Tired of the jostling crowds, roiling waves and never-ending clamour of ocean cruises? Consider river cruises instead for a slow, serene and comfortable adventure along some of the world’s most spectacular waterways.
The river cruise experience, after all, is almost entirely different from that of your usual seafaring cruise liner, largely because of the size difference between both vessels.
Ocean cruise liners are hulking behemoths stuffed to the gills with thousands of passengers spread across a dozen decks. The sheer scale of the ship usually allows for a dizzying array of entertainment venues ranging from arcades and water parks to zip lines, ballrooms and lounges.
River cruises, on the other hand, are more like luxury train rides, filling out at only a few hundred passengers (or even less, depending on the operator and route). Entertainment options are generally less mass-market with a focus on amenities for discerning travellers – think wellness spas, pools and specialty restaurants, with nary a queue in sight for your entire stay.
With way less passengers compared to ocean cruises, disembarking from the river cruises at each port for day trips is also a breeze, setting you up for an enjoyable day sightseeing.
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The ship’s slimmer profile won’t be a problem even for travellers prone to getting seasick as rivers are generally smoother and gentler compared to the open sea.
As an added bonus, your porthole will never be far from the magnificent sights and sounds of the countryside – how’s that for serenity?
Read on for a list of river cruise liners operating some of the most spectacular routes around the world, ranging from majestic rivers in the heart of Europe to the far-flung waterways of the Amazon.
Popular river cruises operators
1. Avalon Waterways
Avalon Waterways is a major player in the river cruising market. The Globus-owned cruise line sets itself apart from the competition with an industry-first innovation: Outfitting its staterooms with floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows, allowing travellers to transform their bedrooms into open-air balconies.
It’s a clever way to squeeze just a bit more square footage into guestrooms, while also allowing travellers to sprawl full-length on their beds as they watch the European countryside roll on by – not that you’d want to spend all your time in your room, of course, as Avalon also goes out of their way to plan shore excursions that educate as well as excite. Think wine tastings at local vineyards, heritage walking tours or even an active day out on the back of a bicycle.
Popular itineraries include cruises along Europe’s major rivers like the Rhine, the Danube and the Seine. River cruises on the Amazon in South America and the Nile in Egypt are also available too.
Prices: From $3,680 for a seven-nights cruise from Basel to Amsterdam via the Rhine; from $16,700 for a 25-night cruise from Lucerne to the French Riviera
2. Viking River Cruises
The river cruising counterpart to Viking Ocean Cruises boasts a fleet of around 60 ships spread across major European rivers like the Danube, the Rhine and the Douro along with other famous waterways like the Nile, America’s Mississippi of Tom Sawyer fame and the Great Lakes to boot. Its vessels are called longboats in a nod to its Nordic branding, though the amenities on-board could not be further from the spartan austerity that Viking raiders were used to.
There are libraries, swimming pools, outdoor decks and specialty restaurants aplenty to plunder, along with a rip-roaring entertainment and shore excursion programme to keep guests entertained throughout their river sojourn. It’ll be adults only with Viking River Cruises, as you need to be at least 18 years old to sail with the Norwegian operator.
Prices: From $4,800 for a seven-night cruise from Budapest to Regensburg; from $9,000 for an 11-night cruise from Paris to Avignon
3. Pandaw Cruises
For over 25 years, Pandaw Cruises has led the market in Asia-focused river cruises, operating attractively priced routes in Halong Bay, the Mekong River, the upper and lower Ganges as well as the Kerala Backwaters.
This Asian focus extends all the way to their 17-boat fleet, which eschews modern amenities like flat-screen high-definition TVs, private balconies and plush carpets in favour of old-world glamour – think brass, teak and rattan – throughout its open balconies and staterooms.
The family-owned river cruise operator combines this with a mix of immersive, local-led excursions – mountain biking; trekking; heritage tours; the works – in creating what it calls the “Pandaw spirit”, a quality that it says leads to almost half of their customers returning for repeat visits.
By the way, Pandaw Cruises bucks the trend for major cruise operators by catering rooms for single travellers on a wide range of routes with no extra charge, even during peak season.
Prices: From $4,500 for a seven-night cruise from Saigon to Siem Reap; from $10,100 for a 14-night cruise on the Ganges
4. AmaWaterways
Food is all-inclusive on a cruise with family-owned AmaWaterways, which is good news seeing as how the California-based operator prides itself on delivering what it says is one of the premier oceangoing dining experiences.
Key to this promise is the induction of much of its fleet into the invitation-only La Chaine des Rotisseurs culinary society, meaning you’ll get unfettered access to all “pleasures of the table” as you cruise through the rivers of Portugal, Provence, Bordeaux and Amsterdam.
Gourmet dining alone does not a luxury cruise make – even for the most ardent of foodies – so you’ll also find swim-up bars, spas and panoramic sundecks to go with gorgeous staterooms on all its magnificently decorated ships.
Prices: From $5,000 for a seven-night cruise from Luxembourg to Nurembourg; from $10,000 for a 14-night cruise from Amsterdam to Basel
5. Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Luxury river cruises for the entire family is the name of the game for Californian liner Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.
The company boasts a fleet of 19 stylishly decorated ships (with another soon to come) scattered across rivers in central Europe, Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia and India), Peru and Egypt. The vibes here are very much boutique, modern and unstuffy, with stateroom amenities like Nespresso coffee machines, phone docking stations and rainfall showers.
Each ship carries an average of 120 guests, which sounds like quite a lot for a river cruise operator until you consider the industry-leading staff-to-guest ratio of one crew member to about every two travellers.
As we’ve mentioned, family-friendly shore activities are built into itineraries, whether you’re going for a hop across Europe’s Christmas markets or exploring the Peruvian rainforest.
Prices: From $3,400 for a seven-night cruise from Budapest to Dassau; from $27,800 for a 15-night cruise from Budapest to Venice
6. Aqua Expeditions
Travellers looking to get lost in the lap of luxury, this one’s for you. Aqua Expeditions has found quite a niche for itself with its exclusive five-star sailings to locations like the Amazon and the Mekong. Its trio of river cruise ships house just 40 passengers in 20 cabins, creating a sense of intimacy unrivalled by the bigger ships on this list.
Relaxation by way of tranquil spas and serene lounges is almost guaranteed, leaving travellers refreshed and ready for jungle exploration with knowledgeable guides native to the very rivers being sailed upon.
An Aqua Expeditions cruise, as you’ve probably come to realise, is very much focused around immersing guests into their destinations, down to the theme of the sumptuous staterooms and multi-course locavore meals.
Prices: From $4,300 for a three-night cruise from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City; from $148,000 for a three-night cruise from Nauta to Nauta in Peru
Keen to find out more about river cruising in Europe? Join us for our first-ever SilverStreak Social Travel Kakis session where we explore all about cruising down European rivers with Avalon Waterways. More information here.
