How to Choose the Right River Cruise for You

So you’ve read our blog posts about taking a river cruise and decided you’re ready to embark! You know that river cruises are smaller, more intimate cruises that often sail through the heart of several cities. You know that these ships offer more activities and excursions included in the price, and you know that it’s just what you’re looking for. What now?

There are dozens of river cruises in the world – how do you know which one is right for you? While we always recommend chatting with your trusted travel advisor (email us here), this little guide is a good starting place.

First: What Do You Want to See?

When you close your eyes and imagine yourself on this fabulous cruise – what do you see? It doesn’t have to be an exact location yet – just an essence. Do you want to visit fairytale towns, traditional local villages, or castles? Perhaps you light up at the idea of famous historic cities welcoming you in? When you imagine the landscape, are you picturing sailing through forests, rolling vineyards, or jungles?

Start with what kinds of things you want to see as you sail down the river.  Consider what you imagine waking up to and exploring each day. This will help you narrow it down to a general region – Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, or South America.

Second: What Do You Want to Experience?

River Cruises are all about experiences and unique excursions. While you may not know exactly what shore excursions are offered on each cruise, thinking about how active you want to be and what kinds of things you like to see and do is a perfect starting place.

You can enjoy beautiful cultural dances and in-depth immersions with local craftsmen. Entice your palate with foodie destinations and wine or beer tastings. If you love an active vacation, you can choose a cruise with options for hiking through beautiful scenery, cycling past vineyards, or incredible walking tours. Consider if your focus is more on history, cuisine, or natural beauty.

a group of teens and kids in traditional Bulgarian dress kneel for a photo after performing a local folk dance

Third: When Do You Want to Go?

Now that you know what style of river cruise, and the general region – you can consider what time of year you want to travel. If you have specific dates you may need to start with that. For specific time-sensitive sites like Tulips, Christmas Markets, or Fall Wine Harvests, then those dates will be decided for you.

If you have a more open schedule, consider the weather and the crowds:

River Cruise season begins in March and continues through the end of December. The summer months are high season. So, along with bright, sunny days, they come with bigger crowds and higher prices. In some places, there can also be questions about water levels (a very dry summer impacts the rivers.)

The shoulder months of September & October are great times to travel with warm days, cool nights, and medium crowd sizes.

The low season months of mid-to-late March and late October – early December are cooler with a greater chance of rain. You may need an umbrella, and you might encounter water level issues (higher than normal rivers can also be a problem), but can generally count on lower prices and fewer crowds.

With all this in mind, you’re ready to choose your river!

Popular European Rivers

The Danube – combining famous cities with unusual destinations

  • Sites: Fairytale villages, iconic UNESCO sites, Vienna & Budapest, gorgeous soft landscapes
  • Experiences: Concerts, Waltzes, Biking & Beer Tasting
  • Best Time of Year: May – June & October

The Rhine – great for first-timers since it travels through six different countries

  • Sites: Famous cities like Amsterdam & Cologne. A spectacular range of scenery from hills to mountains.
  • Experiences: Centuries of history & culture, beer & wine tastings, cycling
  • Best Time of Year: April – June & September – October

The Rhone –Best if you’re short on time

  • Sites: The French countryside with vineyards and medieval cities, the Swiss Alps
  • Experiences: Food &wine pairings in the heart of French wine country
  • Best Time of Year: April & May

The Duoro –For seasoned travelers looking for something different

  • Sites: Small towns, wineries & UNESCO sites
  • Experiences: wine tastings, friendly locals
  • Best Time of Year: September & October

Popular Asian Rivers

Mekong – Visiting Vietnam & Cambodia with lots of options

  • Sites: Quaint fishing villages and bustling cities, rice paddies & mangrove forests
  • Experiences: Ancient ruins, rickshaw rides, floating farmers market, activities with local craftsman
  • Best Time of Year: August – March

Yangtze River –Perfect for exploring China

  • Sites: Shanghai, Three Gorges and Three Gorges Dam
  • Experiences: Traditional temples, pagodas & traditional dances
  • Best Time of Year: April – May & September – October

Once you’ve thought through these questions of where, when and what kind of experiences you want, we can help you choose just the right river cruise line and itinerary to match your list. There are river cruise lines that cater to more active travelers, travelers that love boutique hotels, luxury travelers, solo travelers, and even families.  Send us an email, or give us a call!

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You provided excellent guidance for us. I appreciated that you really had us think about what was most important to us when we were selecting the right cruise – and not to totally focus on what other people had to say. THANK YOU for helping to make this a memorable trip for our family! It really was a trip of a lifetime!

Clare and Mark (family cruise to Alaska)

The level of service we experienced was out of this world (and we did NOT make it easy on Ann). We weren’t quite sure where we wanted to go, when we would be able to go, or what “vibe” we were going for. After asking us some key questions (what we liked, didn’t like, why, etc.) Ann helped us narrow down our trip details and planned the honeymoon of our dreams. She helped book some of our excursions, answered some emergency questions while abroad and was always available/willing to help. I think it’s safe to say we won’t be using anyone else for future travel planning – Ann is a rockstar!

Carli (Italy and Spain)