River Cruises in Europe

River cruises are one of the fastest growing tour options in Europe, as evidenced by the large increase in the number of riverboats plying main waterways like the Rhine and Danube and on order from shipyards for the next and following years.

There are several major European operators like Viking, Avalon (Globus), Amadeus (now separate from Avalon) and Peter Deilmann who sell direct as well as operating their riverboats for other companies: a growing number of tour aggregators either book whole ships to sell their own cruise products or take large blocks on board which they then incorporate into their own tours.

Many tour operators in the USA, the UK and Australia use the same boats but package their deals in a different way. So if you like the boat but not the deal, check out other choices.

When we went on our Amsterdam-Budapest river cruise we booked direct with Avalon (Globus) who operate the MS Poetry on which we travelled. But there are some good deals going which incorporate extra days at the beginning and/or end of a trip which you may find worthwhile.

If you want to discover the romance, variety and true character of Europe, it's difficult to beat a European river cruise. Europe's waterways take you to the heart of many of the continent's cities as well as to some of its most picturesque and atmospheric small towns and villages.

OUR ADVICE: concentrate on the ship you want to travel on and the route you want to travel, rather than the tour aggregator (of course, there's also price!). Be sure to check out our "Things to watch for" page too!

Next page: river cruise routes in Europe