site!
Kiwi.com: What we like about Kiwi is the fact that they are able to create combinations of flight, train, and bus tickets and offer them in a single itinerary. Also, Kiwi has what they called “Nomad” which helps you find the best way of visiting multiple destinations, saving you time and money.
JetRadar: You can search and compare airfares from 726 airlines and dozens of travel agencies and systems.
Hotels:
Agoda: Agoda is one of the world’s largest online travel accommodation platforms with a network of over 2,000,000 vacation rentals and hotels worldwide.
Hotellook: They have more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries, working with data from more than 10 online booking systems, such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others.
Transportations:
Airport Transfers: KiwiTaxi, Viator
Train: Trainline or RailEurope
Bus: Flixbus: Very affordable (as low as $6) and convenient way to transfer between cities in Europe.
Car Rentals: AutoEurope, EconomyBookings, or GetTransfer (transfers & car rentals with a personal driver)
Bike Rental: BikesBooking (Bikes & scooter rentals)
Transportation Comparison: Omio (search, compare, and book tickets for buses, trains, and flights all in one site)
Tours & Activities:
TakeWalks (WalkofItaly): This is our favorite site for walking tours & day trips.
Tiqets: Great site for entrance tickets. It offers directly bookable, instantly available, and completely mobile tickets for museums, shows, and attractions all over the world.
Musement: They have good activities and tours in Italy and Spain, also many great day trips you can choose from.
GetYourGuide: A large number of tours, excursions, and other travel activities
Viator: The largest one. It has everything from tours, attractions, shore excursions, and private guides in over 2,700 destinations worldwide. It also has many transportations and transfers options and some unique experiences we didn’t find anywhere else.
Need help planning a European river cruise trip?
Want to visit multiple destinations with a European river cruise but don’t know where to begin? If you find this type of trip planning to be too complicated to plan on your own, we’re here to help!
At MultiCityTrips, multi-destination travel and complicated itineraries such as a river cruise trip visiting multiple destinations in Europe are our specialties. Contact us today to learn more about how one of our experienced travel experts/destination specialists can personalize your multi-city vacations at the best price.
Don’t want to start from scratch and need some trip inspiration? Check out our marketplace for customizable pre-designed packages available right now for many amazing destinations.
To learn more about how our process of trip planning works in detail, please see our “How It Works” page or check out our video on “How to Plan a Multi-City Trip to Europe in 5 Easy Steps” here.
Have questions for us? Schedule a FREE Call with us here or contact one of the travel experts/destination specialists at [email protected], call/text us at (888)223-2316 today.
