Your first European river cruise: where should you start?
You've been thinking about a European river cruise for a while. Maybe friends came home raving about theirs. Maybe the ads keep showing up in your feed. Either way, you've decided you want to go.
Then you start looking, and it gets overwhelming fast. France, Portugal, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands. Wine cruises, castle cruises, Christmas market cruises. Every itinerary sounds wonderful, and every photo makes you want to book it tonight.
If this is your first one, here's my suggestion: start with the Rhine or the Danube.
Why these two? Because for your first river cruise, I want you to get the most out of it. I want you to visit several countries, experience both big cities and smaller towns, see beautiful scenery from the ship, and have plenty of different things to see and do.
So which one is right for you?
The Danube: cities, culture and scenery
A classic seven-night Upper Danube river cruise often travels between Budapest and Germany, with stops that may include Vienna, Bratislava, Austria’s Wachau Valley and Passau.
The reason I like the Danube for first-time river cruisers is the variety.
You have Budapest, which is especially beautiful from the river when Parliament and the bridges are illuminated at night.
Then there’s Vienna, with its palaces, cafés, museums, classical music and beautiful architecture.
Bratislava is smaller and easy to explore on foot. Then you get a complete change of scenery in the Wachau Valley, with vineyards, abbeys, villages and beautiful views from the ship.
Depending on the itinerary, you may also visit historic German towns such as Passau or Regensburg.
That’s a lot of Europe packed into one week.
The Danube is a great choice if you want: major European cities, history, culture, architecture and scenic cruising.
The Danube is cities + culture + scenery.
The Rhine: castles, villages and storybook Europe
Now let’s say I ask what you picture when you think about Europe, and your answer includes castles, vineyards and charming old towns.
I’m going to recommend the Rhine.
A classic seven-night Rhine river cruise often travels between Amsterdam and Basel, with stops that may include Cologne, Koblenz, Rüdesheim and Strasbourg.
One of the highlights is cruising through the Rhine Gorge, where castles and fortresses sit above the river. This is one of those times when the cruising itself is part of the experience. Find a seat on deck and enjoy it.
There’s plenty to do off the ship, too.
You might begin in Amsterdam, visit Cologne and its enormous cathedral, explore smaller German towns and spend time in Strasbourg ("the Christmas capital"), where French and German influences come together.
Just like with the Danube, you’re getting several very different experiences in one trip.
The Rhine is a great choice if you want: castles, vineyards, historic towns, Germany and that storybook European scenery.
The Rhine is castles + villages + scenery.
Rhine or Danube: How do you choose?
This is one of the questions I would ask you:
Would you rather see Vienna and Budapest, or castles and little German villages? If you immediately choose Vienna and Budapest, I’d start with the Danube.
If castles, vineyards, Strasbourg and German towns sound more appealing, I’d start with the Rhine.
There isn’t a wrong answer. Both give first-time river cruisers a good mix of destinations, cultures, sightseeing and scenery.
How long should your first river cruise be?
I think seven nights is a great starting point.
It gives you enough time to settle in and experience river cruising without committing two weeks of vacation time to something you haven’t tried before.
I also recommend adding two or three nights before or after your cruise when possible.
If your Rhine cruise starts in Amsterdam, spend some time in Amsterdam. If your Danube cruise ends in Budapest, stay a couple of nights.
You’ve already paid for the international airfare. Get your money’s worth.
Choose the river first, then the cruise line
Once we know where you want to go, then we can figure out which cruise line and ship are the best fit.
And this part matters. Viking, AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, Uniworld, Tauck, Scenic and others all offer European river cruises, but they don’t all offer the same experience.
Some are more active. Some are more luxurious. Some include more excursions, drinks, gratuities or other extras in the up-front price. Dining, cabin design, activities and the general feel onboard can be quite different.
Two ships can sail a very similar itinerary and feel very different onboard. That’s a topic for another article.
For your first European river cruise, start with the simpler question:
What do you want to see and experience?
I start with where you want to go and what you want to experience.
We pick the river and the itinerary.
We find the ship that fits the way you like to travel.
We look closely at what you're actually getting for your money, so that everything makes sense for you.
Let me know if you want to start talking about a river cruise; it’s one of my favorite ways to travel!
More river cruise info and articles
To read more about river cruising, see these articles:
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