The 9 greatest river cruises for each sort of traveler

River cruise operators are extremely aggressive, usually providing very comparable excursions and onboard facilities. Even the ships are comparable in structure and options, albeit with completely different decor types.

Nonetheless, each line has its strengths, and the wide range of locations and itineraries means there are many river cruise decisions for each sort of traveler, from journey lovers to historical past nerds and wine and meals aficionados.

Greatest for first-timers

If you happen to’re taking your first river cruise, Viking is an effective place to start out because it’s one of many largest and most skilled river cruise operators. Since its founding in 1997, Viking has targeted on basic itineraries to must-see locations and websites, just like the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest, Cologne’s famed cathedral in Germany, the tulip fields in Belgium and the Netherlands, and the antiquities in Egypt. And since Viking has greater than 80 river ships crusing the world, it is simple to seek out an itinerary to match your pursuits.

Greatest for energetic vacationers

Lately, river strains have been working onerous to shed their picture as being largely for older, retired vacationers. Most adopted swimsuit as a part of that effort when AmaWaterways launched bicycle excursions and health lessons on board almost 10 years in the past.

However Avalon Waterways has actually set itself aside with its “Energetic & Discovery” itineraries in Europe that assure three forms of excursions every single day: Basic, Energetic and Discovery. The Basic is a coach or strolling tour of the important thing sights of the day; Energetic choices embrace mountaineering, biking, and even kayaking and canoeing; whereas Discovery might be something from native cooking and portray lessons to early morning walks for breakfast at a neighborhood cafe.

Greatest for vacationers on the lookout for a deep dive

The expedition cruise operator Nationwide Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions guarantees a brand new degree of immersion in European historical past when it begins crusing the Rhine River for the primary time in 2026.

Lindblad’s ocean voyages focus extra on wildlife and energetic exploration through mountaineering, kayaking and Zodiac rides, however its European river cruises will emphasize the area’s wealthy historical past, tradition and delicacies.

For instance, you’ll be able to sip Champagne with the lord of Rheinstein Fort within the Rhine Gorge; find out about Frankfurt’s deep-rooted Jewish historical past throughout a personal in-home go to; or see the works of masters like Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Vermeer throughout personal after-hours excursions on the Kroller-Muller Museum within the Netherlands.

Every voyage’s workers consists of an expedition chief, historian, cultural professional, licensed images teacher and Nationwide Geographic vacation spot professional. Like an expedition cruise, the sailings will function onboard lectures and excursions.

Greatest for journey seekers 

If you happen to agree with the “If you happen to’ve seen one church, you’ve got seen all of them” sentiment, a cruise alongside the Amazon could also be your best option. With Aqua Expeditions, you’ll be able to hike by means of the jungle, fish for piranha, and ply the Peruvian Amazon’s darkish water on Zodiac rides seeking pink dolphins and the area’s many birds and different wildlife.

One in all only a handful of small-ship operators within the area, Aqua Expeditions provides the very best luxurious and journey on its 20-suite Aqua Nera and the 16-suite Aria Amazon. However the firm has a brand new competitor within the luxurious house: Abercrombie & Kent‘s newly launched Pure Amazon has simply 12 cabins with floor-to-ceiling home windows and a assured 1-to-1 staff-to-guest ratio.

Greatest for solo vacationers

River cruises are nice for solo vacationers as a result of their intimate measurement and nature are excellent for making new associates. Nonetheless, like a lot of the group journey business, charges are primarily based on double occupancy, that means the upcharge for touring alone might be steep.

Most strains now supply a couple of decrease cabins on each itinerary that solo vacationers can e-book with out paying the dreaded single complement. And European operator Riviera River Cruises has total sailings devoted to solo vacationers with out the upcharge, making them splendid for each singles in addition to associates who merely need their very own house.

Greatest for households

River cruising has by no means been notably family-friendly. As a result of the ships and their cabins are small, there is not house for devoted youngsters areas, and the excursions are very adult-focused.

There are a couple of exceptions. Adventures by Disney has lengthy partnered with AmaWaterways to supply family-oriented river sailings on its ships. These ships have a couple of connecting cabins and cabins with house for a chair that converts to a single mattress.

Different family-friendly river cruise strains embrace Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, which has choose household sailings all year long, and CroisiEurope, which has connecting cabins and provides multigenerational sailings in the summertime with particular excursions for youths.

Greatest for luxurious vacationers 

Most river cruise strains catering to North Individuals match squarely within the luxurious camp. The place they fluctuate is of their types. For conventional luxurious with impeccable service, domestically sourced meals and wine, British-trained butlers, and opulent decor distinctive to every ship and the area it sails, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises has lengthy been the chief.

In France, sail the Seine aboard the S.S. Joie de Vivre, which Uniworld adorned with handcrafted furnishings, tremendous antiques, unique art work and accents impressed by Twentieth-century Parisian design. Uniworld can be the one luxurious line crusing the Venetian lagoon with the S.S. La Venezia, the place you may discover Fortuny materials and Murano glass on board.

For extra informal luxurious, AmaWaterways and Avalon Waterways excel with top-notch service, facilities and meals, minus a few of the extra formal decor and extra conventional luxurious perks.

Greatest for historical past lovers 

European river cruises supply many historic excursions by advantage of their location. However for individuals who wish to dig into historic historical past, nothing beats a journey down Egypt’s Nile with professional Egyptologists on Abercrombie & Kent’s 4 luxurious Sanctuary ships, which vary in measurement from six to 38 cabins.

For a very unique expertise, sail to the Valley of the Kings, Luxor Temple and different well-known landmarks on the six-cabin Zein Nile Chateau, a favourite for personal charters by celebrities together with Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Whereas A&Ok excels with its guides, meals and opulent ships, a number of different luxurious river firms sail the Nile, together with Viking, Tauck, AmaWaterways and Uniworld. Most itineraries vary from 4 to seven nights and embrace pre- and post-sailing excursions to see the pyramids and museums in Cairo.

Greatest for foodies and oenophiles

All the posh river strains are recognized for excellent regional and worldwide delicacies and wine picks throughout their itineraries, particularly in France.

However one of many latest gamers, Riverside Luxurious Cruises, strives to construct its status as greatest at school for tremendous eating, notably with regards to particular tasting menus. The particular personal eating experiences supplied aren’t low cost (anticipate upcharges of $320 per individual), however are billed as Michelin-quality.

They reside as much as their promise with menus together with roasted yellow capsicum with recent anchovy and tender pink spring veal. And the wines alone justify the price. Throughout a current crusing, we sampled distinctive wine picks from France, Germany, Switzerland and Hungary, together with Donatsch Completer Malanserrebe, a white wine from the uncommon and historic grapes native to Switzerland’s Graubunden area.