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This Austrian family business dates back more than 40 years and offers European river cruises on its fleet of 16 AMADEUS ships. Five-star service, facilities, and cuisine are their hallmarks, and their ships feature wide panoramic windows and a spacious sun deck. Pick from one of the best river cruises in Europe highlighted above and let AAA help you book and plan your excursions throughout your trip.
Mosel/Moselle River Cruises
As one of the largest travel agencies in North America, we have a wealth of recommendations to share! Browse our articles and videos for inspiration, or dive right in with preplanned AAA Road Trips, cruises and vacation tours. A few cruise lines also sail the Netherlands and Belgium in the fall months, but you won't see any tulips blooming in the fields at that time of year. Ships sail up the Douro from Porto to Spain, turn around, and sail back down.
Year-Round European River Cruising: Is a 12-Month Season That Far Off? - Travel Weekly
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Thames River Cruises
The number of river cruise ships sailing in Europe has been rapidly growing for most of this century, and river cruises continue to be a very popular way to see cities and towns inaccessible to ocean-going ships. Embarking on a river cruise in Europe is a journey into refined luxury, cultural immersion, and scenic splendor. Several river cruise lines stand out for their commitment to delivering unparalleled experiences along the continent’s waterways.
Viking River Cruises: Exploring the Waterways
Celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2022, this family-owned and operated cruise company focuses on excellent food and wine, tasteful décor, stateroom views, and innovation in their luxurious fleet. Fares include fitness classes, shore excursions, and all dining on board, including The Chef's Table specialty restaurant. New ships debut each year, and the spacious AmaMagna, launched in 2019, is nearly twice the width of traditional European cruise ships. With a number of cruise companies and rivers to choose from, planning a river cruise can take some time. Consulting with a travel advisor is always a good idea, and there's plenty of information available online as well. These are the major companies offering the best European river cruises along with examples of their itineraries.
Best European River Cruise For Couples: Scenic, Scenic Azure
Some cruise lines even offer an optional tour to the city of Cognac, where guests have the opportunity to blend their own. Another fun activity is to go truffle hunting with a farmer and his dog (pigs aren't used anymore). In addition to the city of Bordeaux, ports of call might include Cadillac, Libourne, Pauillac, Saint Emilion, and Blaye. Seeing the many famous vineyards and wine cellars near Pauillac and Saint Emilion is memorable for all who love wine and historic cities. Travelers will have their friends talking if they take a selfie front of a Saint Emilion shop that sells bottles of wine for thousands of dollars each. Ports of call visited between Paris and the sea might include Vernon, Les Andelys, Conflans, and Mantes-la-Jolie.
London, Paris & D-Day
That's even before you get to the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You might also have the option of a side trip to Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Mozart — and also where several scenes for the movie "Sound of Music" were filmed. A surprise for many is Old Town Bratislava, Slovakia, which might not have been on your must-do list but which charms with its beer culture and castles.
Best European River Cruise For Active Travelers: AmaWaterways, AmaMagna
Travelers love this river cruise itinerary because it gives them the opportunity to visit eastern European countries where travel for North Americans has just become very popular and accessible in this century. The citizens of Hungary, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria welcome tourists and love to share their corner of the world with travelers. Running across Central Germany, the Main River is formed by the joining of the Red Main and the White Main, meeting the Rhine River at the town of Mainz.
Popular Uniworld River Cruises
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. Best for hunting for the Loch Ness MonsterThe Caledonian Canal follows the natural fault line of the Great Glen, which slices through northern Scotland. A cruise along it means sailing over silent lochs, framed by brooding mountains, forest and heather-clad hillsides, on a voyage that takes you between Fort William, on Scotland’s west coast, and Inverness in the northeast. You’ll explore the sea lochs of the west, with day excursions to the Hebridean islands of Eigg, Iona and Mull, before sailing the length of Loch Linnhe and into the canal itself.
Rhine
As standard, Emerald’s eight Europe-based “Star-Ships” offer a generous number of inclusions built into the cost of the cruise, with typically lower entry level fares. Sail the Seine from Paris to Normandy aboard Tauck’s intimate 98-passenger MS Sapphire to explore destinations such as Caudebec-en-Caux, Les Andelys, Mont-St-Michel and Étretat. The cruise features a number of thoughtful, exclusive excursions, like dinner at the 16th-century Château du Taillis and a walking tour in Rouen to Joan of Arc Square and the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen.
River ships sailing only on the Rhine move between Basel, Switzerland (near the border of France, Germany, and Switzerland) and Amsterdam. All 10 of these are between Basel and Mainz where the Main River joins the Rhine. The navigable Danube has 19 locks, with 15 of them between Regensburg and Vienna. The Danube either flows through or delineates part of the border of Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine. Many cruises traverse the stretch between the capital cities of Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary, starting or ending at either location.
13 Best River Cruises in the World to Take in 2024 - AFAR Media
13 Best River Cruises in the World to Take in 2024.
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Meissen has its fine porcelain, and Wittenburg has Martin Luther and the Reformation. Seeing the improvements in these eastern German cities since the reunification of the country in 1990 is impressive. The Moselle River is included on river cruise tours between Paris and Prague, Amsterdam and Basel, or Paris to Budapest. The locks of the Main-Danube Canal (and elsewhere on the Danube and Main Rivers) are important to cruise travelers because the size of the locks dictates the size of river ships. Anyone who wonders why a river ship is so narrow will understand when they see the size of the locks. The low bridges over these same rivers control the height of the river ships.
As the most discerning, up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel, Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse, offering both inspiration and vital intel. We understand that time is the greatest luxury, which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal, a drink, or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world. Top-ranked Viking does all the major riverways of Europe, with ships also on the Nile and the Mekong, and, new in 2022, on the Mississippi. Readers praised the line's value proposition and shore experiences that go beyond the norm. The "Thinking Man's vacation" is the way one reader who sailed on a Viking ship on the Rhine river put it.
A stop in Vienna includes a Mozart and Strauss concert at a Viennese palace, a city tour, and a taste of local delicacies. The cruise ends in Passau with a choice of bicycling, walking, or hiking to explore the city and a special captain's farewell reception and dinner. For true indulgence, book a table at the fleetwide reservation-only Vintage Room, set up for private dining, with an extravagant seven-course wine-pairing menu. The experience is worth the $295 fee, especially for true oenophiles who will get to savor coveted Bordeaux Grand Crus. Other highlights include visiting a truffle farm near Viviers and savoring a selection of wines at Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyard. In Lyon, guests can visit foodie heaven at Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, the city’s outstanding indoor food market filled with a vast array of produce.
Enjoy the medieval architecture and bountiful local tastes of Porto’s wine regions, before heading west, into the peaceful Iberian countryside. Shore inclusions allow you to discover the most beautiful towns and monasteries in Portugal along the way, including the ceramic-laden Lamego and the 12th-century walled village of Castelo Rodrigo. After crossing the border into Spain, you’ll try a flamenco show and tour of Salamanca — a historic beauty with a fascinating past. 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.
All menus onboard reflect the region, with vintage wines, dishes featuring truffle, escargot and foie gras and a gout-inducing selection of premium cheeses. German river cruise line A-Rosa has carved a niche for multigenerational river voyages after pioneering its kids club in 2014. The line's European family program is available on at least one ship on each river the line sails during school breaks. Fun activities include a “meet the captain” event, pizza-making classes and treasure hunts. All ships are stocked with age-appropriate games and books, and family shore excursions to zoos and theme parks feature on itineraries.
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