River Cruising

For those who like to travel in small numbers in a comfortable environment with lots to see, river cruising is the perfect choice. River cruises mean that you can sightsee all day long, both from your ship and on shore excursions. River ships may have less facilities but they can make up to three stops a day so there is plenty to keep you busy. Visit our River Cruising page (on the navigation bar above) to search our river cruise database and get a more detailed description of each river.

How is a river cruise different?

• River ships are much smaller than ocean cruise ships carrying from 50 to 200 passengers.
• River cruises travel by day and stop at night - the opposite to most ocean cruises.
• Rivers are much smoother than the oceans so a good for those prone to seasickness.
• River cruises are more educational - you get to travel through the heart of a continent seeing landlocked countries that you cannot visit from the sea.
• Passengers do not need to leave the ship to sightsee although many tours are available and are often included in the cost of the cruise.
• Entertainment onboard may be limited - there are no casinos and little in the way of evening entertainment (except perhaps a piano player or local folk dancers).
• You won't find the elaborate staterooms featured on the large cruise ships. Bathrooms are small and functional.

What rivers to cruise?

In Europe:

• Cruising on the rivers of Europe opens up a hidden world of picturesque towns and medieval villages, fairytale castles and great scenery.
• The world's great cities were all founded on riverbanks like the Danube, Rhine, Moselle, Elbe, Rhone, Volga - because they were the principal arteries of the countries.
• Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Prague; a river cruise takes you right to the heart of them.
• You can also explore the Russian Waterways between Moscow and St Petersburg.

In Africa:

• Egypt's River Nile, steeped in thousands of years of history - see the magnificent Temples at Karnak, Philea and the incomparable Valley of the Kings.

In the Far East:

• China's River Yangtse with its spectacular Three Gorges.
• The Irrawaddy River to Mandalay in Myanmar (formerly Burma).
• The Brahmaputra in India or the Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia.
• The Murray in Australia.

In North America:

• Take a steamboat cruise along the Mississippi and the rivers of America's Deep South or
• Explore the Columbia and Snake rivers of Oregon and Washington

When to cruise
Unlike the traditional cruise industry, most river cruises operate seasonally - during spring, summer and autumn months with the exception of the Christmas season in Europe, where several river cruise operators offer voyages that stop in towns and cities with Christmas markets. The Asian rivers have different seasons but the Nile and Murray river cruisers operate year round.