The river cruise in Europe is one of those deliciously slow and easy travel modes. You are in a small floating hotel, sliding through the calm waters of the interior passing castles, vineyards and landscapes that change per hour.
Gurdated daily tours and other excursions provided by River Line take it to key sites of the Unesco World Heritage and other attractions of the city and village. Or, you can explore on your own, which is easy because your ship will often bore in the city.
The lazy afternoons on the ship allow the time to sit in a living room and see the world pass: children swimming from the banks of the river, farmers who count their crops, birds of the rivers that stir their wings, while sliding towards their next destination.
What European river should you explore? The options are broader than one would expect.
The main rivers in Europe for cruises are the Danube and the Rhine and its tributaries. They are, with much, the most popular, feasible in one week segments or longer itineraries that combine regions and rivers. However, there are more options for cruises of a week and beyond. Do not underestimate the charm of relaxing for seven days in a river in France or in the Douuro Dreaming in Portugal.
Here are the best river cruises in Europe.
Superior Danube
When it comes to Europe River Cruises, the upper Danube is perfect for an initial navigation of seven nights. It takes you through centuries of history while you explore Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.
The ships visit cultural centers such as Vienna, with their opera, art museums and elaborate real palaces, and Budapest, with their magnificent architecture and modern environment. If your ship passes the Hungarian Parliament building at night, a gift awaits you; Magnificently illuminated, it is one of the most photographed places of the river.
Throughout the route between Melk and Krems in Austria, you browse the Wachau Valley, a key region that produces wines that produces RiesLings and Gruner Veltliners, with available drink opportunities. It is also a great place to walk by bicycle, so it is nice to navigate with lines like Amawaterways They carry bicycles on board for passengers to use them.
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It is also possible that you have the option of a side trip to Salzburg, Austria, famous as Mozart’s birthplace and as the place where several scenes were filmed for the movie “The Sound of Music”. A surprise for many is the Old Town Bratislava, Slovakia, which might not have been in its list of weakening, but charming with its culture and castles of beer.
Related: The best river cruise lines worldwide
Lower Danube
For a deep immersion in the past and present of Eastern Europe, the fascinating route of the lower Danube between Budapest and Bucharest, Romania, explores the story from the medieval era and the Victorian era of Dracula to the emergence of communism and the Bosnia war.
A cruise for the seven night river takes it through Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. The most beautiful stretch of the river is a 62 -mile passage through a gorge between the Balkan and Carpathian mountains. It is also one of the deepest sections of the world in the world.
Other views that are accessed during Earth excursions through the bus include Belgrachik’s rocks in Bulgaria, which are naturally carved red rock pinnacles that seem to take shapes such as “Madonna With Child” and Veliko Tarnovo, the impressive medieval capital of Bulgaria.
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Rhine
When it comes to the best cruise rivers in Europe, the Rin wins for the landscapes of natural beauty and fairy tale. A cruise on the river between Amsterdam and Basilea, Switzerland, a typical route of one week, takes you to the vineyard extensions on the slope side; forests and mountains; historical cities; and medieval seafood peoples.
That is even before arriving at the Valley of the upper middle medium, a Unesco World Heritage site. This section of river of 40 miles, between Rudesheim Am Rhein and Koblenz, Germany, has abundance castles, you can imagine that Rapunzel is released to the hair, and Lorelei, the legendary rock of the blackboard said to distract the sailors with the fascinating song of a maiden.
The French city of Strasbourg, with its famous Gothic Cathedral and Robusto Alsaciana Alsaciana scene, is often a favorite stop in Rin’s itineraries. Other outstanding aspects include Heidelberg, Germany and its imposing Castillo.
Seine
Of course, you can see the Eiffel tower when it addresses a river ship in Paris, but you can also do it while it will stay in a hotel. The most prominent aspects of a Sena cruise are sailing in the river outside the city to the Canal de la Mancha and a visit to the beaches of Normandy, France, for a perspective on World War II.
