Picture gliding down calm rivers, surrounded by stunning scenery and charming cities that you can explore up close. River cruises are a delightful way to travel, and here’s why they’re so popular:

Benefits? You’ll love them!

River cruises are all about the journey and the destination! You’ll dock right in the heart of iconic cities and hidden gems, giving you more time to explore. Plus, the ships are smaller, so you’ll enjoy a more intimate, relaxed atmosphere, with fewer crowds and personalized service.

Activities? You’re in for a treat!

Onboard, you can relax on the sundeck, take in breathtaking views, or enjoy a glass of wine with new friends. Many cruises also offer cooking classes, local tastings, and themed nights to match the region you’re sailing through. Off the ship? Daily excursions let you dive into local culture, whether it’s exploring castles, biking through vineyards, or strolling through quaint towns.

Who can travel?

River cruises are perfect for travelers of all kinds! Couples love the romantic vibe, families can bond over shared adventures, and solo travelers feel right at home with the friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Plus, there’s always a range of activities to suit different interests and energy levels.

Why should you consider a river cruise voyage?

River cruises offer a unique, immersive experience. You’ll visit multiple destinations without the hassle of airports, unpacking, or long travel days. Instead, you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenic ride as you sail from one amazing place to another. It’s all about slow travel, soaking in the beauty of each location, and experiencing the culture firsthand.

Myths? Let’s clear them up!

• "It’s only for retirees." No way! River cruises are popular with travelers of all ages looking for a laid-back, culturally rich experience.

• "It’s too small, I’ll be bored." Not at all! There’s plenty to do, from excursions to onboard entertainment, and with fewer people, you get a more personalized experience.

• "It’s just for Europe." While Europe has some of the most famous river cruises, there are plenty of river adventures around the world—from the Amazon to the Nile!

Discover the Best of the Rivers 

My Top 2 Picks for Unforgettable River Cruises

AmaWaterways River Cruises  

Why AmaWaterways?

With over two decades of experience on the world’s rivers, the family-owned and operated company has remained focused on what they do best: providing their guests with innovative and unforgettable travel experiences. When you step aboard AmaWaterways, each day brings a genuine smile that warms the heart, every river a new culture that inspires, and each course a moment to savor and share.

With AmaWaterways, every day is a “see” day as you cruise through grand capitals and charming towns. The ships dock near city centers, meaning you can step right off the ship and explore.

AmaWaterways has curated a diverse menu of shore excursions included as part of your cruise fare. The roster of options caters to a range of interest and activity levels, including tours for gentle and active walkers as well as late risers. Enjoy city tours, guided hikes, exhilarating bike rides, and tastings of local specialties—all on one itinerary!

With membership in the internationally recognized La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, and Tables et Auberges de France, AmaWaterways takes pride in preparing exquisite, regionally inspired cuisine using locally sourced ingredients. You can also enjoy complimentary hand-selected wines and local beers during every lunch and dinner on board.

Spacious and uncrowded, AmaWaterways award-winning fleet offers elegantly appointed staterooms and suites and welcomes fewer guests than many traditional river cruise ships. The innovative AmaMagna offers enhanced personal space with more than 50% luxury suite accommodations as well as four unique dining venues, a chic onboard cinema and an expansive Zen Wellness Studio.

Join the dedicated Wellness Hosts for complimentary small-group fitness classes on board your ship. For a gentler approach to wellness, we invite you to take a dip in the sun-deck pool or indulge in a spa treatment. Healthy cuisine prepared with seasonal ingredients is always available, as are vegetarian, gluten-free and low-sodium choices.

The extraordinary Cruise Managers and crew continuously go above and beyond to enhance the onboard experience, surprising and delighting the guests with thoughtful details, getting to know you personally and anticipating your needs before you ever have to ask. Our people are the main reason more guests return to cruise with us than with any other river cruise line - a testament to their passion and unrivaled service.

Continuously innovating the river cruise experience, AmaWaterways were the first to offer twin-balcony staterooms, complimentary bikes, a full-sized pickleball court, and a complimentary multi-course specialty restaurant, The Chef's Table. As industry leaders, they work to minimize our impact on the world’s rivers, reducing single-use plastics across our fleet and installing solar panels on AmaMagna.

