7 Stunning River Cruises to Try in Your Lifetime (2024)

Savour the South of France

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Beginning and ending in Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France, Scenic’s 11-day Spectacular South of France sailing on the Saône and Rhône rivers isn’t short of gourmet highlights. Sip chardonnay and pinot noir at an estate in Burgundy; go truffle hunting in Tournus; and visit an olive farm in Arles. On board, with just 149 guests (and butler service for every suite), there are up to five dining options and a cooking school, Scenic Culinaire.

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Provence is the home of classic French dishes such as ratatouille and bouillabaisse, and Avignon, the port of call on day six, is paradise for gourmands. Join one of the ship’s chefs on a tour of the city’s produce market, Les Halles, where you’ll wander among stalls piled with regional produce – sun-ripened tomatoes, artichokes, apricots – and work on your French with cheesemongers and bakers. Back on board, roll up your sleeves and learn how to prepare local delicacies in a chef-led masterclass. Participate just as much as you like but don’t skip out on enjoying the spoils.

Be enchanted by Eastern Europe

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It flows through 10 countries and inspired Johann Strauss’s most famous waltz, yet many of the 2850-kilometre Danube River’s gems remain under the radar. On Tauck’s 12-day The Blue Danube itinerary from Budapest to Prague, 130 guests will discover the region’s lesser-known towns, such as Engelhartszell in Austria, and be treated to exclusive experiences, including a private dinner at 16th-century Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle.

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On day eight, you might head to Salzburg to pay a visit to the Mozart museum, located in the composer’s birthplace, Hagenauer Haus. But while the Austrian city may be better known (it appears throughout The Sound of Music), the alternative excursion to a medieval town in the Czech Republic feels like stepping into the pages of a children’s storybook. Tucked within the folds of the Vltava River, Český Krumlov’s cobbled streets, namesake castle and colourful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings have earned it UNESCO World Heritage status. Your included tour takes in the castle complex, where you can scale the 162 steps to the top of the tower. The climb is optional but the chance to gaze out at the magical town and the countryside beyond makes it unmissable.

Travel through time in Egypt

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From your private balcony on Uniworld’s Splendors of Egypt & The Nile voyage (uniworld.com), watch life unfold along one of the world’s most storied waterways. Across 12 days, you and no more than 83 fellow guests will sail from Dendera to Luxor, Aswan, Esna and more, stepping ashore to discover Egypt’s ancient and contemporary culture. Days spent in Cairo, pre- and post-cruise, include a bucket-list trip to the Giza Necropolis to marvel at the pyramids and the Great Sphinx.

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Spend any time on the River Nile and you’ll spot traditional felucca sailing boats crisscrossing the water. Day seven in Aswan includes a Uniworld exclusive experience, which begins on one of these vessels with the warm North African breeze at your back, travelling the watery highway like the locals do. Then, time-travel at the Victorian-era Old Cataract Aswan Hotel, where Agatha Christie stayed in 1937 and wrote part of her classic whodunnit, Death on the Nile. While other groups only tour the lobby, you can channel your inner Poirot over finger sandwiches, macarons and a cup of Earl Grey during afternoon tea on the terrace, boats bobbing on the palm-fringed river below.

Indulge on the River Douro

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Golden pastel de nata, Port wine direct from the source and every type of tinned fish you can imagine. The delicious delights of Portugal and Spain await during Viking’s 10-day Portugal’s River of Gold itinerary. Enjoy two days in Lisbon before you board with a maximum of 106 passengers in Porto and meander along the Douro, lined with vineyards, quintas (farm estates) and riverside towns. Stops include Pinhão and Régua – where you can try paio, the local spicy pork loin sausage – and Salamanca in Spain.

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There are excursions to a historic fortress town by the Spanish border or a traditional bakery in the Douro Valley but seeing how Portugal’s famous sardines get tucked into their tins is a unique treat. Seafood has long been the lifeblood of Matosinhos, a coastal city just 10 minutes’ drive north of Porto, and Conservas Pinhais has been canning the small, silvery fish for more than 100 years. On day nine, a tour of the factory lets you watch as staff sort, pack and wrap the delicacy by hand. You’ll get the chance to taste the wares – in oil, tomato sauce or spiked with chilli – and, yes, there is a gift shop.

Drink in the beauty of Bordeaux

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Travel to the heart of one of the world’s most renowned wine regions on the Bonjour Bordeaux: Chateaux, Wineries & Charming Villages sailing with Avalon Waterways. Spend eight days cruising the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, ticking off all the highlights in the voyage’s name and sampling top-shelf cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot along the way. With a maximum of 128 guests, it’s easy to find your own quiet corner of the ship to watch the neat rows of vines drift by.

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Between sipping sauternes in Cadillac-sur-Garonne, enjoying a lesson in cognac-making in the pretty village of Bourg and a generous number of wine-tasting excursions, getting active might not be the most obvious way to spend your time. Combine the pleasure of viticulture with a breath of fresh country air on day three, when you can hop on an e-bike and pedal through local vineyards near the hamlet of Cussac-Fort-Médoc. Picture the dreamy landscapes of a classic French film and you’re not far off reality.

See a different side of The Mekong

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APT’s Spiritual Cambodia and The Mekong voyage lives up to its name, immersing you in the culture of the South-East Asian country and its neighbour, Vietnam, over 11 days. Start in Ho Chi Minh City (or take the reverse route from Siem Reap), where you’ll board the Mekong Serenity and settle into your suite, one of just 44. Then submit to languid days on the river, with a front-row seat for sunrise and sunset, stopping to explore a Cao Dai temple, Catholic churches, quiet villages and the busy Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

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There’s ample opportunity to learn about the craft of local artisans, from silk workers in Oknha Tey to rattan weavers in Tan Chau. On day seven, after a Buddhist blessing at a monastery in Oudong – an APT signature experience – you’ll make another memorable stop: Koh Chen. Also known as “Silversmith Island”, this small community is home to silver- and coppersmiths who use traditional methods to create plates, vases, figurines and jewellery, the sound of their tools clinking against metal filling the air. Visit family-owned workshops, where skills are passed down through the generations, and head back to the ship with your own piece of Cambodian artistry.

Step inside a European fairytale

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In just the first four days of the Emerald Cruises Rhine Castles & Moselle Vineyards journey, you’ll see four unique castles, from canal-side Oudaen in Utrecht to the grand Paleis Het Loo in Nijmegen. Travelling from Amsterdam to Zurich along the Rhine, Moselle, Main and Danube rivers, the 11-day itinerary balances engaging onshore activities with the comfort and indulgence onboard your 180-guest Europe Star-Ship (where the swimming pool converts into a cinema after dark).

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While gliding along the river is peaceful and picturesque on the ship (especially from bed in a Panorama Balcony Suite), don’t miss the chance to get even closer to the water. On day 10, after docking at the pretty town of Breisach in south-west Germany, join the EmeraldActive canoeing excursion that traces the banks of the Rhine. Not just a fun way to get moving, it’s an opportunity to slow down and focus on the warmth of the northern summer sun (the cruise runs from June to August in 2025), listen for the sounds of birds and take an occasional break from paddling to trail your fingers through the cool water.

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7 Stunning River Cruises to Try in Your Lifetimefalse