His visit there and for the American cemetery and monument of Normandy, as well as other memorials and monuments to the fallen, is a moving experience (one that requires a two -hour bus trip from his ship). Avalon river routes It takes an expert in World War II on board to add information about selected navigations.
There are other treasures throughout the Seine, among which Giverny, France, the home and gardens of the impressionist artist Claude Monet. If you are a fan of your art, much of the property may seem familiar.
In the historic Rouen, France, where Joan of Arc was martyred in the Middle Ages, passes through the Cathedral of Rouen (another theme of Monet) before being lost in cobbled streets with wonderful cafes.
Related: Reserving your first river cruise? This is what you need to know
Bordeaux
The cruises of the Bordeaux rivers are different from other water routes because explores two short river paths, the Ríos Dordoña and Garon, and the rotary estuary in the southwest of France.
You will spend more time on land than floating through the river on this itinerary, with your ship docked for two nights in the city of Bordeaux, France, a miniature Paris with large buildings of the 18th century. Who cares when you are in the epicenter of French culture in one of the most famous wine regions in the world?
Bordeaux provides the opportunity to drink wines Medoc, Margaux, Saint Emilion, Pomerol and Sauternes as you expand your wine in wine. You will visit vineyards and magnificent chateaus. His cruise line could even organize a dinner on a Wine farm one night. If you plan your cruise for September or October, you can admire grape harvest.
Related: River Cruise packaging list: what to pack when traveling in Riverboat
Rhone and Saone
Another need for wine lovers is to explore the interior of France, drink dimensions of Rhone in famous wines manufacturing regions such as Hermitage and Chateauneuf-Du-Pape in Provence, and Beaune in Burgundy.
The Cruises of Rhone and Saone River typically sail between Lyon and Arles or Avignon, and are loaded with attractions that are not from Roman Aqueduct Pont du Gard and the Roman Amphitheater Arles, as well as the huge Palais des Papes (papal palace) in Avignon. You can also enjoy the lavender fields, Pajares and other scenes that inspired painters such as Paul Cézanne and Vincent Van Gogh.
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Hard
For a cruise experience by the lazy, dreamer and dreamer, nothing better than exploring the wine regions of Portugal in El Duero, one of the main rivers through the Iberian Peninsula. The basis of operations of these river cruises is Porto, Portugal, with its historic city center, spectacular bridges and port houses.
On the one -week cruises, the river will follow 130 miles beyond the vineyards of the green hillside in the Douuro River Valley, a destination recognized by Unesco, before turning around the Spanish border. River cruises generally include a visit to the University City of Salamanca in northern Spain. Viticulture is largely the lesson along the way, since it learns about the production of ports in the “Río del Oro”.
Related: My last adventure of River Cruise included kayak, bicycle and hiking, this is how yours can also.
Elba
Due to the fluctuating levels of water and narrow passages, Elbe is a challenging river that runs 680 miles between the Czech Republic and Germany. Historically, he was part of the border between East Germany and Western Germany.
The river cruise here is a rare experience. Viking It is one of the few lines that visits (another is the French line Croisieurope), which offers 10 -day itineraries that combine stays in hotels in the cities of Berlin and Prague with a river section between Prague and Wittenburg, Germany.
Cruises are in ships specifically built for the Elbe Route. They stop in places such as the resurgual Dresde, strongly bombarded during World War II but expensive expensive; the Saxon region of Germany with its striking sandstone formations; and the city of Spa by Bad Schandau.
Po in northern Italy is tide, which makes it another challenging river route. But where else can a visit to Venice, Italy, with a cruise on the river easily combine? Uniworld Boutique River Cruises makes the po in high style with its SS Venezia of 126 passengers, completely adorned with a sense of place, from Fortuny fabrics and Murano glass to its golden accents.
The route of a week does not take you far, but includes tours of the walled city of Padua, the charming fishing village of Chioggia and Murano, home of renowned glass artisans.
For those looking for a longer experience, Uniworld skillfully combines a Po cruise with luxury rail trips to countries such as Türkiye and Switzerland.
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