You can stay in touch with high-quality complimentary Wi-Fi, available on board throughout the fleet. In addition, the easy-to-use myAmaCruise app allows you view and share an interactive map that follows your river cruise itinerary, share photos with friends and family, learn about each port of call, find available excursions and even access your electronic travel documents.

AmaWaterways River Cruises

Viking Cruises

Why Viking?

Before travel, Viking provides a variety of materials to help guests plan and anticipate their journey, from filmographies that inspire wanderlust to recommended reading that informs and enlightens.

Onboard activities are designed for enrichment and renewal. Viking offer lectures on history and art, cooking demonstrations of regional favorites, menus offering regional cuisine and more.

On shore, guests might accompany the ship's chef to a local market; go behind the scenes at a famous theater company; tour a private chocolate or car factory; or view a museum's private collection.

All the amenities of an elegant boutique hotel, including an unparalleled choice of all-outside staterooms, expansive views from floor-to-ceiling windows and al fresco dining. The most elegant vessels that use the available space in the most effective way—which explains why Viking is known as the small ship experts. From the space-saving square bow to the patented asymmetrical corridor design, the revolutionary and award-winning Viking Longships have been designed to enhance your journey.

Revolutionary in concept and design, the Aquavit Terrace offers the most al fresco dining on Europe’s rivers. Get to know new friends over breakfast and lunch as you watch Europe’s picturesque riverscapes unfold before you in this relaxing, inviting space.

On top of the ship, take in 360-degree views as you relax on the Sun Deck. Exercise en plein air on the walking track. And enjoy the fragrances of the onboard herb garden, harvested daily by the culinary staff and infused in the authentic regional dishes. 

Rigorous training and inspiring leadership make Viking the employer of choice, allowing them to select the very best people to care for you. Viking is dedicated to providing warm hospitality to their guests and ensuring everyone feels at home on board. 

Local artisans demonstrate time-honored craft traditions of your destinations, such as glassblowing, lace making and wooden shoemaking. The culinary demonstrations present recipes of regional treats and drinks—Austrian apple strudel, Rüdesheim Coffee and more.

The onboard Library was curated by Heywood Hill, an independent London bookseller and Royal Warrant holder, who dedicated hundreds of hours to understanding the unique, inquisitive nature of Viking guests. From art to history to destination-focused reading, each book was hand-selected to enhance your experience, both on board and at your destination.

 
Viking provides fascinating insights into Local Life during excursions that reveal the rhythms of daily living in your destination, have arranged exclusive entry to cultural treasures all around the world. Visit seldom-seen collections with before - and after-hours access to world-class museums; be a special guest at private homes and palaces not open to just anyone; or attend cultural performances of folklore, ballet and opera to get an insider’s view during these private tours.

What Viking is:

• No children under 18
• No casinos
• No nickel and diming
• No charge for Wi-Fi
• No charge for beer & wine with lunch & dinner
• No umbrella drinks
• No photography sales
• No art auctions
• No inside staterooms
• No smoking
• No waiting in lines
• No formal nights, butlers or white gloves

Viking River Cruises

Why Uniworld?

Because you deserve the best

Surrounded by the ambiance of an elegant, destination-inspired ship and embraced by their passionate staff, you’ll notice the Uniworld difference immediately. 

This is what the absolute best in luxury river cruising feels like. Where every expectation is exceeded, every destination is uniquely experienced, and every instance of delight is quickly followed by another inspiring moment. Their mantra is simple: adore every guest, and strive for excellence down to the smallest detail.

Outstanding Service

Service is at the heart of everything they do. Uniworld treat their guests like family–a philosophy instilled in the company culture as a family-owned business with 100 years in the hospitality industry. It’s the driving force behind their guest-centric atmosphere and the reason you leave the cruise feeling like part of the family.

At Uniworld, all live by the credo “No request is too large, No detail too small.”  Their goal is to give you the unique and unforgettable experiences you seek, with the personalized, industry-leading service you deserve.

The tiniest details often draw the brightest smiles. The staff’s passion is apparent in their matchless attention to your interests, like remembering your drink order from day one, or venturing off the ship to surprise you with chocolates from a local shop you mentioned in passing.

