Whether you’re considering a river cruise for the first time or you’ve been navigating the world’s rivers for years, we’ve got 28 fabulous reasons to book a river cruise – from a leisurely float down the marvellous Mekong, to a cruise along the Hudson River.
Read on to discover some amazing facts that might just inspire you to book a river cruise trip...
Finding alone time is increasingly easy on river cruise ships, many of which are going all out to cater to solo travellers. Take Riviera Travel River Cruises – every year the line operates a number of sailings designed specifically for people going it alone. On these cruises, all cabins are single-occupancy only and there are no single supplement charges. In 2024, Riviera’s solo-friendly cruises include sailings along the Danube, Douro, Rhine, Rhône and Seine.
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Does disembarkation day always come too soon? Consider opting for one of the growing number of longer cruises. Ganga Vilas currently offers the world’s longest river cruise – a 51-day trip along 27 rivers in India and Bangladesh onboard the luxurious 18-suite Ganga Vilas riverboat. The downside? These cruises don’t come cheap – prices start at around £12,830 ($16,500) per person.
Paddlewheel ships aren’t just found on US rivers. CroisiEurope is the only cruise line to run paddlewheel cruises on two European rivers – the Elbe and the Loire. These rivers are notoriously shallow, but the latest paddlewheel technology means CroisiEurope’s boats can sail these stretches of water year-round.
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River cruises are often seen as the preserve of couples, but change is afoot. In 2022, A-ROSA River Cruises launched A-ROSA SENA, the first river cruise ship in Europe to have a dedicated kids’ club room. AmaWaterways’ AmaMagna has a theatre area where children (and big kids) can watch movies and play games consoles, and Uniworld’s Generation Collection cruises offer kid-friendly activities and excursions.
If you’re a fan of cruising, what could be better than pairing a river cruise with an ocean one? For example, combine a sail along the Douro, which cuts across Spain and Portugal and finishes at the Atlantic coast, with an ocean-going cruise sailing out of Porto. Doing so is easy, especially if you sail with a line like Viking Cruises, which has a fleet including both ocean and river boats.
Most ocean-going cruise lines launch one or two ships a year. River cruise ships, however, take to the water much more regularly. Viking River Cruises doesn’t just lay claim to the biggest fleet (80 river cruising ships), but also the Guinness World Record for inaugurating the most new ships in a single day (16, if you were wondering).
Europe’s rivers are lined with ancient cities and landmarks, but several cruise lines are delving deeper in Europe’s history by tackling a more diverse range of subjects. AmaWaterways is a great example – its Colors of Provence cruise includes a three-night visit to Paris which focuses on the city’s Black heritage, while another AmaWaterways cruise along the Rhône river includes a Black heritage tour of Marseille.
Because river cruising ships are smaller, the chances of having to join tour groups the size of a Glastonbury crowd are slim. It means excursions can be much more intimate. A case in point is the offering of European Waterways, known for its passion for slow travel. Excursions include a tour of the Château de la Motte led by the resident Countess and visits to the Dalwhinnie whisky distillery (pictured).
More river cruise lines are heading to remote rivers. One example is Seabourn. In 2023, the line launched a 14-day 'Wild Guianas To The Amazon Basin' cruise that sails along Brazil’s Guajará River – a tributary of the Amazon. Excursions on this one include a trip to meet local Indigenous groups. A reminder, if one was needed, that Amazon River cruises are great options for getting off the beaten path.
River cruise ships make excellent use of space, and we’re increasingly seeing this applied to windows. If you don’t manage to bag a balcony suite, don’t panic – it’s highly likely that you’ll have floor-to-ceiling windows. If you’re a stickler for a fantastic view, consider sailing with Avalon Waterways – its windows are some of the largest on a river cruise ship. The Panorama Suites have the widest opening, wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows in river cruising.
With 21 ships of various sizes in its fleet, American Cruise Lines is America's largest cruise line. Its epic 23-day itinerary, known as the Complete Mississippi River Cruise, starts in New Orleans, Louisiana, and finishes up north in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Prices for this bucket-list experience start at around the £11,660 ($15,000) mark.
River cruising companies are going all out to provide deeper insights into the places their ships sail through. One example is National Geographic Expeditions, which joined forces with AmaWaterways and launched several National Geographic Expeditions-chartered departures in 2024. Onboard experts – all of whom will be familiar with itinerary destinations – will include photographers, authors and explorers. Are you ready to meet your adventure heroes?
