Athens
Madeleine
The one to call for group travel — reunions, milestones, friends going together. River ships suit a group well, and she knows how to fill one.
You unpack once, and the hotel moves while you sleep.
That’s the whole pitch, and it’s a good one. River ships are small enough to dock in the center of town rather than at an industrial port a taxi ride away — so you walk off the gangway into the old quarter. Meals, wine, and shore excursions are included on most sailings, which means the price you’re quoted is close to the price you pay.
The rivers themselves run from the Danube and the Rhine through France, Portugal’s Douro, the Nile, the Mekong, the Ganges, and the Mississippi. Different trips entirely — the question we usually start with is whether you want Europe’s castles and Christmas markets, or something further afield.
Where to sail
Three rivers worth building a trip around
The most-booked routes, and the ones we’d recommend for a first river cruise.
The Danube
Eight countries, four capitals
The longest river in Central and Western Europe, and the most cruised for good reason — Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, and Belgrade on one itinerary, with wine villages in between. The classic first river cruise.
The Rhine
Castles, vineyards, and windmills
Switzerland through Germany to the Netherlands, past terraced Riesling vineyards and a castle every few miles. The best Christmas market itinerary in Europe, and a strong first-timer route.
The Rhône, Seine & Saône
France, at river pace
Bordeaux for the wine, Lyon for the food, Normandy for the history, Provence for the light — and the Seine puts you in the middle of Paris. Steve’s favorite way to see France, and hard to argue with.
Why a river cruise
What you actually get
Unpack once
Grand capitals and small villages across a week, without changing hotels or hauling luggage onto a train.
You dock downtown
River ports sit in the city center. No transfer, no shuttle — you walk off and you’re there.
Meals and drinks included
Most sailings include dining featuring local cuisine, along with beer and wine. The quoted fare is close to the real one.
Excursions included
Every port comes with a choice of tours — usually a relaxed city walk or something more active. No add-on fees to see the place you sailed to.
Rooms to suit
From staterooms with French balconies to full suites. Ships are small, so the difference between categories matters more than on an ocean liner.
Nights either side
We’ll add hotel stays before and after — with breakfast, dining credit, or transfers included through our relationships with the properties.
Who you’ll work with
Pick the office nearest you.
All four of our advisors book river cruises. Which one you work with is usually just a question of which office you’d rather walk into.
Dunwoody
Leslie
Planning European travel since 1990, and deepest in Italy, Greece, France, and Ireland. Ask her about the history nobody told you to look for.
Dunwoody
Steve
A lazy river through the south of France is his idea of a good week — river cruising is the trip he’d book for himself.
Tuscaloosa
Stella
She builds trips around local life — markets, long meals, the streets past the checklist. Which is more or less what a river cruise is designed to do.
Go deeper
More on river cruising
River-by-river guides, the cruise lines we work with most, and current offers — kept up to date through our relationships with colleagues around the world.
Ready when you are.
Tell us which river you’re curious about — or just tell us the time of year — and we’ll take it from there.
