Romance, history, culture, cuisine. These are the reasons to take a river cruise in Europe. Imagine gliding peacefully down one of Europe’s great rivers–the Seine, the Danube, the Rhine–sipping a local wine made on the shores just a few hundred yards away. You pass castles, ancient bridges, Roman arches, or grand parliament buildings. A lecturer gives you fascinating, sometimes humorous, insight into local customs. The pleasant smells of dinner, already being prepared in the ship’s galley, tickles your nose making your stomach growl.
A European River Cruise Is A Great Way To See Multiple Sites In Europe
The typical land-based tour of Europe requires you to unpack and repack with each stop. Not so with a river cruise in Europe: once onboard your sleek ship designed specifically to ply Europe’s rivers, you’ll not have to repack until (sadly) your cruise is over. And nowadays, practically every major European city (and myriad smaller cities) can be visited by river cruise.
European River Cruises Are Naturally Luxury Cruises
Megaships don’t fit in rivers, so you’ll not find multi-thousand passenger vessels. Instead you’ll find more intimate ships of (typically) two hundred passengers, sometimes much less (some ships accommodate only 50 or 60 pampered passengers). These ships have high crew-to-passenger ratios, creating a premium experience at the least.
European River Cruises Offer Splendid Variety
With about a dozen European river cruise lines and hundreds of ships, selecting what ship and itinerary alone can be a dizzying swirl of options. And then there’s the cities and the rivers and the excursions–before, during, and after your cruise. Here’s our quick rules-of-thumb for European river cruising. If you’ve never been to Europe, pick a line and itinerary with visits to the “biggies” in Europe destinations: Paris, Amsterdam, and the Rhine valley in Germany. If you’ve been to Europe before, pick a line and itinerary that takes you a little further, like the Rhone river in France or a Duoro Valley cruise from Porto (both ideal if you love wine), or an Eastern Europe itinerary that includes Budapest or Vienna.
We Know Europe
Cumulatively, we’ve spent nearly 3 years touring Europe. We’ve spent so much time in Europe it’s hard for us to pick favorites. We love the food, the wine, and the climate of Spain and Portugal. We love the history of Paris, Rome, and London. We love the sights of Switzerland, the Balkans, and the Greek Isles. And we love the people–everywhere. Yet, while we’ve been to practically every nook and cranny of Europe, our wish list grows every time we go back. We simply can’t get enough and we love to share our passion.
Let us help you plan the perfect European River Cruise and your before and after cruise excursions. Call us at (877) 585-SHIP.