Fancy sailing past the Empire State Building? Now you can – kind of. American Cruise Lines is the only cruise line that offers overnight sailings along the mighty Hudson. It also runs trips down several other lesser-known rivers, including the Napa and San Joaquin Rivers in California.
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In 2022, Uniworld launched cruises combining Danube River sailings with trips on Golden Eagle Luxury Trains. These rail and river cruise packages offer guests the chance to take a five-day train journey through central Europe before boarding the ship. Expect more cruise lines to combine these modes of transport in the coming years.
Uniworld’s decision to combine sailing with luxury railway trips onboard Golden Eagle’s trains is a sign of the times and we're sure we'll see more collaborations designed to enhance the guest experiences in the coming years. In 2023, Ponant collaborated with Smithsonian Journeys to offer sailings with onboard experts. World-renowned climate specialist Steve Paton got involved, providing further insight into areas such as the San Blas archipelago.
River cruising might sound like a crowded market, but the launch of Riverside Luxury Cruises in April 2023 proves that there’s always room for more. This new line originally launched with one ship – Riverside Mozart – with cruises starting in Vienna, Budapest and Passau. This ship’s rooftop bar is pretty special and it's worth getting excited about the cuisine, inspired by regions the ship sails through. This 'new kid on the block' cruise line currently has three ships in operation, with bookable trips also now available on the Ravel and Debussy. Yes, you might be sensing a theme.
CroisiEurope is a river cruise line operating on Lake Kariba in Southern Africa. There are two cruise ships to choose from – African Dream and Zimbabwean Dream. Both ships accommodate 16 passengers in eight cabins, and there’s a rooftop bar and restaurant from which guests can soak up the views.
We’ve all come across cruise lines which claim to be all-inclusive but are actually anything but. These days, more cruise lines are going all out to offer passengers better value for money by including everything from premium drinks to excursions. Scenic River Cruises is a great example – cruise prices include flights from the UK, transfers, premium drinks, all meals (including fine dining ones) and excursions.
To start with, there are no ocean waves and currents to rock the boat. Additionally, fewer decks means less chance of feeling any movement – you’ll be closer to the hull of the ship (the part which moves least) and river cruising ships’ low-slung design means there’s minimal sway anyway. In summary? You can spend your time planning your excursions and activities rather than poring over ship plans in order to bag a cabin in the most stable spot.
River cruises can take you to some of the world’s most remote places, as well as waterways which simply aren’t explored very often. CroisiEurope, for example, is the only operator to offer cruises on Spain’s Guadalquivir River (pictured at Seville), while the Heritage Line’s new Upper Mekong cruise, which set sail in August 2023, focuses on remote areas of Laos.
The Nile is 4,132 miles (6,650km) long. To put that into perspective, if you drove from John O’Groats to Land’s End (the entire length of Britain) you’d cover just 840 miles (1,352km). We recommend Viking’s Pharaohs and Pyramids cruise, which starts and finishes in Cairo and takes in Luxor’s Karnak Temple complex, the Necropolis of Thebes and the beautiful Philae temple complex (pictured), which is surrounded by water.
There are no interior cabins on river cruise ships – all cabins face outwards and most have floor-to-ceiling windows. Cruise lines make the most of the space in innovative ways too. On several Uniworld vessels, for example, mirrors are actually concealed televisions. The cabins at the rear of riverboats are often the cheapest – but if you’re a light sleeper, remember that this is because the engines are located here.
One cruise line that's invested in air-filtering technology is Amadeus River Cruises. In May 2023, the line launched Amadeus Riva. The ship has a hi-tech air filtration system that boasts a two-stage purification system capable of removing aerosols – including any containing microscopic virus particles – from interior spaces.
We’re increasingly keen to avoid crowds, and river cruises have cottoned on to this. They’re going all out to offer cruises year-round – not just during the summer (traditionally the busiest time for river cruises), but in April and May and September and October, when there will be fewer selfie sticks and thinner crowds to contend with. Pictured here is Bratislava Castle, rising above the Danube River in autumn.
On ocean cruises, the excitement about seeing the local landmark/record-breaking attraction/ancient site quickly dissipates when there’s a one-hour bus journey between you and the site in question. Not so with river cruising, simply because of the increased accessibility. A great example is the iconic arch in St Louis, Missouri, USA (pictured) – this feat of engineering is just a 10-minute walk from the dock used by river boats.