Best European river cruises for 2024

European river cruises continue to rank among the most popular cruise options for travellers and cruise enthusiasts.

Winding through quaint villages, stopping at historical cities, and cruising past stunning scenery along Europe’s majestic waterways, these voyages provide an intimate way to experience this vast continent. 

For 2024, top river cruise lines offer the best itineraries to explore Europe’s historic past and stunning gems of the present.

Guests can glide past fairy-tale castles on the Rhine, explore medieval towns along the Danube, discover Paris highlights, and gaze upon picture-perfect tulip fields while floating down small canals. Here are some lines that offer one-of-a-kind European river cruises.

Scenic European river cruises

Scenic offers a selection of indulgent European river cruises for 2024 including a 15-day ‘Jewels of Europe’ cruise which is an all-inclusive sailing along the legendary Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers with stops at iconic destinations from Amsterdam to Budapest.

In addition, a 15-day, 5-star all-inclusive luxury ‘Romantic Rhine & Moselle’ sailing with visits in Antwerp, Koblenz, Bernkastel and Strasburg is also available for booking. 

For cruisers who long to visit a vineyard and savour some wine, Scenic has lined-up an 11-day ‘Beautiful Bordeaux’ sailing.

Guests are treated to a vineyard-blanketed countryside and a taste of some of the world’s best wines while cruising along three majestic French rivers. Additionally, the line also offers 10-day‘’ Danube in Depth, a 21-day ‘South of France & Gems of the Seine’ cruise, and the 11-day ‘Normandy & Gem’ of the Seine sailing that awaits cruisers to enjoy a visit to the historic beaches of Normandy and Monet’s Giverny home and gardens. 

Tauck European river cruises

Tauck is known for providing enriching, hassle-free travel experiences along the great waterways of Europe. This 2024, guests can embark on an all-inclusive Tauck River cruise to discover Europe’s majestic capitals, charming villages, and stunning scenery.

Choose from voyages like the 12-day Blue Danube‘’ cruise from Prague to vibrant Budapest, passing Austrian gems like Salzburg and Vienna along the way. Or experience Amsterdam, Cologne, and five Bavarian and Austrian towns on the 15-day ‘Amsterdam to Budapest sailing’. Additionally, Tauk entices cruisers  with the 10-day ‘Savoring France’ cruise with Paris to Provence sailing blending renowned sights with the rustic charm of Avignon and Arles.

Moreover, additional itineraries such as the 12-day Danube Kingdoms that feature destinations like Munich, Vilshofen, Passau, Cesky Krumlov, Linz, Melk, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest are also part of the 2024 cruise list. 

Viking European river cruises

Viking Cruises has lined up several European river cruises for 2024 with an array of enriching itineraries aboard their state-of-the-art longships.

From the Douro River winding through Portugal to the storied waters of the Rhine and Danube, intimate river cruising with Viking delivers inspiring destinations and local immersion.

Guests may choose from from 9-night ‘Portugal’s River Of Gold’ and discover Lisbon’s deep cultural foundations, a 9-night ‘Treasures Of The Rhine’ and explore the majestic city of Basel, or they may opt to book the 11-night ‘Cities Of Light‘’ and marvel at the grandeur of Paris with its captivating history and breathtaking landscapes. 

In addition, Viking also offers a 10-night ‘Passage To Eastern Europe’ and be amazed at the vibrant Budapest and other European key cities like Kalocsa, Osijek in Croatia, Vidin in Bulgaria and the historic Bucharest in Romania. 

AmaWaterways European river cruises

AmaWaterways has led the way in luxury river cruising since 2002. This 2024, guests can continue exploring Europe’s glorious waterways and captivating cities aboard AmaWaterways’ signature twin-balcony ships. 

Cruisers may opt to choose the 7-night ‘Legendary Danube’ river cruise where guests could peek into Europe’s history from the well-reserved medieval city of  Nuremberg and conclude in Budapest. There are also in-between visits to man-made wonders like the Main-Danube Canal, across the Continental Divide and through the UNESCO-designated Wachau Valley. In addition, AmaWaterways also listed the 7-night Best of ‘Holland & Belgium’ sailing as part of its 2024 offering. Here, guests can marvel at the architectural supremacy of castles including Utrecht’s de Haar, Brussels’ Gaasbeek and Ghent’s Castle of the Counts of Flanders. 

On the other hand, the line also highlights its spring offering via a 7-night ‘Tulip Time’ cruise  in the Netherlands and Belgium by witnessing the Keukenhof Gardens and Floralia come alive. A bonus experience for this cruise is the whimsical Kinderdijk windmills and the art of Michelangelo. 

APT European river cruises

Australian Pacific Touring (APT) has pioneered memorable travel experiences for so many years already. This 2024, the line came up with cruise offerings for guests and travellers to explore Europe’s scenic waterways and historic gems. 

APT highlights its 15-day ‘Magnificent Europe’ sailing visiting countries like Holland, Germany, Austria, and Slovakia via Danube, Rhine, and Main rivers. In addition, the line also has the 25-day Eastern Bloc with ‘Magnificent Europe’ cruise where guests are bound to enjoy the enchanting countryside of the Czech Republic, Netherlands, Austria, Germany and Poland.

On the other hand, guests can also choose to embrace Eastern Europe’s rich history and culture, enjoy the one of a kind scenery along the Danube, and explore Belgrade and cruise through the Iron Gates via a 15-day ‘Voyage through the Balkans’ sailing.