The Most All-Inclusive

To ensure truly carefree and effortless travel, they included it all–so the only thing you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy your vacation. The quality and value of the inclusions are unmatched, from free-flowing fine wines and liquors to delicious cuisine and daily included experiences.

• Unlimited premium spirits and wines
• Delicious, five-star , farm-to-table cuisine
• Your choice of carefully curated excursions 
• All gratuities onboard
• Onboard fitness center and wellness classes with a certified wellness instructor
• Scheduled airport transfers for those who meet the Transfer Guidelines
• Bicycles and nordic walking sticks for onshore use
• Ship wide Internet and WI-FI access
• Onboard entertainment  and enrichment

One-of-a-Kind Ships

Uniworld took everything travelers love about the boutique hotel experience and made it float. Inspired by their destinations, each ship in the fleet has a uniquely beautiful design.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is modeled after their sister company, the five-star Red Carnation Hotel Collection. Their collection of boutique hotels is known for their destination-inspired interior décor, gracious service and carefully selected amenities—all of which provide an intimate, elegant and relaxed experience.

Each ship is inspired by the very rivers upon which they cruise. With distinctive themes, color palettes, custom-made fabrics, personally selected original artwork, sumptuous furnishings and antiques, each element, down to the smallest detail, has been thoughtfully considered and flawlessly rendered.

Culinary Excellence

Fresh local ingredients and a masterful culinary team come together to create an incredible dining experience that brings the flavors of your destinations onboard.

Farm-to-table it’s a governing philosophy and commitment to serving you the very best local dishes created by their master chefs. 

Wine Selections

Uniworld cruises through some of the world’s most acclaimed wine producing regions in Europe. The onboard wine menus are expertly curated by their staff of Sommeliers to reflect the local destination. Plus, you can enjoy these local wines as part of your all-inclusive package. 

Premium Spirits

Extra dirty Grey Goose martini with locally harvested olives? It’s all yours. As is everything else you can think of. With their ultra-inclusive amenities you can enjoy unlimited beverages onboard, including many premium spirits, such as: Grey Goose, Absolut, Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Bacardi, 1800, Jack Daniel’s, Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Disaronno.

Beer Selections

The onboard beer menus feature unique lagers, ales and stouts from small local breweries, giving you a taste of the world’s finest. The best part? It’s all included.

Creative Culinary Options

For those interested in healthier dining options, the Traveling Lite menu features all of the flavors of  the traditional menu, but with fewer calories. They also offer a variety of vegetarian and vegan options, prepared just for you. If you have a specific meal preference, just ask and the chefs will be happy to accommodate.

Carefully Curated Experiences

Uniworld go the extra mile to craft immersive and memorable onshore excursions, with a variety of activities that speak to the diverse interests of their guests. Every Uniworld cruise is meticulously crafted to be an experience you won’t find anywhere else, filled with moments that are each more breathtaking than the last. 

Included Excursions

• Village Day: Get an in-depth look into the quaint destinations we visit and the local people who bring them to life.
• Let's Go: These active excursions feature walking, hiking, cycling, kayaking and golfing activities.
• Do as the locals do: Experience life like a local, from ridding the subway to stopping into a cafe for a local treat. 
• Nights Out: Private after-hours tours of popular attractions and fun local nightlife experiences. 

Private Experiences 

From visiting a museum without the crowds to an after-hours tour of a famous landmark, these included, once-in-a-lifetime experiences are arranged privately for Uniworld guests.

Masterpiece Collection

Tasting cheese with a cheese affineur in Rüdesheim or cruising through the streets of Bordeaux in a retro sidecar–if going above and beyond is what you’re after, you’ll be sure to enjoy our selection of Masterpiece Collection optional experiences, available for an additional cost.

Curated Services

Guests looking to treat themselves and their loved ones to a private, extraordinary experience can arrange a Curated Service. These experiences can be booked onboard, are often accompanied with a private car and/or guide, are fully customizable, and provide guests with an opportunity to create an exceptionally special moment just for them.

Benefits for Past Guests

Travel with Uniworld once, and you are welcomed into our River Heritage Club loyalty program. Members receive exclusive perks and savings.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises